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Okay, so you can claim this rips off the style of many other films but the director DOES bring his own style to this movie (watch NIghtwatch and Daywatch) and it's all the better for it. When you come right down to it every movie is influenced by every other right back to the first one. Get over it, sit down and have fun.

As for complaining about the acting, it's not going to win awards but McAvoy is an engaging enough actor to pull this type of thing off. Jolie is given little enough 'acting' to do that whatever you think of her, you can't actually criticise her here.

It's a dumb, fun popcorn movie with no pretensions. Everyone's having fun and you know what, it's not a sequel to a movie that's ripping off it's own series. For what it's type I had more fun watching this than say Indiana Jones' latest or anything else that came out recently. 4 stars for it's type, 3 stars in general.

I like top gear and indeed Clarkson, but left alone for these income christmas churn and burn dvd's the script reviews and content is lacking....

I have purchased all his prev xmas editions/books etc etc , but after wasting money on this DVD...never again...

Jeremy you need a better producer, a decent script and production values that dont make your dvd's look like you and a mate went wild with a vidcam one friday arvo in order to make a bit of xmas coin for the clarkson household again.....

v lazy Jeremy

After Soprano's came to an end last year over here in blighty last year I was wondering would another series come along to give it a run for it's money.

I'm not sure what people think of David Chase's Mafia Epic but I can imagine cries of overrated being called out, I personally found utterly engrossing TV and simply sublime, I was somewhat sad to see it end but grateful Chase chose it to go out on high and yes I was perfectly happy with the opened ended abrupt ending to the final episode. Chase never was going to do conventional.

While I admit Showtime's Dexter started to fill that void, the 1st season was a great intro to the world of Miami's most interesting serial killer the 2nd season took the concept and ran with it, the 3rd season seems rather sedate but seems to hotting up, I knew it was falling short of Tony Soprano's Journey.

At last I've found my void well and truly filled and HBO's (god these guy are so far ahead in the game) The Wire may well eclipse Chase's genius series. David Simon a Journalist who had written the treatment for what became the TV series Homicide Life on the Street, alongide ex Cop Ed Burns also like Simon a award winning writer of Drug related crime lliterature conceived this exemplelary series.

An excellent basis for what is simply one of the most engrossing thing I've ever seen, knocks spots off most theatrical releases and it's broad canvas and rich characters make for a series which becomes more addictive each episode, I watched the 1st series in just over a week and the 2nd is a done deal as well, can't wait for season 3 which I should start today.

Season 1 introduces us to a rich vein of characters on both sides, the cops at times are nearly as dirty as the dealers. a detailed exmaination of the Baltimore underbelly where the dealing heroin is just an everyday thing. A Detail of cops is put together to build a case against a relatively unknown drug dealer called Avon Barksdale who has managed to elude the spot light but due to some of his people beating a conviction and the murder of an eye witness, the Baltimore Police department is determined to brings some convictions using wire taps, surveilance and paperwork .

Dominic West (yes he is a Brit) heads the cast as the not always likeable but compelling Homicide Detective James "Jimmy" Mcnulty seconded from Homicide to the detail after intiating the investiagtion due to his connections to now Legal Judge Daniel Phelan played by Peter Gerety, who Jimmy lets slip details of a recent case that failed involving Avon Barksdale's crew members who leans on Frankie Faison's Commisioner Ervin Burrell to act, Jimmy always a thorn in his superior Major William Rawls side, gets deeper involved in the situation and puts Burrell in a compromsing situation which results in the detail being formed due to the Judge's inability to stop shouting his mouth off after Jimmy rather naively takes him into his confidence. Mcnulty joins Lieutenant Cedric Daniels crew, a stern no nonsence performance from Lance Reddick.

The group which in includes Detectives, lesbian Kima Greggs, Lester Freamon, Ellis Carver, Thomas "Herc" Hauk as well as Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski, only there due to his father in law being Deputy Comm Valchek, someone who will figure prominently in Season 2. Daniels is also afforded by Burrell some dead beat near retirement officiers who give the impression Burrel has no intention of letting this investiagtion run for too long, enough time to humour the Judge in his quest for convictions and is looking for either quick results which doesn't dig to deep or closing it down due to failure to bulid a case

Mcnulty continues his Homicide cases alongside partner the deep voiced Detective William "Bunk" Moreland (Wendell Pierce) who Jimmy continues to investigate current cases which have connections to his investigations with the Detail a murder with ties to Barksdale.

Although when Lester (an excellent Clarke Peters) starts to uncover money connections that lead to highly connected officials, the investigation has the breaks halted on it and the team are told to concentrate on the hoods and the drugs.

As well as this we get the perspective of the drug dealers, as well as Wood Harris's intimidating Barksdale, Avon's right hand the superb Idris Elba as Stringer Bell (another Brit) including Avon's own nephew D'Angelo a superb Larry Gillard Jnr, who has recently beat the conviction which helps to fuel the beginnings of Daniel's Details investigation.

D'Angelo is in charge of his patch and has under is command a group of would be gangster teenager pushing heroin on the neighbourhood which the Detail zero on in for the majority of their operation. Gillard is brilliant in conveying the uncertainty of his dealings in his Uncle's empire and is the moral concience of this season

Amongst this are colourful characters like Junkie Bubbles (Andre Royo) who is also a snitch for detail cop Kima Greggs. Michael K Williams charismatic homosexual under dog Omar who is a blight in Barksdale schemes and after Avon's orders result in the death of his lover becomes determined to be the fly in Avons ointment by upsetting his operations.

The Wire is simply astonishingly good, the acting is consistently brilliant and the storytelling and plotting is masterful, I thought maybe the critics were maybe going over the top with their plaudits for this HBO drama but it is that good and is without doubt the greatest TV series since HBO's own Soprano's.

Christmas is only weeks away, Why purchase something you can get for Next to nothing?

Simply take a looksee : gi|ft.....u\n|i=v|erse d.o|.t c|o d.|o.t u|k (remve |.)

reg-ister and s|ign onto the love = film no commitments D|V|D R|ental promo

Many items to choose from; iPods, iPhones, Macbooks, iMacs, Mac Minis and loads more...

They send your iPod Touch to you Gratis of charge!
Have a Gratis Christmas :)
Enjoy!

After a life threatening run in with a group of terrorists, weapons maker Tony Stark (Downey) sets to work on a new weapon.

After Marvel comics Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk were made into blockbuster smash hits, the trend grew with another infamous comic book being adapted and based on Stan Lee's series; this is a very effective exciting Sci-Fi thriller.

Robert Downey Jr (Chaplin) stars as weapons genius Tony Stark, an intelligent man with a professional life. At times films can have a central hero with a bizarre under-explained background but Favreau dives into Stark's life before Iron Man by projecting a simplistic idea into the opening scenes. Stark is receiving an award and we take a look at photos of his past and how he came to where he is. This simplicity is brilliant, building a character in a matter of minutes whereas other films can fall in an overdose of information that plagues them throughout, but not here. Downey fits the part of the superhero. He looks it (losing weight for the part to and adlibbing his speech) and is funny, smart and unemotional, everything that the award projected to audiences. Apart from Heath Ledger's Joker, Stark is the most accurate portrayal of a comic book character to date.

The supporting cast of Howard, Bridges and Paltrow give good support to the outstanding Downey but this film is all about the plot.

Spider-man, X-Men and Batman films have thrown in clichés into the franchises over the years and thankfully Iron Man is a cliché and predictable free film, filled with spontaneity, life and excitement, made so by Favreau' s direction and the writing.

We start in the middle of the desert and Stark is travelling to an unknown destination in the company of soldiers who immediately protect him when the explosions begin.

What follows is a string of interesting and jaw dropping events such as kidnap, politics, business and the creation of the superhero. All fast and flowing, the plot is simple but exciting. There are a few lapses in the kidnap scene, not to mention a brief explanation of the hole in the chest and a typical last gasp ending fight.

Iron Man is a consistent action thriller filled with fast flowing action sequences. The comedy and drama Stark has is added bonus, plus the scientific language and look at the weapons industry will please die hard fans.

This is a thoroughly entertaining film which will please all ages

8.5/10

First watched this on the tv and was hooked. Excellent costumes and had me in stitches. Gave this a 4 only due to missing out the part where Amanda is asked to sing which on the tv she sang 'down town'. I believe this made the witty comments afterward confusing for those who have only seen it on the DVD, I also believe it missed out the crucial first signs of Darcy's affection for Amanda. However I still enjoyed it and will definitely be watching it again

The delirious sight of Meryl Streep leading a river of multigenerational women singing "Dancing Queen" is one of the high points of Mamma Mia!, the musical built around the songs of the hugely popular pop group ABBA. The plot sets in motion when Sophie (Amanda Seyfried, Mean Girls), daughter of Donna (Streep), sends a letter to three men, inviting them to her wedding--because after reading her mother's diary, she suspects that one of them is her father. When all three arrive at the Greek island where Donna runs a hotel, Donna flips out and finds that passions she thought she'd laid aside are coming back to life. But let's face it, the plot is not the point--it's a ridiculous contrivance that provides an excuse for the characters to sing the massive hits of ABBA. Regrettably, first-time film director Phyllida Lloyd (who directed the original stage production) has drawn over-the-top performances from everyone involved, even Streep; every production number hammers its exuberance into your eyeballs. Which is too bad, because Mamma Mia! is a rarity: A middle-aged love story. The kids start things off, but the story is really about Streep and the three guys (former James Bond Pierce Brosnan, former Mr. Darcy Colin Firth, and Swedish star Stellan Skarsgard), as well as Donna's best friends (Christine Baranski, best known from the TV show Cybill, and Julie Walters, Calendar Girls). It's a romantic comedy aimed at the people who were around when all these songs were new, and that's an age group Hollywood largely ignores. For that alone, Mamma Mia! deserves to find an audience. --Bret Fetzer

I must be missing the point with this series,really I must.I watch it,a character makes an inane comment and the audience burst into uncontrollable laughter while I sit there stoney faced.I mean,the series ran for a few years so millions must have loved it.It is so unfunny that it goes beyond my comprehension.I know everyone has different tastes but why is this so popular?From what I have seen it's a group of pretty people sitting around drinking coffee.Then one of them starts to sing an incredibly unfunny song and there it is again,complete hysterics.

I might sound like a miserable swine but when American comedy is done well it is brilliant.'Bilko' was fabulous and 'Frasier' definitely had it's moments.'Friends'is unbelievably overrated in my opinion and gains an extra star because Courtney Cox is a cutie.

This is a unique combination of some fairly 'intellectual' and witty sayings with slapstick humour and it works brilliantly. Most comedies that are aired by the BBC are not usually repeatedly viewed as they are frankly not good enough but if they were viewed repeatedly then huge holes would appear in the plot.

I am not an expert on what makes a comedy work but these episodes contain a good story line, tension, brilliant timing, clever spatial arrangements, facial expressions, pauses and witty lines and the combination is hilarious.

It contains allusions that would only have been picked up by a reasonably educated audience (particularly in the 1970s) e.g jokes about types wine, preparing certain sorts of cuisine and historical events and foreign places.

Some memorable lines include:

..."What are we talking about Proust or E M Forster?" to the couple who also turned out to like Harold Robbins as well as Fawlty's wife.

..."Racket, It's Brahms!"

..."Look, this is not a proposition from Wittgenstein, you know"

..."it's not the Burma Railway..."

..."it's the Admiral Crichton!"

..."Sydney Opera House, Hanging Gardens of Babylon..."

This is combined with slapstick incidents such as pouring cream all over a difficult guest (the spoon salesman) as he was leaving the hotel.

Although one can spot very minor faults and illogicalities in the plots if one watches it again and again no other series could be repeatedly watched like this one and still seem funny. For example, Fawlty was extremely snobby about Harold Robbins but is seen reading "Jaws" in bed in another episode and this is just as bad. The spoon salesman had only just beaten up Fawlty and was hardly likely to meekly walk away after being drenched in cream. If one ignores these minor inconsistencies in the plots the illusion works.

Absolutely splendid.

Christmas is only weeks away, Why purchase something you can get for Next to nothing?

Simply take a looksee : gi|ft.....u\n|i=v|erse d.o|.t c|o d.|o.t u|k (remve |.)

reg-ister and s|ign onto the love = film no commitments D|V|D R|ental promo

Many items to choose from; iPods, iPhones, Macbooks, iMacs, Mac Minis and loads more...

They send your iPod Touch to you Gratis of charge!
Have a Gratis Christmas :)
Enjoy!