The Wolverine (2013)
The Wolverine
Rated M
Starring Hugh Jackman
In case you missed the memo that comic book movies were big at the moment, Hugh Jackman returns to the screen as the hairy, bare-chested mutant with the metal claws – Wolverine. This is Jackman’s 5th time on the movie screen playing Wolverine, 6th if you include his cameo in X-Men: First Class (7th if you imagine that Jean Valjean in Les Miserables is actually Wolverine slumming it in 19th century France like I do). And to be honest, I hated X-Men: The Last Stand and Wolverine: Origins. HATED. But I wanted to give this new Wolverine movie a shot. By setting the movie in Japan and downplaying Wolverine’s healing factor, it certainly got my interest raised.
My verdict? I enjoyed The Wolverine. It almost got me to forgive the makers of these films for those last two stinkers. Almost.
Sermon: Loved By God
At St Luke’s, we’ve just started a sermon series called “What Has Happened To Me?” based on 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15.
The series kicked of with “Loved By God”, taking a closer look at 1 John 4:7-19
Preached at St Luke’s Liverpool on Sunday the 28th of April 2013.
Paranorman (2012)
Paranorman
Rated PG
A kid who can see dead people. But it’s not The Sixth Sense. The dead rising from their graves to terrorise a small town. But it’s not Night of The Living Dead. A stop-motion feature length film. But it’s not from Aardman. Paranorman is certainly packed full of influences. In telling the story of 10 year old Norman who can see ghosts and is the only one who can save the day from a witches curse, directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell are attempting something ambitious. They’re attempting to take some well known trappings of the horror genre, invert the expectations, change the medium to stop-motion animation, as well as repackage the whole thing for a pre-teen audience. That’s right, it’s a horror movie for kids. The ambition is there, however, the end result is something that left me scratching my head.
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Rated M
Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin
Directed by Edgar Wright
I’m going to put it out there right at the start: this could well be one of my favourite movies of all time. There, I’ve said it. I mean, I’ll have to watch it a few more times to make sure, but it’s definitely up there. Have I set the bar suitably high enough? Good. Because Scott Pilgrim vs The World is truly an epic of epic epicness.
Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O’Malley
There aren’t many books I can think of where stores will have a special midnight opening so that the ultra keen fans can buy a copy before everyone else. Even less if you narrow it down to comic books.
Scott Pilgrim is one of those books.
Legions of fans this week lined up outside bookstores for the midnight release of the 6th and final volume of the Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels. Never heard of Scott Pilgrim? To be honest, it’s one of the best comics out there.
Fame (2009)
Fame (2009)
Rated PG
The New York Academy of Performing Arts is a high school that’s pretty tough to get into. Each year 10,000 teenagers apply. 200 make the cut. This is a school where being good isn’t good enough. You have to be the best. As the students begin their time at PA, the principal warns them that it’s going to be hard going. There’s going to be a lot of sweat, blood and tears. That they’ll have to work twice as hard as any other student. That some of them won’t make it. That’s the price these talented youngster have to pay for being the best.
That’s the premise of Fame. Shame they didn’t do anything with it.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Rated M
Starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox
Evokes cherished childhood memory? Check
Balance of humour and over the top action? Check
Giant robots shooting each other? Check
I’m going to be controversial here. I loved this movie. So why does everyone else seem to hate it?
The Gossip: Heavy Cross
It’s no secret that life in this world can be hard. Sometimes days, weeks, years can go past and you wonder to yourself “is this all worth it?” The world is so full of pain and hurt and suffering. There’s got to be a way out. There’s got to be a survival mechanism. There’s got to be a way to make this life bearable.
To stay on top of things is this world is impossible to do on your own. The pressure is too much. But maybe, just maybe, two people could do it. Maybe if I had someone with me, a boyfriend or girlfriend, whatever. Maybe love is the key to salvation. Maybe love will save the day. As it says in The Gossip’s song Heavy Cross, “It takes two. It’s up to me and you to prove it.” But will love really save the day?
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