The first time I watched the Matrix Revolutions I thought it was excellent. I have to say I was astounded, however, every time I watched it afterwards I noticed small things that just ruined the experience, like in the final fight scene with agent Smith and Neo - Smith would punch Neo so Hard it created a shock wave but Neo wouldn’t even flinch.

I wanted it to be undeniably the greatest film ever made and as I said, I felt it was the first time around but then I think it became a runner up.

Yet again in the cast we have Keanu Reeves as Neo, Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity, Hugo Weaving as the Agent Smiths, and Mary Alice as the Oracle, Helmat Bakaitis is the Architect, and Collin Chou as Seraph. But I feel they could have done more with the last film.

Now the plot, Neo is stuck in a coma but his brain signals are like someone in the Matrix. And that just Baffles everyone, but Neo isn’t in the matrix he’s in a place called the train station which is a place between the real world and the Matrix. This is where he meets a program in the form a man, his wife and daughter who say that they are waiting for a program called the trainman who will take the daughter to the oracle and the others to the real world.

Meanwhile Trinity and Morpheus meet the oracle who sends them and Seraph to get the Trainman. The Trainman Escapes, so they go to the Frenchman and there is a great fight scene with people running upside down and they have got Morpheus using two MP5’s. I have to say he made the weapons look heavier than they are. When they get to the Frenchman they threaten him enough to get Neo back.

Throughout the rest of the film there are many fights but they get worse over time. I’m still convinced that the Corridor Scene in the first Matrix alone, I think outdoes this whole film. Unfortunately they ruined agent Smith - Hugo acted superbly but the script made him just terrible. He was cool, but I didn’t believe it at first but he got scared he freaked out and it was just awful , he built up to be the best part of the films but I can’t express just how disappointing that part was.

Overall it was excellent but as I said at the start it gets worse. So I would recommend rent it for a short time and watch it once, then you should probably wait a long time until you’ve forgotten most of it, then watch it again if you want to.

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Full cast list for Matrix Revolutions: Anthony Wong, Anthony Zerbe, Bernard White, Bruce Spence, Carrie-Anne Moss, Che Timmins, Christopher Kirby, Clayton Watson, Collin Chou, Cornel West, Craig Walker, David Bowers, David Roberts, Dion Horstmans, Essie Davis, Francine Bell, Genevieve O’Reilly, Gina Torres, Harold Perrineau, Harry Lennix, Helmut Bakaitis, Henry Blasingame, Hugo Weaving, Ian Bliss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Joe Manning, Kate Beahan, Keanu Reeves, Kevin Michael Richardson, Kittrick Redmond, Lachy Hulme, Lambert Wilson, Laurence Fishburne, Mary Alice, Maurice Morgan, Monica Bellucci, Nathaniel Lees, Nona Gaye, Peter Lamb, Rachel Blackman, Rene Naufahu, Richard Sydenham, Robert Mammone, Robyn Nevin, Rupert Reid, Tanveer K. Atwal, Tharini Mudaliar, Zeke Castelli.

This undeniably is an almost impossible follow-up to the pure brilliance of The Matrix and its running along the corridor scene, and while I was waiting to see it for the first time I nervously waited to see if Reloaded met the heady heights of the original. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s as good as The Matrix.

What it does have is so many great moments that it match any film ever for coolness! We have in the cast Keanu reeves as Neo, Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, Carrie Anne-Moss as Trinity, Gloria Foster as the Oracle and the brilliant Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith - still I think the best actor in the film.

It starts with a meeting in the Matrix where a group of captains with their crew are discussing a huge threat of 250,000 sentinels that will reach Zion in 72 hours. Shortly afterwards Neo meets Agent Smith with two other agents that he promptly beats up, and Smith says some strange things about Neo setting him free.

Afterwards Morpheus’ group return to Zion where that afternoon there is a huge dance with brief scenes of semi-nudity and great music. The next morning Neo is invited to see the Oracle and gets some much needed answers, but with the traditional dollop of confusion thrown in. Afterwards Neo gets in a huge fight with Agent Smith who has copied himself a couple of hundred times.

The film is less talkie more killie than the last, involving a much needed car chase for about twenty minutes. The CGI is great but they just don’t attain their previous standards when they filmed Neo beating up the army of Smiths, however in every scene when they don’t have a CGI Neo it is as good as you might hope. The sets in my opinion were far better funded then those in the original Matrix film, with no more of the cardboard and polystyrene set nonsense (at least, that’s what it often looked like to me).

They have some brilliant punch lines in Matrix Reloaded, like “we are getting aggravated” and “Yes we are”. It was just funny for no proper reason at all. This all adds up to an absolutely brilliant film that just outperforms the first Matrix film in many ways

The general storyline is that the prophecy should be fulfilled soon, so the twenty five thousand sentinels should never make it to Zion, but Neo hasn’t got a single idea what he needs to do to stop them. Also he is having a recurring dream about Trinity, jumping out of a building firing two mini Uzis at an agent chasing her with a Desert Eagle pistol. In the dream she is then shot in the heart and she hits a car below. Is this really going to happen, and if so can Neo save her?

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Full cast list for the Matrix reloaded: Adrian Rayment, Alima Ashton-Sheibu, Andrew Valli, Andy Arness, Anthony Wong, Anthony Zerbe, Attila Davidhazy, Austin Galuppo, Bernard White, Carrie-Anne Moss, Chris Mitchell, Christine Anu, Christopher Kirby, Clayton Watson, Collin Chou, Cornel West, Daniel Bernhardt, Daryl Heath, David Franklin, David Kilde, David No, David Roberts, Don Battee, Essie Davis, Frankie Stevens, Genevieve O’Reilly, Gina Torres, Gloria Foster, Harold Perrineau, Harry Lennix, Helmut Bakaitis, Hugo Weaving, Ian Bliss, Jada Pinkett Smith, John Walton, Josephine Byrnes, Joshua Mbakwe, Keanu Reeves, Kelly Butler, Kevin Scott, Lambert Wilson, Laurence Fishburne, Leigh Whannell, Liliana Bogatko, Malcolm Kennard, Marlene Cummins, Matt McColm, Michael Budd, Monica Bellucci, Montaño Rain, Nash Edgerton, Nathaniel Lees, Neil Rayment, Nicandro Thomas, Nick Scoggin, Nona Gaye, Noris Campos, Paul Cotter, Peter Lamb, Randall Duk Kim, Ray Anthony, Rene Naufahu, Robert Mammone, Robyn Nevin, Roy Jones Jr., Rupert Reid, Scott McLean, Shane C. Rodrigo, Socratis Otto, Steve Bastoni, Steve Morris, Steve Vella, Stoney Burke, Tahei Simpson, Terrell Dixon, Tony Lynch, Tory Mussett, Valerie Berry.

Resident Evil is my first Zombie/Horror/Action movie I’ve seen so I wasn’t sure what to expect. A secret underground base, a team of black-clad commandos, a smoking hot lady and a homicidal AI - it sounds like a recipe of success.

It starts off like a clone of a film about memory loss with a girl waking up naked in the shower and exploring what appears to be her house. However, this is soon shattered as a team of commandos dressed head to toe in black wearing gas masks and a ton of guns. They accept the girl as one of their own and take a unknown man prisoner.

It soon transpires the girl is part of a security team guarding a secret laboratory. However we soon find out that it seems to be deserted thanks to a homicidal AI name Red Queen, who proceeds to cut down a good portion of the commandos who are investigating the apparently empty laboratory complex in a very grisly trap.

But just as the commandos complete their mission it turns out that the now terminated homicidal AI was the lesser of two evils, as the dead laboratory employees have a virus that was released into the facility. The virus brings the dead back and gives them a hungry appetite.

From then it turns into a gun blazing fight for survival and search for the truth.

To be honest the story is predictable in certain areas, but once all the predictable plot turns are over it becomes very original with zombies bursting out of every hole in the facility and with barely enough bullets to commit suicide it becomes brutal martial arts-style fighting

The action sequences are very intense with matrix style moves and plenty of explosions and gunfire. The suspense though is what makes it brilliant since you know the hero lady is going to survive but nobody else is safe, and with lots of ventilation shafts and dark corridors, people can’t expect to survive for long. Although it is rated 15 some of the implied violence and sudden shocks are terrifying so I would not recommend this to the easily scared or squeamish.

To be honest the acting doesn’t really mater to me since most of the cast die before you get to know them and the rest don’t need to show much emotion, but in the rare moments when emotions matter it is believable.

On the whole I would give it an 8 out of 10 for DVD rental and a 7 out of 10 if you are thinking about buying it since it is amazing the first time but it would have less of an impact the next few times.

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Full cast list for Resident Evil: Anna Bolt, Barry Best, Colin Salmon, Eric Mabius, Fiona Glascott, Heike Makatsch, Indra Ové, James Purefoy, Jamie Harding, Jason Isaacs, Jaymes Butler, Jeremy Bolt, Joseph May, Liz May Brice, Marc Logan-Black, Martin Crewes, Michaela Dicker, Michelle Rodriguez, Milla Jovovich, Oscar Pearce, Pasquale Aleardi, Robert Tannion, Ryan McCluskey, Stephen Billington, Torsten Jerabek.

To be honest after seeing Hellboy I wasn’t so sure about seeing number 2 and it seemed my fears were well founded in the first five minutes when the background story is given in a shadow puppet style. However after the titles I was soon corrected, with a great piece of timing comedy that you will not see coming.

After that the story boils down to three different story lines - bad person wants power and needs completed artefact (and tries to complete it while good guys try to stop him), love-story lines, and a “dealing with the brand new boss” story line.

The main idea of good vs bad is very thin with very little depth just a whole lot of jumping around, punching things and witty one liners.

The love story lines however are a lot more interesting with some pretty good comedy and moments that you can just cringe at.

However by far the most comedic story line is the breaking in of the new German boss which will have you sniggering for a good part of the film, containing by far the most funny and original bits.

The characters are a mixed bag, Hellboy; the hero is by far the stand out with great and unpredictable one liners - he’s pure original. Abraham, Hellboy’s best friend and book smart amphibian, is struck with his first crush and gets his first hangover when Hellboy gets involved.

Princess Nuada is your stereotypical relative of the psycho bad guy, who doesn’t know whether to stop, help or leave alone. However with a quite original piece of writing it turns out that they are linked and that they take the same damage as each other and know exactly the same things as each other.

Prince Nuala is your psycho ninja, martial arts, sword-toting ass kicking angry man. With very little surprises coming from just a whole lots of slicing, dicing, stabbing and jumping his character is paper thin, but he’s sure easy to hate and fear.

Liz Sherman is basically like the human torches only she can’t fly around but can shoot loads of fire balls, plus she’s pretty cute, however she is Hellboy’s girlfriend and does a moderate performance although she doesn’t really stand out for me.

Johann Krauss, what can I say? He is without a doubt fantastic, with only Hellboy managing to equal him in a love hate relationship. He is the new boss with strictness for the rules and he just has a great German accent and the fact the he is a psychic being in a suit full of gas that can control other things, he provides an awful lot of comedy and manages to do all sorts of wonderful things - the Swiss army knife of paranormal freaks!

On the whole it’s a fairly enjoyable film, a definite rent and possible own.  I would give it a 7 since it’s good but not as astounding as other films out.

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Full cast list for Hellboy II: Aidan Cook, Alex McSweeney, Andrew Hefler, Anna Walton, Beatrice Zentai, Belinda Henley, Blake Perlman, Brian Herring, Brian Steele, Clive Llewellyn, Colin Ford, Doug Jones, Ferenc Elek, Gavin McKenzie, Ivan Kamaras, James Dodd, Jamie Wilson, Jeanne Mockford, Jeffrey Tambor, Jeremy Zimmerman, Jimmy Kimmel, John Alexander, John Hurt, Judit Viktor, Justin Pierre, Kevin Hudson, Luke Goss, Matt Rippy, Matthew O’Toole, Michael Mehlmann, Mike Kelly, Montse Ribe, Palma Pasztor, Péter Horkay, Richard Rifkin, Ron Perlman, Roy Dotrice, Sandor Svigelj, Santiago Segura, Selma Blair, Seth MacFarlane, Szonja Oroszlan, Tim Flavin, Tim Larsen, Todd Williams.

I’ve watched the matrix about half a dozen times and every time I thought “Wow that is just the coolest thing ever!” seeing a guy in a black trench coat running along a wall with two Uzis and a woman in a black shirt running along another wall ready to kick a man in the face in slow-mo, and a tone of cool scenes like that.

Keanu reeves as Neo, Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity, Joe Pantoliano as Cipher, and my favourite character Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith. It’s the first of the three films and could not have gone better.

It starts with Neo being told by his computer to follow a “white rabbit” which leads him briefly to trinity. The next day he goes to work where he is chased by some agents and he is eventually caught. With the agents he enters a world of horror and his mouth seals itself shut and a small robot climbs into his belly button - he then wakes up back to normal, or so he thinks.

He then is phoned and meets Morpheus’ team under a bridge in a car where they suck the robot out of his bellybutton. Afterwards they drive to a large tattered building where he meets Morpheus who offers to let him know the truth about the matrix and be freed, he then has to face that he has to save the planet from the robot’s rule.

This film is full of action and strange ideas. The CGI was futuristic for its time, the sets I have to say sometimes looked like cardboard and polystyrene but overall they were good, they chose perfect music for the situations including Rage Against The Machine for the credits!

Some of the acting wasn’t the best, like the point when Trinity is kicking ass with a shotgun she seems like it’s too heavy for her to hold. However the quick punch lines like “dodge this” will last forever in media history.

The story itself is based around the Matrix which is a computer simulation made by robots with AI that is our world, they grow humans plugging them into the Matrix and use their bio-electricity to power themselves. This means that the world isn’t real and they can bend the system’s rules such as gravity, Letting them fly, jump further and run on walls!

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The full cast is: Keanu reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano, Julian Arahanga, Anthony Ray Parker, Marcus Chong, Matt Doran, Gloria Foster, Belinda McClory, Paul Goddard, Robert Taylor.

We’ve got a link to a video interview with Director Matthew Vaughn, who talks about his experience of making the hit blockbuster film Stardust.

The DVD release of Stardust comes after the successful release of this epic fantasy at the cinemas. This fairytale includes wicked witches, magical spells, daring sword fights, black comedy and a cast that includes Robert DeNiro and the stunning Michelle Pfeiffer.

Charlie Cox plays the unlikely hero who falls in love with a falling star, and the film includes great performances from Ricky Gervais, Sienna Miller and Claire Danes to name but a few.

In the interview, Director Matthew Vaughn describes how this star-studded classic was created. Find out how Robert DeNiro felt about cross dressing, why Vaughn chose an unknown for his leading character and just how much make-up it takes to make Michelle Pfeiffer look ugly!

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Full cast list for Stardust: Adam Buxton, Adam Fogerty, Alastair MacIntosh, Ben Barnes, Bimbo Hart, Carlos Besse Peres, Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Coco Sumner, Darby Hawker, David Kelly, David Walliams, Dexter Fletcher, Elwin ‘Chopper’ David, Frank Ellis, Geoff Bell, George Innes, Grant Burgin, Henry Cavill, Ian McKellen, Jake Curran, Jason Flemyng, Joanna Scanlan, Jordan Long, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Kate Magowan, Mark Burns, Mark Heap, Mark Strong, Mark Williams, Melanie Hill, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nathaniel Parker, Olivia Grant, Peter O’Toole, Rab Affleck, Ricky Gervais, Robert De Niro, Rupert Everett, Sarah Alexander, Sienna Miller, Spencer Wilding, Struan Rodger, Terry Murphy.

I recently watched Die Hard 4 on DVD starring Bruce Willis, Justin Long and Kevin Smith. The first 3 Die Hard films have become classic action films so although I knew that it had a lot to live up to I was still really excited to watch, especially when I heard that Kevin Smith (Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob) was co starring in a role as “Warlock” an expert computer hacker.

The film starts off with plenty of action right from the beginning. Hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) finds himself in a bit of bother after unwittingly helping a group of deadly criminals hack into government files.

As he is about to be chased down and killed, tough cop John McClane bursts onto the scene and saves the day, but the two of them soon come to realise that this was just the beginning of what looks set to be the day from hell for the whole country!

As usual, this is another Die Hard film that is action packed from start to finish; the stunts are fantastic and the special effects top notch as ever! Despite the fact that some of the scenes were extremely far fetched I don’t think that detracts from the film at all, in fact I think that’s what die hard movies are all about and that?s what keeps them fun and entertaining. Bruce Willis is getting on a bit now but still manages to keep up the pace as usual and his tough guy attitude and punchy one liners make a welcome return!

The plotline itself revolves mostly around computers and technology this time, and deals with the issue of hackers bringing down our most needed services including electricity and gas etc. It shows just how much we have come to rely on computers and just how big a part they play in our everyday life. Add in some amazing action sequences and Bruce Willis shooting a helicopter out of the sky using a fire hydrant in the middle of the street and I think you definitely have a winning formula!

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Full cast list for Die Hard 4.0: Allen Maldonado, Andrew Friedman, Bruce Willis, Chris Ellis, Chris Palermo, Christina Chang, Cliff Curtis, Cyril Raffaelli, David Walrod, Dennis Depew, Diana Gettinger, Edoardo Costa, Edward James Gage, Ethan Flower, Gerald Downey, Howard Tyrone Ferguson, Jake McDorman, Jim Cantafio, Joe Gerety, John Lacy, John Reha, Jonathan Sadowski, Justin Long, Kevin Smith, Kurt David Anderson, Maggie Q, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Matt O’Leary, Melissa Knowles, Nadine Ellis, Nick Jaine, Regina McKee Redwing, Rick Cramer, Rosemary Knower, Sung Kang, Tim De Zarn, Tim Russ, Timothy Olyphant, Tony Colitti, Vito Pietanza, Yancey Arias, Yorgo Constantine, Zeljko Ivanek anza, Yancey Arias, Yorgo Constantine, Zeljko Ivanek.

I would like to say this is a review of Transformers in Blu-Ray format but unfortunately, in their wisdom, the producers of the new Transformers movie seem to have decided that Playstation 3 owners are unlikely to be in their target demographic, so they will have to content themselves with DVD to watch this film

Transformers was without doubt the most highly anticipated movie of the year and is literally just out on the shelves on DVD. Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel to name but a few and directed by Michael Bay (Pearl Harbour/Armageddon) it looks all set to become one of the most watched films of all time.

I saw Transformers for myself at the cinema, after having played with the toys and hearing all the hype surrounding the movie I was excited to see what the film had to offer. Let me just tell you; whether you’re male, female young or old I think you’re going to love this movie and most definitely won’t be disappointed. Without meaning to sound completely clich� it really does have something for everyone, and it makes the transition to DVD very well because you get to really examine the fantastic special effects in great detail.

Shia LaBeouf plays Sam Witwicky who after buying a second hand car from the local used car yard begins to notice that things aren’t exactly normal with it. Various humorous scenes play out, and soon it is revealed that the car is actually a Transformer �Bumblebee’ to be precise. I don’t want to ruin the whole movie for those who haven’t yet seen it so I won’t go into too much detail about the rest of the film but soon, one by one the Transformers begin to appear on earth and the ultimate battle between good and evil begins to take place.

You can see a fantastic online behind the scenes interview here.

One of the best things about this movie has to be Shia LaBeouf. He is a seriously talented up and coming young actor and after a strong performance in ‘Disturbia’ (Which I also loved) he has gone and done it again, nailing the part of Sam and playing it with such fantastic ease and use of comic timing that it would rival even the biggest and best of the industry’s top actors. Megan Fox is going to be the topic of much conversation with the guys who watch this movie I’m sure! She is gorgeous, although I do think that acting wise she came off as a little weak next to Shia.

Optimus Prime and Megatron are visually stunning and the complexity of the CGI that has been used through out the whole film is just mind blowing. During the fight scenes you will struggle to keep up as they are so fast paced but I guarantee you won’t want to take your eyes off the screen for fear of missing even a second of this masterpiece.

There are, as with all movies some basic flaws and things that make you think “I wish they had done that differently” for example I have noticed a lot of people mentioning that they didn’t like the fact that Optimus Prime didn’t appear in the form of the exact same truck and that Megatron wasn’t a Handgun like he originally was but all in all the general feeling about the movie seems to be that it’s well worth watching.

Get yourself the DVD and watch Transformers in all its glory at the next possible opportunity and prepare to lose yourself in 144mins of pure action and adrenaline!

Complete cast list for the film Transformers: Adam Ratajczak, Amaury Nolasco, Andrew Altonji, Andrew Caldwell, Andy Domingues, Andy Milder, Anthony Anderson, Ashkan Kashanchi, Benjamin Hoffman, Bernie Mac, Bob Stephenson, Brian Prescott, Brian Reece, Brian Shehan, Brian Stepanek, C.J. Thomason, Carlos Moreno Jr., Charles Adler, Charlie Bodin, Chip Hormess, Chris Ellis, Colin Fickes, Colleen Porch, Craig Barnett, Darius McCrary, Esther Scott, Frederic Doss, Glenn Morshower, Hugo Weaving, J.P. Manoux, Jamie McBride, Jamison Yang, Jason White, Jeremy Jojola, Jess Harnell, Jessica Kartalija, Jimmie Wood, John Robinson, John Turturro, Johnny Sanchez, Jon Voight, Josh Duhamel, Joshua Feinman, Julie White, Kevin Dunn, Laurel Garner, Luis Echagarruga, Madison Mason, Mark Ryan, Mason the Mastiff, Maya Klayn, Megan Fox, Michael Adams, Michael McNabb, Michael O’Neill, Michael Shamus Wiles, Michael Trisler, Michelle Pierce, Mike Fisher, Odette Yustman, Pat Mulderrig, Pete Gardner, Peter Cullen, Peter Jacobson, Rachael Taylor, Ravi Patel, Ray Toth, Reno Wilson, Rick Gomez, Rizwan Manji, Robert Foxworth, Ron Henry, Ronnie Sperling, Samantha Smith, Scott Peat, Sean Hampton, Sean Smith, Shia LaBeouf, Sophie Bobal, Steven Ford, Tom Lenk, Travis Van Winkle, Tyrese Gibson, Wiley M. Pickett, William Morgan Sheppard, Zack Ward.

CSI : New York is the second successful spin off show in the CSI Series. It first aired in May 2004 and is currently in its fourth season and still going strong, with fans loving its much grittier and bloodier take on the original CSI franchise.

Gary Sinese stars as the main character in CSI NY. He plays Detective Mac Taylor a guy who is still deeply troubled by the death of his wife in the 9/11 attacks. His character had a relationship with the beautiful Claire Forlani�s character Dr. Peyton Driscoll who in recent series decided to stay in London rather than return to New York and continue their relationship.

Just a few more of the regular characters include:

• Melina Kanakaredes is Det. Stella Bonasera a determined and strong woman who is always looking to find answers to her cases, especially those with violent crimes attached, this may be due to issues in her past. Along with Mac she helps lead the team.
• Carmine Giovinazzo stars as Danny Messer an investigator hired personally by Mac. He has a strong sense of loyalty and often uses his own troubled family history to help with work ethics on the job.
• Eddie Cahill plays Det. Don Flack, he has a strong family history in the law enforcement field and fans love him for his quick wit and slightly edgy personality.

Many more make up the CSI New York Team, and fans all have their own favourite characters for different reasons. One of the great things about CSI NY is the characters own histories and back stories, and the diversity of different actors that can be found on the show.

The show has been known to have crossover episodes with the other CSI series, which helps remind us that they are originated from the same place but also shows just how different each one is, and the strengths and weaknesses of both.

Series 1-3 of CSI New York are currently available on DVD and are well worth a watch if you are a fan of the CSI series in general.

Each of the�seasons of CSI:NY are issued in two parts, and the most recent DVD issue in�the UK includes Part 2 of Season 3.� I find it best to buy full�seasons if possible because you get a better deal that way.�

Be warned though, once you start watching one of the spin-offs, you kind of find yourself hooked and will end up having to watch all of them! However, if you�re quick, there are several special offers in store at the moment with the �Criminally Cheap� offer!

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Full cast list for CSI:NY: A.J. Buckley, Al Santos, Alanna Ubach, Anna Belknap, Bess Wohl, Carmen Argenziano, Carmine Giovinazzo, Chad Lindberg, Chad Williams, Chris Meyer, Claire Forlani, David Caruso, David Julian Hirsh, Denice J. Sealy, Ed Quinn, Eddie Cahill, Edward Furlong, Elizabeth Ann Bennett, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Gary Sinise, Gina St. John, Greg D’Agostino, Hill Harper, J. Grant Albrecht, Jaclyn Kerhulas, James R. McMann, Jason Thornton, Jinny Lee Story, Joe Morton, John Dove, Jonah Lotan, Joseph Lawrence, Kanin J. Howell, Kelly Hu, Kerr Smith, Kevin Derr, Kyle Gallner, Melina Kanakaredes, Michael DeLuise, Michael King, Michael McLafferty, Mykelti Williamson, Natalina Maggio, Nick Damici, Olga Karavaeva, Paul Carafotes, Raphael Sbarge, Robert Joy, Ron Yuan, Scott Alan Smith, Scott Richards, Sonya Walger, Terry Kinney, Vanessa Ferlito.

Sketch shows are such a weird and wonderful creature. Sometimes I find myself wondering why there aren’t more on British TV because they are such a strong part of our heritage, but really they are so very hit and miss. While I’m watching some sketch shows the overwhelming thought in the back of my mind is “can these people keep going for a whole series”, which I’m sure is the same thought that is in the back of the mind of the people who commission this sort of programming.

The reason that sketch shows keep everyone coming back for more though, is when you get to experience true originality of thought, and the jokes enter your daily life, and that Mitchell and Webb Look is just such a show, a real classic.

And I’m so happy that I got the first series on DVD because not only did I get to experience the full on fun that you get watching a couple of episodes back to back, and I can refer back to my favourite sketches later, the supporting extra material on this DVD makes it all worthwhile. If it weren’t for the DVD extras I would probably just watch it once and then stick it on the shelf.

I’m sure everyone has their personal favourites, but mine are the Germans who start to realise that they might be the baddies. It really is such a strong idea, and the genius of David Mitchell and Robert Webb is that they can encapsulate it within a perfectly formed sketch that simply delivers the goods.

By contrast last night I watched Man Stroke Woman and while I really wanted it to be as good and as well crafted as That Mitchell and Webb Look, unfortunately it just wasn’t. Some of the jokes were good, even excellent, but the way they play out the whole sketches so often left me feeling uncomfortable, and they mixed good material with stuff that just didn’t quite make the grade.

Other characters in That Mitchell and Webb Look who play a regular part include Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit, who are excellent, but unlikely to make it to the next series because their joke is somewhat one dimensional. The thing David Walliams and Matt Lucas always do with their sketches in Little Britain is to have more than one dimension to each of their regular characters, and I think it’s this distinction that makes That Mitchell and Webb Look feel just that bit less epic in scope than Little Britain, but no less worthy for that fact because it’s more accessible as a result. I think expendable characters like Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit might turn out to be a strong point because Mitchell and Webb will need to come up with completely fresh material for their next series.

Numberwang is a quiz show that reminds me of Reeves and Mortimer. It’s just so way out there in the world of weirdness that it has taken on a life of its own, and gives a clue as to where That Mitchell and Webb Look is positioned in the world of sketch shows. It is one of my favourites on the show, but as the series progresses you get the idea that it is on some sort of path of self destruction, as if they want it to reach a conclusion so they can move on.

So the big question that I expect is on your mind right now (and that you hope I’m going to answer) is whether you should rush out and buy Series 1 of That Mitchell & Webb Look on DVD or put it on your Christmas list?

And my answer is mixed. If you can only get it at the recommended retail price of �19.99 then it would be hard to argue, but since just about everyone on planet earth sells it for less than this, the decision is much easier. It’s currently �12.48 on Amazon, and I’m sure Tescos are competitive with this, and at this sort of price I give it a definite thumbs up � go out and buy this disc now!

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Full cast list for That Mitchell and Webb Look: Abigail Burdess, David Mitchell, Gus Brown, James Bachman, Mark Evans, Olivia Colman, Paterson Joseph, Robert Webb.

The Simpsons Movie made its long awaited debut in the town of Springfield Vermont after 20th Century Fox held a huge competition to choose which town by the name �Springfield� should get the premier. The excitement about the feature version of this popular TV show built up for ages and finally the wait was over. But is it any good, and is it worth buying on DVD when it comes out on 10th December 2007? Read on to find out more�.

The usual Simpsons gang all make an appearance in the film, along with some great celebrity guest cameos including Green Day in the first main scene.

The basic premise of the whole storyline is that Springfield is trying to clean up its environment after Lisa stages a petition to stop pollution in the town�s lake. Homer soon decides however, to take it upon himself a tank labelled �Pig Crap� filled with� well erm pig crap obviously, from his new pet pig into the lake to dispose of it, causing the government to take drastic action against the town encasing them in a huge glass dome.

The townspeople try to hunt down Homer as he is the one responsible for their punishment but The Simpson family manage to escape the dome and run off to Alaska where Homer thinks they can finally be the perfect family.

However, news soon reaches them that their ex friends and neighbours are in trouble and it�s suddenly up to Homer to try and right his wrongs and ultimately save the day.

There are gags aplenty in The Simpsons Movie, and with the exception of a few scenes that were a little dragged out it was great fun to watch. All the kids in the cinema starting singing along when the �Spider Pig� scene came on (you must have all seen that trailer by now I�m sure.) and both children and parents seemed to be enjoying it just as much as each other! One thing that did surprise me was that the whole cinema actually stood up and applauded when the movie ended, maybe it�s just me but I�ve never seen that happen before here in the UK! I was a little taken aback but in a good way.

The good thing is that I think this fun will translate well to the DVD format when you watch this film at home, particularly for the kids who will enjoy repeated watching of the funny scenes.

In my opinion this movie would have been even better had it been released a few years ago when The Simpsons was really truly in its prime, I�m honestly not sure what�s taken them so long to bring this film out but I�m definitely glad that they finally did!

All in all, this is another great movie that has now made its way to DVD and is perfect for kids during long Christmas weekends while still being fun for adults, what more could you ask?!

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Full cast list for the Simpsons Movie: Albert Brooks, Billie Joe Armstrong, Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Joe Mantegna, Julie Kavner, Karl Wiedergott, Maggie Roswell, Marcia Wallace, Mike Dirnt, Nancy Cartwright, Pamela Hayden, Russi Taylor, Tom Hanks, Tre Cool, Tress MacNeille, Yeardley Smith.

CSI: Miami is a spin off show from the hugely popular groundbreaking CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The first show in the CSI Miami series ran in 2002 and has since built up a strong following with CSI fans worldwide having now become almost as popular as the original series itself!

CSI: Miami stars David Caruso as the main man Lt. Horatio Caine, he is basically their version of Grissom, the guy we see call the shots and lead the team around a series of complex cases. He has become something of a cult character, renowned for his trademark sunglasses and strange mannerisms including always standing perpendicular to anyone he has conversations with and his faultless marksmanship and firearms skills. He has risked his own life several times to save people and definitely has a �love him or hate him� kind of personality.

The rest of the CSI: Miami cast is made up of several recurring characters that each have their own sub plots and separate issues going on in each episode making the show compulsive and entertaining viewing. A few of the current cast regulars also include:

• Calleigh Duquesne � A ballistics specialist played by Emily Procter.
• Dr. Alexx Woods � A medical examiner played by Khandi Alexander.
• Eric Delko - Expert at identifying people from fingerprints played by Adam Rodriguez .
• Ryan Wolfe � Former police officer with a background in genetics and chemistry and a history of OCD. Played by Jonathan Togo

Over the past seasons there have been many show crossover episodes with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as well as several amazing original story arcs exclusive to CSI: Miami which now have fans completely hooked.

Season 6 is currently being aired in the US and series 1-4 are now available on DVD packed with special features.

I must admit that being a huge fan of the original CSI I was slightly sceptical about this show to begin with. I wasn�t keen on Horatio, his complexity takes a while to get used to and actually come to like.

However, after watching a few episodes I soon became engrossed in the show and think that although nothing can top the original CSI series and its amazing characters CSI: Miami has done a great job coming up with a new and exciting angle and it just keeps getting better and better as the show progresses.

Fans of CSI will recognise the episode formats and although it may seem like a bit of a change at first for those who have only seen the original series this is one that is definitely worth sticking with as it looks sure to continue to grow.

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Full cast list for CSI: Miami: Adam Rodriguez, Alana De La Garza, Alex Buck, Alex Paez, Alexandra Lydon, Amy Laughlin, Ana Alexander, Andres Saenz-Hudson, Aries Spears, Armando Valdes-Kennedy, Austin Priester, Azura Skye, Bellamy Young, Boti Bliss, Brendan Fehr, Brian Poth, Brooke Bloom, Castulo Guerra, Chad Faust, Chris Batstone, Chris Martin, Christina Chang, Cristi�n de la Fuente, Damian Perkins, Damian Urra, Damian Young, Daniel Arrias, Daniel Betances, David Caruso, David Lee Smith, David Starzyk, Dexter Fletcher, Diane Mizota, Ed Begley Jr., Eddie J. Fernandez, Emily Procter, Eva La Rue, Evan Ellingson, Eve Mauro, Gary Sinise, Gonzalo Menendez, Grainger Hines, Greg Dohanic, Haley Ramm, Hayden Tank, Holt McCallany, Jaclyn Friedlander, Janelle Velasquez, Jared Ward, Jeff Wolfe, Jennifer Hall, Jennifer Sky, Jeremiah Birkett, Jessica Szohr, Jillian Reeves de Ortiz, Joel West, Joey Giordano, John Burke, John Heard, John J. Dalesandro, John Sharian, Johnny Whitworth, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, Jonathan Togo, Joseph Kell, Josh Stamberg, Josh Zuckerman, Joshua Leonard, Julianna Guill, Karen Ross, Kari Wuhrer, Katarina Hyde, Kathleen Mary Carthy, Keith Johnson, Kelley Daugherty, Kendall Schmidt, Khandi Alexander, Kieran Campion, Kim Delaney, Kimiko Gelman, Kyndell Rose Crowell, Laimarie Serrano, Lance Reddick, Larry Rippenkroeger, Lesley Fera, Leslie Odom Jr., Lobo Sebastian, Lora Starkman, Malcolm Danare, Mario Xavier, Mark Rolston, Mary Castro, Max Martini, Michael B. Silver, Michael McGrady, Michael Whaley, Natalia Baldwin Le�n, Natalina Maggio, Nick Jaine, Nicole DeHuff, Patrick Fischler, Paul Beller, Paul Fitzgerald, Paula Garc�s, Rachel Rogers, Raniel David Castillo, Rex Linn, Richard Gross, Richie Rayfield, Rick Michaels, Rob Estes, Robert LaSardo, Rory Cochrane, Salli Richardson, Scott McIntosh, Shane Conrad, Shelli Bergh, Shiva Rose, Sofia Milos, Stephen Tobolowsky, Steve Toussaint, Teddy Sears, Tod Nakamura, Tom Hillmann, Troy Winbush, Vincent Laresca, Vivan Dugr�, Wanda De Jesus, William Allen Young, William O’Leary, Willie Garson.

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� MMVI CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Alliance Atlantis Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Alliance Atlantis Productions, Inc. are the authors of this program for the purposes of copyright and other laws.

Heroes is the show that everyone is talking about and I’m yet another one of the masses who has developed a somewhat unhealthy obsession with this truly groundbreaking science fiction show.

The first season is in two parts, with Part 1 containing 11 episodes out on DVD�already, and Heroes Season 1 Part 2�with 12 episodes�coming out on DVD in the UK on 10th December 2007. I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of Part 1�to review I have found myself a lot more popular with friends and relatives than usual!

I have to confess, I got into this series kind of later than most. I didn’t start watching it until recently but quickly found myself hooked after my first episode. I’d even go as far as to say I actually prefer Heroes to LOST� and that’s saying something given the extent of my admiration for that show and its creators.

So, what makes Heroes so great? Well for those who haven’t seen the show yet I don’t want to give too much away but let’s just say that the characters, plotlines and effects go way beyond anything you have ever seen. It has so many high drama scenes it will make your head spin and watching as the ‘Heroes’ learn about their own individual powers and how to control them is exciting to say the least.

I love the fact that the people with the superpowers come from all different walks of life, and all around the world. We have everything from an indestructible cheerleader to a cop who can read peoples thoughts and the show just keeps offering up these new and exciting little twists and angles that keep it feeling fresh.

The main focus of Series 1 is on the way that each of the Heroes deal with their newly found powers and learning to control them and use them for good. Hiro Nakamura is a Japanese man who soon discovers that he has the ability to bend space and time, travelling from one time frame to another and stopping time at his own will. We soon realise that he is an important character in the series as he sets about his quest to ‘Save the cheerleader; Save the world’.

The cheerleader in question just happens to be Claire Bennet, and she herself is hiding a secret power. Claire is indestructible; she can throw herself off a building, scald herself with boiling water and more and heal almost immediately.

Gradually all of the characters find their lives becoming intertwined as their paths cross for interesting and intriguing reasons, and with the help of Isaac Mendez, an artist who can paint the future they soon find themselves with a common quest that will ultimately require all of them to pull together.

There is also a darker force at work that we soon become aware of. His name is Sylar (played by Zachary Quinto) and he is feeding off of the powers of the Heroes and absorbing them for his own use. Sylar’s cunning and calculating methods to track down the powers he requires results in some of the most tense and brilliant scenes I have seen on a TV show for a long time and every aspect of the show feels almost like you are reading a slick, fun no holds barred comic book that you can’t put down.

If you are a fan of Sci Fi, or of TV shows like LOST which keep the viewer constantly on their toes then Heroes is most definitely the show for you. Series 1 is currently showing on the BBC and can also be bought on DVD so you really have no excuse for not watching!

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Complete cast list for the TV series Heroes: Adair Tishler, Adrian Pasdar, Ali Larter, Ashlee Gillespie, Ashley Crow, Ben Murray, Bill Fagerbakke, Brian Tarantina, Christopher Eccleston, Clea DuVall, Colby French, Cristine Rose, Dana Davis, Danielle Savre, Darryl Chan, Deirdre Quinn, Dutch Johnson, Elizabeth Lackey, Eric Roberts, Erick Avari, Eriko Tamura, Eugene Byrd, Garrett Masuda, Geno Monteiro, George Takei, Greg Grunberg, Hayden Panettiere, Jack Coleman, Jackson Wurth, James Kyson Lee, Javin Reid, Jayma Mays, Jessalyn Gilsig, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Josh Clark, Justin Evans, Karl T. Wright, Karri Turner, Kevin Chamberlin, Leonard Roberts, Link Baker, Malcolm McDowell, Mark Allan Stewart, Mark Nearing, Masi Oka, Matt Lanter, Matthew John Armstrong, Michael Maury, Milo Ventimiglia, Missi Pyle, Missy Peregrym, Nicole Bilderback, Noah Gray-Cabey, Nora Zehetner, Paula Newsome, Randall Bentley, Rena Sofer, Richard Roundtree, Rick Peters, Ryan Smith, Sakina Jaffrey, Sally Champlin, Santiago Cabrera, Sara Solomon, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Shalim Ortiz, Shishir Kurup, Stacy Haiduk, Stana Katic, Tawny Cypress, Thomas Dekker, Tohoru Masamune, Zachary Quinto.

Simon Pegg co-wrote with Jessica Hynes and appeared in one of my favourite TV series � Spaced so it was no great surprise to me when I absolutely loved Hot Fuzz. Pegg and Haynes’ awesome ability to keep me in stitches on such a big scale in Spaced continued through Shaun Of The Dead, and now I’m happy to confirm that Pegg is still on tip top form in Hot Fuzz.

Simon Pegg plays Nicholas Angel, an over-performing policeman whose record is 400% better than average and is sent by his superiors (Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan and Martin Freeman) to rural Sandford (actually Wells in Somerset) against his will so he doesn’t upset his colleagues. In a deleted scene we learn that the crime rate in London rises by 400% after he is sent to away. This DVD actually contains deleted scenes that are worth watching, unlike an awful lot of films.

But Sandford is not the sleepy crime-free hamlet that it appears. Partnered with clumsy but genuine “police man officer” Danny Butterman (Nick Frost who plays Mike Watt in Spaced) Nicholas Angel soon starts to have his frustration over the lack of action in Sandford (in another deleted scene he tests his radio because he thinks it isn’t working, but actually there is just no police radio traffic in Sandford) replaced with a frustration that his new colleagues can’t see that the grisly murders that are being perpetrated are not accidents, but a huge series of related crimes.

The level of action in the film builds until it culminates as a no holds barred action film, with great cinematic references to classic action films. The cinematic references are a constant theme in Pegg’s work, handled very academically in Spaced. In Hot Fuzz some of the cinematic references are very subtle, while some are very obvious and brilliant, like their recreation of scenes in Bad Boys II and Point Break.

Obviously I recommend this film heartily, but it is worth mentioning that there are a few gruesome scenes, such as the one outside the church so I think that in this case the minimum age rating is worth adhering to.

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Full cast list for Hot Fuzz: Adam Buxton, Alexander King, Alice Lowe, Anne Reid, Ben McKay, Bill Bailey, Bill Nighy, Billie Whitelaw, Cate Blanchett, Chris Waitt, Colin Michael Carmichael, David Bradley, David Threlfall, Edgar Wright, Edward Woodward, Elizabeth Elvin, Elvis, Eric Mason, Garth Jennings, Graham Low, Jim Broadbent, Joe Cornish, Julia Deakin, Karl Johnson, Kenneth Cranham, Kevin Eldon, Kevin Wilson, Lorraine Hilton, Lucy Punch, Maria Charles, Martin Freeman, Nicholas Wilson, Nick Frost, Olivia Colman, Paddy Considine, Patricia Franklin, Paul Freeman, Peter Jackson, Peter Wight, Rafe Spall, Robert Popper, Ron Cook, Rory Lowings, Rory McCann, Sampson, Simon Pegg, Stephen Merchant, Steve Coogan, Stuart Wilson, Tim Barlow, Timothy Dalton, Tom Strode Walton, Trevor Nichols, Troy Woollan.

I, Robot was first released in 2004. It is directed by Alex Proyas (Famously directed ‘The Crow’) and stars Will Smith and Bridget Moynahan.

The year is 2035 and robots have been produced to work as servants and assistants for humans. Almost every family and workplace has one and they are a regular part of day to day life. When a “robotophobic” Chicago Police Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) is called in to investigate a suspicious death in which the prime suspect is a robot, he begins to wonder if they are somehow gaining human attributes and whether a robot really can break the 3 laws of robotics: - 1) A robot can not harm a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2) A Robot must do whatever they are told by a human being as long as such orders do not conflict with law one. 3) They should always defend themselves as long as such defence does not conflict with laws one or two.

This is a really interesting movie, I liked the way that the human emotions are explored and challenged by the robots and how the directors have portrayed the future world as having become too dependent on inanimate objects to do their dirty work for them.

The storyline was well thought out and the movie was well paced with a great mix of action and drama. Will Smith was his usual cool, calm and collected self, giving a fantastic performance as we have come to expect from this mega star.

‘Sonny’ the main robot in the movie was simply fantastic; the CGI used to create him was convincing and very well done.

All in all this was a highly enjoyable film which although slated by a lot of critics is definitely worth a watch in my opinion!

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Full cast list of I, Robot: Aaron Douglas, Aaron Joseph, Adrian Ricard, Alan Tudyk, Angela Moore, Bobby L. Stewart, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, Chi McBride, Craig March, Darren Moore, David Haysom, Emily Tennant, Essra Vischon, Fiona Hogan, James Cromwell, Jerry Wasserman, Kenyan Lewis, Kyanna Cox, Lynnanne Zager, Marrett Green, Michael St. John Smith, Nicola Crosbie, Peter Shinkoda, Phillip Mitchell, Roger Haskett, Ryan Zwick, Scott Heindl, Sharon Wilkins, Shayla Dyson, Shia LaBeouf, Simon Baker, Terry Chen, Tiffany Lyndall-Knight, Travis Webster, Victor Formosa, Will Smith.

Jeepers Creepers 2 is set a few days after the original film ended leaving our gruesome villain ‘The Creeper’ just one final day of feeding left before he must return to hibernation.

This time his unfortunate victims are a group of cheerleaders and football players riding in their school bus on the way to take part in a big game, however when the bus breaks down and they find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere they soon come to realise that not all of them are going to survive the night of terror ahead.

As The Creeper picks out his victims one by one, sniffing out each individual body part he needs from specific students it becomes a race against time for the group to attempt to head for safety and away from the isolation of the tour bus as it starts to become the most vulnerable position for them to be in.

Jeepers Creepers 2 is your typical sequel movie, it doesn’t live up to the original film by a long stretch but it contains just about enough action to keep you watching through till the end.

The Creeper is still a great character although he has definitely lost some of his scare appeal now and seems to have become something of a comedy figure much like other horror baddies such as Freddy Krueger.

The acting is not top notch in this film, but the main leads manage to pull off a somewhat convincing performance and it is also helped along by a cameo from Justin Long who played Darry Jenner in the original Jeepers Creepers movie.

If you enjoyed Jeepers Creepers then you will probably be a little disappointed by this follow up, but give it a go, it does have a few good scares and its worth watching if only to watch ‘The Creeper’ himself in action once again.

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Full cast list for Jeepers Creepers 2: Al Santos, Andrew Reville, Billy Aaron Brown, Bob Papenbrook, Darren Robertson, David Zepeda, Diane Delano, Drew Tyler Bell, Eric Nenninger, Garikayi Mutambirwa, Gil McKinney, Joe Reegan, Jon Powell, Jonathan Breck, Josh Hammond, Julie Soper, Justin Long, Kasan Butcher, Largo Woodruff, Lena Cardwell, Luke Edwards, Marieh Delfino, Marshall Cook, Nicholas George, Nicki Aycox, Phillip Currie, Ray Wise, Shaun Fleming, Stephanie Denise Griffin, Thom Gossom Jr., Tom Tarantini, Travis Schiffner.

Having watched Darkness Falls on DVD recently I thought I?d write up a review of it to let you all know my views on this entertaining and under rated horror from 2003.

Darkness Falls stars Chaney Kley as Kyle Walsh, who as a young boy claims that one night he awoke to see ‘The Tooth Fairy’ in his bedroom. She appeared as a haggard, winged old crone who was terrified of the light, and as soon as he had caught a glimpse of her he became her next target.

Kyle manages to escape to safety but the tooth fairy claimed the life of his mother leaving him as the only logical suspect in her murder.

After being taken to a mental hospital and treated for ‘Night Terrors’ and a so-called irrational fear of the dark Kyle is released, but it is not long before an old friend Caitlin ‘Cat’ Greene (Played by Emma Caulfield - Anya from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) calls him up and begs him to return to the small town of Darkness Falls to help her with her brother who is also convinced he has seen the tooth fairy and that he could be next on her list of targets.

As they struggle for their lives, their only chance of survival is to stay out of the dark, because when the lights go down the tooth fairy is transformed from the mythical being who rewards you for losing a tooth, to a deadly and horrific ghoul who is determined to take revenge on the people of Darkness Falls for the way they treated her so many years ago.

Darkness falls is a great film that never quite received the attention it deserved when it was first released back in 2003. Although some of the scares are a little predictable, there are some genuinely creepy and tense moments that really stand out.

Emma Caulfield is great to watch as she takes on one of her biggest roles since playing the demon Anya in the TV series Buffy the vampire slayer and Chaney Kley plays your typical horror movie hero determined to save the day and banish his demons for good.

All in all Darkness Falls is a highly entertaining film with just the right mix of scares and humour to keep you glued to your seat for the 86 minutes run time.

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Full cast list for Darkness Falls: Aaron Gazzola, Andrew Bayly, Andrew Dauchy, Angus Sampson, Antony Burrows, Bruce Hughes, Bryce Alexander, Cecelia Specht, Chaney Kley, Charlotte Rees, Christopher T. Warren, Daniel Daperis, Emily Browning, Emma Caulfield, Gary A. Hecker, Gerard Cogley, Grant Piro, Jenny Lovell, John Stanton, Joshua Anderson, Joshua Parnell, Kestie Morassi, Lee Cormie, Mark Blackmore, Mark Wickham, Marnie Statkus, Matt Brown, Matt Robertson, Peter Curtin, Philip Reilley, Rayne Guest, Rebecca McCauley, Roy Edmunds, Steve Mouzakis, Sullivan Stapleton.

I went through a phase with my sons of buying as many James Bond DVDs as we could, so our DVD rack now has an almost completely formed 007 Walther PPK (the spine of each DVD case shows a segment of the gun) that until recently only had a few notable exceptions, specifically, we never got round to buying any of the Timothy Dalton films. And I now think that this was a major mistake because he’s actually got a lot more depth, and is more consistent with a real world MI6 operative than the other Bonds.

Timothy Dalton as Ian Fleming’s James Bond struggles with his conscience, and is willing to lie in order to achieve his goals, which is a character trait that I don’t remember in the other Bonds. I’m referring specifically to when he tells a big complicated lie to Maryam d’Abo playing the part of Bond Girl Kara Milovy to get her to work with him. The film locations are very good, his gadget filled Aston Martin fits the bill, and Joe Don Baker plays a good baddie. Even the title music by a-Ha is bearable! It’s also worth noting that Maryam d’Abo doesn’t scream a lot, a characteristic in a lot of the Bond girls that I find frustrating, although she is a little weak, unlike Rosamund Pike, Halle Berry and Judi Dench (although I guess it’s stretching the point to say Judi Dench is a Bond girl!).

Anyway, why am I reviewing a Bond film now? It’s partly because of the release of the new James Bond Ultimate Editions series released by Sony Entertainment in July 2006 that, like me, you’ve probably seen in your local Tesco’s gradually replacing the original DVD series in their flash new cardboard covers. Check out the best price at Amazon UK.

Having made such a big investment in Bond DVD’s already I was in no mood to rush out and replace my existing copies with the new Ultimate Edition versions in the hope that the higher quality screen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound (and a bunch of new special features) would be worth my money.

But it did make sense to buy missing titles from the original DVD edition at a knock down price (so I bought From Russia With Love, which turned out to be a great, complex film, one of Sir Sean Connery’s best) and to experiment with the new high quality edition where there were gaps in my collection, and this is what made me buy The Living Daylights Ultimate Editions Series DVD.

There is another reason for reviewing the film here though, apart from comparing Bond actors and marvelling in the high quality of the new DVD series (particularly the visual quality).

I actually watched the film twice when I got it, the first time with the whole family on Saturday night eating tortilla chips and hot chilli dip, and then again the following afternoon. Why? Because I had trouble following the plot. There aren’t many Bond films where the plot twists confuse me, and I like to think I’m reasonably intelligent, but there were events that I really couldn’t get to grips with the first time. Luckily on second watching I felt I had a complete grip on things and my self respect was restored. Was this something to do with my concentration, or the directing by Director John Glen, or just the sheer complexity of the story? Certainly, it made me think some more about the art of story-telling.

I won’t ruin the plot for you, and certainly won’t give the film ending away, but in summary, Bond is involved in a training exercise on the Rock of Gibraltar that goes wrong because of a rogue agent. Bond then helps a Russian general Georgi Koskov (Jeroen Krabbe) escape from behind the Iron Curtain, who is then miraculously sprung from a magnificent country home in the UK guarded by MI6. Bond?goes to Vienna, Morocco and Afghanistan to track down the baddies and uncover their evil plot.

In summary, I definitely recommend this film, it has character, is interesting, has a surprisingly good Bond in Timothy Dalton, and fits in the Bond series very well. It’s just a pity I now have a whole row of the old DVDs with one cardboard cased Ultimate Edition disc stuck in the middle.

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Full cast list for James Bond The Living Daylights: Alan Talbot, Andreas Wisniewski, Antony Carrick, Art Malik, Atik Mohamed, Bill Weston, Carl Rigg, Caroline Bliss, Catherine Rabett, Cela Savannah, Chris Webb, Derek Hoxby, Derek Lyons, Desmond Llewelyn, Dianna Casale, Dulice Liecier, Femi Gardiner, Frederick Warder, Geoffrey Keen, Glyn Baker, Gregor Gruphoffer, Hanno P?l, Heinz Winter, Jeroen Krabb, Joe Don Baker, John Barry, John Bowe, John Rhys-Davies, John Terry, Julie T. Wallace, Karen Seeberg, Karen Williams, Kell Tyler, Ken Sharrock, Leslie French, Maryam d’Abo, Mayte Sanchez, Michael G. Wilson, Michael Moor, Michael Percival, Michel Julienne, Nadim Sawalha, Nick Wilkinson, Odette Benatar, Patricia Keefer, Paul Weston, Peter Porteous, Richard Cubison, Robert Brown, Robert Miranda, Ruddy Rodrez, Sharon Devlin, Simon Crane, Sumar Khan, Suzy Herman, Thomas Wheatley, Timothy Dalton, Tony Cyrus, Virginia Hey, Walter Gotell, Waris Walsh.

I saw Unbreakable on special offer today and just had to buy it. I saw it months ago on TV but had missed the beginning. I wrote this review in two parts, the first half before I started to fall asleep and had to go to bed, stopping to write on the way, and the second half a couple of days later when I watched the film all the way through with my wife and son.

Unbreakable is a great film, because it somehow captures a feeling that is very hard to pin down about comics. When you read them as a child you believe the fantasy world that they describe, and they enable you to imagine what it would be like to have superhero powers. This film somehow gives you an adult view of that fantasy world, making the idea that you could have super powers somehow plausible and sustainable with an adult intellect.

So that’s the feeling that Unbreakable gives me, which is why I was so happy to buy it out of the bargain bin, but what about the plot?

The film is about a security guard at the football ground at the local college David Dunn (Bruce Willis). Dunn is caught up in a train accident in which 131 people die and he is the sole survivor. Maybe his survival is because he has super powers. Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) confronts him with his theory that he has super powers, in the presence of Dunn’s son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark), and this unveils a whole sub plot of the film relating to Dunn’s relationship with his estranged wife Audrey (Robin Wright Penn), his plan to move to New York, and their reunion.

I watched this film with my wife and younger son, and had to cover his head near?the end of the film because there are some frightening scenes.

I was left with the odd feeling after rewatching the film that it is somehow artless and disproportionate in the way that the pace most of the way through is very slow and contemplative, focusing a lot on relationships and feelings, then towards the end it suddenly becomes an action film, in an odd way, and then the climax right at the end (which I won’t ruin for you) seems that, although it answers many questions and neatly wraps up the plot of the whole film, somehow makes you feel you have watched two different films, and if you tried to give someone a plot summary it would fail to convey the true experience of watching the film.

Don’t get me wrong though, this is a great film, it makes you think a lot, it has interesting, creative and new ideas for the storyline, and the acting is great, in a way that we have come to expect from Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson in particular.? I just don’t think I will re-watch it for some time because I need to forget how the film ends before I will really enjoy it again.

Check out the best price for Unbreakable at Amazon UK

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Full cast list for Unbreakable: Andrea Havens, Angela Eckert, Anthony Bosco, Anthony Lawton, Antonio Costa, Bill Rowe, Bob Bowersox, Bostin Christopher, Bruce Willis, Bryce Lenon, Chance Kelly, Charlayne Woodard, Chrismandu, Christina Mahon, Cue Shepherd, Damian Young, David C. Roehm Sr., David Duffield, Dianne Cotten Murphy, Eamonn Walker, Elizabeth Lawrence, Erin Lulevitch, Firdous Bamji, Gary Beck, Greg Horos, Greg Korin, James Handy, Jennifer Hale, Joey Hazinsky, Joey Perillo, Johanna Day, John B. Mueller, John Patrick Amedori, John Rusk, Johnny Hiram Jamison, Jonathan Sachar, Jose L. Rodriguez, Josh M. Nileski, Julia Yorks, Laura Regan, Leslie Stefanson, Lisa Pickell, Lon Lawson, M. Night Shyamalan, Marc H. Glick, Mark Barnish, Mark Poulton, Mark Pricskett, Marsha Dietlein, Michael Kelly, Michaelia Carroll, Natalie Hultman, Richard Council, Rick Kain, Robert Randolph Caton, Robin Wright Penn, Sally Parrish, Samantha Savino, Samuel L. Jackson, Sasha Neulinger, Sean Oliver, Sherman Roberts, Simms Thomas, Spencer Treat Clark, Susan Wilder, Tamara Walker, Todd Berry, Ukee Washington, Whitney Sugarman.

Final Destination 3 is the latest in the trilogy of fantastic horror movies by director James Wong. It features pretty much the same setup as the previous two films, whereby one individual has a premonition of a major accident that results in them surviving, effectively having cheated death. The basic premise being that death has a plan, a design that must be followed and it will stop at nothing to make sure it gets its own way. This time the person who has the vital premonition is college student Wendy Christensen, she manages to survive, along with a group of her friends but death continues to track them down and claim them in the exact order they should have originally died. Will Wendy and the last remaining few of her friends manage to stay alive, or will they too become part of death’s master plan?

This is another great instalment in the Final Destination films, and even though the plotline is pretty much the same in each film you can’t help but be blown away by the new and increasingly gruesome deaths that are added to each movie. The acting in the movie is so-so but what really makes the film great are the tense premonitions and edge of your seat horror that have proved to be a winning formula. The rollercoaster scene is particularly scary and like most of the unnerving scenes it’s because this is something that 99% of us actually dread happening every time we step on a fairground ride.

Final Destination 3 is out now on DVD and if you liked the first two films you won?t be disappointed with what number 3 has to offer. Take a look for yourself. It is also worth noting that the DVD also has a really cool special feature where you can chose the outcome of various characters and make the film run differently. Great Stuff!

Check out the best price for Final Destination 3 Amazon UK

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Full cast list for Final Destination 3 : Agam Darshi, Alberto Ghisi, Alexander Kalugin, Alexz Johnson, Amanda Crew, Andrew Francis, Chelan Simmons, Colby Johannson, Cory Monteith, Crystal Lowe, Dustin Milligan, Dylan Basile, Dylan Basu, Ecstasia Sanders, Gina Holden, Graham Andrews, Harris Allan, Jacob Rupp, Jesse Moss, Jim Shield, Jody Racicot, Keith Dallas, Kris Lemche, Lou Bollo, Maggie Ma, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Stewart, Michael Stewart, Nels Lennarson, Nesta Chapman, Patrick Gallagher, R. David Stephens, Ryan Merriman, Sam Easton, Sean Ellis, Stuart Cowan, Texas Battle, Tony Morelli, Tony Todd, Victor Ayala.