Iron Man

I am thinking back to before the phenomenon of Iron Man exploded throughout the world.  I knew of the character and that he was in comic books (hell I used to read lots of comic books when I was younger), but I never followed Iron Man.  I am not sure why but I knew NOTHING about him, not even his alter ego's name of Tony Stark.  Then I heard there was going to be a movie made and that Tom Cruise was looking at making it and starring in it.  I thought that was cool, I like Tom Cruise action movies.  But nothing ever came of it.  Then one day, I hear about the Iron Man movie we all now know and love. 
Jon Favreau was set to direct and after seeing how he handled the robot and special effects in Zathura, I could see why he was the man. But then I found out that Robert Downey Jr was to be the star.  Isn't that a risk?  Isn't he always getting done for drugs and crashing cars? (It appears Charlie Sheen has taken that crown now!).  So I went to the cinema with no expectations at all and no knowledge of what the film was about.  Man, I was BLOWN away!  The origin story was brilliant and Robert Downey Jr was just fantastic.  He IS Tony Stark.  I want to put it in writing now that I apologise for ever thinking he couldn't do it.
For those who haven't seen it, yes you two, the story is about Billionaire Weapons Dealer, Tony Stark, who is kidnapped in Afghanistan after a weapon demonstration and he builds a suit of Iron to escape.  He discovers that his company is supplying the bad guys with weapons too, so he develops new suits and goes about stopping 'the bad guys' but then has to deal with the knowledge of who is in league with the Devil.
So now it's a couple of years down the track and I have finally sat down and watched my two disc DVD.  Does the movie still hold up or after seeing the sequel, do I think of the movie differently. 
The answer is a definitive YES.  The movie still holds up.  It is very well written and exceptionally acted, considering the amazing cast that has been put together including Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts (I really think that name is cheesy but she is an actual character in the books so the name stays.  Love Gwyneth by the way), Terrance Howard as Rhodey (what the hell happened to him for the sequel? I have never been able to find out an answer.  Does anyone out there know?), even Paul Bettany does the voice of the computer system Jarvis!  The special effects are top notch.  after watching the extensive extra features that came with the two disc set, I had no idea there were times when Iron Man (especially Mark 1) was CGI and not a real actor on set!  Oh and it's funny too.
But it does feel different.  I know who Tony Stark is now and how he came to be, so seeing the film for the second time does take some of the magic away, but on the other hand, I was able to concentrate more on what was going on instead of trying to catch up every five minutes.
This is a fun movie full of great action sequences and even greater characters.  I recommend everyone should sit down and watch Iron Man, and stay watching till after the credits for the first link to the Avengers Movie Event. 9/10

NCIS - Recruited

This is one of the simplest storylines and one of the deepest.
Firstly, there is the death of a soldier at a school after running a recruitment day.  As the story unfolds, it is revealed he is Gay so the story touches on being Gay in the US Defence Forces with Don't Ask, Don't Tell, because he has been having an affair with a married man, there is the hatred of the wife towards him.
Then Director Vance makes a return from his gunshot wound and reveals he is tired of doing his job.  Is he going to leave after all?  I love the way he and Gibbs interact.
Ziva is still seeing her new man and his first name of Ray is revealed.  How will Tony deal with this?
Lastly, this episode has the wonderful Bob Newhart guest star as Dr Magnus, Ducky's predecessor.  However, it is revealed he has Alzeimer's.  This is dealt with dignity and is incredibly touching.
You will pick the killer from a mile away, but the main story seems to be secondary to all the wonderful storylines going on.
Another brilliant episode of NCIS.

The Essential Simon & Garfunkel

I have always been a fan of Simon & Garfunkel and finally bought myself a two disc 'Essentials' best of compilation.  This collection has all the big hits that you know and can sing along to but it also has a lot of filler that is quite frankly a bit boring to listen to.  But forget about them, because when their harmonies work and their incredible guitar work plays, the songs are just magical.
We're you aware that they actually did the soundtrack album for The Graduate?  Songs off the album that are included on this collection include 'The Sound of Silence', 'Mrs Robinson' and ' Scarborough Fair/Canticle'.  'Mrs Robinson' has also been used in Wayne's World 2 and Rumour has It.. while 'The Sound of Silence' has been used in Old School, Bobby and Watchmen.
Some of the songs I really like of the album are 'Wednesday Morning, 3 AM', 'Bye Bye Love', 'I Am A Rock', 'Homeward Bound', 'A Hazy Shade Of Winter', 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters', 'Cecilia'(Love this song!), but my favourite song if I had to pick one is 'The Boxer'.
I am sure there are shorter compilations that just have all the hits but if you are a true fan, you would probably love this collection.  A number of the songs were recorded live and sound like they were performed in a studio they are so good!

Parenthood - A House Divided

This episode of Parenthood was hilarious!  I laughed my head off!  But more about that soon.
Hattie is being a complete bitch and giving her parents an ultimatum that if they don't meet her conditions, she will not be moving back home.  I'm sorry, but isn't she the 16 year old daughter and they are the parents??!!  Just like a 16 year old female (reminds me of my sister!).  It doesn't help Mum, Kristina, having to be up against Grandmother, Camille who thinks that Alex is a good boy and that Hattie is falling in love and that they are going about this all wrong.  As a parent of a young teenage girl, I couldn't stand it if my in-laws started telling me I was wrong!
Julia wants to throw Jasmine a hens night but of course it has to be her way.  The boys end up crashing the party because Adam has just been with his new boss finding out they are now only going to be creating one shoe and his boss gave him a lolly pop, which turns out to be edible marijuana, so he is baked!  Stoned out of his head! And he is hilarious!
Meanwhile Zeke discovers just how bad Max's autism can be when he takes him camping overnight by himself.
All in all, this is one of the best episodes of Parenthood that I have seen.  It's good to see a bit of humour in there.

Amazon.uk.co

OK, so I live in Australia and I have been telling everyone how much I love buying my DVDs and Blu-Rays from JB HiFi.  However, I have discovered something amazing.  Blu-Ray discs purchased from The United Kingdom also play in Australia! And guess what, Amazon.uk.co is HEAPS cheaper than buying them in Australia.  Case in point, I bought Tron:Legacy on Blu-Ray on Thursday from JB with 20% discount and it cost me $24.  Amazon.uk.co have it for 11pound 99 which with the strong Aussie dollar equates to $18.23, and if you spend more than 25 pounds, there is free shipping to Australia.  I have ordered twice from Amazon.uk.co so far and I have received my goods in 5-6 business days, which is spectacular service!  They are exactly what you would get here in Australia, just cheaper!
I also believe that PS3 games bought from them will play in Aussie PS3s but I have not tested this yet, so don't quote me yet.  If anyone can confirm this, let me know.
Let me make this clear.  I do not have any affiliations with Amazon.uk.co, nor do they pay me to write this, nor have they endorsed this blog.  This is my own opinion from what I have discovered through my personal dealings with them.
I wholeheartedly recommend you give them a try.  Please note, you CANNOT play DVDs from the UK unless you have a region free player.  I am only buying Blu-Ray discs.  Enjoy, and I hope you save heaps of money!

JB HiFi - 20% off all DVDs and Blu-Rays

I need to let you all know that I do not get paid by JB HiFi and they do not endorse this blog in any way.  I also do not work there, but with the number of DVDs and Blu-Rays I have bought there, I should own shares.
I think I mentioned before that JB is my favourite store for DVDs in Australia.  I was very excited to see on their website on Thursday that they were having 20% of all DVDs and Blu-Rays till Sunday!  I was excited to pick up a few new releases at greatly reduced prices.  However, I found that the prices had been inflated.
I was particularly looking for a couple of movies, namely Tron Legacy, Harry Potter 7 and Narnia 3.  I had seen the previous that the Harry Potter 2 Disc set was $17-$18 ($17 next door at Target) so 20% off would make it $14-$15. However, I found they had put the price up to $20!  While this made it only $16 with the discount, it is the principle of the thing.  Also Narnia was $20 for the 2 Disc set but now it is suddenly $30!  I picked up Tron:Legacy for $24 after the discount but found I could have got it cheaper elsewhere, but I will talk about that in my next blog.
On their website they had LOST Season 5 for only $30 but the shop had it for $40.
I did pick up the complete Series of Dark Skies (the very X-Files type series) for less than $40.
Another thing guys, stop just dumping movies into bins for people to go through.  I hate having to hunt through them like that.  In fact, I will walk past the bins and not buy anything.  Stack them properly and I might buy more stock.
Having said all that, JB Hi Fi is the best bricks and mortar DVD store in Australia and they have looked after us for many years.  Keep supporting them as best you can.  My next blog is probably going to upset them though.

Parenthood - Opening Night

This show is one of those nice consistent shows that is easy to sit down and watch.  Not a lot happens in this episode.  As per it's title, Crosby and Joel finally get their school play happening but their 'star' Jabbar has stage fright and the young parents fight over whether to let him have his way or to push him back into the limelight.  Zzzz.
Oh, but then Hattie get's sprung trying to go out with Alex and her paretns hit the roof and ground her.  They even go to the point of banning all communications (no phone or computer) and even remove her door!  Hattie has had enough and like any rude teenager who doesn't get her way, she decides to leave home and move in with her grandparents.  But Alex won't talk to her till she sorts things out with her parents and he resents her for including him in her lie when he is doing everything in his life to be honest.  So she has moved out of home for a guy who she can't speak to.
This story is the best part of this show at the moment.

Roxette - Don't Bore, Get To The Chorus!

Being a lover of all things 80's, one of my favourite bands would have the be the Swedish duo of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle,otherwise known as Roxette!  I remember seeing them live in concert here in Brisbane Australia and it was such an awesome experience!
One of my favourite albums to listen to over and over, is one of Roxette's greatest hits compilations, 'Don't Bore Us, Get To The Chorus!' EVERY song, and I do mean EVERY song, is brilliant.  I love their vocals, melodies, key changes, guitars, synth and drums!  They really come together to give some fantastic rock, joyful pop and heartfelt ballads.
The reason I have listed this on my blog is that this album boasts not one, but two songs used in movies.  The first is "It Must Have Been Love" which was a huge hit after being included in the soundtrack for the Richard Gere/Julia Roberts smash "Pretty Woman".  The second is a wonderful song, "Almost Unreal" which interestingly was originally written for a Bette Midler movie but ended up being the theme song for the actually horrible film "Super Mario Brothers".  I really don't like speaking badly of films but this one was just plain silly.
Anyway, back to the album.  There are just so many great songs on this album but if I had to choose a favourite, I would have to choose "How Do You Do!" but "The Big L" would be a very close second.  I really need to reiterate, I love EVERY song on this album and it should be on every person's shelf or iPod.

Lie To Me - Dirty Loyal

Cal Lightman is put in the unenviable position of having to defend the police woman he is sleeping with who is being investigated by Internal Affairs for murdering a criminal and fighting his partner, Foster, who believes she is guilty.
An interesting story where instead of using his talents to find the truth, he is coaching his girlfriend to lie to give him time to discover the truth.
Tim Roth is brilliant as Dr Lightman.  I really love this show.

Blue Bloods - Brothers

I had the pleasure of watching two episodes of Blue Bloods back to back.  This episode starts with a potential witness on the run from some goons but then he gets hit by a car, driven by the king of the street crims and the one he is to testify against.  An effective method for silencing witnesses.
Erin, the DA, played by Bridget Moynahan wants to get this guy but all the witnesses won't talk.  Her last resort is to convince his law-abiding brother to turn against him.  He isn't scared of his brother and says he will talk to him first.  What happens next is indicative of the brilliant writing of this show.  Nothing rarely happens as you think it would happen and no one rarely acts the way you think they will, keeping the audience on their toes and their eyes and ears glued to the television sets.
In parallel to this story is Jamie finding out more about what his deceased brother was investigating before his 'murder' and Danny riding him hard to make sure he is protected.  He can't lose another brother.
I have to ask though, what happened to Danny's partner?  Suddenly from one episode to another, he's got someone new.  What's with that?
Excellent episode, yet again.

Blue Bloods - Smack Attack

What starts off as a typical American teenage party, alcohol, sex and drugs, suddenly turns nasty when a number of yound kids start dying from a lethal overdose.  Was it a mistake, a bad drug mix or something simpler but somehow more disturbing?
A well written story filled with red herrings and twists plus it opens up some discussion about privacy and people's rights and whether they should be violated for the greater good.
One of the better episodes of Blue Bloods.  Start watching it will ya!

Supernatural - Two and a Half Men

Finally, Charlie Sheen guest stars on Supernatural as a monster who hunts women by flying high and then shapeshifts into a Tiger, all the while screaming "Winning!" - Just kidding!! Talk about nightmares!
Seriously, there is no Charlie Sheen in sight.  Sam actually calls on Dean to help as there has been a rash of murders of young parents and their young babies have gone missing.  Sam interrups the perpetrator before a baby is taken and so decides to protect the baby with Dean's help.
There are some missed opportunities here for a lot of humour with the boys doing the Tom Selleck/Steve Guttenberg schtick.  We get a taste of what could have been but I must remember, this is not a comedy show but a horror and the monster of the week is soon back in the thick of things.  It's a shapeshifter and takes the shape of the boys but also takes the shape of their Grandfather, Samuel Campbell (but I am not sure how the shapeshifter knows what he looks like or what he is currently wearing?).  I must have missed somethign because at the end there is a scene where the boys come up from the panic room and there is a chair with ropes on the floor with blood around it.  Was our episode edited?  Did I drop off for a moment?
A nice twist at the end though with Samuel talking to someone on a phone as if there is someone higher up directing things.  Who's he talking to?  And what did the Shapreshifter mean when he said to Dean that they have the same Father?  Hmm, lots to think about and while this wasn't one of the best episodes, it is shaping up to be a hell of a season.  Welcome back, Supernatural.
Also, just heard that Supernatural has been renewed for a seventh season!  Congratulations guys!

Empire Issue 121

Ah, another issue of Empire has been read and this one was another brilliant read.  Firstly, let me comment on the wonderful cover!  All the girls from Sucker Punch!  Thanks Empire!
Next, thank you fro starting your magazine with news and pictures on the casting of the The Hobbit!  Woo Hoo!  I just CAN'T wait for these movies!!  I was pleasantly surprised when i read the 5 things about javier Bardem.  He is nothing like I thought AND he likes Glee!
Going back to the girls from Sucker Punch.  Thanks for the article, but it was a bit light on.  I wanted more!  I really enjoyed the film so would love to know more about it.  Oh well, will have to wait for the Blu-Ray!  This is followed up by a fantastic article on The Rite.  This scares the crap out of me now.  I think I will wait until it comes out on DVD to watch it with the lights on during the day!
One of the things Empire does well is the comprehensive articles, and the special on Sci Fi was no exception.  Good article on Battle:Los Angeles (another great movie); the screenwriter's perspective on Never Let Me Go; the anticipation for Ridley Scott's new 'Alien' movie, the fantastic fun or two best buddies making movies together with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost talking about Paul, and then the three comparisons of Star Wars rip offs.  That brought back memories!  Finally the article on Duncan Jones' new movie, Source Code.  I never knew he was David Bowie's son, Zowie!
I've said it before and I will say it again, please give us full size one-sided posters that are already a seperate sheet.
Lastly, great article on Masterpiece #57, Lost Horizon.  I must track this movie down.
Thanks again Empire for a great read (almost up to date!).  If you are not reading Empire magazine, then you are not serious about movies.

Glee - Silly Love Songs

Ah, Glee's Valentine's Day episode but who's gettin' some lovin'?
Finn is trying to get back with Quinn who is cheating again on her new boyfriend to spend time with Finn.  Rachel realises she needs to be alone in order to concentrate on being the best performer she can be but the strangest thing (besides Santana not having anyone to love) is the growing attraction of Puck for Lauren.  Apparently he loves the girls who say no.
At Dalton Academy, Kurt thinks Blaine is in love with him, but it turns out he loves the guy from Gap but it just proves that maybe Blaine doesn't know everything either.
Some great numbers in this episode, Puck does 'Fat Bottomed Girls' (Really?!), Artie and Mike do P.Y.T. which wasn't bad, Blaine sings 'When I get you alone' in the Gap store and gets the object of his affections fired!  Rachel does a smashing version of 'Fireworks' (it's really very good!), and Tin aabsolutely murders one of my favourite songs, 'My Funny Valentine' (what the hell were they thinking!? Just atrocious!).  The epsiode finsihed off with a brilliant version of 'Silly love Songs' by the boys of Dalton at Breadsticks.
As usual, a really fun episode.

Mr Brooks

I love the fact that I seem to like all the things that others love to hate, Celine Dion, Indy 4, and now Kevin Costner.  I am going to stand up now and say he is one of the most underated actors ever. While I have yet to see every Kevin Costner movie (I think I might have two or three to still see), I have enjoyed every one I have seen.  Up your nose with a rubber hose all you snobs who think otherwise!
Seriously, if you have yet to see Mr Brooks, you are missing some of the best acting from Mr Costner ever.  I finally caught this film and I have to admit, I was not expecting much and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised.
Kevin Costner has a problem.  He kills people, sort of like Dexter, but he doesn't enjoy it.  In fact he hates it, but he is addicted, like an alcoholic.  Driving him on is the voice in his head, or should I say the ghostly figure of William Hurt (another actor I love) who DOES love to kill people.  Kevin Costner shows his acting prowess through playing the every day husband and father who is successful in business but also has this dark side which he loathes.  I loved the fact the story is about a killer who hates to kill.  Very unique.
There is more to thsi story than just him though and without ruining it for you, they cleverly have things happen that are not the norm in this sort of genre.  There is the guy who has photos of him and instead of going to the cops, wants to join him.  Then his daughter returns, dropping out of school, but why?  Another clever layer and another way to show Mr Brooks' vulnerability.
Demi Moore is even in this little sleeper, playing the cop who might be on to him.  I love the way her storyline is handled as well.
Do yourself a favour and see this movie.  You won't be disappointed.  It's going on my list of movies to buy on disc and I give it a 7/10.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

I remember seeing the novelisation of Raiders of the Lost Ark in our local K-Mart before the movie came out and all I saw was a guy in what looked like a cowboy hat.  I didn't understand what the fuss was about.  Later, I discovered it had Han Solo in it and was made by George Lucas AND Steven Spielberg.  I had to go, so my best friend and I went into Brisbane City on our own (we were about 13 at the time and it was a long train trip!) and I was so completely blown away.  It was one of the most amazing films I had ever seen.  I have been a huge Indy fan ever since (hence my online name!) and while each successive sequel/'prequel' was a joy to watch, they never really captured that first movie experience of wonder and amazement for me.  I had been eagerly awaiting news of a fourth film and you can imagine my excitement when it was announced.  After I had seen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (lets call it Indy 4 for short, otherwise I will be typing here all night!) I must say that again, while I was overjoyed at having experienced another Indy film, I felt slightly disappointed and I just couldn't put my finger on it.  I mean, I loved the concept of the story.  Perhaps it was Shia LeBeouf?  LOTS of people bagged it and heaps of other jumped on the bandwagon to throw in their two cents worth.
Well, now that a couple of years have gone by, I finally sat down to watch my DVD of the film and I have to say, I was extremely surprised at how much I ENJOYED Indy 4!  Yes, I can categorically say, I loved it!  In fact, I think it might be the second best movie of the franchise!  Now there are some controversial words for you!
Let's analyse.
Firstly, it is set in the fifties, so the whole USSR/Cold War/Communist storyline was happening.  Great link with Mr Lucas' (and Harrison Ford's) American Graffiti at the beginning with the racing hot rod.  Then we finally get to see the warehouse where the Ark of the Covenant is stored at the end of Raiders and it is Area 51!  Brilliant!  Then we find out the story has something to do with 'Aliens', one of my favourite topics!  OK, but is Harrison Ford too old for the physical stunts required to play Indiana Jones?  As shown in the wonderful extras on the DVD, at 64, he's still going strong, and with the advancements in stunt rigs, he was able to do a lot of his own stunts.
There are some nods to Denholm Elliott and Sean Connery and Marshall College.  Then the kid dressed up to look like Marlon Brando in The Wild One roars (?) out of the steam and into movie history as Indy's son, Henry Jones Jr (the third!), or like his Dad, he has his own name, 'Mutt'.  I have to say I HATE this name.  Indy is named after the dog, so his son is named after a dog?  Really?  That was just weak and silly and now we are stuck with it.  Anyway, he can hold his own in a sword fight after learning fencing at school and he even swings with the monkeys, which is a nod to Raiders where there is a monkey that Karen Allen says is just like their child and even has Indy's looks.  I liked this touch, a bit obscure and a lot of people didn't get it.
Talking about Karen Allen, I was so excited to see that she was asked to return in the role of Marian Ravenwood.  I always loved her in Raiders and it was fantastic that she came back and got to have such a great role in the movie, thanks George and Steven!
A bit of social commentary and history with the Atomic blast (of course it was pushing the friendship a little far with the refrigerator, but it is an Indy film - man he strapped himself to a sub in the first movie!).
There is the usual tomb raiding with the booby traps and the creepy crawlies, this time with CGI fire ants rather than thousands of exotic spiders or insects.  The final reveal at the end (I won't spoil it for the three people who haven't seen it) is pretty cool.
In fact it is a very good looking film with some great CGI work.
I am so glad I have revisited this movie.  Give it another look, I think you may be as surprised as me. I really enjoyed it and I would have to say I would give it an 8/10. 

Being Human

I have reads heaps about this British television series about a Vampire, a Werewolf and a Ghost all sharing a house.  It seemed like something different yet oddly similar to so much other genre fare out there.  Living in Australia, I hadn't looked this up but stumbled across it on the weekend.  Oh My Goddess!  This show is amazing!  It is dramatic, funny and scary all together!  Even though I had never seen the show, I was able to pick up what was going on fairly quickly.
The episode I saw was 'Daddy Ghoul' and I have to say was extremely clever.  For those that have seen it, they will understand but for those who haven't I don't want to spoil it.  This is writing I wasn't expecting.  George, (The Werewolf played by Russell Tovey) finds out his Dad has passed and decides to go to the funeral even though he hasn't seen his parents since his transformation.  Meeting up with his Dad, he finds out he had a huge impact on his family when he left.
I think I am in love with Lenora Crichlow who plays Annie the ghost.  She is simply beautiful.
I have to make mention of the vampire, Mitchell, being played by Aiden Turner who has landed one of the coveted roles of a Dwarf (Kili in particular) in the new Peter Jackson Hobbit movies.  The two women watching the show with me fell in love with him!
I am very impressed with this show and while I won't dive in now and continue to watch the show (they are in to the third season!), I am going to buy it on Blu-Ray and watch it all together.  If you haven't seen this show, chase it down.  You will not be disappointed.

NCIS: Los Angeles - Special Delivery

Another cool episode of NCIS: LA!
The thing I like about these shows is that the writers take the time to set up believable 'red herrings' that could actually come back and be storylines in later episodes.  Very clever!  It's one o fthe strong points of this show in that most shows either feed into another storyline or have been fed from a previous storyline.
This one starts with a runner in a shopping centre who ends up dead in the car park missing a hand!
He was a sailor who came back from The Middle East and cutting off the hand is a sign of dealing with a theif.  Is he a theif or is there something else to it?  He works at a top secret facility so could his hand be used to gain access?  Are terrorists involved? Is it a domestic issue involving his fiance or his best friend?  Or could it have been the guy with anger management issues that he owes money to?
Also, it's Hetty's birthday and she doesn't like parties or presents, so do the team do anything and risk her wrath or do nothing and make her think they don't care?  It's up to the annoying new team member, Nell Jones played by Renee Felice Smith, to make the decision.

House - Family Practice

Candice Bergen returns to House as Cuddy's Mother, Arlene who is gravely ill.  House suspects she is a hypochondriac, then thinks she is an alcoholic, etc, etc.  Once again the storyline has them thinking it's one thing and it's not, then thinking it's something else and it's not that either.  This format is getting very, very repetitive.
Anyway, Arlene doe snot want House as her doctor, but Cuddy insists on him staying on in the background.  He tries a number of treatments which end up bringing her closer to death.  Masters wants to confess (as usual) that they are changing her meds without her knowledge but House threatens to fire her and sets her up so he has something over her.  Of course, she tells and Arlene wants to move hospitals.
House forces Cuddy to keep her mother in their hospital because he believes he can cure her but if she goes elswhere she will die and Cuddy will blame him.  This is an interesting level to his thought process about their relationship.
While this is going on Taub is given a job by his ex-brother-in-law, who broke his nose in the past due to Taub's cheating on his sister.  The ex-BIL is a lawyer who is trying to settle a case for a family and Taub thinks he sees a micro-brain bleed in an x-ray.  He is told to leave it alone or else.
What is it with the characters on this show who want to self-destuct, like Masters and Taub?  They want to do the right thing even though they know it could end badly for them.  Is it noble or stupid?
Not a bad episode but I wish they would change the format for the stories.

Lie To Me - The Royal We

Tim Roth plays Dr Lightman investigating entrants in a Teen Beauty contest.  This story was clever with not everything being what it appears.  Is the young girl being abused by the Teen Beauty Father?  Or is there something else going on regarding her trying Mother? I have to say I was a bit concerned with the cavalier way that a man's reputation and life is destroyed.
Tim Roth is especially hyper in this episode. Does Tim Roth have Parkinson's?  He has been gradually getting more jerky every episode.
Another great episode and Cal is STILL trying to write his next book.

Dances With Wolves - Original Soundtrack

John Barry is most famous for his work on creating the sound for James Bond but one of his finest soundtracks is to the brilliant (yes, I said 'Brilliant' and I challenge anyone to prove me wrong!) Kevin Costner film, Dances With Wolves.  I remember seeing this film and being blown away by the scope and grandeur.  Kevin Costner proved he is not just a good actor but has a brilliant eye for cinema as a director.
John Barry's accompanying score is at times both immense, evoking the wide landscape of the Indian Plains, and intensely personal and sad with the theme of Stands With a Fist.
The Main Theme is called 'Looks Like a Suicide' is such a beautiful piece of music which The John Dunbar Theme is the main part of.
This soundtrack is so good it won the 1991 Academy Award for Best Soundtrack and the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television.
Take the time to listen to this soundtrack, you will be VERY impressed.

Michael Buble - Crazy Love

While none of these songs are used in movies, this is the most cinematic sounding Michael Buble albem yet!
It starts with Cry Me a River, but this starts like a soundtrack to a movie!  I just love playing just the beginning of this album over and over!
The next song is All of Me.  I first heard this song when I saw the Steve Martin/Lily Tomlin movie of the same name back in 1984.
Georgia On My Mind has been rearranged with a Bond theme - not my favourite song but I just love the Bond touch!!
Crazy Love is a remake of a Van Morrison song that I first heard on the soundtrack to one of my favourite Stephen Spielberg film, Always.  I have great memories of watching this with my wife on our third date!  Talk about Crazy Love!!
Of course my favourite song on the album is 'I haven't met you yet'.  What a great song and it's a Michael Buble original.
There is a new version of this album appropriately titled 'The Hollywood Edition'.  If you don't won this album yet, why not?  Get it now!

Parenthood - Meet The New Boss

This is the episode that Adam finally meets his new boss, Cory, who is a generation 'Z' ADHD SkatrBoy who is used to thinking about the new directions for his business in his office while smoking dope.  Of course Adam is very concerned about his and his fellow employee's futures.  Though Cory's vision is for a very youth oriented market, he proves he's been paying attention and maybe Adam needs to get on board, otherwise he might just get left behind.
The best thing about this episode was that Mae Whitman gets to sing!  She has a lovely voice and I hope we get to hear her sing some more.
Not much more happens in this episode.  Not a bad one, but not the best episode either.

Supernatural - Exile on Main Street

Wow!  Supernatural is BACK!
Season Six of Supernatural is bringing the series back to it's beginnings.  Can you remember back to Season One?  They cleverly flip the story so that now it's Dean with the normal life and Sam is the Hunter.  They even have Dean's woman on the roof in flames (or do they?) and the Yellow-Eyed demon is back! (or is he?).
After the 'conclusion' of five years of story at the end of Season Five, where were they going to go?  It was such a good episode to reintroduce the characters (no Castiel though) and put them back into the Monster-of-the-week type episodes that they did so well back in the start of the series.
Dean's idylic life is shattered when Djinn come hunting for him but Sam is there to save the day.  He brings other family members from their mother's side, including their grandfather, Samuel Campbell, played by the X-Files Mitch Pileggi.  Bobby's even back.
If this is how the Season commences, it's gonna be a kick ass season!  Enjoy!

SciFiNow Issue 49

Sorry this has taken so long to write, I actually finished this a week ago!
The cover has a VERY hot looking Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse in True Blood. SciFiNow interviews her and the creator Alan Ball about the third season of this vampiric television series.
There is a really good interview with Tim Minear about his remaining of Alien Nation. This is a show I never watched growing up, but after reading this interview I want to track it down to give it a go.
While I love Mr Joss Whedon and all he has done, the '25 Greatest Joss Whedon Episodes' felt like filler. (they're all great, aren't they?).
Fascinating interview with veteran comic book artist, Jerry Robinson. This changed my attitude towards Bob Kane!
Brilliant articles on Being Human, both UK & US. So good that I watched my first episode this week and I am converted! (More on that in a very future blog!)
Interesting article on Dirk Gently. Don't feel so bad that I've never read the books. Looking forward to this show though. I love Helen Baxendale!
I was happy to be proved wrong about Eli Roth. Great interview that shows there's a lot more to this bloke than he first gives out.
Loved the article on His Dark Materials. Recently read the threebooks and was not that impressed and was interested to read he hated the Narnia Chronicles which I also recently just completed. I have to day I enjoyed Narnia better.
A SPECTACULAR complete guide to Statgate: Atlantis - simply just brilliant! Very in depth and it paid the proper respect to what was an exceptional show.
Talking about exceptional, this equally describes Children OfMen' which is Modern Classic No20 and one of my favorite movies. Another excellent article that all scifi fans should read after seeing the movie.
Lastly, I just wanted to thank SciFiNow for the great interview with Adam 'Batman' West. He seems like a lot of fun and I'm surprised to read he's been married so long. I always thought he was gay, not that there's anything wring with that!
All in all, an excellent edition of SciFiNow and I am looking forward to Issue 50.

Harry's Law - Wheels of Justice

While Harry (Kathy Bates) takes a back seat this episode, David E. Kelly's excellent writing means the other characters are complex and not two-dimensional caricatures.
The episode starts with a very brutal attempted rape of Adam's girlfriend Chunhua, while he's talking to her on mobile! Damien takes matters into his own hands to protect his community when the rapist will get off for giving up information on a bigger fish.
The other big story is that Tommy gets to take his case against four fast-food giants. Apparently he's not all egotistical bluster but can have real compassion and is genuinely hurt when Harry berates him.
In reality, Harry has a real soft spot for Tommy and he for her, even going so far to say they are friends.
This is exceptional television from Mr Kelly and if you enjoy a great comedy-drama, don't go past this. Love it!

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

When I first saw 'Prince Caspian' at the cinemas, I still had not read the books by C. S. Lewis of The Chronicles of Narnia. I still really enjoyed the movie, but I have only recently finished reading all the books in the set and having watched the second movie in the series again today on DVD, I am very impressed with how much work went in to stay true to the source material. However, there has also been liberties taken (with the approval of the Lewis family) such as bringing The White Witch back. It is also clear that having read the book, this clarifies some of the plot points and why some people act the way they do. Perhaps this is why the film was not received as favorably as hoped. Perhaps the film makers forgot that while they know the stories inherently, a lot of their audience don't.
Having said all that, I really like these movies and I feel this one is the most mature and darkest, the 'Empire Strikes Back' of the trilogy if you will. While it is full of action, there is a lot of political intrigue which is a bit more adult than the target audience might like (or comprehend) and it is very long at almost two and a half hours (actually a good point for me!). The good guys get their butts well and truly kicked and the final battle starts with almost an hour of the film still to go. Oh and Aslan is hardly in it.
The story involves Prince Caspian escaping his uncle who murdered his father for the throne (how very Hamlet)and ending up calling back the Kings and Queens of Old, I.e. The Pevensie's, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. While Lucy is the film's connection to Aslan, the rest of the clan get to do some spectacular fight scenes. There are some amazing effects sequences as well.
All in all, this is actually a very good mature film (hence the M rating here in Australia) and a reasonably faithful retailing of the book. I give it an 8/10.

Hawaii Five-0

Ok, initially I was very skeptical about this show. I mean how do you successfully remake a 60s/70s tv show that starred Jack Lord? I watched the first episode because it had Aussie Alex O'Loughlin from Moonlight (he's very buff now), his reluctant new partner, 'Danno' (I REALLY hated the way they explained that. It was like it was written by a school kid) played by Scott Caan (James' son who starred in the Ocean's trilogy and the best part of this show, Daniel Dea Kim, who is still Lost and stick on the damn island and the last member of the team is Grace Park from Battlestar Galactica.
While this show is good, it's not great and alot of the necessary plot points just happen to be available for our heroes, which makes this a little too convenient.
Normally I give new shows two episodes to suck me in to become a fan, but we really tried with this and watched the first four episodes. Sorry but it just didn't grab me. You know one of the things that stuck out in episode four was Danno was seeing the doctor about a knee injury and he kept touching his right knee, but when we see him with the walking stick, he's using it on his left side.
I really am sorry but we deleted the rest of the episodes we had recorded, so I won't be watching any more Hawaii Five-0. I hope it gets better for those sticking with it.

NCIS - False Witness

A creepy beginning for two reasons - imagine watching a DVD of someone breaking into your house during the night and putting a knife to your throat. Secondly, Tony is acting 'professional' and NOT quoting movies. Very creepy!
This was the NCIS Christmas episode that has very little to do with Christmas. In fact the story was this show's usual high standard. The story has a witness to a murder being harassed to not testify which could cause the murderer to be released. There are so many clever red herrings to keep you guessing till the end and even then you won't be able to pick how this ends. Brilliant.
Oh and Tony appears to have a conscience, and Ziva may have let her wall down just a bit. A good conclusion to a great episode. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I LOVE this show!

Chris de Burgh - Don't Pay The Ferryman

I always love a song that tells a story, especially one with a bit of mysticism in it.  Being a huge 'nerd', I played Dungeons and Dragons in my much younger days (1st edition people!) and I always pictured this song as a scene from the game.  I always wondered if Mr de Burgh was a closet D&D player.  I have always been a fan of Chris de Burgh, he has a unique music style and a brilliant voice.
I always pictured this song would be made into a movie, however I have read that the song is played over the credits of the John Rhys-Davies' 2006 movie "The Ferryman".

Michael Buble - Call Me Irresponsible

The man himself, Michael Buble, has starred and sung in his own film and a lot of his music is very old film school classic.  I was listening to his brilliant album 'Call Me Irresponsible' and there are some amazing songs on this album.  However, I am excited to find out that a number of the songs have features in their own films:

• 'Call Me Irresponsible' is in '27 Dresses' with Katherine Heigl;
• 'I've Got The World On A String' (A brilliant song where the band join in the singing!) is in the Claire Danes 2007 film 'Evening'; and
• 'LOVE' is in 'Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?'

I haven't seen any of these films so I can't confirm this.  Are there any others that I don't know about?  Let me know!
My favourite Buble song is on this album, 'Lost' which whenever I listen to it reminds me of the show.  Seriously!  Listen to the words and you can fit scenes of the show to every line in the song!  I wish I knew how to do a video mash as I would make my own video for the song based on the show.  Maybe I will do a shot and timing list and if there is anyone out there who has access to all six seasons and has the know how to do up a video, I would love to hear from you!

Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway

I've been doing a lot of driving in my job lately (3000km in the last six weeks!) so my iPod on my iPhone has been getting a pretty good work out so I will be posting about some of the music I have been listening to if it is movie related.
I have been a huge fan of Kelly Clarkson and was surprised to find that the title song from the album Breakway is from the movie 'The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement'.  Now while I haven't seen this movie (honest!), my two kids have and they love these films.
Now back to the album.  This is filled with some great rock songs and some wonderful ballads.  I love 'Since U Been Gone', the sadness of 'Because of You', and 'Addicted', but I REALLY love the live version of 'Beautiful Disaster'.  This girl can really sing.  I love the way she does key changes - magic. You can't say that about a lot of 'singers' that are around today.
While this isn't her first album, it is closer to her true music that her first album.  Very enjoyable and highly recommended.

Supernatural - Swan Song

Five years of building up a storyline that was to culminate in the final battle between good & evil, the vessel of Satan (Sam) and the vessel of the Archangel, Michael (who was supposed to be Dean but ends up being a third brother - Hmm) are to fight it out at the end of this episode tying up any lose endings.
Was anyone else left feeling let down? Was this as anti-climatic to others as it was to me? So that's it? I suppose I will need to wait till next week now to see how season six starts.
One good point were the Star Wars mentions in this episode. Fantastic!
So story wise, things didn't go quite to plan and Dean got his butt kicked and the horsemen's rings didn't work. There were some spectacular deaths, or were there? I love tv!
I hope the new season picks up the quality.
Disappointed.

The Mentalist - Red Gold

This show is normally of a very high quality but they wanted to bring the new boss, Hightower, into the picture, I assume, to build up her character and give her a family background, which I am sure is for future episodes.  So the best way to do that is to involve her in a case.  You have to have Patrick, so they need to get rid of Lisbeth for one episode.  To do this though, they have Patrick overly succumb to 'Gold Fever'. When on a crime scene which is taped off and there are quite a number of prospectors for gold waiting around eager to get to the river to pan (even though they made a point that hardly no one ever goes to this particular spot except one woman who found the body), Patrick starts to get excited about seeing gold in the water and of course the crowd goes wild and breaks through the barrier!  While Lisbeth is trying to hold them back, she is pushed over in the water and sprains her ankle which means she is confined to the office on crutches for the rest of the episode.  Now while I concede that Patrick already surmised that this was not the murder scene, his actions were not what his character would do and were unprofessional and dangerous, which he isn't.
So Hightower has to step up and take the Lisbeth role of second fiddle to Patrick who seems intent on getting his hands on some gold, even trying to steal some!?  What's with that? We find out Hightower is now divorced and the husband is causing issues with their two kids, she's under stress and even hugs Lisbeth at one stage which is completely out of character, supposedly to show she is a real person.
This was a run of the mill murder investigation and not that innovative.  Hopefully things pick up next week.

Empire

I mentioned in my post for SciFi now that I read two magazines each month.  The second is the exceptional movie magazine Empire. Empire started in Australia around ten years ago after having many years of the original Empire magazine being imported.  I used to regularly go into the cinema to buy my monthly or bi-monthly issue of Movie magazine which I had been collecting since 1988.  Then in January 2001, I think, I would have to go check, I could not buy Movie anymore, but I could go to the newsagents and buy the first issue of the Australian version of Empire.  It even came with a free ticket to see Cast Away with Tom Hanks.  I took my Mum and we both loved it.  I have since bought every issue of Empire so far.  Of course, with everything else in my life, I am behind in my reading and this review is for issue 120.
Each issue comes with a free double-sided movie poster and this month it is for Ferris Bueller and The Crow.  I never remove these.  If they were single-sided and full size, and weren't a perforated join in the magazine but free floating, I would have them displayed.  I have to say, I am a little fazed by the lack of freebies that come with the magazine but I also have to admit, that over ten years the price has been kept down.  A free DVD would be good to get once in a while!
Stories in this issue included The Best Movie Hookers of all Time! - really?  Did we need this list?
There was also an Ok article on Captain America.  I am looking forward to seeing this movie.  Empire have always done very good interviews and this month was no exception: Emily Blunt and Matt Damon for The Adjustment Bureau and Christian Bale, which was quite illuminating.  There was also a brilliant article on the history of The Millenium Trilogy.
I loved the story on 'Your Highness' which made me look up the Red Band trailer and I have to say, I am REALLY looking forward to seeing this movie!!
I'm sorry guys but your Twikileaks bits weren't funny. However, I always enjoy reading My Movie Mastermind, thsi month with our Baz Luhrmann doing OK with a score of 6/10.  I also always look forward to doing the crossword and trying, but most times failing, to unscramble the movie star.  Couldn't get this months, so I suppose I will find out soon who it was and them kick myself!  I also like The Grill (Jason Segel was good this month) and the Classic Shot.
Thanks for the article on I Am number Four.  I didn't realise it was like Twilight, so you have saved me and I won't be going to see it.  Great article on Peter Weir too.
Very impressive article on The Day After and Ronald Reagan.  I remember when it came on TV and how affected we all were as a family and as a society as a whole.  It was an amazing experience in the pre-internet days to share something with the entire country and the world.  It is astounding to know that film was instrumental in saving the planet.
To finsh off, your competitions are getting better and better and lastly, I absolutely love the comments made in the photos.  I reread some issues to give me a laugh = keep this up!
Thanks again for a great read and if you are not buying this magazine = WHY THE HELL NOT!?!

Battle:Los Angles

I remember seeing Independance Day and thinking how awesome the effects were. Now when I think back, they were fantastic but for want of a better word, 'glossy'.
Battle:Los Angeles is Independance Day for a new generation, and yes, the effects are awesome but they are anything but 'glossy'. They are gritty and VERY photo-real. Be prepared to be dragged kicking and screaming into a frantic combat scenario where due to the mostly extreme close- up hand-held camera work (more on that later), you feel like you are running, dodging, ducking and fighting to survive along with the company of soldiers.
While news reports talk of 'meteors' heading for earth, we see Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight) as Staff Sgt. 'Nantz' having his retirement approved and you just know it's going to be short lived. When all he'll breaks loose, he's asked to fill in and work under a younger inexperienced officer and put up with the stares and whispers about what he may have done wrong on his last mission.
The story is cleverly kept simple with the group tasked to get to a police station to rescue civilians before the Army bombs the entire area. Not everything goes to plan and it becomes a massive fight just to get out alive.
If I had to pick a negative, it would be the aforementioned camera work which on a huge screen can be incredibly overwhelming. I think it will be easier to watch on Blu Ray on your flat screen but it certainly will not be as immersive.
I was expecting this to be another 'handy-cam' film like Cloverfield, but this is not the case. It's just that the camera rarely stays still. While this film is it's own entity, there are elements and homages to other films like Independance Day, Assualt on Precinct 13 & Black Hawk Down.
I was very fortunate to see this courtesy of Empire Australia Magazine (thanks guys!) and I highly recommend it and am so glad I got to experience it, because it is an amazing experience. 8/10

Sucker Punch

Let me start by saying I had the pleasure of seeing this movie at the cinemas this week. It is an amazing film. Forget what you've heard that it is just a mastabatory fantasy for 16 year old boys who have one hand on their joysticks and the other on their playstation controllers, because it's actually the opposite.
The tagline for this film is that You Will Be Unprepared and I can confirm I was not prepared for a story with a surprising amount of depth. In fact there are a couple of layers to this story just like the movie itself.
Firstly, there is the direct story layer about a time in America's recent history where the easiest way to deal with unruley young girls was to institutionalize them and if they proved to be more problematic, then a lobotomy was the general 'cure'. Too bad that they were only going through a hormone imbalance.
Our story commences with the death of Baby Doll's (Aussie actress Emily Browning [Violet from Lemony Snicket's...]) mother, her stepfather discovering he'd been left out of the will, gets drunk and kills Baby Doll's younger sister while abusing her. Baby Doll tries to kill him but can't bring herself to do it, so to protect himself, he has her arrested for the death of her sister and then institutionalized. She is to be lobotomized in just five days.
This is where the story transitions to an alternate reality, ala Inception, and you don't know if she has been lobotomised, is this just a dream or have the events actually occurred.  There is only one sympathetic male character, the very Yoda-like Scott Glenn who advises Baby Doll that there is a way to 'Freedom' if she acquires five things, a map, fire, a knife, and a key, but the fifth item is a mystery.  The story is how Baby Doll, along with her other 'inmates' including fellow Australian Abbie Cornish, have to find each item and this is done while Baby Doll dances into the fantasy worlds brought to life through some amazing CGI.  The ending of this movie is completely surprising and satisfactory.
You see, the other level to this story is that it is not about male chauvinism, but in fact about female strength.  All other male characters, want to take advantage, hurt or control the women.  The most powerful message is that all women have the strength inside them to overcome anything (and anyone).  You could even go a step further and take out gender altogether.  Anyone in a position of authority will almost always want to subjugate those perceived to be weaker than themselves.  If the 'weak' apply themselves to solving the problem, anything can be overcome.
Zack Snyder has created a brand new story with more depth than most people have given it credit.
Go into this film with an open mind and you will be rewarded with something astoundingly amazing.
Oh and one more thing, stick around while the credits are playing to be rewarded with a rendition of a Bryan Ferry song, no doubt something that only came about after Zack saw Oscar Isaac's mustache for the first time!
I scored this movie 8/10.

Blue Bloods - What You See

The Blue Bloods fifth episode reminded me why I was so impressed with this show. This week a credible threat for a terrorist plot to explode a bomb in New York City. Is it international terrorism or domestic, or could it be a combination of the two? An exceptional storyline that keeps you guessing. Thought provoking as well - can international terrorists use our own citizen's personal insecurities against them, turning them into martyrs?
Donnie Wahlberg steals this show, from his exasperation at not being able to reach his wife to warn her to get their children out of the city because her phone's battery needs to be charged, to his self-sacrifice in dealing with the bomber to try and save the City. It will be a crime if he doesn't win an award for his characterization of Detective Danny Reagan.
Nail-biting television and must watch now.

AC/DC - Black Ice

I was never a fan of heavy rock and while they are Australian, I wasn't a fan of AC/DC, but my wife is a HUGE fan!  They are her favourite band.  Of course she went to see them live when they toured recently.  While it is very hard for me to get my wife to like my geekier tastes, I have adopted some of her likes.  One of these is AC/DC. 
I bought her Black Ice, their latest studio album of all new music, and had to listen to it (she played it quirte a bit) and I was very surprised to find I was enjoying the sounds.  It also helped that their songs were featuring in Supernatural almost on a weekly basis.
One of the songs on the album "War Machine' was used for the trailer for Iron Man 2 where a character is called War Machine.  They had a couple of songs in the first movie and this time around they had an entire album for Iron Man 2 by AC/DC.  Not all songs featured in the film but that was OK.
One criticism is that all their songs seem to have the same sound.  I suppose that gives AC/DC a unique sound that is entirely their own.
Does liking AC/DC give me street cred now?  Is this movie geek cool now? My wife still says no.

Parenthood - Damage Control

OK, this week's episode of Parenthood had a lot of little things going on, sort of continuations of previous issues and setting up for future ones.  Nothing was really a stand out moment.
Sarah finds out her son was given beer by his Grandfather at Thanksgiving and then had some school friends around to drink beer.  She is concerned they may end up like their father who is an alcoholic.
Adam decided to invite Hattie's boyfriend, Alex, over for dinner and they are very impressed with his honesty but are concerned he is too old for their 16 year old daughter and his issues of alcoholism are also to adult for her to be dealing with at this age.  They ban her from seeing him anymore, but of course, she ignores them.
Crosby is learning what it means to be a real Dad and not just best friends with Jabbar, when he has to discipline him.
As a side story, Julia (who I don't like) and Joel (the most under-used character in the show, and when he is in it, he is constantly having to be told what to do by his wife) have to deal with the concept of death with their daughter when a bird smashes into a window and Julia goes against Joel (surprise! - NOT!) and talks about heaven.
So all in all, not a bad episode but not a good one either.  However, the stories being set up look like this will be excellent viewing in the future.

The Corrs - Best of The Corrs

Once again, for fear of being controversial, I am a HUGE fan of The Coors.  Three beautiful sisters and a brother joined together to bring some of the best music ever to the world.

I was surprised to find that while listening to the Best Of album, they have had a number of songs from this album featured in films:

• So Young  from 'Where the heart is'starring Natalie Portman;
• All the Love in the World from 'America's Sweethearts'a very cool romantic comedy bringing together Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, John Cusack, and Catherine Zeta-Jones; and
• Breathless was used in 'The Wedding Date' an OK romantic comedy with Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney.

I also found out they had a couple of songs in the animated film 'Quest for Camelot' but these aren't on this compilation.

I love the band's Irish voices and their ability to play so many instruments.  There is even a live track that sounds like it was recorded in a studio, they are just so professional.  I wish I had had the opportunity to see them perform live.

Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son

While this 70's rock song has not been used in a movie, 'Carry On Wayward Son' by Kansas has been the song of choice that plays over the pre-title sequence on the final season episodes of Supernatural for the past three years.
Loved the sound so tracked it down on iTunes.
Every true Supernatural fan must have this on their iPod!

The Best of Bond - Original Soundtrack

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had purchased this album on special. There are so many great Bond themes here to enjoy!
Of course the album starts with the unmistakeable John Barry (or is it Monty Norman?) James Bond theme where every male who hears it immediately feels stronger, smarter and suaver and makes every woman wish it was true!
The big, brassy voice of Bond is Shirley Bassey who is the only artist to ever contribute multiple songs to the Bond repertoire, with three entries, Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Moonraker.
While they have great songs, some of the other female vocalists aren't a match to Shirley Bassey, such as Carly Simon, Sheena Eastman, Rita Coolidge and Gladys Knight. Tina Turner, though, gives a pretty great performance for the title song from Goldeneye.
Over the years, the producers have always tried to have the current stars of the music industry provide the theme songs. A couple of examples that have only grown on me in time are Duran Duran's A View To A Kill and the better of the two, a-ha's The Living Daylights.
The great Louis Armstrong provides his last ever recording with the poignant 'We Have All The Time In The World' from George Lazenby's only outing as Bond, 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.

Paul McCartney and Wings gives us 'Live and Let Die' from Roger Moore's first movie as Bond.
Then we have the velvety vocals of Matt Monro with 'From Russia With Love' and Tom Jones with 'Thunderball'. Perhaps we need to go back to this level of class and employ someone like Michael Bublé for the next Bond theme?
We are also treated to the very naughty lyrics from Lulu for 'The Man With The Golden Gun'. "He comes just before the kill!" Oh behave!
There are a couple of modern Bond themes which I actually love. There is 'The World Is Not Enough' from the band Garbage who are anything but and the lovely Sheryl Crow with the title from 'Tomorrow Never Dies'. There is a later version of this album which also includes a second song from this movie by K.D.Lang called 'Surrender'. Of course I bought the track off iTunes to complete the set!
Lastly there are a couple of modernized takes on the Bond theme, which you can either take or leave.
So that's that! A brilliant compilation and fully recommend Bond fans pick up. Make sure you get the updated version though!

Harry's Law

Another law-based television series? What is it with our need to watch lawyers, who we universally abhor?
Lucky we do like them, otherwise we would be missing some damn fine television with yet another big-name movie star. This time it is the wonderful Kathy Bates as Harriet (Harry) Korn. I actually missed the first couple of episodes due to my PS3 deleting everything (have I mentioned this before?), so I don't know her past, but we decided to jump in and see if we liked the show anyway and we're glad we did!
Kathy Bates' Harry is another brilliant character. A sort of female House/Lightman/Jane combination where she is not afraid to say what she thinks. The difference is, she is very compassionate and will stand up for the little man.
Harry has set up her practice in of all things, a shoe shop and has a couple of off-siders.
Her Ying to her Yang is the incredibly egotistical super-successful lawyer, Thomas Jefferson, wonderfully played by Christopher McDonald, himself a pretty successful movie and television star.
I found Kathy Bates to be a refreshingly strong female voice on television, with some 'Oh My God, did she really just say that?' moments bringing a welcome smile.
This week's episode was about the innocent guy who has been in jail for 25 years and the parole board won't release him even though he has an exceptional record and the recommendation of the warden. A great story brought to us from the television genius of David E. Kelly.
I recommend that if you are not watching this show, you should be!

Back To The Future - Original Soundtrack

This is a fun soundtrack as it has a lot of songs from the film and the best parts of the incredible Alan Silvestri signature theme music, making this one of my favorite soundtracks.
I have very fond memories of this film, being that I got my first kiss from a girl after seeing the movie back in 1985. I was also a huge Michael J. Fox fan not to mention anything remotely science fiction as well! However this movie boasts my favorite song of all time, 'The Power of Love' by Huey Lewis & The News. I simply and unequivocally love this song! (Huey even has a cameo in the film!). Huey and the boys also provide a second track on the album with the song all about the movie, 'Back in Time'.
Two of my other favorite performers also provide great tracks, Lindsey Buckingham with 'Time Bomb Town' and the incomparable Mr Eric Clapton with 'Heaven is One Step Away'.
The rest of the songs are from The Enchantment Under The Sea dance including the fantastic Johnny B. Goode by Marty McFly, not Michael J. Fox though.

Alan Silvestri's theme music and Overture round out this brilliant soundtrack. I don't recommend listening to this soundtrack while driving though. Every time the theme music starts, I have this uncontrollable urge to get to 88mph! Lucky I don't have a DeLorean!

Atomic Kitten - Tide Is High

I've always been a fan of Blondie and loved her version of Tide is High. Then one day I heard these beautiful young pop voices doing their own version of the song and I was very amazed to say I really liked this version as well.
You are probably wondering what this has to do with movies? You may be surprised to know, as I was, that this is playing over the titles of The Lizzie McGuire Movie! While I've never seen this film, it is a favorite of my daughters who assure me it's a good film.

Jack White & Alicia Keys - Another Way To Die

As I said in my previous post, I am a huge fan of the Bond movies, especially the theme music. When I discovered the theme song to the then up & coming Daniel Craig Bond film, 'Quantum of Solace', I immediately jumped on iTunes and bought it without even listening to it.
When the song begins it has a very distinct Bond feel to it, so far, so good. Alicia Key's vocals commence and everything is going fine. Now if Ms Keys had been the only one singing, this would have been brilliant.
But alas, Jack White joins in and Their discordant dis-harmonies make this incredibly difficult to listen to. In fact, this is my least favorite Bond theme. What are other people's thoughts?

Madonna - Die Another Day

Now I am a huge fan of James Bond. I love the original books (and even the later novels), ABSOLUTELY LOVE the movies, and I really enjoy listening to all the title songs. I once had a cassette of the Best of James Bond and I played that to death. I was always on the lookout for a CD. There was a new Best of Bond collection released but it was always too dear. I came across it one day on special and snapped it up. I then found out that the reason it was on special was because they had released a new version with extra songs. Not to worry, I just bought the extras on iTunes! This song was one of the extras.
This was the title song for the 20th Bond film and was also Madonna's 20th anniversary as a recording artist. This was for Pierce Brosnan's fourth and final outing as James Bond in the film of the same name. I am putting on record that Pierce is my favorite Bond. He embodies everything the character was meant to be. I regret that I never saw Die Another Day in the cinemas as I had read some bad reviews but saw it on DVD in my collection and I really enjoyed it. I think this is yet again another example of people jumping on a bandwagon and thinking it's cool to say something is bad because everyone else does. Anyway, I liked the movie. I also really like this song. It played over the opening credit sequence of the movie and really fit the story.
I've always enjoyed listening to Madonna and to have her do a Bond song and such a brilliant job of it too, was just amazing. Apparently it is her biggest selling single as per Wikipedia.

Five For Fighting - Superman (It's Not Easy)

I remember the first time I heard this song. I had no idea what it was called or who it was by but the higher melodic voice and the easy pace made me stop and listen. Then my inner geek kicked in as I started to comprehend the words and realized they were singing about Superman. Not just the hero we all know and love but a more dimensional character that was emotionally affected by the distance his perfection keeps him from other humans and how us normal humans have no comprehension of how hard it is for him to be the perfect hero. It was a tantalizing premise. I even argued with my wife as to the meaning of the song as she didn't think it was about Superman, until we discovered the song's title.
While this song was not in a movie, it was the Superman story we deserved but then we got the wet blanket that was Superman Returns. I was so disappointed in that film. At least we have this wonderful song.

Celine Dion - All The Way... A Decade of Song

Now, I am about to get all controversial.  I am going to put it in writing for all the world to know.  I love Celine Dion and I don't care who knows or what they think!  This beautiful woman has the BEST voice on the face of the planet.  I challenge anyone to name another performer who has the range and the strength of Celine.
A sort of 'Best of' album, 'All The Way... A Decade of Song' is filled with beautiful romantic songs.  The reason I am featuring it here is that there are four songs on the album that I can identify as being used in film.  (There may be others and I am happy for anyone to correct me on this).  Celine's music has been used in many movies and I would love her to release a movie theme album with all her movie related songs on it.
The first movie song is 'Beauty and the Beast' from the Disney animated film of the same name.  I remember going to the cinemas and immediately buying the album.  It was probably my first encounter with the wonderful Celine.
'Because You loved Me' is from the Robert Redford/Michelle Pfeiffer 1996 tearjerker.  I've seen the movie and I wasn't that blown away by it but the song is nice.
'Then You Look At Me' is the theme song from the brilliant Robin Williams move 'Bicentennial Man' which is much better and deeper than many people give it credit for.  The music of the song is used extensively throughout the movie and you will be humming it when the movie ends.
Lastly, I wanted to talk about the massive hit song from James Cameron's 'Titanic', 'My Heart Will Go On'.  I loved this song when I first heard it and I still love it.  You know what I hate?  People who want to say how bad they think this song, this movie and Celine in general are.  To you, I say you are all cowards who think it is safer to jump on the bandwagon and say something negative about something that was successful.  If so many people hate this song and this movie, how did it become the biggest selling single in 1998 and the biggest selling movie ever (till James Cameron's triumphant return to cinema with 'Avatar')?  I am proud to say how brilliant I believe this song and film both are.
Here's to many more theme songs from Celine Dion.  Bring them on!