I started off this article thinking about crime comedy, and the distinct lack of films in that area, I picked the first two films immediately and was thinking about other films I can put in that I love. I started searching and started putting in all manner of films I had not considered at first films like “The Lady Killers”, “One of our Dinosaurs is Missing”, “Hot Millions”, “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” (trust me, though I ping from kids film to adult I am looking at quality and meaning not suitability).

When it occurred to me there are plenty of comedy films in the “Crime” genre, but that is not what I was really going for. I wanted films based around the detectives not the criminals. Alec Guinness alone has some of the best films in “The Lady Killers”, “The Lavender Hill Mob”, and “Kind Hearts and Coronets”.

Then it stuck me, the first two films had come easily. They a films of genius that you may not have heard of (though I hope you will see). The last is a collection of film that screams so obviously that it is in this group, and sets the standard not just of this group of film, but of comedy itself. (more…)

So the real question everyone* is asking is “Do you know Wil Wheaton?”

If not, I’m afraid there is no excuse. We all know Wil, we all enjoyed Star Trek : The Next Generation so he was part of our childhoods. Some of the best times in the evenings were watching a group fail at Knightmare, then switching over to BBC 2 at 6pm to watch Star Trek : TNG. If I was very lucky “The Crystal Maze” would be on a little later (but I’m not sure they happened on the same days.. so I might be making that up).

Either way Wil is about to publish a book called Memories of the Future : Volume One. He has started at the beginning of Star Trek : TNG and takes a look at episode, what it was about, how it fitted in the series, and just his general observation about what was going on and off set at the time.

To go along with this he is doing a series of shot pod casts talking about the book, reading excepts, and just generally being funny. The second episode has just come out, and Wil’s thoughts and observations are excellent. I especially like how he is not precious about the work he did, the show has it flaws, but on the whole its great and he just had fun.

Check out this episode, then the first one (or in order if you are crazy like that) and bask in the glory of Wil.

*When I say everyone.. I might mean the geeks among us.

For Humans Only

Over the weekend I got the chance to see “District 9” but what I can’t tell you is whether I enjoyed it?

This is technically a very good film, the CG work is outstanding and the plot is good. The film is shot like a documentary at the start, talking about various events like the arrival of the ship 20 years earlier, and how once we eventually got inside they found it filled with aliens. A camp is created, and the aliens are basically left there. Coming back to the present the camp is almost a prison, squalid and over run with crime.

Various groups are exploiting the aliens for their own ends and we are introduced to Wikus, a mostly useless middle manager for the company in charge of looking after the aliens. The style continues as we follow him around the camp doing the dirty work of the corporation.

Thoughts

This is a very good film, I would recommend you go and see it. Did I really enjoy it.. I don’t know, it was not bad. I can see how it could become an important film in this genre. It did manage the most important thing which is to make you think, and discuss what you have seen.

I will see it again, but I don’t feel the need to to go the cinema to do it.

If there is one anime I want to be released on blu-ray that won’t be in the UK or US for a long time if ever, it is 2008′s Macross Frontier, my next choice would be the 2009 remake of Mazinger Z.

Mazinger Z is the original, big giant robot piloted by a human. A world without Mazinger Z is unimaginable. And now, the king of big giant robots is back in this hi-def re-telling and it is seriously awesome. From the adrenalin pumping intro you know you are in for a treat and it does not disappoint in the action stakes.

Most Insane Begining Ever!

The first episode blew me away, it dumps you straight in the middle of the fight to end all fights.  I have to admit, I haven’t seen all of the original Mazinger Z and while I marked out like mad as everyone I recognized appeared in the first episode, I still didn’t know everyone and was left thinking there is no way anyone could just pick this up.  Then the episode ended, without finishing the epic battle and without telling us how we got to this point.  I was hooked, I wanted more, much more. (more…)