Shove cartridges up game boys with the Gameboy Advance...
It's the latest handheld, it's from Nintendo and we take a look at it, tell you
what it can do now, what you can play on it, and what we hope it will do in the
future.
Child abduction can be funny. Raising Arizona on DVD...
Released today :
Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter star in a Coen Brothers classic
comedy about a convict and a policewoman who get married but have trouble
having a child, the legal way...
Click
HERE
to enter a competition to win one of three copies.
This competition will close on Friday August 10th.
Tom Hanks gets Big on DVD...
Released today :
No, there's nothing smutty. Well, not much given that it's only a PG, but
after a wish as a young boy, he becomes a grown man in the form of Tom
Hanks with many comedic events in turn.
Click
HERE
to enter a competition to win one of two copies.
This competition will close on Friday August 10th.
PRESS RELEASE: Philips Pronto Pro...
Thanks to Fiona Boddy from CMC PR for the info on this eagerly-awaited
continuation of the Philips Pronto remote control series which carries a hefty
price tag, but have a look at what it can do.
When it's available from September we are looking forward to receiving one for
review.
Thanks to those who entered the competition. The answer was that Charmed
is the series in which Alyssa Milano stars. The three winners have been
selected and notified and I have passed their details to Fox's PR company
for dispatch of their prizes.
Want to chat about anything you've seen on this site, or just fancy a rant
about anything entertainment-related in general? Get to the forum and
start presenting your opinions!
Click on the Discussion Forum on the left-hand menu now.
Well, the first film, Total Recall, was released in 1990 but they
started making it the year before and it's joined by Red Heat, Red Sonja
and Raw Deal, all in remastered anamorphic widescreen.
Following up my post from a few days ago when I mentioned that one of the
winners for Small Time Crooks had confirmed receipt, I'm still waiting
to hear from those who won the other comps for The Low Down, Take the Money
and Run, & Christina Aguilera: My Reflection.
Has anyone who won those received them yet? Please email me.
Sony's PlayStation 2 racing simulation Gran Turismo 3 notched up
nearly 100,000 sales in its first two days on sale, representing a
huge kick start for the next gen platform.
Week 29 was in fact the PS2's best week since the platform launched on
November 24 last year, with game sales alone accounting for almost £6
million (extrapolated from ChartTrack/ELSPA data).
This week's report, issued last night, although bereft of statistics,
revealed GT3 was already the fourth fastest selling game in the UK of
all time, just behind Pokemon Yellow, Gran Turismo 2, and WWF
Smackdown 2. Pokemon Yellow, the third fastest-selling game, sold
around 106,000 units (extrapolated) upon its release June last year,
which would place GT3 a few thousand behind Nintendo's Game Boy best
seller - best guesses place the game's retail sales at 92,000 units
(extrapolated), which in value terms represents Sony's best-ever
performance.
Further clues are provided by the total number of PS2 games sold going
up by 149 per cent by units, and 161 per cent by value on last week.
In fact, PS2 game sales alone accounted for almost £6 million
(extrapolated), with GT3 accounting for approximately £3.7 million,
not taking into account the amount the Logitech steering wheel sold
through.
Given the installed base for the PS2 is around the 540,000 mark, a one
in six uptake on the game in the first two days of release in mid
summer represents a fantastic achievement for Sony.
Elsewhere in the chart, week 29 was up 11 per cent by units and some
24 per cent by value. Overall sales climbed to around 815,000 units,
or £18.49 million - an unprecedented level for the industry's
traditionally barren period. Year on year, sales are up a whopping 70
per cent by units and 67 per cent by value.
One of the all-time classic horror trilogies and a series whose cast boasts
star names such as Gregory Peck, Patrick Troughton, David Warner, William
Holden and Sam Neill is now unleashed.
Stuck for something to do this weekend? Live in the Manchester area? The list
of the films showing at
Manchester Showcase Cinema
can be found on this page.
This week's new films include: Swordfish, Dr Doolittle 2
and already on the big screen is hit sequel The Mummy Returns. A review
of the first Brendan Fraser/Rachel Weisz flick is online on DVD by clicking
on the picture (right).
Step back to 1925 with the original Lost World on DVD...
Released today :
Before Spielberg got involved with the dinosaurs, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
wrote a tale which did make it to the big screen but was all but destroyed
around 20 years later before being pieced back together from eight different
prints.
Want to chat about anything you've seen on this site, or just fancy a rant
about anything entertainment-related in general? Get to the forum and
start presenting your opinions!
Click on the Discussion Forum on the left-hand menu now.
New DVDs out this week...
The Bird of Crystal Plummage (dub) (17.99, Disc)
Buster (19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Erotic Dreams 1 (12.99, Pinnacle)
Lake Placid (19.99, Fox)
Penthouse: All Pet Workout (19.99, Pinnacle)
Penthouse: Beach Babes (19.99, Pinnacle)
Penthouse: Pet Of The Year 2001 (19.99, Pinnacle)
Hamburger Hill (19.99, Columbia TriStar)
The Lost World (1925) (19.99, Eureka)
Lovers' Paradise 1 (12.99, Pinnacle)
The Princess Bride (19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Rainbow (19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Sam Gets Her Girl Vol.3 (15.99, Medusa)
The Stud / The Bitch (19.99, Universal)
The Twilight Zone Vol.23 (15.99, Pinnacle)
The Twilight Zone Vol.24 (15.99, Pinnacle)
The Ultimate Fighting Championship 6 (19.99, Revelation)
Stuck for something to do this weekend? Live in the Manchester area? The list
of the films showing at
Manchester Showcase Cinema
can be found on this page.
This week's new films include: Jurassic Park 3, High Heels & Low Lives,
Animal Attraction and already on the big screen is hit sequel The Mummy Returns. A review
of the first Brendan Fraser/Rachel Weisz flick is online on DVD by clicking
on the picture (right).
One of the best things about DVD is the propensity to release complete TV
series in a single package and now last year's fantasy adventure starring
Kimberley Williams is available, running for seven hours total.
Regular DVDfever review Jason Maloney returns with a look
at an album packed with 80s pop and dance classics that spurred on many
memories when I read through the review.
Released as part of Fox's back catalogue, Arnie takes out the trash when
the baddies kidnap his daughter, forcing this ex-commando to take lethal
action.
Want to chat about anything you've seen on this site, or just fancy a rant
about anything entertainment-related in general? Get to the forum and
start presenting your opinions!
Click on the Discussion Forum on the left-hand menu now.
New DVDs out this week...
Absence of Malice (19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Commando (17.99, Fox)
Eric Clapton: Live in Hyde Park (19.99, Warner Music Vision)
It may be Friday 13th, but Jamie can still have his magic adventures and
now on DVD with the complete first series of this classic children's programme.
The Dreamcast is on its way out, but before it signs off, Sega's hero Sonic
the Hedgehog arrives to turn in a gorgeous-looking performance, but
where's the beef?
I wanted to give this excellent radio series a plug which is on Radio 2 on
Thursdays 9.30pm, rptd Saturday 1.30pm.
A few clips of the first show were played on last Sunday's Human Zoo on
Talksport (inc. the fast "song", to the tune of "It's the End of The World as
I Know It" that featured the line:
'David Bowie, Bill Wyman; old men, young hymens')
But an example sketch from the second show last week:
"I really like football, but I can't play anymore. I was at work when I fell
off a ladder and hurt my back. Sadly not so badly that I couldn't make a
terrible advert for Claims Direct. I can still watch football, but when I do
I act really badly. When a goal is scored I jump up in a very wooden fashion
and say 'hooray'.
I contacted Claims Direct and I'm really pleased I did, because I won an
advertising contract which means I'm on every bleeding advert break."
Voiceover: "Carl is really pleased he phoned Claims Direct. Carl is the only
one. Carl has now received some compensation for his chronic whining... whilst
millions of people round the country are feeling worse off and are wishing the
ladder had been just a little higher."
Midweek chart positions...
Thanks to Ben Cook from the
Poptastic UK website
who has the following info on the midweek singles chart positions :
1. Robbie Williams
2. D-12/Eminem
3. Wyclef Jean
4. Roger Sanchez
5. Ian Van Dahl
7. *NSYNC
The rest of the Top 40 :
11. Super Furry Animals
15. Texas
16. Ash
17. Avalanches
20. Aaliyah
28. Goodfellas
37. Elbow
44. Claire Freeland (the fat one from Popstars IIRC)
About some recent competitions...
Many of the people who recently entered competitions for
The Low Down, Take the Money and Run, Christina Aguilera: My Reflection
and Small Time Crooks may not have received their prizes.
If you have, please email me and let me know. If not, the reason will be
because although I have forwarded the prize winners' details to the PR company
that deals with all four titles, I do not know whether or not these were
in turn forwarded to the mailing house who send them out.
The person at the PR company who I dealt with has since left and one person
there has forwarded all the details to the mailing house to check on those
prizes that haven't been dispatched.
If you have still heard nothing within two weeks from today please email
me and I'll look into it again but I am assured this matter is being dealt
with.
Note that the next competition will be for The Lost World (1925) from
July 23rd.
There are none of Doctor Who's enemies here, but it's another survival horror
game in the style of Resident Evil. Does it have much more to
offer though?
Extermination
is online and out now on Playstation 2.
Updated cinema listings...
Stuck for something to do this weekend? Live in the Manchester area? The list
of the films showing at
Manchester Showcase Cinema
can be found on this page.
This week's new films include: Pokemon 3 and last week Lara Croft:
Tomb Raider opened.
Already on the big screen is hit sequel The Mummy Returns. A review
of the first Brendan Fraser/Rachel Weisz flick is online on DVD by clicking
on the picture (right).
COMPETITIONS CLOSED: Startopia (PC) and Way of the Gun (DVD)...
Thanks, respectively, to Herald PR for Eidos and CBC for Momentum, for the
competitions which are now closed. The winners have been picked and notified.
The Mucky Foot game I asked about was Urban Chaos and the film in
which Benecio Del Toro received an Oscar was Traffic.
A review of
Way of the Gun
is online now and Startopia will follow soon.
Visit the Discussion Forum...
Want to chat about anything you've seen on this site, or just fancy a rant
about anything entertainment-related in general? Get to the forum and
start presenting your opinions!
Click on the Discussion Forum on the left-hand menu now.
New DVDs out this week...
All the King's Men (19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Bless The Child (19.99, Warner)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Some time ago I wrote a couple of game reviews for Freeloader.com that
never ended up going online because they never got round to it, then went
bust and got taken over.
The first game is Sheep for the Playstation and if they do end up
placing it online I shall take it off here and link through to their site.
Thanks to Ben Cook from the
Poptastic UK website
who has the following info on the midweek singles chart positions :
1. Roger Sanchez - Another Chance
2. Christina Aguilera/Lil' Kim/Mya/Pink - Lady Marmalade
3. Wheatus - A Little Respect
4. Hear'Say - The Way To Your Love
5. OPM - Heaven Is A Halfpipe
6. Usher - U Remind Me
7. Shaggy Ft Rayvon - Angel
8. Faith Hill - There You'll Be
9. Gorillaz - 19/2000
10. Mis-Teeq - All I Want
The rest of the Top 40 :
11. Jessica Simpson - Irresistible
12. Blink 182 - The Rock Show
13. Damage - So What If I
18. Weezer - Hash Pipe
20. Bellefire - Perfect Bliss
22. Feeder - Turn
25. Beta Band - Broke/Won
36. Fixate – 24/7
Jason Downs has missed the top 40! Never mind, he couldn’t sing anyway.
Brass Eye cancellation: the real reason...?
Speculation has been rife over the reason for Channel 4 cancelling last night's
one-off special of Brass Eye and replacing it with a repeat of the
"Drugs" and "Animals" episodes.
The following is taken from today's Independent, printed without permission and as I don't like censorship
I have un-*'d the singular "c-word" that was masked for the print
media so be warned of the strong language. And the word is not "crikey".
Chris Morris courts controversy again as 'Brass Eye' dropped
By Jade Garrett, Arts and Media Correspondent
06 July 2001
'Channel 4 has postponed a one-off edition of its comedy series Brass Eye
amid fears that it was to focus on the media's treatment of paedophiles.
The programme, fronted by the maverick satirist Chris Morris, was due to be
broadcast last night. But its timing was likely to provoke complaints in the
light of the case of Danielle Jones, the schoolgirl who has been missing for
15 days.
Morris, the writer and star, has continually courted controversy. A previous
sketch was dropped for suggesting that a musical had been made about the
Yorkshire Ripper.Sutcliffe - The Musical was seen lit up on billboards in
Piccadilly Circus and a man dressed as Peter Sutcliffe was seen rehearsing
on stage while another comments on the show.
The show was pulled by Michael Grade, C4's chief executive at the time, over
concerns that television guidelines might be broken. It was eventually
screened three months later, without the Ripper sketch. Morris sought
revenge by including an obscene subliminal message during the show. "Michael
Grade is a cunt" flashed on screens but was virtually undetectable.
As an exponent of the on-air prank, Morris is seen as second to none, having
had a series of encounters with broadcasting watchdogs. He was first taken
off air in 1994 when he told Radio 1 listeners that Michael Heseltine had
died. The singer Petula Clark and the presenter Jimmy Savile threatened to
sue when they were later targeted. The first series of Brass Eye was due to
be screened in 1996 but was also delayed because of C4's concern about the
humiliation likely to be heaped upon several household names. It eventually
aired in 1997.
Channel 4 had given Brass Eye advance billing, promising that it would "take
media terrorism to a level never seen on British TV before" and "smack the
issues till they bleed". A preview tape revealed Morris approaching
drug-dealers on the street wearing a nappy and a big orange ball on his
head. He then confused the increasingly hostile dealers by barking at them.
Other snippets included a love song to Myra Hindley and a Kilroy-spoof
debate about "good Aids and bad Aids".
Last night's episode was due to be replaced with a repeat of a famous
episode in which pundits were tricked into condemning a fictitious new drug
called "cake". David Amess, then a Tory MP, was one victim.
A Channel 4 spokeswoman denied that the programme's content had delayed
broadcast. "The programme isn't finished and will be broadcast this month
some time," she said.'
COMPETITIONS: Some necessary rules...
Today is the last day to win a copy of the game Startopia and the
DVD Way of the Gun, but as I have asked people before - DO NOT send
massive emails that aren't required of 10k in size or up.
Ok, so they're not "massive", but considering that all you need is the answer,
your name and address, it doesn't take up much space, and there's no need for
endless attachments of pictures I won't look at or HTML-configured nonsense
that will not be seen by me either.
All these files build up if several people do it and any competition emails
bigger than 10k in size will be deleted before I even download them.
Oh, and please stop entering competitions that have already closed(!)
Click
HERE
to go to the competition page. These competitions will close on
Friday July 6th.
Something slightly different here. A combination review for both the game
Formula 1 2001 on the Playstation 2 and the DVD Formula 1 2000:
World Championship Review.
Back in 1988 Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter were not well known,
but at least one of them is now and he got his big break in this most
triumphant time-travel comedy.
Or has someone else made it?
To find out the answer - and to see last week's chart - visit my
music chart analysis page
COMPETITION: Win Startopia (PC) and Way of the Gun (DVD)...
Thanks, respectively, to Herald PR for Eidos and CBC for Momentum, for the
competitions which are now online. There are three Startopia games and
five Way of the Gun DVDs to be won in this new competition.
We have received Startopia for review out of the above two and will
have a review online shortly.
Click
HERE
to go to the competition page. These competitions will close on
Friday July 6th.
COMPETITIONS CLOSED: Messiah and Me Myself & Irene on DVD...
Thanks, respectively, to CBC for Mosaic Movies and DSA for Fox, for the
competitions which are now closed. The winners have been picked and notified.
The Tom Cruise film in which Renee Zellweger starred was Jerry Maguire
and the Billy Connolly film in which Ken Stott starred was The Debt
Collector.
Want to chat about anything you've seen on this site, or just fancy a rant
about anything entertainment-related in general? Get to the forum and
start presenting your opinions!
Click on the Discussion Forum on the left-hand menu now.
New DVDs out this week...
Bulletproof (19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Con Air (19.99, Buena Vista)
Dirty Dancing (19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Doctor Dolittle (1998) (17.99, Fox)
Dragnet (19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Essex Boys (19.99, Fox)
The Human Body (34.99, BBC)
Jamie and the Magic Torch (9.99)
Playboy: Best of College Girls (15.99, Medusa)
Playboy: Girls of Mardi Gras (15.99, Medusa)
Pretty Woman (2001 release) (19.99, Buena Vista)
Scary Movie (19.99, Buena Vista)
Urban Legends 2: Final Cut (19.99, Columbia TriStar)
Tank Girl is on DVD, but does she have the right attitude...?
Well, when it's another comic book character transferred to the big screen that
hasn't had a sequel, nor seen its lead character do much else since and was
directed by the same woman as Nightmare on Elm Street 6, what do you
think?
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Visit the Discussion Forum...
Brass Eye cancellation: the real reason...?
