Killer Klowns From Outer Space

There once was a young boy who spent many an evening in the video rental store his Mum worked in watching movies in a backroom. His Mum was a conscientious lady who would always check the video boxes to ensure he only watch appropriate content. Unfortunately she didn't check inside the boxes and that was how, smuggled inside a copy of The Jetsons Meet The Flinstones, the boy came to watch Killer Klowns From Outer Space.

I've never forgotten that movie. Though meant as a comedy I saw it only as a terrifying horror remembering for a long time the cotton candy corpse cocoons and the girl in the balloon. I watched it again on Youtube a few years ago and considered it a bit blah.

I watched it again last night in far better, legal, format. And I have to say, it has really held up well. The music is actually pretty good, the Klowns themselves look amazing considering the movie was made 30 years ago and the acting is vastly superior to almost every other b-movie made since (just look at how bad Hobgoblins was!).

And there's some genuine creepy stuff in this movie. The popcorn creatures (again holding up well), the cotton candy and the drinking straws, the ventriloquist act with the police officer and the Klown trying to entice the little girl out of the fast food restaurant.

Two things let it down:

1) the underpinning of the whole movie of having Killer Klowns from Outer Space. All they needed to do was imply, as done at points with Stephen King's IT, that they only saw the aliens as clowns because the puny human brain can't conceive of what they really are. When we see kill someone with acidic cream pies, we're just IMAGINING that as to conceive of what really happened was too horrific. That would've added a much-needed dimension of creepiness and believability.
2) the comedy is shit. I mean, REALLY shit. The Klown kapers are one thing, but the Terenzi brothers nearly ruin the movie. And they unbelievably survive. There's no justice in this movie.

But overall it really holds up. In the hands of the right people the proposed sequel or a reboot could actually be genuinely terrifying or even funny! This is one b-movie that only gets better with age.

Meg - Finally Coming To A Cinema Near Us Soon?

As with Jurassic Park IV (thank Thor that itch is now scratched), I've waited a hell of a long time for news about Meg. 

Karen Carr CC

In 2006 I read Steve Alten's "Meg". It was a reasonably fun take on the idea that prehistoric marine animals (especially megalodons, giant sharks for the unaware) continue to survive deep within the Marinas Trench and on what happens if one finds its way to the surface. Even then there was talk of "Soon To Be A Major Movie". So I started looking forward to it. Well... it's been a long time in development hell (since 1997 in fact!!). In that time Alten has written several sequel novels. 

So it was with some scepticism that I first heard this year that production was now, finally, moving ahead with a release date set for 2018.

Starring Jason Statham and Jessica McNamee, it is being produced by Warner Bros. (it could be worse, it could be Sony!) and directed by Eli Roth (I actually like Cabin Fever and The Hostel so who knows how this'll turn out). 

It's time to start getting excited about ginormous sharks!! 

Geeky Movies To Get Excited About In 2016!

Geeks have inherited the Earth... It is a veritable geekgasm at the cinema this year. I'm looking forward to quite a bit indeed... 

The 5th Wave

It's an early release in January but it is definitely my wildcard choice. I've heard very little about it but I'm interested to see how good this ends up being.

Deadpool

X-Men movies from Fox are slippery beasts often hitting quality highs minutes before scrapping the bottom of the cliche barrel. But Deadpool is a character I've come to really know only over the last few years thanks mainly to his stint in Uncanny X-Force. He is HILARIOUS. I'm tentatively excited for this one!

Star Trek Beyond 

The first trailer for the next Star Trek movie has been met with a less than favourable response. I'm a life-long Star Trek fan (spending most of my paper round money on Star Trek Fact Files and video Deep Space Nine VHSs) so I'm not yet ready to give up on this. I'm not a "Abrams-verse" hater, though I'm desperate for a continuation of the original universe, and I enjoyed Star Trek Into Darkness (somewhat anyway). I'm prepared to make this my first "excitement milestone" for 2016. Not long to go!! 

X-Men: Apocalypse

X-Men is another life-long franchise love of mine. I've enjoyed the last couple of movies more than I was expecting and I'm liking the approach Singer is taking. And Apocalypse is one of those villains from the 80s one just has to love. I'm really, really looking forward to seeing him and the X-Men get busy with the "snikt"-ing. 

Finding Dory

TOO. EXCITED. TO. TYPE. 

Star Wars: Rogue One

Star Wars. That is all. 

Also coming up... 

Captain America: Civil War

The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist

Warcraft 

Suicide Squad 

Gambit

Doctor Strange

Expected Disappointments... 

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

Ghostbusters

Jumanji - TOO SOON.

My First Thoughts On #StarWarsTheForceAwakens. #HereBeSpoilers

First off: THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW!!! 

So... just before midnight on Thursday my other half and I arrived at the Vue Cinema at Westwood Cross to find a crowd of Stormtropper onesie wearers and untrained lightsaber wielders. It was great to see such an enthusiastic crowd of over a 1000 fans in little old east Kent. 

As the Lucasfilm logo came up and the opening scroll began, I have to admit that not only did a little thrill of excitement run through my body but a small tear formed in my eye. We were finally here... a new Star Wars movie. 

My overall impression is positive. It was well-written, the acting was a major improvement over the prequels and there was plenty of action. I left the cinema feeling pleased that I'd seen a good movie. 

Despite seeing a lot of complaints about Rey's characterisation, I really liked Daisy Ridley's performance, and thought Rey was a really strong character. Sure her sudden mastery of force abilities seems a little much but this is space fantasy. When it comes to the fun stuff I'm willing to let a lot go. Loved her interactions with BB-8 early on and really loved the Jedi mind trick scene with Daniel Craig's Stormtrooper. 

Finn was not as annoying as I thought he'd be. He was actually quite a good addition to the series. 

BB-8 was just as excellent as we'd been led to expect. LOVED him/it. 

Han and Chewie. LOVED. 

So yeah, all good right? 

Well... no. This was not a perfect movie. It was not disappointing like Jurassic World was. But still... could do better. 

My major, major issue is how meaningless Han's death was. The Starkiller base was destroyed. The threat over. There should've been more mourning. The biggest thing for me is when the Falcon returns to the Resistance base and Chewie and Rey disembark. Chewie walks straight past Leia, and Leia only has eyes for Rey who she hugs. 

I'm sorry but... Chewie has just lost his best friend and Leia has just lost the love of her life. If Leia and Han were married then Leia and Chewie are basically family. Even if it has just been a quick embrace, I really cannot imagine Chewie or Leia NOT acknowledging each other at such a crucial moment. 

I know. I know. Such a fanboy nitpick but... I love Chewie and he needs some loving! 

R2-D2's coma was... meh. 

The whole plot was such a rehash of A New Hope that it was a little dull. 

Captain Phasma was the big disappointment in the movie for me. I wanted so much more. I hope we see her again and with a better story. 

But these are nitpicks. Overall it was an excellent movie, I look forward to seeing it again. And again. And again. 

Jongens

Jongens is a Dutch coming of age movie featuring Gijs Blom and Ko Zandvliet. Blom plays Sieger, a teenager living with his Dad and brother and on the running team with Zandvliet's character Marc.

Marc is gay and Sieger... well he's "questioning". They slowly fall in love. It is the usual sweet story with the usual bumps in the road. It is shot really well with a great soundtrack and some really good acting which moves it up above the vast crowd of such movies out there.

It isn't perfect however. Some of the actions of the characters don't come over very realistically (Sieger's father picks up Sieger's brother from the police station for joy-riding and by the end of the day has given him a brand new motorbike, for example!). And Sieger's character makes some odd decisions (like arranging a date with Marc, ditching it then fighting with Marc when they cross paths later that evening). But overall it is a really lovely little movie with a good portrayal of those exciting post-pubescent years.

Of course Blom being drop-dead gorgeous helped somewhat too.

So January 2015, What Goodies Have You Got For Me?

Project Almanac

This looks like it might be interesting. I HATE "found footage" movies generally (the last movie I saw in 2014 was unfortunately Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, you can never get that time back) but this one is about time travel (and the butterfly effect) which is something that generally gets me excited. The first review doesn't seem all that bad (for a found footage movie!). I'll definitely check this out as soon as possible.

12 Monkeys

Mmm... more time travel. Based on fact it is a Syfy series I'm unsure about whether it'll be any good or not but its at least a welcome addition to genre TV. I'm looking forward to trying this out.

Star Wars 

A new comics era begins as the now Disney owned Star Wars returns to the now Disney owned Marvel. Yes I was sad to see Dark Horse stop publishing Star Wars but I'm pleased to see a new, canon approved, comic with all-new adventures for our favourite rebels. Who knows where it might take us and what parts of the Galaxy we might get to see. Excited!! Out January 14th. 

Uncanny Avengers

Rick Remender is up there with Scott Snyder as one of my current favourite comic writers. Uncanny Avengers is getting relaunched in January and I can't wait to see what fun (for which see terribly traumatic moments) he has in store for us with this new team. Plus.. .Rogue. :) 

Exciting Geeky Stuff Ahead In 2015

2015 is shaping up to be an exciting year for my inner-geek (Jae Fact: I'm 75% inner-geek). Thought I'd take a look at what is upcoming.

Movies

Jupiter Ascending

The Matrix was THE sci-fi event of my teens. The Wachowskis are returning to original movie sci-fi and regardless of whether it turns out to be any good I have to applaud any attempt at a non-sequel, non-novel adaption, non-superhero take on the genre. The trailer makes it look rather epic.

Jurassic World 

How long have we waited for this? FOREVER. I cannot begin to express how eager I am to see this. I was an absolutely Jurassic Park FREAK when I was 10 and I will attempt to out FREAK 10 year old Jae this time too. Plus... Chris Pratt is HOT.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

I own the Star Wars Encyclopaedia. I own vehicle guides, novels, comics and I even give the prequel trilogy a get out of jail free card. I'm that sort of Star Wars fan. I am sooooooo excited to get a new Star Wars movie. :)

So Many Marvel Movies 

10 years ago could you imagine Marvel releasing so many movies of such high quality in such a short space of time? Now we are just spoilt for choice! From the Marvel Cinematic Universe we have Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man upcoming with Age of Ultron looking absolutely fantastic.

Fox is also treating us to a reboot of Fantastic Four, something it very much needed (Jae Fact: Jae once disrupted filming on Rise of the Silver Surfer when he insisted on sticking to his normal walk to work filming or no filming. They weren't amused). I hope it won't be disappointing.

Terminator Genisys

Terminator canon is becoming very tricky, and the number of actors playing certain roles is starting to get a bit silly BUT Arnold Schwarzenegger is back and Terminator remains a foundational franchise in my rise to geekhood. I'm interested to see if some of the coolness of the first two movies can be salvaged and restored.

London Has Fallen

Olympus Has Fallen (along with White House Down) was my "I shouldn't really like it but I do" breakout movie of 2013. So its sequel set in London is something I'll be keen to keep a close eye on. 

Television 

Westworld 

I'm just intrigued as to how they are going to evolve this story into a TV series. Second Michael Crichton property to pique my interest in 2015, his legacy lives on at least!

More Marvel TV 

Marvel is taking over the world. In 2015 Agent Carter and Daredevil join Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D in representing the MCU on the small screen. Daredevil is the first of the Netflix series which will hopefully expand the MCU in interesting ways. 

Parks and Recreation 

Parks and Recreation is coming to an end. Sad times. It is an acquired taste but it is one that I actually did acquire. Wonderful show, great performances and Chris Pratt. Mmm... 

Comics 

Marvel

A new era in Star Wars awaits us as Lucasfilm's new sister company, Marvel, takes over Star Wars comics from Dark Horse. 

With the Expanded Universe now a thing of the past, we'll have to see where Disney's more canon-friendly approach takes us. But my pull-list is going to be heaving!

In other news... Spider-Man 2099 returns to the 2099 universe... yet another look back to young Jae's favourite things.

DC

Hmm... DC's New 52 (something that re-ignited a long dormant love of comics in me) has turned sour and seems to lack direction (with the honourary exception of some comics like Snyder's Batman). I will keep an eye on DC's April 2015 "Convergence" event to see if the outcome of that brings some spirit back to the DC Universe. 

Jurassic World Is Really, Really Happening (SPOILERS)

Forgive me for being ever sceptical but I've been looking forward to Jurassic Park IV (now titled Jurassic World) for quite a long time and there have been many disappointments on the road. But with filming well under way and information leaking from the set I think that I can finally sit back and start getting excited!

So what's the goss?

20 odd years after the original Jurassic Park's collapse a new dinosaur park has been built in its place on Isla Nublar (for the uninitiated, Lost World and JPIII took place on Isla Sorna AKA "Site B", we've not revisited Isla Nublar since the first movie). Jurassic World is a successful attraction but the blasé (or perhaps jaded) people of the world have grown bored and visitor numbers are falling. 

In an attempt to create a sensational new exhibit which will get Jurassic World the attention of the world once more, the park's scientists have developed a new dinosaur (possibly called Diabolus Rex). And that seems to be where things go wrong...

There was a lot of fanboy rage when the concept of a "genetically enhanced" dinosaur was first mooted. However, as Colin Trevorrow has implied, this is actually a concept from the original Michael Crichton novel.

In a scene near the end of the book Henry Wu, the much put upon genius behind the successful cloning of dinosaurs, laments that John Hammond will not let him further augment his creations to make them more entertaining and less dangerous. Though Hammond is keen on an authentic experience it transpires that the current "versions" of species in the park have already been manipulated to be more palatable to prospective visitors as it was felt that the speed and aggression "real" dinosaurs (i.e. the first batch that Wu created) would not be in keeping with visitor's expectations of slow and plodding creatures that early paleontologists had theorised about.

And with Henry Wu due to make a return appearance in Jurassic World, it seems likely Hammond's passed away and his "talents" are being used to their fullest (though, of course, it may be his character will be the one who understands the dangers of what is being done and tries to stop it).

So I'm pretty stoked to see exactly what this new dinosaur looks like. With big crowds and new exhibits I'm pretty sure the opening scenes are going to look pretty fantastic.

I'm particularly looking forward to at least a glimpse of a mosasaur or two! My ten year old self, sat there reading Jurassic Park and desperately looking forward to the original movie, would be very proud of my high levels of excitement. :) Roll on my birthday week 2015... (well timed there Universal!)

Will X-Men: Days of Future Past Manage To Confuse The X-Men Movie Canon Even More?

So...

When X-Men: First Class came out, it seemed to be a complete reboot of the franchise. Surely it couldn't be anything else given the many conflicts it had with the original X-Men movie trilogy. At the time IGN made a fantastic Youtube video pointing out the problems...



Well now we've got the first footage from Days of Future Past, and I'm starting to wonder just how much more confusing things are going to get.



Of course this movie includes (well at least I hope it does!) time travelling mayhem which almost certainly means that on top of any "canon" confusion we have, we'll have a whole bunch of new confusion too.

But where does Storm fit in to all this? An adult in the first trilogy and a child in First Class, we have Halle Berry returning as grown up Storm. Is she from the future? Does it matter? It is obvious the writers are just going to write what ever works best, canon be damned. But for fanboys like me, and I'm not suggesting writers write for us fanboys alone!, if can be a little annoying.

Wolverine appears too... which furthers the already existing continuity problems.

We'll know more on Tuesday when the first full trailer will appear! Am I excited? HELL YES!!

Jurassic World: What We "Know" So Far

I've been excited about Jurassic Park IV since forever. It has spent so long in development hell that, after it was delayed from 2014 to 2015, I simply shrugged my shoulders and ignored it all as, to be perfectly honest, my Jurassic Park loving heart couldn't bear the prospect of another failed attempt.

But now my Google Alerts are coming thick and fast, choke full of casting news and excitement.

So what do we know?

Jurassic Park IV has been re-titled as Jurassic World. Whilst my ever dinosaur hungry brain hopes this means it'll be a (better executed) take on World War Z with dinosaur outbreaks around the world, I suspect we'll be looking at a "Jurassic World" park akin to Disney World (with awesome dinosaurs so about 10 times better). This also fits in with Sam Neill's comments that it'll be a "total re-jig". Some have taken those comments to mean it'll be a reboot or remake. I'd say we are looking at a soft reboot, keeping what happened before but starting off somewhere completely new (and probably in the USA rather than Costa Rica). I.e. Jurassic Park for a new generation but not destroying the "canon" (little though there is of it!).

It is currently due for release June 12, 2015 (just before my birthday so please keep to this people!!), and will be directed by Colin Trevorrow (who is also co-writing the remake of Flight of the Navigator, so if he messes either up he'll be the subject of some serious Fanboy Jae Rage!). He's made comments suggesting there will be a super fantastic new dinosaur. Though I think the Spinosaurus killing a T-Rex scene in JPIII was a step too far, I'm totally up for seeing what wonderful prehistoric creature they bring to the screen.

There are plenty of rumours over whether Sam Neill or Jeff Goldblum will return (personally I'd love to see Laura Dern's Sattler come back, she was a damn cool character in the first novel and Laura Dern gave her some strength in JP but she didn't get enough of a chance to shine). But we are starting to get some relatively firm news over which new actors will be joining the fun.

Ty Simpkins, of Iron Man 3 fame, appears to have cast which keeps in with the tradition of children among the main characters. Rumours have appeared suggesting Josh Brolin, Idris Elba and Jake Johnson have also been approached. With the male leads in hot contention, there's little news on any actresses as yet. I'm hoping this means LAURA DERN.

A boy can dream...

Jurassic Park IV: This Time They Really Are Doing It (Probably)

I have been looking forward to Jurassic Park IV for quite some time. We have had a hundred false starts, ever year it has been postponed by another year or two.

Well this time it looks like they mean business! They have set a release date of June 13 2014 which is the firmest evidence we've been given yet that this project is moving forward.

I truly hope they do the franchise justice and take it off in a direction that will allow it to flourish and create ever more media... Jurassic Park is my favourite franchise.

In other related news.... In anticipation of the release of Jurassic Park 3D this year, The Asylum has announced the production of a new mockbuster "Age of Dinosaurs". Here is the synopsis.

Using breakthrough flesh-regeneration technology, a biotech firm creates a set of living dinosaurs. But when the creatures escape their museum exhibit and terrorize Los Angeles, a former firefighter must rescue his teenage daughter from the chaos brought on by the Age of Dinosaurs.

I am a "fan" of The Asylum stuff simply because it amuses me but I really hope they try to make this one good. It could be epic if only they get some people who can act.

Anyway... excited for JPIV!!!

I Don't Have A Bad Feeling About This: Disney Star Wars FTW

I suppose it is time for full disclosure. Before I became obsessed with science fiction in all its many forms, I was a Disney fan.

It all started when I was about 5 and my Auntie's boyfriend was collecting Ducktales characters from Kinder eggs (he was about 15, so don't judge him too harshly!). I absolutely adored looking at them as I passed them on the stairs. Around that time I also became profoundly jealous when I found my cousin, who had taken over my room in my Nan's house after my Mum and I moved out, had got the room decorated with a large wall painting of Dumbo! I perused my Jungle Book merchandise and began a collection of Disney paraphernalia which would last until we abandoned our home, yes literally abandoned in the middle of the night, when I was 10 and it (along with my beloved Ghostbuster's toys and Monster in my Pockets) was lost to me forever.

I loved the movies; the Rescuers, the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and I pined to visist Euro Disney. I never did get the chance.

So needless to say, I still have a soft spot for Disney even today. Even so when Disney purchased Marvel (which had almost seemlessly replaced Disney in my affections during our escape from Snodland to Folkestone) I was concerned. Was Disney going to totally mess up Marvel? I needn't have worried. Marvel goes from strength to strength, its new Marvel NOW! initiative is looking good and its Marvel movie universe is taking over the cinema.

So this week, when we got the surprise news that Disney was acquiring LucasFilm, I was happy rather than sad. The Star Wars universe has become sleeping giant, its full potential laying dormant. It need a new direction, a new leash of life. And I think Disney purchasing LucasFilm will provide it with the necessary kick up the bum to get it whirring back into action. Disney are going to want to see a return on their investment, and thus I think the next few years will be a new dawn for Star Wars even beyond the announcement of Episode VII.

Disney, Marvel and Star Wars. Together. Did all my Christmases just arrive at once? I think they did!!

Another Shark Movie... With A Controversial Budget

After yesterday's shark post, I've found another upcoming shark movie. This time it comes from Australia and looks absolutely awesome based on the trailer.



Part of this awesome factor might be because this 3D movie is receiving state funding. And that's proving controversial given the portrayal of sharks as killing machines when they are far more at risk from us than we are from them. Read more here.

The A-Team

The A-Team is far more enjoyable than Predators was. 

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I thought it looked like total crap; cheesy and generic. But actually, apart from the rather dull ending, it's a very fun and engaging movie that holds your interest for a good while. 

Unfortunately it's let down by the lacklustre ending. If it hadn't been for that I'd put this movie as one of my favourites of the year... good acting, good script, good simple story and plenty of action. But alas, nothing's perfect. So I'd rate this a "Give it a look if you've nothing better to do". 

Predators

I'm a franchise fan. Predator was a masterpiece, Predator II was great, Aliens Vs Predator was alright and AVP:R was.... well absolutely awful but I watched it. That's how much of a fan I am. 

I've had July's release of Predators set in my diary for a while and was really looking forward to it. Alas, it turns out to be yet another bitter disappointment. 

The pacing was all wrong. In Predator, the slow parts were short and useful for building up the tension. In Predators, the slow parts of the bulk of the movie and were useful for story advancement but failed to build up the tension at all. I didn't feel the characters were in constant jeopardy, as they should have been, and I didn't feel excited or interested about their fates. Each death came with inevitability rather than surprise. Each death was in fact far from sudden. You knew it was coming. And you just don't care. 

The acting was decent, the filming alright, the overall story had promise. But the weird, glaring errors (despite being out in the open often, none of them noticed the planets above their heads until they reached a scenic clifftop setting!!) and the total lack of pacing leads this movie to be on a par with AvP. Alright but not recommended. It's worth a watch if it comes on the telly, but don't part with any hard earned money for it!

Clash Of The Titans

Last weekend Jim and I had a nice day out in London, which we ended with a trip to the cinema to see Clash of the Titans. 

I was expecting great things. A film steeped in Greek mythology (well themes thereof), with great special effects and hot men. How could it go wrong? 

By being dull, derivative and plain. This is not a BAD movie. I wasn't sitting there cringing and I didn't find the act appalling. But I was sat there wondering when the movie would get going. It never did. It was one boring scene after another and no reprieve. 

The ending was ridiculously simple, the Kraken being defeated so easily that any possible tension or excitement was completely lost. 

Avoid this movie if you can!

Dinoshark

Eric Balfour - The Only Good Thing About This Movie

You see something titled "Dinoshark" and you hope for a truly awesome B-movie. You're thinking Jaws meets Jurassic Park, and you get overly excited at the prospect.

Alas. I have very low standards. I love B-movies! LOVE 'EM. I accept a certain level of bad special effects and terrible acting.

But... Dinoshark mixes the very worst special effects money can't buy and awful acting little seen since "Leeches"  and comes up with diddly squat. There's no tension, no suspense, nothing. If it had simply straight copied the scenes from Jaws it would have been better. Instead we get simple attack after uneventful attack. Boring

Eric Balfour is the only good thing in this movie, but that makes it even worse... when you have someone actually acting talking to someone trying desperately to act it only shows the flaws up even more clearly.

 Lesson learnt: SyFy (don't you hate their rebranding??) TV movies are just never going to get any better.

Alien Prequel Vs Predators

With Predators due to be released later this year and Ridley Scott's return to the Alien franchise almost a given, it's time to start getting excited!

Below are the first on set pictures from the production of Predators, a film I trust will see us put the AvP franchise to bed and return us to firmer movie ground.

And if the rumours are to be believed we might even get a brief cameo by his most sexiness himself...

And an Alien prequel would be very, very exciting. With the mess made by Alien3 and Alien Resurrection, it's probably good to return to a time when the Xenomorphs were terrifying. Most exciting stuff indeed!

Dinoshark and Sharktopus: Seriously!

Imagine a world in which movies with titles like Dinoshark and Sharktopus can exist. Imagine no more... Dread Central brings us some info on what surely must be considered the most eagerly awaiting B-Movies of the year!

And in other exciting news from Sci-Fi Wire, it looks like Steven Spielberg might be returning to sci-fi telly with a time travelling family AND DINOSAURS! If Terra Nova is greenlit I promise to bow down before Rupert Murdoch and never say mean things about Fox again (unless they then cancel it). Spielberg. Dinosaurs. Just keep saying it. *sigh*

Coming Soon - 10.1

Oh... this year we have some real gems coming to a movie screen near me (and you, but I'm terribly important don't you know?! ;) ) Here's the first part of a continuing series...

Nightmare On Elm Street (2010) - a remake, a reboot, a reimagining; call it what you will, let's just hope it can live up to expectations. My first Freddy Kruger experience occurred when I was 5 or 6. My young uncle had been left to babysit me and thought it'd be amusing for us to watch the original movie. Let's just say I found it hard enough to get to sleep at all after that, let alone sleeping anywhere near my bed!

Perhaps because of this experience I've never really been a fan. I love the Friday 13th series, and I love the Halloween series, but Nightmare has never really done it for me. Maybe this reboot might change that... with new actors and perhaps a new twist, it's going to be very interesting to see!

Alice In Wonderland - Tim Burton. Tim Burton. Tim Burton. Is there any director who stirs more emotion than he? I loved Beetlejuice and Mars Attacks. I HATED Planet of the Apes and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I have grave concerns and huge hopes for what Alice In Wonderland might be like.

Having seen some trailers for it, it does look like it's going to be pretty damn awesome... mixing Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's usual craziness with an already crazy story.

If this works, it might be the best movie of 2010. If it doesn't, Tim Burton will carry on regardless...

Toy Story 3 - Hmm... for my birthday this year I'd like a movie which is fun, light hearted, exciting, charming and full of heart. With Toy Story 3 being released on 18 June, I think I might in luck!

Only the stony-hearted, mean-spirited scrooges among us could fail to have fallen in love with at least one of the first two movies... I cannot wait!