Tintin Time.

I am a big Tintin fan, and the names attached to the upcoming film tick many many boxes. Stephen Spielberg, Pegg & Frost, Toby Jones, Jamie Bell, Stephen Moffat, Cary Elwes, Peter Jackson, Tony Curran, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Daniel Craig, John Williams - these are all good people who do good things.

But, there's a thing, a little thing, but a thing. You know how the Richard Lester The Three Musketeers adaptation was almost perfect, but could have been improved by lifting Tim Curry's Cardinal Richelieu from the otherwise terrible Disney version, in place of Charlton Heston's awful performance? Well, I have a hunch that the new Tintin flick could only be improved by the addition of a certain much loved theme tune.

Like this (made by a very clever chap named James Curran.)

The Adventures of Tintin from James Curran on Vimeo.

This chap, this chap was there.

An interesting little Observer piece, from a man who was there, on le Carre's Berlin.

I can't begin to say how much I'm looking forward to watching the new adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. If any actor in Britain today can claim to hold a candle to Alec Guinness, it's Gary Oldman.



And in other vaguely lit news (by which I mean a newspaper story linked to an author I actually like), have a look at this. The short answer to the question is yes, they should.

The Raven

Some bugger made this on a tiny budget, and now it's being made into a film with presumably a much bigger one.

New Godzilla

You remember the American Godzilla? You remember how shit it was? Well they're having another go. Probably in 3D.

And you remember that Day of the Triffids adaption at Christmas? You remember how shit it was? Well they're having another go. In 3D.

Get the feeling these could go either way?

So it's come to this.

The Wicker Man sequel, The Wicker Tree, seems to actually be happening, and I am very excited, and in no way remembering various other misguided sequels which dented my respect for some of my favourite films...

Still, at least Christopher Lee's in it. This probably means I'll finally have to get round to reading Cowboys For Christ n'll.

Watchmen series.

Oh if only this were really, and not a twisted (and thus highly amusing) joke.

Star Trek.

Ok, I know it's just a trailer, and ok, it's by the people who made lost, and ok, playing Kirk as a twenty-second century James Dean is quite clearly a shit idea, but...

My the new Star Trek Film looks rather good. Could Star Trek (gasp) be actually be about to stop being the bland, shit, pretty right wing parody of the original it became in its later years? Possibly.



Mind, that Leonard Nimoy cameo looks wince inducing. How many years has he been trying to escape from that role for now?

I have decided to scalp you, and burn your village to the ground.

Little bit of Youtube goodness (just because I have proper internet again, and I can).

First of all Bill Bailey Junior... sorry... "Tim Minchin"... on Evolution.




Secondly a couple of clips from The Addams Family Values, probably my favourite childhood movie (and let's face it, pretty fucking mint still). I could pretty much put the entire movie up here but I'll restrain myself to...

The weirdoes getting revenge on the WASPS.



And Grandma!



This was on Filmfour tonight but I only caught the second half sadly. Wonderful, wonderful film.

And an award for Terry Gilliam.

I heartily approve.

Yes!

Go Noel Clarke, more than just a tin dog after all.

In Bruges.

Just won BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay, so at least whoever decides these things has managed to get something right so far.

The BAFTAs are coming.

There's some right crap being talked about the BAFTAs, by some BAFTA people right now.

If the main thoughts you have on your award ceremony is that it helps nominated films sell more it might be time to think about why you're doing what you're doing.

Still, The Good, The Bad & The Weird looks ace.

Frost / Nixon.

This is a good film, exceptionally good in fact, but two things kept bugging me all the way through. The first being that I know Michael Sheen for playing Tony Blair, the reasons for him being cast in the role seemingly his physically resemblance and similar grin, so I was half seeing frost and half seeing Blair. What made this worse was that in the moments when I saw Frost, all I could think of was the Dead Ringer's impersonation, with him sitting in a comfy chair, wrapped in a tartan blanket, doing his knitting on Breakfast With Frost.

But it was an ace film all the same, Langella's Nixon is uncanny, and those last moments of the interview, the camera capturing ever crease in his craggy face, are astonishing. Moreso because neither he nor Sheen seem to be replicating someone else's words and gestures during the interview moments, which must actually be an exceptionally difficult feat to pull off. If I can come up with a criticism it's the film's insistence that it was Frost's knowledge of television which made that crucial difference in the interview, but even in their own showing it doesn't come through (we are told it often enough, but not much shows us). Watching this film (and I admit my only knowledge of the interviews and the people behind them is sketchy) it more appears that some in depth research is the more creditable reason.

Line of the film - 'I see you kept my bagpipes'.

Well, it's over, and I'm happy, but I have to know, what kind of cunt is called 'Sky' anyway?

Still, you've got to admire a film where a sass filled Christine Baranski is batting away young, gorgeous black teenagers at every turn; not to mention Meryl Streep having her pick of Bond (James Bond!), Mr Darcy, and some other bloke no-one's ever heard of. Mind they do play it a bit drunken aunty, but it works, mostly, particularly the moment of Spice Girls lite feminism where they cajole the various housewives of the island to leave their husbands and dance around the island for no real reason.

Colin Firth is an utter legend for doing this film by the way, I think he's the only male member of the cast who actually gets what kind of film Mamma Mia is meant to be. I particularly like the choice of a boyfriend for him, they couldn't have found a truer image of the gay British male's dream of a Mediterranean toy boy if they'd tried (which they clearly did). And of course he brings us the brilliance of the final, supposedly deeply erotic kiss between the irritating yank and the irritating Brit being eclipsed Firth's pale, flabby gut as it bounces in the pouring water.

Julie Walters is a halfway point, who irritates me for a large part of this movie (because she's a great actress who seems to spend half of her career acting like your Grandma after a few gins on karaoke night at the home), absolutely redeems herself with her man hungry, borderline cock-crazed performance of Take A Chance On Me (climaxing in possibly the most perplexing head banging session ever filmed).



Right, a little too much musing on Mamma Mia here, I'd best hurry, Wonder Boys is starting soon (wahey) which is frankly the only reason I'm not in bed right now. Somewhat tired because I stayed up later finishing American Gods (gripped, absolutely gripped right until the end), making plans for going to Africa (looks like Sierra Leone is on the cards) and pondering if I should book up on one of the Arvon courses (frustratingly one of the options is absolutely perfect, but it isn't on until frigging November).

I got a little excited by a hint of winter sun today, decided it was clearly warm enough to sit outside and read the paper, went in ten minutes later when it was beginning to hurt me to move my fingers. Silly me, eh.

My, there's a lot of talk about Obama on Newsnight, hardly surprising of course, but why is everybody just stating the bloody obvious? I think I preferred Schama when he was drunk on Newsnight. Ooh, they've just done a very Lord of the Rings shot of the White House, and I have to say, Obama looks very good in that coat.

Ain't it sad.

I had plans for this evening, linked to reading, writing, maybe watching Obama's inauguration. However then I had a very long day, so fuck it I'm watching Mamma Mia. Not quite as easy an option as it may sound, because it leads to much musing on that most tricky of questions; just how much exactly does the Scottish girl despise the irritating Yank and English best friends she's been lumbered with.

But bloody hell, Meryl Streep hasn't half got a pair of lungs on her, even if Dominic Cooper has all the acting range of a coffee table. Just like the girl who plays Sophie. He's got better tits than her though, even if his accent makes me think of longingly for strong chemicals . And Does Your Mother Know? rocks my world.



I will watch the inauguration of course, will be interesting, feel a bit sorry for the poor bloke. The headline of today's Guardian reads Magical spell that will open new American era. So no pressure then.