Since I’m a bit behind the ball I got to make this quick. The 6^th episode of the Moffat era has come and gone and for the most part was an entertaining adventure but it had it’s flaws. The Vampires of Venice was your typical Monster of the Week fare but don’t let that deter you Vampires is a fun episode that is more then it appears on the surface.

It's not exactly Twilight

Vampires is written by Toby Whitehouse who is the creator of Being Human, the fantastic BBC show about a Vampire, Werewolf and Ghost who live together, so he should know how to write Vampires correct? Well yes if you’ve watched Being Human you know that Whithouse has a command of Vampires but things aren’t so black and white in Doctor Who. The Vampires in Who aren’t your typical fare, without spoiling things too much, Vampires in Venice is about so much more than Vampires.

These girls are attractive, minus those choppers

The Doctor rules yet another episode he has some great lines that are almost like a verbal wink to fans of the longest running sci-fi show in history. The Doctor also makes one of his greatest entrances ever, those who saw it must surely agree. The villains of the episode are cool enough but arnt as fleshed out as I would have liked (and expected) however Rory (Amy’s groom to be) does get to time to shine. He’s a much better Companion’s Companion then Mikey was in the first series, ideally there will be some more time for Rory in the spotlight. I think there is a lot more to Rory then meets the eye, hints have been dropped throughout, the question is how much more is there to him? Amy has a so-so episode, nothing bad mind you but also nothing to fantastical, other than another snogging session that makes me wish I was in the bloke’s shows.

The Doctor looks quite excited, I'd be to with all those gals running around

The story had it’s silly parts part overall it delivered enough fun to enjoy the episode. I’s rank this on the lower end of episodes this series but that’s not a knock, all the episodes have been pretty strong, if anything it speaks volumes about the rest of the episodes. I’d rank it 5^th out of the 6 episodes so far, with The Beast Below coming in lower. Like I said I enjoy the episode but as far as the series overall is concerned it’s on the bottom.

The preview for this weeks episode looked amazing, "The Dream Lord" ehhh, can’t wait!

Overall Score

6.5 out of 10

Sinatra enjoys The Vampires of Venice

The week we’ve been waiting for since seeing the Series 5 trailer, the return of the Doctors future something or other River Song played by the wonderful Alex Kingston and not only that but we also get the return of one of the most interesting Who creatures since the show returned that would be The Weeping Angels. I tried to not get overly excited but it was quite hard as the new series has so far been great and with the return of River and the Angels it was a struggle. Luckily the episode blew my expectations right out of the water.

The Moff has again weaved an incredible tale that completely takes advantage of the everything that makes Who work. River and the Doctors relationship played out much differently in this episode then I was expecting, I suppose I should know by now to expected the unexpected when it comes to Moffat.

Stone Cold Killers...get it...STONE

The Doctor and Amy have some good moments this week but the spotlight is on the Doctor and River. The way the two bicker like an old married couple is hilarious and the actors nail the dynamic. The story itself is pretty interesting. There’s a real mystery to what’s going on but some of that mystery is no doubt due to the fact that this week ends on a cliffhanger leading into next weeks show. All in all we learn some cool new things about the Weeping Angels and a lot of setup for the conclusion next week, oh and this the week when the Doctor fires a gun!

There are some standout scenes in this episode, almost all of which include the Doctor and River however one of my favorite moments was a scene that harkened back to Rivers first appearance, Silence in the Library. I don’t want to spoil to much but anyone who has seen the episode probably knows what I’m talking about. I also found that even though the Doctor and Amy didn’t have to much alone time this week that their chemistry really shines more so then any other episode this series so far, I mean when your in the hand biting stage of a friendship its safe to assume you like each other. Watching the episode gave me the impression that the Doctor and Amy had been together for 3 or 4 series and not simply 3 or 4 episodes.

I (HEART) River Song

Also how about that Alex Kingston? She just has amazing screen presence and makes every scene that much better. Oh River Song, were have you been all my life (swoon). The episode is just a fantastic event from beginning to end. So are there any downfalls?

Only little nit-picky things but nothing really worth mentioning other then the fact that we get left hanging another week but we all knew it was coming so no harm no foul I guess. I wouldn’t go as far as to say this is my favorite Moffat penned story but depending on next week maybe I will. It is easily the top episode of the series so far and I can’t wait for next week. If you thought the Angels couldn’t get any worse, think again, simply not blinking just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Bravo Moff, same time next week then?

Final Verdict

9 out of 10

Sinatra LOVES The Time of Angels

EXTERMINATE! No but seriously who hasn’t missed the Dalek’s, granted I’ve been vocal about not wanting Dalek’s involved in a series finale but that’s more of wanting to see something new then dislike for the Dalek’s. In fact it seems to me that it would be nearly impossible to enjoy Doctor Who and not enjoy the Dalek’s rolling into a room. It hasn’t even been that long since we’ve had Dalek’s but sitting back watching Victory of the Dalek’s it felt like ages and I couldn’t help but just smile during the entire episode, well almost.

The story this time out is pretty simple, Doctor heads to WW2 era London and runs into Winston Churchill, Dalek’s pop up, Doctor gets mad, Plans, More Dalek’s, Space Dog Fights, etc… in many ways Victory has the weakest story of the three new episodes so far but in other ways it’s the most enjoyable episode of the lot so far, make sense? There are some intriguing story bits here and there (Who forgets Planets in the sky!?!) but overall the purpose of this episode seems to act as a big old reset button for the Dalek’s exactly how The Eleventh Hour was a reset for The Doctor, this was a Dalek Regeneration story! Besides a few bumps in the road the story is pretty fun, which is what Doctor Who should be in the end.

The Doctor has some amazing moments with the Dalek’s. Matt Smith really has taken the role and ran with it. Amy doesn’t really contribute too much this week which is kind of disappointing considering we all saw just how awesome she could be last week given the spotlight, though again there is one plot point that revolves around a revelation given by Amy that is building. I have to say I really enjoyed all the Winston Churchill stuff which I didn’t expect going in, hell Churchill should be the Doctors companion! The two obviously have had some adventures before. I will say that I extremely hated the Professor character, not that the guy was a bad actor or anything but there is a certain bit of ridiculousness that you'll need to see to understand, I get what they were trying to play with but for me it didn't work. Again though the humans weren't really the centerpiece this week so I could look past my little nitpicks.

UPGRADE AND EXTERMINATE!

Overall Victory of the Dalek's was a blast, defiantly the most fun we’ve had all season. It’s also nice to see the crack in time and space make a return, I’m really intrigued by it, where will it lead? I’m sure Moffat’s got a great little plan in store for all of us. Also I must say the new Dalek make-over is amazing! It’s straight up retro and I love it, makes me wanna go pop in a 4^th or 5^th Dalek story just for the fun of it. At the end of the day Victory was a great way to spend forty-five minutes of my weekend! Next week, WEEPING ANGELS!

Final Verdict

7.5 out of 10

Sinatra enjoys Victory of the Daleks

It’s been just short of a week since The Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond began their adventures in time and space, so the question is, does the second episode of the Moffat Era live up to expectations? Well DUH! The Beast Below takes place on Starship U.K. a spaceship carrying the whole of the British people ever since the Earth began to burn. The ships been afloat for many hundreds of years yet everything isn’t what it appears (ofcourse) and once the Doctor arrives things begin to unravel.

Matt Smith continues to develop his take on the Doctor with some pretty spectacular results, part knight in shining armor and park cocky high-school quarterback. You remember when at the end of Waters of Mars The Doctor seemed a little TOO confident? Well it’s almost seems like a bit of that confidence has lingered in this form which makes sense considering The Doctor once claimed that his 9^th/10^th incarnation was born from War and that Rose changed her. The Doctor gets some really awesome moments in this one, a couple nice one-liners and some powerful dialogue, so far Matt Smith is really great maybe no Tennant yet but he’s defiantly had a better start in my opinion then Tennant who for the most part was lackluster (when compared to his later seasons) in his first year.

Turn that frown upside down!

Karen aka Amy gets a full episode to develop her character and again this second episode really helps define her character as a strong willed character who is unsure and maybe even scared of her own future. It really helped that The Doctor and Amy spent a portion of the episode separated because when the focus is on both of them the viewer tends to look more at the relationship dynamic between the two but when separate they each get a chance at the spotlight which is needed this early on so we don’t have to still wonder what the character may become down the line come week 12 or 13.

The story of Beast is decent enough, there is a mystery that while seemingly super threatening isn’t. Basically the entire episode boils down to the age old Doctors choice, never an easy one at that. It might have seemed stale with a weaker companion but without giving away too much Moffat wrote Amy a part that flipped most of his former companions upside down. For once it’s not all on The Doctors hands. I will say I was hoping for more from the Smilers (those creepy angry looking robot things from the trailers) as they never went far beyond a threatening face, although to be fair there is one bit involving them that could have been interesting but was never expanded upon it was just left up in the air, I’m sure you’ll know what I mean if you’ve watched it. Most of the secondary characters this time out are completely forgettable sadly including Liz who makes a great entrance. Overall there are a couple of plot points that are weak or just plain forgotten that maybe if this episode had an hour running time like the first it could have been better. The main plot device which features the titular “beast” is also kind of weak but still far from the worst Who has ever had.

"No I'm telling you we parked in the M Lot"

So then The Doctor and Amy are still pleasantly surprising me, the story this time out had its moments but was ultimately a bit weak compared to last week. The ending though was a thing of genius, sure when you watch it you may scratch you head and say WTF but it doesn’t stop it from being awesome and making you look forward to episode 3 with mouth watering ferocity and if the end wasn’t enough the trailer for episode 3 was crotch adjusting-ly great,Winston Churchill FTW!!! Overall a very fun episode.

Overall Score

7 out of 10

Sinatra ENJOYS The Beast Below

Well I’m back after a fun (EXPENSIVE) trip to the city and its surrounding areas. I spent the day driving for hours, eating a ton of Easter food and downloading/watching the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who. I gotta say as much as I love pigging out on holidays the highlight of today was spending an hour with Matt Smith as the 11^th Doctor!

It seems like it’s been years since we’ve had a certain Time Lord in our lives but it’s only been about 4 months but however you slice it the wait has been painful and a little scary. Scary you say? Well who among us can say they weren’t (or still are) a little worried by the change in the talent involved in making Doctor Who, David Tennant especially. Thankfully all my fears seem to be not worth mentioning as I can honestly say the Matt Smith era is here and already I’m a believer.

David Who???

The Episode started with a literal BANG as the TARDIS was crashing down to earth following the end of The End of Time, the whole pre credit scene was classic crazy Doctor Who fun and then the changes begun. The new title sequence is in my opinion a much needed upgrade from the drab yellows of the 9^th/10^th Doctor eras. We get a slightly remixed theme song that while new sounding also had a bit of a retro feel that I for one really enjoyed. We also get a new “cloudy” Time Vortex with some nifty effects, all in all within the first three to four minutes I was already smiling and the grin just kept getting wider.

The New Intro

Without getting into Spoiler territory the story was a really good introductory tale, by that I mean Matt Smith and Karen Gillan both get a chance to shine, meeting Smith’s 11^th Doctor and Gillan’s Amy Pond came at the price of a some-what silly story. Steven Moffat had a lot of good story bits but I wasn’t a fan of the scale of the threat. I suppose throwing The Doctor into Earth threatening crisis so soon after his regeneration sounded neat but I think I would have preferred a more personal threat (Which was how the first third of the episode played out) that would let The Doctor and Amy shine even more. I really enjoy the dynamic of the Doctor/Companion relationship this time out, Tennant’s Doctor was always stuck with a companion who seemed more interested in getting into his pants then traveling in time and space and by the end of the new episode you understand that things are going to be different this time out (hopefully).

Smith and Gillan were both great and the rest of the support wasn’t too shabby either. The character of Rory (Amy’s friend) looks to be an expanding role. I also really liked all the towns’ people that The Doctor and Amy ran into, showing that everyone knew one another in Amy’s small town and everyone’s reaction to Amy’s “Scruffy” Doctor were fun.

As the episode goes on The Doctor slowly shakes off that freshly regenerated buzz and by the final stand-off is THE Doctor complete with a new costume (which still needs to grow on me), a new Sonic Screwdriver and a new TARDIS. I’ve read some other reviews that stated the episode seemed too long for its own good and while I can understand the criticism I for one enjoyed the extra 15 or so minutes hell I wish all the episodes were an hour.

I honestly think I'm in love

So the episode and first chapter of the Matt Smith era ended and we are ready to get the stories going now that all the intros are out of the way. We also get a pretty damn epic trailer for the rest of the series which won’t help the week to week waiting. To wrap things up I obviously highly recommend the episode and can’t say enough good things about Matt Smith. If you haven’t seen it yet prepare for a fantastic scene in Amy’s kitchen involving Fish Sticks and Custard…yup. Anyway HAPPY EASTER and long live The Doctor!

Final Verdict

8 out of 10

-Today was the day, nearly three quarters of a year after the fact Blackest Night has come to its conclusion. I’ve been along for the ride since the beginning traveling down a road that while bumpy at times proved to be a fantastic trip nonetheless. Along the way there were many sights to stop and just take in. Heroes and Villains returning from the dead or in some cases joining them, Old faces we haven’t seen comeback almost like a half of fame quarterback returning to lead a team to the Super Bowl (or in Brett Favre’s case the NFC Championship), Anyway enough gushing, on to the review.

Blackest Night was broken up into 3 essential reads, that being the main Blackest Night series as well as Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. The spin-offs also proved fun but proved unnecessary to enjoy the overall experience although Blackest Night Wonder Woman and Flash proved quite interesting and well worth the price of admission. Over countless issues we’ve witnessed old friends become new enemies and more costume changes then a high school musical. We've had emotional baggage up to our ears and mind games galore. It's all been part of a rather wonderful formula.

In-case you need a refresher here goes (Blackest Night Spoilers up to BL 8)

-Black Rings attach to dead heroes and bring them back as Black Lanterns, notable zombie heroes include Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Hawkman and the list goes on and on.

-Heroes unite to try and take down said Black Lanterns but can’t as they just reform and continue killing people all the while building up the Black Lantern Central Power Battery to 100%.

-Once the Battery gets charged Nekron is unleashed and wants to end all life in the universe to bring about a little peace and quite.

-Some living heroes who have died in the past are turned into BL’s including Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, etc… Black Rings also try to (and almost) grab a hold of Hal and Barry but the two get away.

-The Various other colored corps each deputizes someone on earth into their corps (not by choice). Some inspired choices include Yellow Lantern Scarecrow, Orange Lantern Lex Luthor and Red Lantern Mera!

-The corps fight off the BL’s by learning that mixing the various color lights kills them permanently. Lots of epic battles occur throughout the core 3 books.

-They still can’t defeat Nekron and all seems lost until the White Entity is finally unleashed and joins with Sinestro.

This takes us to now, the corps have all arrived on earth and are throwing down with the Black Lanterns. This leads to a bit of a stalemate as White Lantern Sinestro can’t die as neither can Nekron seeing as how they control Life and Death respectively. What plays out in Blackest Night 8 is an epic conclusion to an epic storyline that I will not ruin for anyone out there. What I will say is that Geoff Johns masterfully wraps up his epic space opus with BRILLIANT art from Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert and Joe Prado with coloring by Alex Sinclair. Mixing all of these awesome talents just makes everything even better. To create some of the epic battles on display could be no easy task and I tip every hat I own to the talent involved.

Story wise it all wraps up and makes sense considering what has been going on for the last several months. We get the resolution we’ve been promised while also leaving open some crazy possibilities. Without getting into specifics, the status quo in regards to who is dead and who is alive has successfully been flipped on its back, spun around and thrown across the room. By the end of the issue you will find yourself wondering just how far reaching the effects of Blackest Night have reached, its questions like this that will drive people like me crazy while waiting for Brightest Day!

Geoff Johns has made Green Lantern the most consistently awesome read in the DC universe and with Blackest Night has successfully brought the rest of the DC Universe into the fold of things. Maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for zombie tales (though I don’t think of Black Lanterns as zombies) but Blackest Night has since day 1 been what I look forward to on my Wednesday’s. The series has been filled with more memorable moments then you could shake a stick at whether it was Kyle's death/rebirth, Guy's becoming a Red Lantern, Sinestro taking the spotlight, Mogo, Ant-Monitor, etc... again the list is just too damn long to go on but needless to say it was more than enough to keep any comic fan happy and now sadly like all great things it has come to an end, but in ending has ushered in a new exciting path for the DC Universe, one could almost call it a Brightest Day…ZING!

A perfect “Summer Blockbuster” event comic that has kept me on the edge of my seat for months, so then Mr. Johns, what do you have in store for us next???

Final Verdict:

9.5 out of 10

it loses half a point cause it had to end :-(

So remember the other day when I posted the trailer for Harry Brown? Sure ya do! Anyway I was able to partake in watching it last night and am back with my review, ready? Well here goes.

Harry Brown follows Michael Caine as he lives his life in an area overrun by youth violence. Harry has lost everyone in the world with the exception of his equally old friend Leonard. The two meet at the pub and drink pints while playing chess, the kind of fun only old men can enjoy that is until Leonard has had enough with all the hoodies roaming the streets, causing violence, selling dope and just being plain Jersey Shore-ish. Leonard stands up for himself one day and ends up getting killed because of it. This makes Michael Caine Hulk out a bit and get all Bruce Wayne on everyone’s ass. That is a simple explanation of the plot of the flick…actually that is basically the plot without giving away all the fine details. It’s simple enough but a movie like this doesn't need any kind of game changing plot devices when you’ve got Michael Caine acting all bad-ass and man does he deliver.

"Wizards chess Alfred?"

I’ve always been under the impression that anyone who wasn’t a Michael Caine fan must surely be a Nazi or something equally as evil because honestly he is right up there with Eastwood as far as Icon’s go. Harry Brown lives and dies by Caine. When he’s on the screen it’s a blast but when he isn’t it becomes the same old same old, thankfully Caine is on screen at least 90 percent of the time. As far as the other actors go they all do their jobs, there aren't any phoned in performances but nor are there Oscar worthy ones. I enjoyed Leonard, Played by David Bradley (aka Filch from the Harry Potter flicks) but he knocked off way to early in the film. I would have liked to see some more back and forth between Harry and Leonard but the film barely hits and hour and forty minutes so I guess we couldn't have any additional character moments for poor Leonard.

B-A-D-A-S-S

Throughout the film there are several memorable moments including an opening scene that is quite fascinating in how brutal it is, it really sets the pace for whats to come and thats not the end of the violence, make no mistake this is a hard R. Stabbings, Shootings, Drugs, F-Bombs we get it all in this one. When some punk is committing a crime you get pissed and want them to get theirs and when the time finally comes and Brown gets with the revenge you cheer (including an awesome scene in drug dealers lair). The cinematography is on par with other gritty films such as this, things are familiar but never boring.

I did enjoy Harry Brown just not as much as I would have liked, I think I really hyped it up in my head to being Caine’s best performance ever without having seen it. It is a memorable character but Harry Brown doesn’t really hold a candle to some of his more memorable roles such as Alfie, Alfred Jasper, etc… Having said that I could not see anyone else pulling off the role of an aging vigilante as well, anyone else and I’m probably not writing this review right now. At the end of the day Harry Brown is a good movie that you should watch if you have the opportunity, Caine’s best? No, but even if it was Caine’s worst (which it isn't) it would still be better then most actors at any point in their careers.

Harry Brown is out this week on DVD in the UK and comes to selected theaters in April in the U.S. Worth at least a Rental or Matinée depending on your country.

Final Verdict

7 out of 10

Sinatra Enjoys Harry Brown

This weekend proved quite productive in regards to my film viewing experience. I watched several films some old and some new but all enjoyable. So I shall now present you all a quite run down of mini reviews. First up the NEW…

NEW

The Green Zone

-Honestly after seeing the trailer who was expecting Bourne 4? Show of hands…You’re lying if you said you didn’t. Hell even if you read the book on which the movie is based on it still must have appeared that the film treatment was going to get Bourne-ized but luckily that was not the case. I mean I love the Bourne flicks as much as anyone much I also enjoy a thinking mans movie every once and a while.

Admittedly I’m THAT much into politics and one of my least favorite movie subjects is the Iraq War just based on the fact that there is so much he said, she said conspiracy garbage that no one person can no exactly what went down and how it went down especially Hollywood filmmakers. However I really enjoyed Green Zone.

All the actors involved were good, special props to Damon, Isaac’s and Khalid Abdalla who had quite a powerful role. Greg Kinnear was so-so and the normally fantastic Brendan Gleeson while still good disappointed by not being able to convincingly play an American, were as Jason Isaac’s had a flawless American accent Gleeson slipped up a lot. Not enough to dismantle a movie but still got on my nerves.

Story wise it was good, at some points things can get a bit confusing and the makers of the film took some liberties with names and situations according to official statements and the original book. Overall though I was really into it and the fact that it kept me intrigued even without Matt Damon beating people down with a spork or some other harmless instrument of death says loads about the movie.

Greengrass continues to use his handheld shaky cam to dizzying effects but not enough to take away from the overall feel, it actually may have been the perfect amount to make the audience feel like they were right there with the characters. The only negative is that there is a substantial quality loss with those handheld cameras and in this day of HD and digital projections I really don’t want to suffer through a really grainy image.

So overall some nitpicks but small problems overall. Story was good, action was decent and acting was on par with other such movies.

Final Verdict: 6.5 out of 10

New(ish)

The Slammin’ Salmon

-For those that don’t know The Slammin’ Salmon is the latest film from the minds behind Super Troopers and Beerfest, the Broken Lizard crew. I’ve always been a fan of there films, Super Troopers is classic, Beerfest is Pretty damn funny and even The Dukes of Hazard had its merits (Namely Daisy Dukes). The new film marks the Directorial Debut of Kevin Heffernan (aka the funny fat one) which is kind of sad because he has a diminished role in the film, at least that’s how it feels.

The film tells the story of a group of waiters trying to make a lot of cash in one night because they all believe they are competing for a large prize but in reality the restaurants owner (a former boxing champ played by Michael Clarke Duncan) needs to pay off a debt. That’s the basic plot and it really doesn’t get too much more complex. All the Broken Lizard actors play parts of the restaurant staff each with their individual humorous quirks.

The comedy itself is pretty standard Broken Lizard fare; you know the kind I don’t really need to explain it for you. It’s an enjoyable movie that fans of the other Lizard flicks will enjoy, I know I did. Is it the bst film they’ve made, No but its fun enough. It’s not Super Troopers hysterical but it got me to laugh, a good flick to toss a few back to.

Final Verdict: 6 out of 10

Late to the Party

Moon

-WOW. How in the world (or out of this world) was this film not nominated for some sort of Oscar. To not give Rockwell a nom is a shame ad in a year with 10 best feature nominations I can’t believe it didn’t get one.

I had been crazy about seeing it ever since I saw the first trailer but because I live in small town U.S.A. no theater anywhere near me played it. Then I was out of the country for a few months and by the time I got back it was that grey zone between its time in theaters and its time on dvd. Well I finally quenched the thirst I’ve had for several months and boy does it taste good. Like a ice cold coke out of a glass bottle on a warm summer day, Beautiful imagery, right?

Speaking of beautiful imagery this movie is filled with it. Using simple techniques Duncan Jones created a visually captivating film. The space station in which Sam (Sam Rockwell) lives looks like you’d expect a space station to look, not super futuristic and not to old school, that kind of sterile white look that films like 2001 have perfected. I actually felt while watching it that Duncan Jones must love 2001 and not just because there was an talking A.I. (Kevin Spacey) there was just a lot of small touches, the music, some of the shot construction, the sets, it all seemed like a love letter to the Kubrick classic. Having said that the film has its own legs and its story is what captivated me.

It’s some what predictable at times without being to overly simplistic, it keeps you wanting to watch, you want to know the extent to the situations occurring around Sam and even as the credits rolled I found myself wishing I could have spent more time watching Sam Rockwell’s amazing performance.

I wasn’t able to watch the Blu-Ray but would love to one day soon see it in glorious HD, I envy all those who did. It’s a fantastic film that was overlooked by the academy IMO and should be watched by all at least once.

Final Verdict: 9 out of 10

A good weekend of movies, looking forward to Repo-Men this upcoming weekend and the sure to be amazing Kick-Ass in the weeks to follow and soon enough Summer Movie Season will kick into full gear…a great time of the year!

I was just thinking to myself that I really should have started a blog a few years ago when I worked at a movie theater and had early access to films. The reviews would actually be out BEFORE the film’s and thus I would feel like a real movie reviewer but alas I no longer work at a crappy movie theater for minimum wage so the reviews come later and thus are I’m sure less valuable to you the reader, though if your reading this then maybe it doesn’t matter. Anyway lets take a trip into Tim Burton’s version of Wonderland together shall we.

Alice in Wonderland is a 3-D flick directed by the man, the myth, the legend himself Tim Burton, OK so legend may be a bit TOO much but you can’t deny that Burton is part of that top tier of directors in Hollywood. I’ve always been a fan of Burton’s “twisted” artistic style and for the most part he transitioned that style into his vision of Wonderland (or is it Underland???) It’s not quite on the level of Nightmare Before Christmas or Beetlejuice but it definitely has that Burton touch. The color palette of the film proves to be a nice change from some of Burton’s previous flicks I.E. there are lots of colors and not just variants of Green, Brown and Grey. Even the Victorian era non-Wonderland set pieces of the film pop with brilliant blues and whites which is basically the complete opposite of the kind of world we saw in Sweeny Todd. It’s simply a lovely looking film so if your keeping score at home the Art Department gets an A+.

What about the Actors you say? I shall tell you I answer. The humans or um well the actors portraying various people and creatures for the most part do a fine job. Helena Bonham Carter’s Red Queen is menacing in a bit of a silly way while Anne Hathaway’s Whit Queen is just sort of there, though she gets bonus points for being Anne Hathaway. Alice herself played by Mia Wasikowska is probably the weakest link in the chain, I’m not saying she’s bad she’s just a bit…boring, like I was bored when the focus was on her and not on the visual crack that surrounded her

(YAWN)

and speaking of drugs how about Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, outstanding! An instant classic Depp character right up there with Captain Jack and Edward Scissorhands, The mix of bat-shit crazy and blood-lust savage Scot was so insane, so uncalled for that it worked perfectly…does that make sense? He really stole the show in my mind and I’d love to watch an entire flick based around the character so get on it Burton! The rest of the cast is rounded out with good performances in one form or another. Crispin Glover is great as the Knave of Hearts and the brilliant Alan Rickman is a good caterpillar, though I wish we got more of him. I’d also like to give props for the casting of (blank) as the Jabberwocky. Always glad to hear that voice!

The story of Alice is where people will mostly be split as it’s not an adaptation of the old Disney cartoon but more of a sequel or expanding of Lewis Carroll’s two books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Basically Alice is grown up (well 19) and is set for a boring Victorian life until she follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole and into wonderland. We then find out that the inhabitants of Wonderland have been search for THE Alice for a while because she is destined to destroy the Jabberwocky and thus overthrow the Red Queen. Alice has no recollection of ever going to Wonderland and believes everything to be a dream but as you might expect eventually realizes the truth and starts to become the hero Wonderland needs! Man that last line sounded corny…nevertheless we continue along. Without spoiling too much I will say the story itself seemed a little disjointed. Scenes just seemed to happen one after another with nothing solid tying them together. It’s almost like they had several cool scenes storyboarded and had blank pieces of paper in-between each one and they just never filled them in. By the end of the film you know what’s happened and you know how it happened but at least for me you feel that something was missing, maybe it’s something little but something nonetheless.

So minor squabbles aside the film is good boarding on great but I must mention one of the negatives. Sadly the 3-D was very underwhelming. Now it could have been the theater, it could have been the glasses or it could have been the fact that Avatar spoiled my eyeballs for life but something wasn’t right. The 3 Dimensional Image just seemed flat. The film wasn’t shot in 3-D but was converted to it which explains that but doesn’t justify it as films that have used that technique in the past have proven more than capable of handling the job. Also something wonky was going on with the Depth of Field, things in the background of the image appeared blurry, again maybe it was something at my theater but it soured the experience anyway you slice it. Some of the stuff with the Chessur Cat worked well but I assume that’s because it was a separate composition made on the computer and was thus easier to make pop out but alas this is one of the first 3-D films I’ve seen to not do justice to the medium.

"Yeah Depp your awesome, WE GET IT ALREADY!"

Now having said that it in no way ruined the flick for me, I’d still highly recommend it to anyone, well maybe not young kids seeing as how Burton retains his “Scare-The-Shit-Out-Of-Children” ways such as severed heads floating in a moat of what I assume to be blood but beyond that I’d say see it and enjoy it as I did and hopefully my theater was the exception and the 3-D was actually GOOD!

P.S. Not a very memorable Danny Elfman Score…Sad

Final Verdict:

7.5 out of 10

Sinatra Likes Alice in Wonderland

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret

So I’ve been looking for something to review for those interested that you havnt perhaps seen yet, I’m too far behind on Movies and TV at the moment but I did happen to watch a pilot for a new British comedy starting David Cross and Will Arnett both of Arrested Development fame. The show has had a pilot episode and has since been picked up for a full 6 episode series and will be co-produced by British and American forces so it may very well air in the U.S. eventually, anyway on to the review.

The show tells the story of Todd Margaret (Cross) who basically plays along with his new Boss (Arnett) whom has mistaken Margaret for a completely different kind of individual then he really is. After the little bluff on Todd’s part he is given a (seemingly) fantastic job in London selling energy drinks which according to Arnett “is like fucking crack to these people”. So Todd breaks all his ties (he has none) and heads off to start his new life in London.

Once he arrives we get the standard ignorant American in a ne country jokes such as trying to pay for his taxi with Dollars instead of Pounds. It’s the common kind of situation but Cross plays it in a very timid and funny way. After some scenes in a café Todd heads to his new office ready to introduce himself to his new co-workers only to come to the realization that the only workers are himself and one other employee named Dave (Russell Tovey) who is only interested in making Todd look like more of ass then he is already doing on his own.

We get a couple of more scenes of Todd trying to adjust to British life with the (un)assistance of Dave which leads to more trouble. Eventually the duo end up in a diner and Todd starts to sip down energy drink after energy drink and thus begins one of the funniest scenes to grace my computer screen in some time. I won’t ruin anything here but it gets pretty outrageous and Cross plays it perfectly. The episode ends with Todd lying on the floor of his room after the longest day of his life simply saying, “Oh man, this sucks” but show does anything but.

David Cross is one of those comedians who I could have cared less about a few years back but once I gave the guy a chance I really learned to love his style and in my mind Will Arnett is one of the funniest guys in America, his voice alone makes people tremble in fear. Also special mention should be made about Russell Tovey who plays a much different kind of comedy part then he plays in say Being Human. He is playing a straight up jackass but its funny; I only hope that when the series continues the two grow some kind of bond no matter how superficial.

Just type in the words Todd and Margaret in your local torrent search if you’re a American who has no access to it. I mean just watch the clip above and try not to laugh.

Final Verdict

9 out of 10

Sinatra likes Todd Margaret

Sinatra’s Top 14 British Television Shows (Part 8)

And the best British Television Show EVER (that I’ve seen) IS…

*drum roll

It’s

The Peter Serafinowicz Show

I would like nothing more than to not have to say anything about this show because it was such a hit in the states but that isn’t the case (YET) so instead it is my pleasure to tell you about one of the funniest shows ever.

The Peter Serafinowicz Show was a sketch comedy show that aired on BBC2 during 2007-2008 and stars if you can wrap you noggin around this one Peter Serafinowicz who you probably know from Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, and Couples Retreat as well as the voice of Darth Maul in Episode 1 (you know, “at last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi, At last we shall have our revenge”) amongst other things. I’ve been a fan since back when I was originally exposed to Spaced in which he played Duane Benzie (paintball scene=classic) and have since tried to watch whatever he’s in. Anyway the show is filled with a mixture of sketches poking fun at pop culture as well as many original creations. The writing is fantastic, you can imagine everyone just having a great laugh coming up with the ideas and I can’t imagine the sheer number of outtakes that must have occurred during production, I know I’d be laughing non-stop.

The show had a limited run of one six episode series and a Christmas special but thankfully Serafinowicz continues to put out videos on various sites like Funny or Die, he also is one of the better celebrity Twitter…ers or is that Tweetist? It’s always a joy to open up Twitter and read some Q and A’s, if you are a Twitter user I suggest adding him @Serafinowicz. The way this review is going you’d think I was on the guys P.R. team or something but trust me when I say the show is just that BRILLANT!

How did I find out about the show? Glad you asked. Well a faithful night of boredom and channel surfing led me to see a Pink Darth Vader while changing stations, I did a double take and stayed glued to the telly for the remainder of the episode and from then on it was history. The show had a run on G4 in 2008 and man I have to say thanks G4 for once I enjoyed some programming on your station that didn’t involve Olivia Munn in skimpy outfits.

I can’t even begin to get into specifics regarding the various skits that are on this show but maybe I can give you some bullet points:

• Darth Vader in Love
• BRIAN BUTTERFIELD
• Acting Masterclass (“It looks like a sausage”)
• Robotic talk show host
• Game show parodies
• KITCHEN GUN!

And that is really just the beginning, it’s insane that they fit as many different ideas into the limited run as they did. If anything said above interest you in the least you need to watch this show!

Oh did I mention that Serafinowicz is a man of seemingly a million voices? Well he is. A lot of what makes the show work is Serafinowicz’s vocal manipulations aka Impressions and what not. He is a dead on Michael Caine, spot on Ringo Starr, Perfect Kevin Spacey and again its just the beginning. If you want an idea of what he can do check out some videos on Funny or Die!

I don’t wanna gush more than I have or anything but yeah the show is basically perfect, at least for me. I like to think it was tailor made just for me and my comedy style and sense of humor but that would be selling it short, The Peter Serafinowicz show should appeal to anyone who fancies a laugh. Each and everyone of my friends that I’ve introduced it to have loved it. Hell me and a few friends quote it almost daily.

So yeah watch it. Sadly your options are limited as I don’t think the show runs on G4 anymore (could be wrong) and the DVD is just about to come out in the U.K. (link below) which would mean any U.S. release would be a ways off if at all which truly is a shame. If you have a player that can watch the R2 then import this sucker (I plan to) and if not see what you can find online for clips and what not. Really love the show and look forward to Serafinowicz to start and become someone big in the U.S. already with roles in Shaun and Couples Retreat he will soon be playing Paul McCartney (check out Head Lice if you have any doubts) in the CG Motion Capture remake of Yellow Submarine. Can’t wait to be able to say I was one of the first lucky Americans to be a Serafinowicz fan only to be disbelieved by the new converts!

The Peter Serafinowicz show on Amazon.co.uk

Final Verdict

10 out of 10

THE BEST

And thus concludes British Invasion Week here on Nerds Like Stuff I hope you enjoyed my opinions and if you didn't remember they're MY OPINIONS :-P

Big Train is a sketch comedy show in the vein of Monty Python. The show takes every day situations and makes them funny by adding an element of insanity. For instance one skit involves two employees at an office who don’t really get along and it just so happens that the two employees are Jesus and Satan, so you see what I mean?

The show stars a lot of familiar faces from the world of British comedy; the big names that stand out are Catherine Tate and Simon Pegg. Despite the limited run (2 series, 12 episodes total) there are an insane amount of memorable sketches including the aforementioned Jesus/Satan office scuffle, “wanking” being banned, a postal worker with a grudge and an animated stare down that is used in every first series episode.

I don’t want to go into any details on the skits because that would obviously take away half the fun of watching the show. What I will say is that the cast is able to jump in and out of various characters and for the most part always deliver a hilarious performance. Are there skits that don’t work? Sure but that’s true of any show of this nature. It’s not like SNL where basically everything falls flat, the good FAR outweighs the bad in this case.

Like I said it’s only 12 episodes (30 minutes each) and luckily it’s available on DVD in Region 1 so you have no excuse to not watch it. If there is one kind of show I feel benefits from these limited British runs its sketch comedy because they go out on a high note before things get stale. Give it a go.

Big Train on Amazon

Final Verdict

8 out of 10

#7. The Office

What is there to say at this point when it comes to the original Office? I’d imagine that this show is the most recognizable name on this list when it comes to comedy. By now you know the story, a sort of mockumentary following the day to day running of a paper distributor and the diverse group of characters that inhabit said company. All is overseen by the dim witted manager David Brent or the UK Michael Scott to those of you who know nothing about this version of the Office.

The show again only runs 12 total episodes over 2 series plus a Christmas special that wraps up the story lines. The man plot is similar to the early U.S. seasons as you may imagine. We see that Brent runs his office in a very unique way; he’s childish and craves attention. Unlike the U.S. version where Michael somehow never gets into real trouble the U.K. version takes a more realistic look at how a manager who act like Brent does would be handled by the upper management.

We also have the Jim/Pam love story EXACTLY only with Tim and Dawn. There’s also the Dwight character in the form of Gareth so all the main bases are covered if you’re a fan of the U.S. version.

As similar as I’m making the show sound they are actually pretty different beast. The U.K. version is a lot more personal and a bit more believable. Also unlike Jim and Pam who have become annoying with an air or arrogance to them Dawn and Tim are actually likeable characters. I hate how in the U.S. version it’s like anyone who isn’t Jim or Pam just isn’t important in the pairs world, it’s like they hate their life at work and dislike most of their co-workers while Tim and Dawn seem to at least be having a good time.

I suppose if the U.S. version had ended after a season or two I wouldn’t have so much Jim/Pam hate but sadly it’s not the case. At the end of the day I really enjoy both versions of the show in different ways and I think if you’ve seen the U.S. and not the U.K. you need to resolve that and see where the ideas came from.

The show is aviable on Amazon and many retailers as well as airing on Adult Swim (which is fantastic of them) so there are many, MANY ways to gain access to the show. Watch it!

The Office on Amazon

Final Verdict

8.5 out of 10