Film Review: Prometheus

Ridley Scott's Prometheus

This review contains spoilers. Don't say you weren't warned!

Part prequel, part stand-alone feature, Prometheus is part triumphant return and part missed opportunity by director, Ridley Scott. With an impressive cast, a multitude of iconic images and a genuinely scary host of squelchy extra-terrestrials, Prometheus is a solid and impressive film.

Whilst it isn't a tense and suspenseful as Alien, Prometheus has a lot going for it; it's sprawling vistas of the alien world the scientific expedition get drawn to, the towering head deep inside the alien ship, the dazzling holograms and technology. It all contributes to a film that feel authentically 'science-fiction' feel. Scott's talent for drawing the audience in with breathtaking cinematic's is as evident here as it was in Alien or Gladiator. Whereas other science-fiction blockbusters like Avatar were drenched in lush green and neon purples, Prometheus stands out because of its gloomy blacks and deep dark shadows.

Revolving around the age-old idea of where we come from and how we got here, Scott's latest epic is less about a giant acid-spitting space-bug stalking a bunch of scientists, and more about important stuff like mythology and origins. It only achieves this to a certain degree however; whilst the idea itself is solid, the plot can be quite loopy at times, leaving the audience scratching their heads. It is definitely one of those films that needs a recap on 'what actually just happened' afterwards.


Standing front and centre at the front of the show is Noomi Rapace as expedition leader, Elizabeth Shaw. Rapace's role in the second Sherlock Holmes film was sort of understated to say the least, so it is great to see her take the lead here. She gives a fantastic performance, especially in the movie's sickly stand-out scene involving some desperate impromptu surgery.

Likewise, Michael Fassbender's role as android, David, is equally as impressive. He is a chilling mix of passive and malicious intent, his moral compass and motives not being definite to those in the audience.

Charlize Theron's cold and calculating Meredith Vickers aside, the rest of the cast are relatively forgettable or not built upon. Primarily because they're all bug food but also because the film races along at a speed that leaves little time to catch a breath. There are some moments where the pacing is reined in for good effect (I've previously mentioned the surgery scene) but they come far too infrequently.

An aspect in which the film excels was the action set-pieces. Unlike actually being in space, it is unfortunate that in the cinema people can hear you scream. Because if your a scaredy-cat like myself, there are plenty of skin crawling, gore-splattering and tentacle slashing moments to keep you gripping the armrests until your hands drop off.

Something I felt that the film lacked was a memorable score. Thinking back to the film's promotional material and the tense but urgent soundtrack there, it was a little underwhelming for it to be absent in the final film.
Also, without going into too much detail, the film leaves the audience hanging too much when the credits roll. If you wanted one self-contained story that was tied up in a neat little bow, then you'll be left feeling a little let down.

Overall, Prometheus is solid visually and doesn't disappoint for fans of the Alien franchise, even if it isn't a direct prequel. It's genuinely terrifying and scary in places but the lack of resolution, score and a stop-start pace are downsides. I give it 7 out of 10.

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Formula 1: Canadian GP Overview

Seventh Heaven: Lewis Hamilton celebrates his third win in Montreal

Lewis Hamilton was in seventh heaven and back to his brilliant best in Canada, sealing his third win around the Circuit du Gilles Villeneuve in style. He finished ahead of an impressive Romain Grosjean Lotus and Sergio Perez's Sauber. 

From the start of the race three distinct drivers seemed to control proceedings; Vettel from Hamilton from Alonso. It was at the first round of pit-stops that the order reshuffled; Hamilton emerged the leader with Alonso between himself and Vettel. The Brit then set about a decisive middle-stint that gave him a comfortable-ish margin to Alonso.

After pitting a second time, it soon became clear that Hamilton's rivals would try to make it to the end having just stopped once. Gaining over a second a lap, Lewis carved past the Red Bull and the Ferrari and retook the lead with just six laps to go.

It was kind of fitting to see Lewis take his first win of the year in Montreal; a track at which he often excels and took his first win at back in 2007. His win puts his two points ahead of Alonso at the top of the leader board.

Whilst he drove flawlessly, Hamilton's win was challenged for 'drive of the day' by Mexico's Sergio Perez. Starting a distant 15th, the Sauber worked his way through the field to take 3rd, his second podium of the year. Likewise, Lotus' Romain Grosjean was impressive with his second podium of 2012. Whilst Vettel and Alonso struggled to make their strategy work, Romain was calm, cool and stayed out of trouble. His result was a career best second.

Behind them finished Vettel and Alonso in 4th and 5th. With ten laps to go the two of them were first and second. They had opted to run a one-stop strategy but unlike Grosjean, had failed to make it work. Vettel admitted defeat and pitted for fresh rubber just 8 laps from the end. As it turned out, he made the better call of the two; Alonso gritted his teeth and tried to reach the end dropping back to 5th. One more lap and he would have most likely been relegated to 8th or worse.

The shock of the day was Mclaren's Jenson Button. His turnaround from outright leader in Melbourne to 16th here is remarkable. Struggling to find any ounce of pace in the car, Jenson was made to look absolutely amateur by his team-mate. How quickly he can turn it around remains to be seen; 2 points in 4 races is disastrous and could have already blown his chances of a second championship win.

Whilst Hamilton's run of bad luck ended in Canada, Michael Schumacher's stretches on and on. 5 retirements in 7 races is a horrendous record for the 7-time World Champ. Here, a faulty DRS caused him to admit defeat. He also must doubt his chances of ever featuring in the title race. We may yet see Michael on the podium however; don't count him out, we learnt from that mistake in Monaco.

In comparison to Grosjean, Raikkonen had a disappointing race, only 8th at the chequered flag. Another man who never really managed to light it up was Mark Webber; a mediocre 7th was all the Australian could manage around Montreal.

A race completely devoid of stoppages and safety cars, this year's Canadian Grand Prix was a delight from start to finish regardless. Hamilton can now breath a sigh of relief and look to keeping his strong form going. The same can be said for Vettel and Alonso; their roll of the dice could have been a lot worse and they managed to salvage at least something.

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Film Review: Men In Black 3

Hitting screens back in 1997, the original Men in Black was big hit for Will Smith after the previous year's Independence Day. 15 years on, Men in Black 3 is a fun addition to a franchise that now has a whole new generation of children and families to entertain.

When franchises go on an extended hiatus, they can often reappear and feel tired and unnecessary. Think Die Hard or The Mummy; in both instances, the returnee film, Die Hard 4.0 and Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, really didn't manage to capture that essential spark that turned the originals into the popular films that they were.

Thankfully, Men in Black 3 manages to avoid joining amongst the ranks of unnecessary sequels. The latest adventure from Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) manages to go some way to being on par with it's predecessors'.

The story sees J forced to jump back in time to 1969, when his surly long-time partner, K, is mysteriously erased from the present having been killed 40 years previously by a nasty time-travelling alien by the name of Boris. With me so far? If it sounds Back-to-the-Future-Part-II complicated, that's because it kind of is; with a couple of versions of the same villain roaming around 60's New York at the same time, the film tries its best to keep the audience up to speed. Whilst it requires a bit of a think, it's by no means complicated in the same way Doctor Who or Lost can be. You don't really have to be a rocket scientist.

What is obvious from the outset is that this film is well and truly Will Smith's party. Smith is in his absolute element and doesn't seem to have aged a day since he first donned the black suit and tie back in 1997. His character traverses many emotional boundaries throughout the film's running time, but Smith handles the mix of hilarity and gravitas with seeming ease.

Another note worthy performance is that of Josh Brolin's Young Agent K. He manages to nail Lee Jones' demeanour absolutely spot on, and to such a degree, you'll think the producers have used some kind of Benjamin-Button style wizardry to reverse the age of the latter.

Jemaine Clement is a brutish and unnerving villain as Boris the Animal. He is possibly the trilogy's strongest villain to date and certainly the most 'hissable'. He wasn't overly gross-out disgusting (which is a good thing) and was threatening and creepy enough to be easy to dislike.

Here come the Men in Black: Jones and Smith (above)
and Brolin (below) 

Also, Emma Thompson and Alice Eve were good additions as older and younger versions of Agent O respectively. The way in which the film added new characters such as this, whilst retaining Smith and Jones, meant it felt fresh and new, whilst retaining the overall feel as the first two.

Lastly, the conclusion. Whilst the film is a little slow to get going at first, and the pacing is a little off, it kicks into gear once the two agents pick up the trail of Boris in the past. The final scenes are a real pay-off for fans of the franchise and heart-warming to say the least.

Overall, Men in Black 3 is a satisfying and entertaining entry into a franchise that is as fun and fresh as ever. I  give it 7 out of 10. It slots into the feel of the previous films perfectly and leaves us feeling like the series never really left.

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Formula 1: Monaco GP Overview

Mark Webber makes it six winners in six races

The Monaco Grand Prix itself might not have set pulses racing but 2012 on the whole is shaping up to be a classic season - six different winners from six races has left the title wide open and anyones for the taking. 

Mark Webber drove an impeccable race around the streets of Monte Carlo to take his first win of the year and his second in the small Principality, the first Australian ever to do so. What was most impressive about his race was the cool head and calm demeanour he kept under the immense pressure of having Rosberg, Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton and Massa all breathing down his neck in the closing stages. Added to that the ever present, if anticlimatic, threat of rain, the rapidly degrading tires and the closeness of the barriers, it can't have been easy keeping it all together in the Red Bull cockpit.

On the whole though, this year's Monaco Grand Prix was fairly processional and dull. Could we have expected anything less on a track with such little room for overtaking? Probaly not, as that's Monaco for you. It's not so much a race but a dance to see you can keep it out of the wall. It's safe to say that the next race in Canada will be the complete flipside of Monaco, a prospect that is positively mouthwatering. 

In true Monaco fashion, the start was chaotic and ridden with carnage. A consetina effect caused by a slow starting Lewis Hamilton caused contact between Alonso and Grosjean, the latter also squeezing Schumacher into the wall and spinning into the path of a soon-to-be-airborne Kamui Kobayashi. Apart from Maldonado and de la Rosa, it was surprising that so many behind the collision got through unscathed.

It was a frustrating and premature end to the race for Grosjean who had done well to out-qualify team-mate Kimi. For others, like Vettel, the start was a close shave that turned out to be a blessing; the German had managed to get ahead of Raikkonen by diving across the run-off at St. Devote. It was lucky for Vettel as it meant he didn't have to spend his race stuck behind the Finn and Schumacher. Vettel would end the race a solid fourth.

Someone who had a quiet, albeit impressive, race was Nico Rosberg. Keeping Webber in sight from start to finish, the young German admitted post-race that he had the pace to win but couldn't find a way past the Australian. He took a well deserved second, keeping him in the picture for the title. Likewise, Alonso did well in a rapidly improving Ferrari to finish third. He put in some fantastic laps to get ahead of Hamilton at the stops and from there managed his tires to the end. 

Contact between Grosjean and
Schumacher at the start of the race

Hamilton must feel grieved to only come away with fifth after such a promising qualifying. He got a terrible start and was lucky to not be demoted by Alonso there and then. From there he kept the leaders in sight and would have no doubt been a contender (as would have Vettel and Alonso) had the predicted deluge reached the harbour. He'll hope for better in Canada, the track where he took his maiden win, in two weeks time.

On the flipside, Button seems to be going backwards more and more as the season goes on. Stuck behind Kovalainen's Caterham, Jenson must feel like his win in Australia was a long, long time ago. Will he bounce back? Only time, and development on that Mclaren, will tell. 

Speaking of, Kovalianen and Caterham did a fantastic job in Monaco. Astutely defending his position from Button and Perez, the Finn brought his car home in 13th, a great finish for the team. Petrov had a contrasting end to the race, a mechanical issue leading to retirement.

A double points finish for Force India was good to see, as was a point for Bruno Senna in the Williams. Raikkonen had a disappointing race and trailed home ninth.

The Monaco Grand Prix has come and gone then for another year. A great drive from Webber has ignited his title bid and thrown him right into the mix with Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton. Should he build on this result, the Australian could soon be back to his 2010-best, an exciting prospect indeed. Roll on Canada!

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Verdict: Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy

Noel Fielding is handed the reins to his own sketch show, Luxury Comedy, and the result is a canvas that nurtures the comedian's wildly expansive imagination. Luxury Comedy however is an ambitious title and one that is maybe, a little too ambitious for Fielding to pull off.

Continuing in the same vein as The Mighty Boosh, Luxury Comedy is a psychedelic blend of kooky characters and wacky locales. Fielding is well and truly in his element here, relishing in the strange and imaginative ideas that he cooks up. Whether it is a talking chocolate finger, an incompetent New York cop with a talking stab wound (!) or a clay-motion figurine of Joey Ramone, each character and situation it seems is as outlandish as the next.

Fans of Fielding's previous work on The Mighty Boosh are bound to get a real kick of seeing Noel further delving into his seemingly endless well of ideas. For newcomers however, Fielding's escapades may fall a little flat on their face. Not being familiar with Fielding's "schtick" would no doubt bemuse and confuse viewers rather than make them laugh. 

That said, I myself found my sense of humour tested by Luxury Comedy. The first few episodes are fairly refreshing and entertaining but the format and humour starts to feel tired by just the third time around. Whilst Noel's jokes and input on Never Mind The Buzzcocks are alleviated by the different guests and hosts each week, here, the absurdity quickly gets repetitive and annoying. He doesn't fail to raise a smile all of the time; it really is hit and miss as to whether you "get it" or you don't.

"If you don't like something" Fielding remarks in the opening scene of episode 3 "just get up and leave. Don't sit there tutting all the time." Strangely apt, given that that is exactly what I did next.

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Formula 1: Spanish GP Overview

It has been a long time coming for Williams, but their triumphant return to the top step of the podium has finally come at last at the hands of Venezuela's Pastor Maldonado. In what is proving to be a surprising season of twists and turns, Maldonado put in a gritty performance to seal his first victory, and Williams' first since 2004.

With five races gone, we have seen five different winners from five different teams. Who could have predicted that before the start of the year? 2012 is shaping up to be a classic season that runs right to the final race.

Following Lewis Hamilton's qualifying exclusion, Maldonado was promoted to pole position ahead of Alonso. What was surprising about this was that the Williams driver got there on pace alone. He outpaced the Ferrari, both Lotus drivers, Perez and Rosberg. He didn't inherit the pole, but earned it. The same can be said for the race win. Dropped to second after the first corner, Maldonado kept focus and stayed with Alonso throughout the race. Keeping a driver of Alonso's calibre honest on home soil is no mean feat. Pitting on lap 25 before Alonso, Maldonado put in a blinding fastest lap of the race to move ahead of Fernando.

From there on it was a matter of just managing the tyre wear and keeping the Ferrari at arms length. Once or twice in the final stint Alonso was close enough to the Williams to open the DRS on his rear wing but, much to the dismay of the Spanish crowd, was never able to find a way past Maldonado.

Raikkonen and Grosjean finished a strong third and fourth, highlighting the pace Lotus continue to develop. It won't be long before one of them is also on the the top step of the podium, with my money on Raikkonen being the first of the two.

Kobayashi put in some daring moves to finish an impressive fifth, whilst Vettel recovered well from a drive-through penalty to take sixth. It was a day to forget for both Button and Webber. For Jenson, it must be frustrating to know that in Melbourne he was out and out the fastest. Here, only two months later, he can only manage ninth, in a car that he struggles to understand and maximise. Webber didn't come in the points and hardly featured in the race at all. His qualifying performance put him on the back foot but I did expect more from him in the race.

Lewis Hamilton put in a mature drive to recover from his penalty. 24th on the grid must have been hard to swallow for the Brit but he put it behind him and drove admirably. His move on both Toro Rosso's was impressive to say the least. What he could have done starting from the front is hard to say. His run of bad luck is bound to end sooner or later. He will hopefully take heart in the fact that he is only eight points behind Vettel and Alonso.

The Schumacher and Senna incident into Turn One was pretty clear cut from my perspective: Senna held the racing line and was moving to hit the apex of the corner when Schumacher misjudged the braking point and put them both out of the running. For Schumacher to heft the blame on Senna was pretty unfair on the Brazilian. Three retirements from five races must be disappointing for Schumacher but he needs to accept the blame for something at some point in his life, this being one of them.

Felipe Massa is bound to be really feeling the pressure now. At this rate, there is no doubt in my mind that Ferrari bosses Luca di Montezemolo and Stefano Domenicali will be looking to replace him before the end of the year. With Alonso heading the table alongside Vettel, Massa is languishing in 17th, still just two points to his name.

So onto Monaco in two weeks time. It's the jewel in F1's crown and, if 2012 so far is anything to go by, it'll be a classic. For me, I'd love to see a Lotus win it. They have been on the cusp for the last two rounds, and to win at Monaco would be a real boost for them. Either that, or Lewis Hamilton. He's had a poor run of luck and Monaco would be the perfect place to turn it all around and seal that elusive first win of the year.

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Film Review: Dark Shadows

The latest in a long line of adaptations, Tim Burton's Dark Shadows is quintessentially his own; all the ingredients are thrown in that make up a "Burton" film, and yet, like Alice in Wonderland before it, Dark Shadow's fails to make optimum use of these ingredients to make a delicacy.



With a cast comprising of Burton regular's Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer and Christopher Lee, Dark Shadows should really have been titled "Tim Burton and Friends" but that probably sounds a little too much like a kid's TV show. Depp of course is the protagonist, Barnabas Collins, a cursed vampire locked away in a coffin for 200 years by ex-Bond girl Eva Green, as the wickedly evil witch Angelique. When he awakens in the mysterious and alien land that is, (dun-dun-dun!) 1972, he finds that his ancestors, Elizabeth (Pfeiffer), Roger (Jonny Lee Miller), David (Gulliver McGrath) and Carolyn (the brilliantly grumpy Chloe Moretz) have let the family estate fall into ruin and despair.

First off, it is worth noting the brilliance of Depp's performance as Barnabas Collins. Depp is in his element here, in a character that channels so many of his other Burton roles, such as the wonderfully meek Ichabod Crane from Sleepy Hollow, as well as his turn as the blood drenched Sweeney Todd. He is awarded 80% of the laughs (the other 20% go to Chloe Moretz) as Barnabas explores the world of 1972. Another stand-out for me was Eva Green. Every word she uttered as the evil witch, consumed with somehow destroying and loving Barnabas, dripped brilliantly with malice and she makes a great villain.

Bella Heathcote's dual role of Victoria and Josette was also good, but it did feel that the former's blossoming relationship with Barnabas wasn't built upon as much as it should have been. Whilst Victoria was pitched as a central (and likeable) character in the opening scenes, there were periods in the film's middle third where she was made to battle for screen-time against Green and Bonham Carter.

As is sometimes inevitable with any ensemble cast, characters duel with each other to get screen time, and this is very much the case with Dark Shadows. An example of this is Jonny Lee Miller's role as Roger Collins. After the initial set-up, Miller was relatively unimportant and ignored, a bizarre sub-plot that never really came to bear fruit in a satisfying way.

Something that struck me about Dark Shadows was its attempts to cover all of the bases. Was it a comedy? A fantasy horror? A romance? It tried to blend in each and every one of these which, at times, meant it lacked direction. This was most evident in the film's middle stint; was Barnabas' story one about finding love,  rebuilding the family business, getting vengeance on Angelique, or battling with his vampish tendencies? Again, it attempted to mix in all of these ideas with varying success.

A huge plus point was the film's soundtrack and score. The mix of 1970's disco was fun and Danny Elfman, who has previously worked on Burton's Batman films, Edward Scissorhands and Planet of the Apes, was on top form again. His score was haunting and magical, and a great accompaniment to the Gothic aesthetic of the film.

Overall, I'd rate this film somewhere around 5 out of 10. It is another great addition to the library of Tim Burton cinema, a complete indulgence of his style of film making and casting, with a brilliant score and visuals to boot. It did however have one or two missteps in regards to the overall direction of the narrative, leaving this audience member feeling a little underwhelmed.

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