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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
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Death Race,
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army,
Space Chimps,
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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
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15 / 08 / 2008
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14 / 08 / 2008
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14 / 08 / 2008
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31 / 07 / 2008
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24 / 07 / 2008
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23 / 07 / 2008
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22 / 07 / 2008
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09 / 07 / 2008
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09 / 07 / 2008
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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
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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.

Stardust

Cast: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Ian McKellen, Peter O'Toole, Mark Strong, Jason Flemyng, Rupert Everett, David Walliams, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Adam Buxton, Nathaniel Parker, Sienna Miller, Sarah Alexander, Mark Williams, Dexter Fletcher, Ricky Gervais, David Kelly, Melanie Hill, Joanna Scanlan. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, written by Matthew Vaughn and Mrs Jonathan Ross, Jane Goldman, adapted from the book by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess. Story: Fantasy romp to retrieve a fallen star. Running Time: 2hrs 10 minutes. UK Certificate PG.

It seems ages since we've had a decent fantasy jaunt that both kids and adults can enjoy. Stardust was worth the wait.

I think the entire British movie industry is involved with Stardust. Just look at that cast list - and that's not everyone, that's just the folk you'll recognise when they appear. Well, apart from the lead Charlie Cox, who I'd never seen before, but he fits in admirably as the Buttons character on a mission to bring back a fallen star for the object of his affections Sienna Miller. The star, for reasons never explained, is not a flaming ball of gas but a lightly luminous Claire Danes, and the two of them set off on an odyssey together while being chased by evil witch Michelle Pfeiffer (back to her vampish best after the deeply disturbing Hairspray, and looking stunning for a 49 year old) and a band of power-hungry princes led by the magnificent Mark Strong. It would be unfair to pick out just one star performance as Pfeiffer, Strong and Danes are all exemplary, with Robert De Niro having great fun as the (bizarrely airborne) pirate king - in fact throughout the whole ensemble cast there isn't a single poor performance to be found, though it's time for Ricky Gervais to broaden his range - his same-character-in-every-role technique is wearing thin now.

The book was written by Neil Gaiman, who is unknown to half the population and something of an icon to the other half. His fantasy fiction has long been a favourite among Dungeons & Dragons stalwarts (or whatever today's equivalent is - probably Hoodies & Textin', like innit, safe). As Jonathan Ross won't let us forget, it was adapted by his better half, Jane Goldman, along with Matthew Vaughn, who also directs - a rather different affair to his debut project Layer Cake, but he seems right at home in this style, and I look forward to his next project, Thor, with keen anticipation. Similarities can be drawn to older classics like Time Bandits and even The Princess Bride, but I really can't think of a single film in this century that does the family adventure thing quite so completely. Young kids may find the running time and huge array of characters a little excessive, but a couple of viewings should soon sort that out.

There's literally nothing to criticise about Stardust. It's a good old-fashioned fairy tale with modern production values and will appeal to pretty much everyone. One for the DVD collection.

I enjoyed this film: 5/5

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

Testosterone Satisfaction Rating: 0/5

To enjoy this film you should: be able to lose yourself in a fantasy.