The Girl Who Played With Fire

The second of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy is just as page-turnery and unputdownable as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, though it does stretch credibility to breaking point - or, more appropriately, shoot credibility in the brain then bury it in a shallow grave in the woods. Unlike the previous book, the plot this time lands squarely on the doorstep of our titular, angry-goth-feminist-icon,...

Scott Pilgrim Vs. Cinema Audiences

If you're sick of reading glowing fanboy reviews of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, you might want to click away now. There's very little for me to add beyond: LOVED IT. All the potential from the comic, fully realised, in - arguably - a medium even better suited to telling this particular story than black & white semi-manga. As I've said before about Scott Pilgrim, the biggest thing this comic always...

PIRANHA (2010)

MyRating: YYY1/2Director: Alexandre AjaCast: Elisabeth Shue, Stephen R. McQueen, Jerry O'Connell, Adam Scott, Ving Rhames, Jessica Szohr, Kelly Brook, Riley Steele, Christopher Lloyd, Eli Roth, Richard DreyfussMPAA: Rated R for sequences of strong bloody horror violence and gore, graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug useHoliday on the beach will never be the same again! Maybe we have...

Thoughtballoons - John Constantine

This week's Thoughtballoons character choice was mine. Only my second time at bat, and once I'd gotten the most obvious choice out of the way... who was next?Who else... but the second obvious choice?If you've got a problem with the occult, and no one else can help... go find Dr. Strange, Daimon Hellstrom or Dr. Thirteen. Pray you don't ever get desperate enough to need John Constantine. Because the...

The Wedding Present Go Bizarro In Holmfirth

Congratulate me, I managed to stand up for a whole gig without too much discomfort. Still some discomfort, but nowhere near how bad I felt when I saw Ash back in April. Maybe the chiropractor is having some effect after all! He reckons I have weak knees which might be adding to the pain in my back when I'm standing. So he's got me wearing knee braces when walking, which are definitely helping manage the pain. Why not try them at a gig? Hey... there...

Friday Flash - The Cleaner

I've managed another #FridayFlash short story this week... but don't start taking them for granted. I won't be able to do one every week!The CleanerMe and Lisa, we both worked hard. Long hours, late nights – we were earning decent money, but never had any free time to enjoy it. The last thing we wanted was to spend our weekends scrubbing the bath or mopping the kitchen floor. So at risk of being mocked...

Thoughtballoons - Jubilee

After many years of getting very annoyed with Chris Claremont's increasing need to overwrite every single word balloon, I finally gave up reading Uncanny X-Men in the late 80s (around the time scratchy old Mark Silvestri took over on art). I didn't pick the book up again until Grant Morrison jumped on board, and by then it was another century. As a result, I know very little about this week's Thoughtballoons...

August Listening

So what am I listening to at the moment? You know you want to know.First though, for everyone who found themselves staggering under the weight of all that relentless misery last week... This Is A Happy Song by Superman Revenge Squad.I always found Guillemots a rather frustrating band. They lured me in with classic indie pop singles like Made Up Love Song #43 and Annie, Let's Not Wait then bored my pants off with half-arsed albums full of much beard...

The Universe Hates Me

We all have those moments (or, at least, I presume it's not just me) when it seems like some higher power is mocking us. God, Fate, Mephisto, Loki, Mxyplyzyk, Tyler Durden, The Impossible Man, Grant Morrison, the rabbit from Donnie Darko... I dunno, whichever of those dudes you believe in. Those moments when the twisted writer in charge of our lives sticks a knife in our joy balloons and 'pop'. Those...

National Get A Decent Artist Into The Charts Day

My favourite British female singer songwriter is, and has been for a good many years now, Thea Gilmore. She writes smart, incisive lyrics and sings like an angel. She's something of a critical darling, the music press all seem aware of her greatness, yet sadly this has yet to be communicated to the great unwashed. Largely this is because Thea isn't on a major label - and doesn't want to be on a major label. She prefers the creative freedom of being...

The Cattle Raid Of Cooley - Duel!

Patrick Brown's wonderful translation of ancient Irish legends returns, and chapter 3 focusses on an exciting and amusing duel between teenage border guard Cú Chulainn and his chosen challenger from the invading army of Connacht. It's a beautifully rendered action sequence that proves why Patrick's decision to retell these old stories in comic book form was such an excellent idea. Also in this issue,...

Friday Flash - He's Just A Lickle Kid

After taking time out to write a new play (There's More Where That Came From), a few short stories for competition entry and a couple of new strips for PJANG, I've gone back to my latest novel, which is cheerfully titled I Wish, Wish, Wish You Were Dead, Dead, Dead. It's a love story. I'm about three quarters of the way through, but it's a long, soul-destroying process full of dread, self-doubt and...

To Kill A Mockingbird

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the original publication of To Kill A Mockingbird, so it seemed a good time to pull the book down off the shelf and give it another read. What can I write about Mockingbird that hasn't already been said? Very little. It is a timeless classic, and rightfully so. Its theme of racial integration in the deep south of America is one we've seen time and time again...

Top Ten Misery Songs

In a change to the expected programme, we take a break from Top Tens about popular beverages, and take a request from the floor instead. Kelvin didn't actually ask for a Top Ten Misery Songs... but he's getting it anyway. 10. Graham Coxon - Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery ( From Happiness in Magazines)Kelvin thinks this sounds suspiciously similar GC's solo Blur outing Coffee & TV. I'm not sure I...

Thoughtballoons - Scott Pilgrim

This week's Thoughtballoons character is our first to exist outside the Marvel or DC universes, the star of a new film by Shaun Of The Dead's Edgar Wright (not yet released in the UK so I can't give you my review - but the trailer looks ace), Scott Pilgrim. I've only read the first of Bryan Lee O'Malley's seven Scott Pilgrim books but it's a great concept, mixing slice-of-life indie bedsit angst with...

5-IN-1 MINI REVIEWS (PART-1)

LEAP YEAR (2010), TOOTH FAIRY (2010), LEGION (2010), WHEN IN ROME (2010), THE LOSERS (2010)LEAP YEAR (2010)MyRating: YY1/2Director: Anand TuckerCast: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, Adam Scott, John LithgowMPAA: Rated PG for sensuality and languageUS Gross: US$ 25.9 MillionWorldwide Gross: US$ 31.7 MillionThe lovely Amy Adams stars in this romantic comedy about a woman who decides to propose her boyfriend...

THE LAST AIRBENDER (2010)

MyRating: YY1/2Director: M. Night ShyamalanCast: Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Aasif Mandvi, Cliff Curtis, Shaun Toub, Seychelle Gabriel MPAA: Rated PG for fantasy action violenceWhen Aang (Ringer) is being found, after 100 years of disappearance, by siblings from a Southern Water Tribe, Katara (Peltz) and Sokka (Rathbone), the world that is in chaos seems to finally find...

30 Songs - Day 14

Day 14 - A Song No One Would Expect You To Love As with the previous day's quest for my Guilty Pleasure song, I struggled to think of a song no one would expect me to love. Then I remembered a tune that's been kicking around in my head all week from Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip... The duo first came to my notice with their hilarious and biting list-song Thou Shalt Always Kill, but though that track had its roots in rap and drum 'n' bass, its heart...