THE CRUNCH - A Little Deduction...

The game is afoot!
We are still a year away from the third series of BBC's Sherlock, but we already have some clues as to what the show's next season will entail; Rat, Wedding and Bow.
So I've been doing a little detective work of my own, trawling through the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories, and this is my final report on the case.

Rat
This is probably the hardest of the three words to figure, as none of the original Sherlock Holmes stories include a Rat. Doyle uses dogs, snakes and even seaweed as murder weapons, but on no story does a rat bare any relevance.
Of course, there are a few obscure references. In The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire, Holmes refers to another case involving "the giant rat of Sumatra". Could this tangent be the source of the first episode?
Or, it could be possible that this will be a completely new story. In series 1 we had The Blind Banker, which wasn't linked to any particular short story or novel. Maybe we're going to see a return to this form. But this seems unlikely considering we know that the story will be based at least partly on The Adventure of the Empty House.
To be honest, I'm bluffing. This clue has got me completely stumped.

Wedding
Ah ha! This ones a bit easier. There are three main stories that stand out for weddings:
In A Case of Identity, a wedding is aborted at the last minute when the groom mysteriously disappears. In The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor it is the bride who disappears, this time after the ceremony. And in The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist, a woman is nearly forced to make her vows.
While any of these could be the source for the second episode, I think there is a much more likely candidate.
Each series has had one episode based on one of Doyle's epic novels. Series 1 opened with A Study In Pink (An interpretation of A Study In Scarlet) and in Series 2 we were treated to The Hounds of Baskerville (inspired by The Hound of the Baskervilles). So, I'm hedging my bets on an adaptation of The Sign Of Four, the story in which Watson meets his future wife and becomes engaged.
Steven Moffat has said ever since the first series of Sherlock that he has wanted to explore Watson's marriage and his emigration from 221B. This theme has already been explored satirically and successfully by Guy Richie's film adaptation Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game Of Shadows, and could this have prompted the Moff to bring this story arc to his modern-day interpretation?

Bow
The obvious piece of Sherlock Holmes history that this points to is Doyle's penultimate short story collection, His Last Bow, at the end of which Holmes retires from detective-work all together. Moffat has already confirmed that this series will end in another cliff-hanger that will top the fall of Series 2. Maybe Holmes' retirement is linked to this cliff-hanger in some way.
His Last Bow is also the title of one of the short stories from this anthology. Unlike most of the other Sherlock Holmes stories, it is written in the 3rd person, and not from the point of view of John Watson. Bow is also unlike other Sherlock Holmes stories in that it is a spy story, and not a murder mystery. Could the season finale revolve around an espionage story more suited James Bond or Jason Bourne?

Those are my predictions for the next series of Sherlock. What do you guys make of the clues? Let us know in the comments.
Tom :)

GAME NEWS - Dead Island 2 and Skyrim DLC

GTA V
More screen shots


There has now been 10 screen shots and they seem to point to there being more then one main character!

Dead Island 2?
The developers are working on a new title set in the medieval times, Zombies maybe!

Skyrim DLC

A new DLC called Heartfire on the xbox 360 on the 4th of September for 400 Microsoft points. You buy your own land then your build your house with things such as a green house, library, alchemy lab etc. You can also have gardens, fish hatcherys and bee hives. You can even adopt children and hire a steward witch can get materials and build stuff for you for money.

Pokemon in proper graphics!


Kieron :O

TV GALLERY - Doctor Who Christmas Special 2012

Here's some new stills from this year's Christmas Special of Doctor Who, featuring pictures of new companion Jenna-Louise Coleman.

Who takes a festive return to the Victorian era.

Jenna-Louise Coleman. We know that her character doesn't originate from the Victorian era, so how did she get there? And where did she get the appropriate clothes?

The background looks a bit TARDIS-like, could it be she travelled with the Doctor there?

Matt Smith sporting a new suit.

And finally, the ever-sinister hooded man! Spooky!

Tom :)

TV NEWS - Lots of 'Who', and a Little Bit of 'Sherlock'

Lots of Who News!

Something Doctor Who is very good at is releasing lots and lots of trailers that all show the same thing. And we have another one for you, showing all the same scenes you've already seen from the first episode, Asylum of the Daleks. However, what this new trailer does have, and about time too, is a return to Murray Gold's theme I Am The Doctor, which was established in the soundtrack of series 5, and was used nowhere near enough in series 6.

Now forget about the Daleks briefly, because we also have photos from this year's Christmas special. You can see them in our gallery here.

And finally, we have a release date for the new series! Asylum of the Daleks will air on the 1st September. To view our full episode guide to the new series, click here.

And The BBC are releasing a mini online series of teasers leading up to the start every day see episode 1 here!

Sherlock Hints

Last year, Sherlock show-runners released the words "Adler, Hound and Reichenbach" as hints to what each episode could include. And they've done the same this year; "Rat, Wedding, Bow". It seems they're a bit more cryptic this time round, so I'll speculate in this weeks Crunch. Look out for it on Friday!

What do you think of the Sherlock clues? Let us know in the comments.

Tom :)

FILM LAUGH - 'The Avengers' Gag Reel

And now to end on an entertaining note. I don't know if you guys have found The Avengers' gag reel yet. If not, it's below. And it turns out Thor can't catch a hammer. Enjoy...
Oh, and there are spoilers if you haven't seen the film yet.

That's all for this weeks film. Kieron's got a technology filled Crunch for you tomorrow. I'll be back next week with music.
Tom :)

FILM REVIEW - Limitless (Spoiler-free)

Directed by: Neil Burger
Written by: Leslie Dixon (based on the novel by Alan Glynn)
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro
Genre: Mystery/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Certificate: 15
Release Year: 2011

Limitless is the story of failed writer Edward Morra (Cooper). Morra's life seems to be failing; he can't put any words on paper, he's living in a dilapidated flat and his girlfriend has left him. But then an old aquaintance gives him a drug, a drug that allows him to use not just the usual 5%, but the full 100% of his brain. Suddenly he's a literary genius, a martial arts master and cracks a formula that allows him to near enough control the stock exchange. But people become suspicious of his powers, and soon he is being hunted down for the secret. And at the same time, the full effects of the drug begin to take hold.

Limitless is unique. The plot is clever and fast paced. A lot of thrillers nowadays get bogged down in making the story too confusing, but this doesn't do that. While surprising twists are offered, they are straight-forward and neat.

The other thing that sets Limitless apart is how it looks visually. The "on-drugs" sequences are mind-blowing. Varying light levels and on-screen text and animations are used to great effect to give the viewer nearly the full effect of the drug. There is also camera-work in here to rival that of The Matrix films, in particular the "street-zoom" sequences and the use of time-lapse. Everything about it is original.

This doesn't make the film flawless though. My first niggle is that the film was plugged largely as a Cooper/De Niro double...which it isn't...at all. This is entirely Cooper's film, with De Niro as a background character. I'm not being negative about their performances, Cooper produces one of his best here, but it's just been publicised wrong, no doubt to take advantage of De Niro's fame.

The other problem is the ending. It seems as if the makers had a great idea for a film, but no idea how to bring it to a satisfying conclusion. The film builds up, and...well yeah, the film builds up, and that's about it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this, but the lack of a satisfying denouement left a bit miffed. Well worth watching though as it's very impressive cinematically.

7/10

To buy Limitless from amazon, click here.

Tom :)

FILM OBITUARY - Tony Scott (1944 - 2012)

Earlier this week we were saddened to hear that director Tony Scott had taken his own life after contracting cancer. Scott was an iconic film director that was active for 40 years.

Scott started out in the movie industry making commercials, working for his brother Ridley (another famous director). However, Scott wanted to make full-length feature films and finally realised his dream in 1982 when he released The Hunger; a vampire film starring David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve. At the time of release, The Hunger recieved harsh reviews from critics and failed at the box office. Scott returned to making commercials.

It was in 1985 that Scott finally made his name directing Top Gun, after he was approached by the film's producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. The film was a huge success, taking $176 million at the box office and turning it's leading man, Tom Cruise, into a star.

After the success of Top Gun, Scott found himself one of the most popular directors in Hollywood. He went on to direct Beverly Hills Cop II (starring Eddie Murphy and Brigitte Nielsen), Days Of Thunder (again starring Tom Cruise) and True Romance (starring Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette), among many other successful films.

In 1995, Scott established a working relationship with actor Denzel Washington in the film Crimson Tide. Scott and Washington worked together on Deja Vu and The Taking Of Pelham 123.

Scott also produced alot of films, including The A-Team and Prometheus.

Tony Scott was a talented director who put a stamp on the action movie that many have tried to copy, but none could fully replicate.

Tom :)

FILM NEWS - 'The Dark Tower', 'The Inbetweeners Movie 2' and 'The Rocketeer'

Warner Bros. Drops Out Of The Dark Tower

Bringing Stephen King's epic The Dark Tower to the screen has been a project that has been treading water for a long time. A few weeks back we reported potential involvement of Russel Crowe, but it seems it's not to be, now that Warner Bros. have dropped out of the project. It's becoming increasingly more likely that the trilogy of films with a joint TV series will never see the light of day.

The Inbetweeners Movie 2?

It is real. There are plans underway for a sequel to last summer's smash hit, The Inbetweeners Movie. There have been rumours, but are the rumours true?

"Sort of, yes." Said co-creator Iain Morris, "We've got an idea, think we'd like to do it if we can make it good, but we're a long way from it really happening. Long way."

So it's in the works?

"Yes. I think we all want it to happen, but the 'ifs' are quite big."

Who wants another Inbetweeners Movie?

The Rocketeer Reboot?

Rumours have started to circulate that Disney are planning to make a reboot of the cult classic film Rocketeer. The original - which starred Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly and Timothy Dalton - didn't make much at the box office, but has harvested alot of fans over the 20 years since it was released. Vulture have reported that Disney "will soon be meeting with various writers to come up with a take".

To read the full vulture report, click here.

Released This Week

CINEMA

 - The Expendables 2

 - The Wedding Video

 - Ek Tha Tiger

DVD

 - The Hunger Games

That's everything for this week, Kieron's got The Crunch tomorrow
Tom :)

FILM NEWS - 'Prometheus', 'The Wolverine', 'Outpost II', 'Bullet To The Head', Sorsese's Sinatra, 'Iron Man 3', 'Kick-Ass 2' and 'The Dark Tower'

Prometheus - Deleted Scenes Might Make Sense!
Earlier this year, Ridley Scott's Prometheus split critics by it's confusing plot and mass of unanswered questions. But there is a glimmer of hope now for those that the film left bamboozled now that the titles of some deleted scenes that will be available on home release have been confirmed:
 - Arrival of the Engineers (02:31)
 - Tis The Season (00:58)
 - Our First Alien (00:42)
 - We're Not Alone Anymore (01:22)
 - Skin (00:42)
 - Strange Bedfellows (02:57)
 - Holloway Hungover (01:25)
 - David's Objective (00:23)
 - Janek Fills Vickers In (03:27)
 - A King Has His Reign (03:40)
 - Fifield Attacks (02:01)
 - The Engineer Speaks (04:06)
 - Final Battle (05:30)
 - Paradise (05:05)
For a spoiler-filled breakdown of what these scenes COULD include, visit Den Of Geek.
For our review of Prometheus, click here.

Official Synopsis Of The Wolverine
The official synopsis for the upcoming X-Men spin-off, The Wolverine, has been released, confirming what alot of people suspected already.
"Based on the celebrated comic book arc, The Wolverine finds Logan, the eternal warrior and outsider in Japan. There, Samurai steel will clash with adamantium claw as Logan confronts a mysterious figure from his past that will leave him forever changed."

First Trailer For Outpost II
The first trailer for the new film Outpost II: Black Sun has been released. The film stars Catherine Steadman and Richard Coyle who have to face a batallion of zombie Nazi stormtroopers.

First Trailer For Bullet To The Head

Bullet To The Head  is a Sylvester Stallone film that was filmed before The Expendables 2, but it's release date was set back until next February. Stallone plays a hit-man on a revenge mission. Here's the new trailer:

Writer For Scorsese's Sinatra Biopic

Director Martin Scorsese has been working on this project for a long time. He has said he has always wanted to make a film about the life of the great singer Frank Sinatra, but after his Rat Pack project that had Tom Hanks and John Travolta signed to it failed to make it to the screen, people thought this dream would never see the light of day. But it is now happening, and writer Billy Ray will be writing. The question now is, who will play Sinatra? Personally, I'd like to see Pierce Brosnan have a go at the role.

Dale Dickey In Iron Man 3

True Blood's Dale Dickey will appear in Iron Man 3, though alot of mystery is surrounding her role. Apparently her IMDb page says her character is called "Mrs. Davis". Hhmm...

Casting News For Kick-Ass 2

Robert Emms (War Horse) and Morris Chestnut (Boyz n the Hood) have both been cast in Kick-Ass 2, the sequel to the hit superhero spoof movie of 2010. Emms will play Insect Man and Morris Chestnut has been cast as "essentially...the guardian". 

Chestnut has also landed a role in Brad Anderson's thriller The Hive alongside Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin.

But back to Kick-Ass 2. Another potential cast member is the brilliant funny-man Jim Carrey. Carrey is said to be a big fan of the original film, and is currently in talks to play 'Colonel Stars', a superhero with a military theme.

Would you like to see Jim Carrey in Kick-Ass 2? Let us know in the comments.

Film News to be continued in next post...

GAME NEWS - More GTA Screen Shots, Fallout 4 rumor, Halo 4 and DayZ

GTA 
More screen shots



Fallout 4
May take place in Boston

HALO 4
Multiplayer has some new stuff. Specializations give you 10 extra levels’ worth of goodies to unlock, including nine levels of cosmetic armor items. Those nine include armor sets, skins for those armor sets, a weapon skin, emblems, and a visor color. On the tenth level (though the order of what will unlock when isn't finalized yet, according to 343 and Microsoft), you get your gameplay modifying perk. read more here at IGN

DayZ
Might come to console and Mac

Kieron :O

TV NEWS - Merlin, The Lady Vanishes and Trailers

Doctor Who

Screen Shots and Teaser Trailer released for Doctor Who. See the full gallery here!

Dexter Series 7 Trailer!

For stills from the new series, click here.

The Lady Vanishes

Keely Hawes

This Christmas the BBC will broadcast The Lady Vanishes, a 90 minute drama staring Keeley Hawes (Ashes To Ashes), Gemma Jones (Spooks), Stephanie Cole (Coronation Street) and Julian Rhind-Tutt (The Hour), alongside Selina Cadell (Toast), Tuppence Middleton (Spies of Warsaw), Jesper Christensen (Melancholia) and Tom Hughes (Silk).

The official synopsis reads: "It is 1931, beautiful and wealthy young socialite Iris Carr (Middleton) is the heart of her social circle. Whilst holidaying with her friends in the Balkans their raucous behaviour escalates and Iris resolves to seek out some tranquillity and travel home alone.
"Iris’s expectations of peace are short lived when she faints on the platform of the railway station in the scorching heat. She wakes in time to be rushed on to the train but with a pounding head and a feeling of being almost in a dream.
"Whilst in this malaise she is comforted by Miss Froy (Cadell), whose tweed suit and bookish looks belie a jovial and adventurous spirit. Miss Froy talks at length about her desperation to return home to her family; but when Iris falls asleep she awakes to find Miss Froy has vanished and her fellow passengers denying she ever existed….
"With only the allegiance of handsome English traveller Max Hare (Hughes) for support, Iris maintains her conviction that Miss Froy has somehow been abducted.
"As fellow passengers refute Iris’s story her conviction appears increasingly to be madness. Iris will have to rely on a strength of character she never knew she had to battle doubt and overcome danger as she strives to solve the mystery of why the lady vanished."

It will be directed by Diarmuid Lawrence (South Riding). Filming begins on location in Budapest this month.

Homeland Series 2 Trailer

Merlin
Colin Morgan, thats the guy that plays Merlin, told Scifinow:

• “We left Merlin at the end of the last season tipping over into a darker side, and I think that’s a reference for me for the rest of this season,” 
• “I think he is so confident in himself now, and in who he is and what he is destined to do. He has a resilience and power that drives him for this season. He gives as good as he gets.”
• “most important scenes there has ever been in terms of Merlin’s magic.”
• “Arthur is forced to confront magic a lot in this series, and that could change everything, for Merlin and for everyone.”
• “The baby dragon was a big thing for him, something he wanted to do for the future, and it’s actually a little bit upsetting what’s to come with the baby dragon – he’s chosen Morgana!"
• “And something has happened with Morgana in these three years that we don’t know about that from the first, opening episode has put her on such a mission, on such a drive, that it’s terrifying, and nobody knows what it is or what her reasons are.”
• “The dragons have always been, for Merlin, something highly important to him, because he constantly refers to them as kin – he has a connection to them. They are creatures of magic, and regardless of it, there is a lot of loneliness in Merlin.”

Kieron
:O

TV GALLERY - Doctor Who Series 7 Part 1

A few stills have been released from the first half of the next series of Doctor Who. But let's start with the recent teaser...

Now the stills, with our guesses as to which episode they're from...

Poster for Episode 1: Asylum of the Daleks

Asylum of the Daleks

Asylum of the Daleks

Asylum of the Daleks

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

A Town Called Mercy

A Town Called Mercy

A Town Called Mercy

A Town Called Mercy

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

No idea which episode this ones from.

Who's looking forward to the new series of Doctor Who?

Kieron :O

MUSIC REVIEW - Electronic Earth

Artist: Labrinth
Genre: R'n'B
Release Year: 2012
Label: Syco Music

Labrinth's been hovering around the edge of my interest radar for a little while now, but I hadn't plucked up the courage to risk my money on an R&B album until a few days ago. And I'm very glad I did.

Electronic Earth is a fusion masterpiece of computer and acoustic, not fighting each other but literally co-existing and complimenting each other. The album opens with the uplifting Climb On Board. It's a perfect opener for this album and sets the tone just right. And it has almost jazz-like chords in the bridge! Which works! Even though it's R&B!

Then we get the anthem Earthquake, a stonking great plate of bass and mash potato that brings the house down. Lab loses the acoustic side a bit here, but I'm willing to let him off though, just this once. However, I don't like Tinie Tempah's bit in this song. It doesn't really fit and stands out like a lion in an aquarium.

Last Time  has a slight retro feel to it, and reminds me of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds. Treatment is a nice change as Lab turns his attention to rock and drops some of the synth sound on his voice. But the next big treat is Express Yourself, a childish mix of white noise and doo-waps which holds as much fun as a fan full of bubble-mix.

The other highlight of the album is Beneath Your Beautiful. This is as acoustic as the album goes and features a guest appearance from Emeli Sandé, who as always is sounding great.

Even though this isn't really part of the album, just thought I'd say that Lab's music videos are awesome! They feature some incredibly immature views of the world, and I mean that in a good way. They are really feel-good, and are just really entertaining. Want an example? If you haven't seen it, check out the video for Express Yourself.

Overall, very impressive. A very promising debut.

8/10

To buy Labrinth's Electronic Earth from amazon, click here.

What do you guys think of the album? Let us know in the comments. Kieron's got a round-up of all the TV news tomorrow, and I'm back on Thursday with a movie wrap-up and a review of last year's Limitless starring Bradley Cooper.
Tom :)

MUSIC NEWS - iTunes Festival Line-Up

This year's iTunes festival is running from  the 1st-29th of September. Last updated 26/09/12. Here's the line-up so far:

1st
Headlining: Usher
Supporting: Miguel


2nd
Headlining: Ed Sheeran
Supporting: Charli XCX


3rd
Headlining: Olly Murs
Supporting: The Milk


4th
Headlining: Plan B
Supporting: Delilah and Ryan Keen


5th
Headlining: Emeli Sandé
Supporting: Bastille and Gabrielle Aplin


6th
Headlining: JLS
Supporting: Conor Maynard


7th
Headlining: Elbow
Supporting: Bat for Lashes


8th
Headlining: Jack White
Supporting: Band of Horses


9th
Headlining: Dedmau5
Supporting: Foreign Beggars


10th
Headlining: Norah Jones
Supporting: Beth Orton


11th
Headlining: The Killers
Supporting: Jake Bugg


12th
Headlining: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Supporting: The Soundtrack of Our Lives


13th
Headlining: P!nk
Supporting: Walk the Moon


14th
Headlining: Labrinth
Supporting: Josh Kumra


15th
Headlining: David Guetta
Supporting: Calvin Harris


16th
Headlining: Rebecca Ferguson
Supporting: T/B/C


17th
Headlining: Example
Supporting: Hadouken! and DJ Fresh


18th
Headlining: Andrea Bocelli
Supporting: Laura Wright and CARisMA


19th
Headlining: Matchbox Twenty
Supporting: One Republic


20th
Headlining: One Direction
Supporting: Angel


21st
Headlining: Jessie J
Supporting: Lonsdale Boys Club


22nd
Headlining: Biffy Clyro
Supporting: Frightened Rabbit


23rd
Headlining: Robert Glasper
Supporting: José James


24th
Headlining: Mumford & Sons
Supporting: Willy Mason


25th
Headlining: Lana Del Ray
Supporting: T/B/C


26th
Headlining: Ellie Goulding
Supporting: Haim


28th
Headlining: Alicia Keys
Supporting: T/B/C


29th
Headlining: Hot Chip
Supporting: T/B/C

MUSIC NEWS - Fifty Shades Of Green Day

Madness - Death Of A Rude Boy
Last week I told you about the upcoming album from the band Madness, and that they'd be releasing one of their songs to download for free. The song is now available and is called Death Of A Rude Boy. Anybody worried that Madness may have tried something a bit more modern need not worry, the song is drenched in scar and sits on the bands iconic reggae beat.
To download the song, click here.

Line-Up For iTunes Festival
Information is gradually coming to light about who will be playing at this years iTunes Festival. All headlining acts have now been confirmed, but we are still waiting for the names of some supporting acts.
For the full line-up, which we will update as soon as we get new information, click here.

Green Day Release Oh Love Video
It's been a while since we last heard about Green Day's upcoming trilogy of albums, but they have stepped back into the headlines with the release of this music video for there single Oh Love, which is from the first album ¡Uno!. Compared to the stuff of Green Day's most recent albums, I find Oh Love pretty dull. Nothing really happens, unlike the anthems of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. Here's the new video. WARNING: Features blurred nudity...

Not alot of news this week, let me know in the comments if I've missed something. Check back soon for a review of Labrinth's Electronic Earth.

Tom :)

THE CRUNCH - Inspiring A Generation

Over the last few weeks we have enjoyed some of the best sporting entertainment on the planet from London 2012's Olympic Games. And we've managed to nearly avoid it entirely on this blog. So I'm gonna make up for that now.

London 2012 started out by highlighting it's mission statement - "Inspire A Generation" - very directly in the opening ceremony. Now it faces the tough task of following up this legacy. But how can it do this without belly-flopping?

First thing, we need more sports coverage on the BBC, and less football. The lesser-known sports that we have grown to love need to broadcasted and better advertised.. We can't wait another four years for another moment like this. I want to see the diving world championship, an international basketball league. I want to see the walking race world cup!

Second thing, the athletes need to understand they're now huge role-models, don't act like footballers! The names of Jessica Ennis, Usain Bolt, Mo Farah and the like are now firmly planted in our memories. And if we are to be inspired, these are the people we will aspire to be like. Now's the time for the athletes to forget training for a few months and focus on school-visits and community service schemes. For kids to have personal contact with an Olympian will make all the difference to the legacy project.

Third and final thing, we need to get involved ourselves. We need to change our attitudes towards sport so we are more open to exercise. Whether this change is just cycling to the shops instead of taking the car, or going for a half hour run each morning doesn't matter, so long as you not only feel fitter, but enjoy it. We won't all be the next Chris Hoy or Steve Redgrave, but we can certainly be inspired by them.

What moment of the Olympics do you think was the most inspirational? Let us know in the comments.
Tom :)

FILM REVIEW - The Dark Knight Rises (Spoiler-Free)

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer (based on the comics by Bob Kane)
Starring: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama
Certificate: 12A
Release Year: 2012

This film has made such an impact, and it came out so long ago, that it's a miracle we haven't got round to reviewing it yet. But we've finally seen it, and it's brilliant.

The Dark Knight Rises is the final film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. It takes place 8 years after the events of The Dark Knight and starts with Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) as a recluse. Gotham has entered a crime-free golden age, and it seems the caped crusader is no longer needed. But then a mysterious masked figure known as Bane (Tom Hardy) arrives in Gotham, intent on reeking havoc on the city.

With this being Nolan's final Batman, there was alot of hype, and alot more people skeptical as to whether it could live up to the standards of it's predecessors. But never fear! It more than does, and provides one of the most complex and creative superhero films to date.

Normally I would pick out a particular actor who did particularly well, but in this incredibly talented cast this is nearly impossible. Christian Bale was fantastic as always, and Tom Hardy played a wonderfully unsettling villain, especially considering the standard set in the previous film by the late Heath Ledger. Possibly the biggest surprise was Anne Hathaway. With credits to her name such as The Princess Diaries, she didn't seem the obvious choice to play the seductive Selina Kyle. But her performance was very impressive and fresh. I'm running out of superlatives.

As to be expected from a Nolan film, the plot was complicated enough to keep the audience intrigued and excited, but doesn't overly confuse them. Excellently written, and brilliant cinematography.

Overall, epic. Don't miss it.

10/10

Tom :)

FILM NEWS - "Thor 2", "X-Men: Days Of Future Past", "Guardians Of The Galaxy", "Cockneys Vs. Zombies", "The Dark Tower", "Prometheus 2", "Jersey Boys", "The Avengers 2" and "Hansel and Gretel"

Sorry there wasn't any film news last week, here's our round-up of the last two...

Thor 2 Villain Announced
Marvel Studios have confirmed that the villain that everyone's favourite Norse-god-turned-alien-turned-superhero will face will be Malekith the Accursed, the leader of the Dark Elves. And the actor to play him? Please welcome Christopher Eccleston. Eccleston is one of my favourite actors, having played the 9th Doctor and the baddie in the first G.I.Joe film. Definately a good choice. However this does of course mean Malekith will only be in this one film!
Thor: The Dark World will be released next November.

X-Men: First Class Sequel Is Titled
The sequel to the hugely popular X-Men prequel, X-Men: First Class, has been given a title. The film's producer Bryan Singer confirmed in an interview with IGN that the new film will be called X-Men: Days Of Future Past, and will be loosely based on the 1981 comic of the same title.
In the interview, Singer also said that he would like to "broaden out" the X-Men universe, meaning the new film could potentially feature some of the cast from the original trilogy.
To watch the full interview, click here. (IGN)

Writer Confirmed For Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy
Marvel studios have confirmed that Chris McCoy will be reworking Nicole Periman's draft for upcoming Guardians Of The Galaxy. McCoy is a relatively new name to Hollywood, and is yet to have a big screen work to his name. His tone is quirky and comedic, which makes sense for a film starring a gun-wielding raccoon and a half man, half tree.
For more on this story, click here. (Hollywood Reporter)

New Trailer For Cockneys Vs. Zombies
The first trailer has been released for Cockneys Vs. Zombies. As the title of the film suggests, this trailer is full of swearing, violence and fountains of blood and guts. Viewer discretion before watching the trailer is recommended.

Russell Crowe To Take On Stephen King's The Dark Tower?

Turning Stephen King's Dark Tower novels into a movie franchise has been talked about for around five years now, but there seems to have been a step forward. Warner Bros. have said that they will deliver a decision on whether they want to go ahead with a film and accompanying TV series within 2 weeks, while actor Russell Crowe is said to be in talks about taking on the lead role as the gunslinger Roland Deschain.

For more on this story, click here. (Deadline)

Prometheus Sequel Confirmed

Fox has confirmed that there will be a sequel to Ridley Scott's Prometheus, the sci-fi horror that returned Scott to the Alien universe. Although the film received mixed reviews, it made alot of money at the box office, and seems enough to warrant it another film. Actors Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender are confirmed for returning for the sequel, but writer Damon Lindelof due to other commitments. Fox is apparently talking to other writers.

For more on this story, click here. (Hollywood Reporter)

For our spoiler-free review of Prometheus, click here. (ME!)

Jon Favreau To Direct Film Of Jersey Boys

The director behind last years Cowboys and Aliens, Jon Favreau, has been confirmed to direct the upcoming musical film Jersey Boys. Jersey Boys is currently a very successful stage show on both The West End and Broadway and tells the story of the 60s group The Four Seasons. Now we're just waiting for casting news.

Joss Whedon Confirmed For The Avengers 2

Disney have confirmed that Joss Whedon will return to direct and write the sequel to the smash-hit superhero film The Avengers. He will also be involved in an Avengers TV series. The release date it seems is likely to be may 1st, 2015! That is after Captain america: The Winter Soldier and Iron Man 3 in 2013 and Thor: The Dark World and Guardians Of The Galaxy in 2014! (It is unclear when Ant Man is set to be released)

For more on this story, click here. (Newsarama)

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters Will Be Bloody, Violent and R-Rated

Here's a weird one to watch. Since making dark fairytale films seems to be a bit of a craze at the moment, Paramount have turned round with this wacky idea. This week they confirmed that this film would be very gory, and will definately be R-Rated. It will star Jeremy Renner (Bourne Legacy) as Hansel and Gemma Arterton (Quantum Of Solace) as Gretel.

New Trailer for Looper

Snow White and The Huntsman 2? Or Just The Huntsman?

Some sources claim that the upcoming sequel to Snow White and The Huntsman will focus on The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and maybe not even include Snow White (Kristen Stewart) at all. It may even be a spin off movie with a different name!

So there's alot of news to keep you going. Tomorrow, the return of The Crunch!

Tom :)

GAME NEWS - This is a Thing!

Soo there hasn't been a news thing since about this time last month so here is a short summary of the most important things.

EVERYTHING

•Red Dead Redemption 2 is a thing

•Battlefield 4 is a thing and will be set in the same time period as Battlefield 3

•Deadpool Game announced! Arguably the best superhero woop for marvel! See trailer here!

•WarZ is a thing (it is an open world MMO zombie thing)

•Remember Me is a thing which looks really good, see some gameplay here! You play with peoples memory's it looks really cool! Check it out.

•Dance Central 3 is coming out on October 19

•Mists of Pandaria for WOW comes out on September 25 with its kung fu pandas and everything

•Little Big Planet Karting comes out November 9 and yes it is identical to Mod Nation Racers which I really liked ... for a month then I got bored and sold!

•Sleeping Dogs (Good Trailer), Darksiders 2 and Super Mario Bros 2 (along with the 3DS XL) came out /are coming out this week ish.

•There might be a Prince of Persia reboot

•Lots of DLC announces for MM3 and lots for AC3 and more, you will know about it is you like the game!

COD
Black Ops 2 Multiplayer is ditching the kill streak for a point streak meaning the game is more focused on being careful and working as a team ... hahah that is never going to happen!
Another change for Black Ops 2 is that it has a new system meaning you can only fill 10 slots per thing meaning you can switch a secondary weapon for a perk or something else.
New trailer for Black Ops Declassified on Vita and they revealed some details about it!

GTA Gallery


New Consoles!
So Apple have a patient for a controller like thing that looks the same as a dual shock for the PS3 could it be that this will connect with your devices to promote better gaming on apple devices maybe with a few tweeks to Apple TV we will get a new game console! Could this be a thing?

More exiting is the new Oculus Rift which is a thing. I hope some people make some scary or imersive movies for this thing! Unfortunately it does have a poor resolution. just watch the video:

The kickstarter

Kieron :O