I must confess, I have been putting off watching the musicals in the AFI 100 list, as I'm not really a fan of the genre.
In this film's favour, there's a lot of humour, and the dance routines are nothing short of spectacular.
Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor & Debbie Reynolds are all very likeable in their roles, and Jean Hagen is very good as the squeaky voiced drama queen Lina.
My personal highlights are the routine for the title song, and the drop dead gorgeous Cyd Charisse in the Broadway Melody section.
I'm still not sold on musical films, but this is one of the better ones that I've seen.
In a break from the theme of the latter muppet movies, The Muppets is an original story, rather than an adaptation of a classic novel, which, as much as I love The Muppets Christmas Carol, was a wise move in introducing these wonderful characters to a whole new generation of movie goers.
Thankfully the creative team decided not to go for a basic reboot, choosing instead to acknowledge that the old gang hasn't been around for a long time, getting close to fading into obscurity.
Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter (Peter Linz) are brothers who grow up watching the muppet show on TV, fast forward several years, and they're still living together in Small Town, Gary has planned a vacation in Los Angeles with his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), to celebrate their 10th anniversary, and Walter is invited too, as he has always wanted to visit the muppet studios.
This would all seem a bit odd, if it weren't for the fact that Walter is himself a muppet. Now, I don't want to put images in your head, but was one of their parents human & the other a muppet? and if so, was it Mum or Dad? either way I suppose felt is a soft material!
The long and short of the plot is that an evil oil magnate, Tex Richman, plans to knock down the old muppet theatre in order to drill for oil, and the only hope the muppets have in stopping him is to get the old gang back together and perform one last muppet show in order to raise the $10 million needed to stop his evil plans.
The film really goes back to their roots, allowing them to do what they do best, they bring all the usual muppety goodness to the fore, they're funny and not averse to a bit of lampooning, there are some great songs, which as someone who doesn't really appreciate musicals, is really saying something. There are also some very emotional points in the film, which play out really well, I must be getting soft in my middle age!
The humans in the cast are very good, Jason Segel, who I've seen in the occasional episode of How I Met Your Mother, is a very good lead actor (he also co-wrote the script, and in various reports nagged the studio into making the film). Amy Adams is perfectly cast as Mary, she gets a chance to do her own song and dance number, and does it very well (great legs!). Chris Cooper, who I've only seen in one other movie (American Beauty) is fantastic as Tex Richman *maniacal laugh*.
A muppet film wouldn't be a muppet film without an array of stars making cameos, and the film doesn't disappoint on that score, I won't reveal who they are, as I feel that there is a certain joy to be had from spotting them as you watch the movie.
I grew up watching the muppets as a kid, and this certainly brings it all back, and although it is a bit of a nostalgia-fest, there is enough here for kids of any age to enjoy without having to know anything about the muppets' previous exploits.
One final thought, if you're ever headed out towards Reno, don't get suckered into seeing the moopets by mistake.
As a fledgling podcaster, a lot of the recordings that I make will be at home, which my trusty Blue Snowball microphone can handle with ease. However when you need to go out and about in order to record, it's not always practical to be carrying laptops and microphones with you.
There are many digital audio recorders out there in the marketplace, I opted for this model, as I work at a Panasonic dealer, and have found the quality of their recorders over the years to be very good.
This recorder stands out from the entry level models in the range as it offers extra functionality and a higher standard of recording quality compared to the basic recorders.
The RRXS400 has numerous recording modes, giving MP3 quality ranging from 32kbps to 320kbps or the option to record in linear PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) for higher quality again, with 44.1kHz and 48kHz recording modes on offer.
Of course recording in higher quality takes up more recording memory, the internal 2GB memory can store up to 3 hours of recording in PCM 44.1kHz mode and up to 135 and a half hours in 32kbps mode. If you want to expand the memory there is a micro SD card slot that allows for up to 16GB of extra recording space to be added.
The recorder has a built in stereo microphone, and there are line in and headphone jacks for connecting to external devices. The RRXS400 also has a USB connector (which also acts as a charger) to enable copying to and from a Mac or PC, as the machine supports WMA and MP3 playback it also doubles up as a music player.
There are options to edit on the recorder itself, which might be handy, you can divide, join and erase segments, but I think I prefer editing on the Mac.
Having had a brief play with it, I am really impressed with recording quality, it's hard to judge the recording quality through the recorder's in built loudspeaker, but when played back on the computer the results are excellent.
This will be a very handy little gadget to take when I have to travel in order to get my footage, and at £49.99 I think it's a real bargain.
I purchased the audiobook as I was intrigued by the idea of a new adventure for Holmes and Watson, endorsed by the Conan Doyle Estate, and I anticipated an entertaining reading by Sir Derek Jacobi. I was not to be disappointed.
A new client arrives at 221b Baker Street, art dealer Edmund Carstairs, who engages the services of Holmes and Watson to track down a sinister man who has been following him, whom he fears is out to kill him.
They agree to take on the case and are soon drawn into a series of events, involving the criminal underworld of London and the organised crime gangs of Boston.
As they try to uncover the mystery before them they hear mention of the house of silk, and when Holmes starts asking questions he risks becoming embroiled in a conspiracy of epic proportions.
I have to come clean and admit that I haven't read any of Arthur Conan Doyle's novels, so I can't comment on whether Mr Horowitz has captured the spirit of the original stories. I can however confirm that he can write a very compelling story which will keep you engrossed from start to finish.
Now I'm not sure if I can put myself up there with the genius of Mr Holmes, but I did manage to identify the evil doers very early on, but that did not lessen my enjoyment of the story.
Sir Derek Jacobi is a national treasure as far as I am concerned, and he does a wonderful job of reading this captivating tale, doing a great job with the various characters giving them their own unique personalities.
I sincerely hope that this will not be the only Sherlock Holmes book by Anthony Horowitz as it has been a revelation, and has encouraged me to seek out Arthur Conan Doyle's novels and short stories, and experience more of the adventures of the world's most famous consulting detective.
Whip It is the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore, and centres around Bliss Cavendar, played by Ellen Page (Inception, Juno, Hard Candy) who is a bright seventeen year old, who is being smothered by her overbearing, if well meaning mother (Marcia Gay Harden).
Her mother wants her to take part in beauty pageants and other such girly pursuits like her younger sister, but she's just not interested. Bliss and her friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) are determined to get away from the small town in which they live.
Bliss picks up a flyer for a roller derby (an all girl team sport with racy outfits and larger than life nicknames) in Austin, and the girls decide to attend, telling Bliss' parents that they're going to a football game as they're sure that her mum and dad won't approve. Bliss is entranced by the action and decides to try out for the Hurl Scouts team, who have never won a match in all the time they have been in the league.
Needles to say she keeps her skating activities a secret from her parents, which leads to some entertaining drama.
Drew Barrymore's directorial debut is written by Shauna Cross, based on her novel Derby Girl. The ensemble cast is great with Page, Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Alia Shawkat and Kristen Wiig particularly standing out.
Barrymore deftly manages to balance the dramatic and the comedic elements of the story, something she is she manages very easily in her acting too. The action sequences are shot in a very exciting and realistic way, and the women are portrayed as smart, tough and at times vulnerable, but never weak.
This had been sitting in our LOVEFiLM rental list for quite some time, and if this movie is anything to go by Drew Barrymore's next film will be going to the top of the list.
As an occasional purchaser of Big Finish audio CDs I was very excited when it was announced that Tom Baker had, after many years of cajoling, agreed to reprise the role of the fourth Doctor in a new series of audio plays.
The first release is Destination Nerva penned by Nick Briggs, which sees The Doctor and Leela travel to Space Dock Nerva, later to become Nerva Beacon as seen in several stories from season 12 of the classic series on TV.
It's a fun, pacey affair with plenty of spooky moments too, which fits in with the way the show was made during the Phillip Hinchcliffe era.
Among the guest stars is Raquel Cassidy (best known to British viewers as Susan in Teachers alongside Andrew Lincoln from The Walking Dead) seen recently in The Rebel Flesh and The Almost People from series 6 of Nu Who.
As if that wasn't enough Big Finish have also released a Lost Stories box set, featuring two stories originally intended to be made during the original classic series, which for one reason or another never made it to our screens.
I haven't listened to The Valley Of Death yet, but a review wil appear here as soon as I have! The other story in the set is The Foe From The Future (eventually replaced on TV by Robert Holmes' classic story The Talons Of Weng Chiang) originally written by Robert Banks Stewart, and adapted by John Dorney. This is my favourite story so far, with plenty of Tom's trademark wit, and a plot that drives along nicely.
Tom and Louise effortlessly step back into their roles, and the chemistry is fantastic between them. If you have a nostalgic longing for this era of Doctor Who, and you've never checked out a Big Finish audio play this could well be the one to get you on board.
The Fourth Doctor Adventures are available to order from bigfinish.com
Well, the blog feed has been a bit quiet of late, because I have been getting together a podcast which will focus on the kind of things I write about here.
The first episode focuses on Doctor Who, I have a chat with J.R. Southall from Starburst magazine about his new book You & Who available from Miwk Publishing here with 100% of author's royalties going to the BBC's Children In Need charity.
Also up for discussion are Moffat Vs RTD, Sherlock & fanzines. If you like what you hear there is an option to subscribe through the player, and the podcast feed is also available via iTunes.
In this film's favour, there's a lot of humour, and the dance routines are nothing short of spectacular.
