Sin City: A town in which ‘the unexpected’ happens to be the status quo. The truly all-star cast in this surreal, cartoonish depiction of a super-violent underworld brings the whole thing to life. Sin City translates enjoyably twisted storylines from the 2d graphic novel format, to an artistic collage of blood, guns and mayhem. The darkness, starkness, and harshness provide the backdrop for characters such as Mickey Rourke’s ‘Marv’ who’s the top one for me: “I’ll stare the bastard in the face as he screams to God, and I’ll laugh harder when he whimpers like a baby. And when his eyes go dead, the hell I send him to will seem like heaven after what I’ve done to him.” And that’s just one of many lines that tries to take your mind into the dark and sinful nature of us all. Quentin Tarantino assisted with the directing, so my only negative is why there wasn’t his trademark, fantastic soundtrack to go with everything else.

Kung-Fu Hustle is very suprisingly, the best all-round film i have watched since Kill Bill. Of course it has excellent action - including some uniquely spectacular moves. Of course it has a mythical story of the small guys fighting the big guys. But what marks this fly-kicking extravaganza apart from the rest is that it’s laugh-out-loud funny. Also, maybe it was just me, but the underlying exploration of Kung-Fu philosophy was beneficially deep. This film has everything. It is easily one of my favourite all-time movies, and even trumps The Matrix for ‘moments of wow!’ The visuals are splendid and the soundtrack - especially in the Harp scene - is amazing. I need more of this.

Favourite line: “You may know kung fu…but you’re still a fairy”

Bill Murray is magnificent in this tenderly shot comedy, primarily situated in and around a swanky, Tokyo hotel. As Bob Harris, his interactions with the equally brilliant Scarlett Johansson are only bettered by his i-can’t-understand-a-word-you-are-saying face. The semi-sexual (or is that pseudo-platonic?) story of an actor in mid-life crisis and an introspective young wife, both exploring their identities in the Orient, is bound to be one of my better film experiences for the year. The soundtrack is brilliant and the cinematography sublime. The BAFTA’s (or British Academy Awards as they now seem to be known) were definitely deserved. And the Oscar’s will be too - you heard it here first…

Tarentino is back…with my favourite of all his films. Maybe due to his conspicuous absence, but either way, watching Uma as ‘The Bride’ in Kill Bill was one of the most enjoyable films since…Battle Royale the week before…but you get my drift. Tarantino is the Kubrick of my generation, meaning when he makes an image…I understand and recognise it. Talk of writer’s block must make him chuckle, as KB also contains one of the best crafted storylines that have been around this year. Can’t wait for the sequel/2nd-half…

Due to my ongoing insomnia i read a book front-to-back early this morning. Called “K” (and lent to me coincidentally by K(aren), it was a quite fascinating - but at times cheesy/improbable/biased - alternative history of America during WWII.

Basically, whilst the Nazi party are gaining power in Germany, the Ku Klux Klan gain a foothold in the US following the Great Depression and end up in power; lynching, torturing and brutalising their way to single-party, totalitarian dominance in the ‘land of the free’.

We follow a British agent, smuggled in, to attempt to halt (or at least delay) the impending, undefeatable Aryan alliance between Herr Hitler and Amerikkka’s new leadership. Quite interesting i must say…

Jude Law and Ethan Hawke shine as this futuristic vision, intermingled with an inspirational and motivating story, blends magnificently to create one of the most perfect films i have watched. Every shot, piece of musical soundtrack and spoken word left me thrilled at the artistic quality. The storyline itself is enlighteningly debate-worthy.

The third (and final?) installment of Arnie’s Terminator suprised me in it’s effectiveness. By breaking up the action with comedic self-awareness, T3 has again pushed the boundaries of SFX while keeping the excellent (if now familiar) storyline; Even if only for some of the ingenuity used to display the stunning Kristanna Loken as the murderous T-X cyborg. Pleasingly the action wasn’t forcibly extended, keeping the running time to a plain, vanilla 1 1/2hrs.

George Clooney’s directorial debut, shines not so much due to his sometimes overelaborate shots, but to the interesting storyline. Purported to be a true story by, The Dating Game and The Gong Show TV legend Chuck Barry. Sam Rockwell’s eccentric behaviour makes for enjoyable viewing, while Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore and George Clooney support entertainingly.

Forget for a moment that they have made a hash of the original story. Forget for a moment that the opening act is far too slow. This is still the worst, most boring disappointment of a film i have forced myself to see, for a long time. I eventually only watched it because my 9-year-old nephew insisted, and even he found it boring.

Edward Norton shines in this Spike Lee joint about a man on his last day before a 7-year jail term. Outstanding cinematography and an intoxicating soundtrack, intertwine with the interesting storyline. Creating a funny, realistic, emotional but never over-sentimental, ‘must see’ movie.