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Latest News

30 / 08 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The scores from Spa have been updated to reflect Alguersuari's 3-place penalty.

29 / 08 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the thirteenth race in Belgium are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Monza in two weeks on 12th September.

22 / 08 / 2010
Fantasy Rally:
The results from Rally Germany are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next rally is Japan on 10th September.

01 / 08 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the twelfth race in Hungary are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Spa in four weeks on 29th August.

01 / 08 / 2010
Fantasy Rally:
The results from Rally Finland are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next rally is Germany on 20th August.

25 / 07 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the eleventh race in Germany are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Hungary next weekend on 1st August.

11 / 07 / 2010
Fantasy Rally:
The results from Rally Bulgaria are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next rally is Finland on THURSDAY 29th July (a day earlier than usual!).

11 / 07 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the tenth race in Silverstone are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Hockenheim on 25th July.

27 / 06 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the ninth race in Valencia are in, including the penalties for the naughty boys driving too fast. Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Silverstone on 11th July.

13 / 06 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the eighth race in Canada are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Valencia on 27th June.

30 / 05 / 2010
Fantasy Rally:
The results from Rally Portugal are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next rally is Bulgaria on 9th July.

30 / 05 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the exciting seventh race in Turkey are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Canada on 13th June.

16 / 05 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The Monaco scores have been updated to reflect Michael Schumacher's ridiculous penalty for daring to overtake a Ferrari. Check the updated results, see how your team did or enter a new team.

16 / 05 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the sixth race in Monaco are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Turkey on 30th May.

10 / 05 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the fifth race in Barcelona are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Monaco on 16th May.

10 / 05 / 2010
Fantasy Rally:
The results from Rally New Zealand are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next rally is Portugal on 28th May.

19 / 04 / 2010
Fantasy Rally:
The results from Rally Turkey are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next rally is New Zealand on 7th May.

18 / 04 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the fourth race in China are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Barcelona on 9th May.

06 / 04 / 2010
Fantasy Rally:
The JWRC driver lineup has been released, so you can make your selection before teams are frozen for Turkey on the night of 15th April. If you don't pick anyone, you'll get Aaron Burkart by default.

05 / 04 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the third race in Malaysia are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is China on 18th April.

03 / 04 / 2010
Fantasy Rally:
The results from Rally Jordan are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Turkey on 14th April.

29 / 03 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the second race in Melbourne are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Malaysia THIS WEEKEND on 4th April.

14 / 03 / 2010
Fantasy F1:
The results from the first race in Bahrain are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Australia on 28th March.

09 / 03 / 2010
Fantasy F1!
Yes, there's a brand new Fantasy Formula One game! Check the rules or enter your team by Friday night to qualify for the first race in Bahrain!

08 / 03 / 2010
Fantasy Rally:
The results from Rally Mexico are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team. Next race is Jordan on 1st April.

17 / 02 / 2010
Fantasy Rally:
The points awarded for a win have changed in the real WRC, so we've reflected the changes in our scoring too. Check the rules to see the details. Next rally is Mexico on 5th March, teams will be frozen at midnight on the night of Thursday 4th March.

16 / 02 / 2010
Fantasy Rally:
The results from Rally Sweden are in! Check the results, see how your team did or enter a new team.

31 / 01 / 2010
Fantasy Rally:
The new rally season is upon us - 2010 Fantasy Rally is now open! Check the rules or pick a team ready for the start on 12th Feb.

25 / 10 / 2009
Fantasy Rally:
All previous years' Fantasy Rally results are online - Check the 2009 season.

02 / 08 / 2009
Reviews:
Sorry, there won't be any more movie reviews for the foreseeable future. Events have overtaken me. Catch up on reviews you may have missed.

18 / 08 / 2005
Sudoku!
Have a go at the online Sudoku game.

 

In the Valley of Elah

In the Valley of Elah

Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, Josh Brolin, Jason Patric, James Franco.

Written and directed by Paul Haggis.

Story: Son goes AWOL from Iraq, ex-army father investigates.

Running Time: 2hrs 1 minute.

UK Certificate 15.

 

In the Valley of Elah is an averagely compelling talkie drama, but nothing to write home about. Hard to believe it was written and directed by Paul Haggis, who was responsible for the seminal Crash.

Tommy Lee Jones's magic torch lights up the back of his head. Tommy Lee Jones stars as the father of a soldier recently back from a tour in Iraq who mysteriously disappears, so he investigates. I can't tell you what happens next, but I can tell you it's more of a sleuthy affair than a cracking-skulls one. Hangdog Tommy makes a few clever deductions along the way and puts in the top notch performance we've learned to expect from him, netting him the Oscar nomination that he could just as easily have won for his supporting turn in No Country For Old Men. Charlize Theron is good but unspectacular as the sympathetic cop who ends up helping and Susan Sarandon is rather underused as the distraught wife and mother left back home wringing her hands while Tommy picks through the clues.

No matter how much Charlize Theron and Jason Patric interrogated him, Sooty still didn't say a word. I can't say I didn't enjoy Elah, because I did - it's just rather ordinary. The story plays out in a pleasingly unpredictable way and the ghost of A Few Good Men makes its presence felt, but it lacks the memorableness of that particular spectre and it has very little of the emotional resonance that made Crash so special. I can imagine it would strike a chord with army folk - in fact the colour palette is drained in places in such a way as to give the impression of a desert uniform - but the great unwashed masses are likely to feel less than involved, and I don't expect it to make any decent money at the box office.

In the Valley of Elah is fine - there's nothing particularly wrong with it - it's just that there are better movies out there to spend your money on. One to catch on a quiet Monday night on Sky.

UPDATE: Having seen this a second time, I've revised my opinion somewhat - the ending seemed a lot more poignant, but the anti-war message seemed rather clumsier. Still, I've changed it from 3/5 to 4/5.

I enjoyed this film: 4/5

I think the average moviegoer will enjoy it: 3/5

Testosterone Satisfaction Rating: 1/5 - random boobs in a titty-bar scene, Frances Fisher shows a mighty fine pair for a 50+ lass.

To enjoy this film you should: have served in the armed forces.

 

In the Valley of Elah was released in the UK on 25th January 2008.