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05 / 11 / 2008
Review: After the gruelling James Bond press junket tour, I bet Daniel Craig could use a Quantum of Solace.

02 / 11 / 2008
Fantasy Rally: The results from Rally Japan are in - just one rally to go and still the lead keeps changing! See how your team fared or see the Japanese rally results. Any of the top ten could still claim overall honours!

23 / 10 / 2008
Review: Brad Pitt steals the latest from the Coen brothers: Burn After Reading.

23 / 10 / 2008
Review: Simon Pegg learns How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.

23 / 10 / 2008
Review: Ben Stiller directs stars aplenty in Tropic Thunder.

12 / 10 / 2008
Review: A few words on some recent movies: RocknRolla,
Death Race,
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army,
Space Chimps,
Stuck,
The Babysitters,
Starship Troopers 3: Marauder,
Son of Rambow,
Jack and Jill vs the World,
Made of Honor,
Meet Dave,
Doomsday,
Pathology.

15 / 08 / 2008
Review: You can mess with Adam Sandler, but You Don't Mess with the Zohan.

15 / 08 / 2008
Review: Mike Myers tickles some chakras in The Love Guru.

14 / 08 / 2008
Review: Toot and come in, it's The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

14 / 08 / 2008
Review: You can stop watching the skies now, it's The X Files: I Want to Believe.

31 / 07 / 2008
Review: Batman Began and now continues in The Dark Knight.

24 / 07 / 2008
Review: The Chronicles of Narnia continue with Prince Caspian.

23 / 07 / 2008
Review: Pixar goes Short Circuit with Wall-E.

22 / 07 / 2008
Review: Jules Verne never envisaged a 3D version of Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

09 / 07 / 2008
Review: Jet Li and Jackie Chan team up in The Forbidden Kingdom.

09 / 07 / 2008
Review: Will Smith keeps the streets safe and smelling of booze in Hancock.

09 / 07 / 2008
Review: M Night Shyamalan's latest, The Happening.

09 / 07 / 2008
Review: Spanish creepy-creepy The Orphanage.

09 / 07 / 2008
Review: A quick catchup of movies that don't get the full treatment:
Be Kind Rewind,
Street Kings,
What Happens In Vegas,
Superhero Movie,
The Ruins and
Teeth.

08 / 07 / 2008
Review: Bend that bullet Angelina! Wanted.

01 / 07 / 2008
Review: Those cats were fast as lightning - Kung Fu Panda.

24 / 06 / 2008
Review: Don't make Ed Norton angry - The Incredible Hulk.

24 / 06 / 2008
Review: Carrie and Big's wedding, it can only be Sex and the City.

11 / 06 / 2008
Review: Everyone's favourite pot-addicts are back in Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.

04 / 06 / 2008
Review: Harrison Ford returns in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

04 / 06 / 2008
Review: Tube driver seeks suicidal man in Three and Out.

18 / 05 / 2008
Review: CGI fantasy motor racing in Speed Racer.

18 / 05 / 2008
Review: Your creases will fly away with Iron Man.

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

Plenty more
See the rest of the reviews here.

The Kite Runner

Cast: Khalid Abdalla, Shaun Toub, Homayoun Ershadi, Zekeria Ebrahimi, Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada, other people I can't spell. Directed by Marc Forster, adapted from the book by Khaled Hosseini. Story: Afghan kid grows up amidst conflict. Largely subtitled. Running Time: 2hrs 2 minutes. UK Certificate 12A.

Chances are you'll have heard of The Kite Runner, but as nowhere seems to be actually showing it, you may have missed the opportunity to catch it yourself. It's definitely worth a bash.

Amir and Hassan are two littl'uns in sandy Afghanistan who forge a strong friendship tethered by their shared love of kite flying. Little Hassan has the spooky knack of knowing where a kite is going to land before it does, hence his titular moniker. Stuff happens, the Taliban take over Kabul and our two mites are separated - but that's only the beginning. People who've read the book are divided in their opinions, as is often the case, but allegedly the author wholeheartedly approves (it says so on the internet so it must be true) and it's easy to see why. From the very opening, the characters drag you in and rarely give away what's around the next corner. One particular surprise (Assef's revenge, for those who've seen it) was as shocking as it was unexpected, and makes me question the appropriateness of the 12A certificate. Nothing is explicitly shown, thankfully, but we're left with no doubt what actually happened.

The Kite Runner is subtitled - but you know what, I can't even remember how much. I could believe every word was subtitled, or I could believe only a quarter of it was - that's how much I was drawn into the story. Director Marc Forster certainly knows how to craft a human tale - his previous successes include Stranger than Fiction, Monster's Ball and the immensely powerful Finding Neverland - and it's a surprise to see no mention of it in the Oscar nominations list, aside from one measly mention in the Musical Score category. Everything ties together beautifully, the established actors (all fresh to me) mix well with the untrained masses and the cinematography ably conveys the dusty environment, so I really should be raving about it. Many people will do exactly that, I expect, but for me it feels a little short of emotional involvement. Yes, I wanted to know how it ended. Yes, it's very well made and deserved a much wider distribution. No, I wouldn't put it in my top 100 movies. Possibly not even my top 500. It's like Leona Lewis - I know she's good, I recognise her talent, but I still can't get excited about her music.

The Kite Runner is, without a doubt, an excellent adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's novel. Top marks to all the pieces, but as a whole it misses out on the zest that made Finding Neverland so moving. I'm being picky though - this is the left-field entry that should have stolen Juno's Oscar nomination.

I enjoyed this film: 4/5

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

Testosterone Satisfaction Rating: 0/5 - one scene makes for uncomfortable viewing.

To enjoy this film you should: like serious stories.