Thundermonkey

Brokeback Mountain - 4/10 I think I must have missed something. Was I supposed to have any sympathy with these two guys? Was the selfish and loathsome way in which they treated their wives, children and families supposed to be justified because they were frustrated at only seeing each other 2 or 3 times a year? I was hoping that any preconceptions were going to be challenged, that I would be swept away in a love story that had no bearing on the fact it was two men. All I could see were 2 guys who appeared to suddenly turn gay because they were cold and drunk. Well, I've been cold and drunk before and I've not felt the need to involve myself in some extreme Greco-Roman wrestling. I couldn't make out pretty much one word that Heath Ledger mumbled. Michelle Williams and the stunning locations were superb, as were Anne Hathaways brief charms Ang Lee has already covered this ground before in The Ice Storm and with better results. I'm afraid I was underwhelmed. Duel - 7/10 You can tell it was made for TV but it's pretty good. Saleman overtakes truck, truck tries to kill salesman in personal vandetta that leads to 70 mins of tense cat and mouse situations with no real motive. It's basically a pre-cursor to Jaws, with the Shark being replaced by a truck. Dennis Weaver is superb, his descent into panic, despair and paranoia is sublime. It's one of Spielberg's least smaltzy movies and well worthpicking up if going cheap. If anyone has seen Jeepers Creepers and thought the first 20 mins were the best (before turning into silly monster shite ) then check it out. The opening of this film is a complete rip off of Duel.

House of Flying Daggers - 10/10 What can I say that hasn't been mentioned already? Utterly sublime.

Auschwitz by Lawrence Rees. It's fantastic but horrific. They should teach that shit in schools. Agree about the covers on your books Chris! I bought the above-maligned Boiling a Frog and was gutted it was a black jobbie with big old orange frog on the front. More gutted when I saw a nice normal version (Bold Lettering, multiple colouts) in the shops about a year after I read it. George Lucas style tampering to keep you in pies at the football?

Not a great week for me movie wise. Blade:Trinity and The Girl Next Door = both 7/10 I'm convinced that Blade:Trinity is a decent edit away from being a worthy sequel to Blade 2. There should have been more focus on Blade himself though. The Girl Next Door is only really watchable if you want to see Kim Bauer in a bikini and other various sates of push-up bra-ness. The Laws if Attraction - I only managed 1/2 of this before I fell asleep but was enjoying it up till then. I also had to endure Sleepless in Seattle - 5/10. What a lot of fluffy guff. If you can find the spoof trailer for this on the internet I guarantee you will enjoy it more tenfold. Meg Ryan as a stalker with Tom Hanks fearful for his life?

I've read one of the books (Inside Hitler's Bunker IIRC) Downfall is based on and it truely is scary how an already insane man can decend into abject lunacy. Gutted that I missed it because if it's half as good as the book then it would be an important watch. Now it's been on the telly I would imagine it's going cheap in the shops?

Nooooo...resist the thumbs! I saw the Dawn of the Dead remake last night and was remarkably surprised at how good it was. Zombies are far more effective when they are running at you at top speed. I reckon 7/10. Tonight's viewing shall be either The Warriors, Slap Shot (which I've seen) or take myself to see Munich. Any hints?

I didn't really have a problem with Chinese actors in Japanese roles. I've not seen the film (I can't ever see the day that I do) but it was a lavish Hollywood production, much in the same way Braveheart had non-Scots in many roles. I've seen many, many films where actors play different nationalities. Elvis played a Mexican once I think. One of the boys in House of Flying Daggers is Japanese but nobody mentioned it because it was a Chinese production. The novel it is based on was written by some guy from Boston or Texas who at that point hadn't been to Japan so I wouldn't get hung up on the project's authenticity.

Dead Man's Shoes 10/10 If there is a finer actor than Paddy Considine in the land I'll be damned. The best anti-hero since Travis Bickle, without doubt. Excellent performances all round though, especially the boy playing his brother who steers clear of the usual tired "disabled" performances.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zizzou - 7/10 Typical Wes Anderson film, left me with a slightly feeling of melancholy (sp?). Bill Murray is again superb and is cornering the market in dissatisfied middle aged men. It was a bit harder for me to emphasise with his character (unlike Lost In Translation) as, in Zizzou's own words, he's "a bit of a p***k". Not as good as The Royal Tenenbaums, it feels disjointed for the first half, maybe a little too quirky, but it gathers pace thoughout and reaches a more than satisfactory conclusion. I do want a pair of Team Zizzou adidas though

I just watched a Hero/House of Flying Daggers double bill. Feckin' fantastic films Zang Zhi

Wedding Crashers - 7.5/10, maybe 8/10 for Will Ferrell saving it from dying on it's ass towards the end. It's Vince Vaughn/Isla Fisher's film though. Hilarious.

Anchorman - 8/10 Jack Black has a great cameo on the bridge. The newsreader gang fight is pretty funny too

Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth

Seamonsters - The Wedding Present 21 Singles - The Jesus and Mary Chain

U2 - The Best of 1980-1990 I must be getting older as I'm really enjoying this.

Inspiral Carpets - Life