Films seen so far this year: 92

Dreading Indiana Jones: A Rant
Don't get me wrong - I love the Indiana Jones movies. If Lucas, Spielberg and Ford had made the fourth film three years after the last one, I'd be as excited as all hell. However, there are three big factors at work that are really making me dread the new one. 1) The trailer – see below. Try as I might, I just can't get excited about it. I'm not feeling the love. Yeah, sure, the hat, the theme tune, the whip, I …

Films seen so far this year: 83

The Talented Mr Minghella, RIP
Like many film fans, I was saddened by the death of director Anthony Minghella last week, aged just 54. He only made one film that I genuinely loved (The Talented Mr Ripley) but I always looked forward to seeing what he'd do next. As it turned out, his film of Alexander McCall Smith's The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (screened on BBC1 on Easter Sunday, the precursor to a forthcoming series) was a fitting final send-off: it was perfectly cast and it captured the laid back nature of the books beautifully, tying several different story …

Films seen so far this year: 74

“Flee! Flee! In terror from the badness...” - The Worst Movies of 2007
Film reviewing, eh? Sounds like a great job, doesn't it? Well, okay, maybe it is, but make no mistake, there's a downside. For example, on Monday I had to sit through two utterly dreadful films that will almost certainly be among the worst movies of 2008: Meet the Spartans and the upcoming Paris Hilton vehicle, The Hottie and the Nottie (opens 28 March). These are the kinds of films where you actually find yourself praying for death and no …

Films seen so far this year: 65

My Incredibly Jammy Press Trip To New York
Last week, I went on an incredibly jammy three-day press trip to Marvel Comics HQ in New York, courtesy of the lovely people at Sega UK, who are bringing out an Iron Man video-game to coincide with the film's release on May 2nd. We had a fascinating tour round the Marvel Offices, had a decent interview with Iron Man editor Tom Brevoort and were mightily entertained by editor-in-chief Joe Quesada's Stan Lee impression before seeing a sneak preview of the game itself. It looks great – I really wanted to play it and I speak as someone who doesn't own any kind of console and has only ever played the Spider-Man game and Sonic the Hedgehog. Hopes are high in the …

Films seen so far this year: 61

Midnight Movies Launch: Society
Last Friday I attended the launch of the Curzon Soho's cult movie strand, Midnight Movies, which kicked off in fine style with Brian Yuzna's ‘80s horror classic, Society. I'd never seen the movie before and although I'd heard about “The Shunting” (those who've seen the film will know what I mean), I wasn't quite prepared for the sheer ickiness of it. All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and it felt like going to a party at a friend's house, what with the laid back, not-too-loud DJ in the corner and lots of like-minded film obsessives milling about. I've already booked …