It’s always an iffy proposition when Hollywood tries to exhibit self-awareness. Approached correctly, you end up with something like Robert Altman’s “The Player,” fuck it up and you get “Burn Hollywood Burn.” And even in the best of cases, the industry folk holding a mirror up to themselves inevitably stop short of going for the jugular. Only true iconoclasts like Altman could get away with alienating the corporate interests running the movie business, and only then because the total budget of most of his movies equalled roughly five minutes of CGI in “Transformers.”

Ben Stiller is no Robert Altman (and here I’ve just won 2008’s ‘No Shit’ prize). The playful showbiz skewering on display in his eponymous 1992 TV show focused more on the actor’s questionable impersonation skills than anything of real substance. Further, as his recent forays into romantic comedy and kids’ movies have proven, Stiller is assuredly not interested in biting the hand that feeds him. This is why “Tropic Thunder,” soaked with profanity and gore as it may be, is still a very shallow swipe at the movie making business. And Stiller is still Stiller, meaning leading man Tugg Speedman is yet one more shade of the vaguely dim goof he portrays in most of his movies, even if “Thunder” is decidedly less family friendly than his usual efforts.

The good news is there are plenty of laughs to be had, and the “movie within a movie” plot (big name actors strive for combat authenticity by shooting guerilla-style in the jungle and end up running into a real-life heroin ring) is at least handled better than in “Scream 3.” The role of Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) had to have been written with Stiller’s old TV pal Andy Dick in mind, and both Jay Baruchel and Brandon T. Jackson – as rookie actor Kevin Sandusky and rapper “Alpa Chino,” respectively – have their moments. But the real story is Robert Downey, Jr. As Kirk Lazarus, the method man who “doesn’t get out of character until they do the DVD commentary” and surgically darkens his skin to play the black lead, Downey is a wonder. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t think they could pull this off, but he absolutely destroys.

To top everything off, Tom Cruise may just have resurrected his career with the role of Les Grossman, the producer who must weigh the relative costs of rescuing Speedman versus simply writing off the whole production. Here Cruise gets exactly what he needed after “Lions for Lambs” and various… personal issues. Once again, it’s an obvious caricature of the sleazy exec, and most of the enjoyment comes from seeing cinema’s former golden boy dropping f-bombs and awkwardly dancing to hip hop, but I enjoyed it.

Yet for all the talk of how “satirical” the Stiller-helmed “Tropic Thunder” is, that’s not really the case. Stiller and company aren’t exposing anything about the industry most of us didn’t already know, he’s just saying it really loudly and spraying blood everywhere while he does. And while few of us will deny a vicarious thrill at the idea of a bald, overweight Cruise, less would’ve been more, especially in light of the final scene.

Sure, the joke trailers at the beginning are legitimately hilarious (none more so than the pretentious gay monk drama “Satan’s Abbey”), but it’s one thing to laugh at Stiller for portraying a superhero for the sixth go-round (or Black in a fat suit fart comedy), it’s another to realize that sequels to both “Night at the Museum” and “Madagascar” are in the works, and “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps” grossed over $120 million.

Who is it they’re poking fun at again?

Comfortably the best episode to date of the lacklustre Spooks spinoff, this moderately entertaining tale of butchered MI5 informants still suffers from the familiar flaws.

The nightclub scenes are, yet again, an overwhelming embarrassment and full of forced and non-fluid interaction, while the hints that Rob’s motives might be less than altruistic are unengaging and ponderous.

The staged stabbing twist that allows Rachel to go undercover must have looked great on paper, but was bafflingly realised. For a start, the ambulance is almost there before she hits the ground and the frenetic pace appears to be an attempt to prevent the audience from being able to pause for thought. Why didn’t one of her MI5 pals pose as a civilian and go in the ambulance with her?

Quite often it seems that the act of thinking is counterproductive to any enjoyment of Spooks: Code 9. In that sense, the show can claim to be Orwellian in nature - albeit inadvertently and much to its own detriment.

Nonetheless, at least this was an attempt to create some interesting drama and propelled the plot in new directions. Crucially, it allowed a wonderful guest turn from Anthony Flanagan as the devious Tom. However, his scenes were somewhat marred by Ruta Gedmintas’ unconvincing delivery as Rachel.

There was a rare moment of inspired humour when Kylie discreetly grabbed Vik’s shirt button and planted it on Peter Norris - and promptly told him it was an explosive device that would detonate should he deviate from the plan. Kylie was also a key part of the bullet-strewn climax, which gave a brief shot of adrenalin to the narrative. It must be said though - how on earth did everyone keep missing each other from point blank range even though they were on moving cars?

Finally, a much-needed sense of plot progression finally arrived when it emerged that the perpetrators of the 2012 bombing may well still be alive. It’s criminally taken four episodes to rouse a modicum of interest, but is it too little too late for Code 9?

The release of new James Bond movie Quantum Of Solace has been put back a week in the US.

The 22nd instalment in the spy franchise will now open on November 14 instead of November 7. The move follows Warner Bros’s decision to postpone the release of the latest Harry Potter film until next July.

“The strategic move places the highly-anticipated James Bond adventure one week closer to the prime movie-going holiday window and takes advantage of last week’s decision to move the release date of Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince,” said Sony worldwide marketing chairman Jeff Blake.

“We believe November 14 is a great date that allows us to play straight through Thanksgiving and right into Christmas… and we believe this decision will give the public a wider opportunity to see the film over the holiday.”

The world premier of the movie, to be attended by Princes William and Harry, will be held in London on October 29.

It will be released across the UK two days later.

ITV2 has commissioned a friend-hunting show starring Paris Hilton as part of its continuing focus on celebrity programming, it was confirmed today.

The channel - which has also rolled out a new logo ahead of the debut of its celeb-laden autumn schedule - has announced that Paris Hilton’s New Best Friend will see her walking the streets of the capital searching for a pal.

“Everyone knows I love LA but London, watch out - I’m coming to town and bringing my fast-paced life with me. I’m in the UK all the time, but of course I can’t bring all my friends, so I’ve decided to look for a new BFF across the pond,” said Hilton. “I need a best friend who is hot, who can keep up with me, and most of all, who is real and won’t be a backstabber. I’m not leaving London until I find that amazing girl or guy who can meet the challenges of being my British bestie!”

ITV2’s new autumn lineup includes the channel’s first original sitcom, No Heroics, a six-part series starring Office alumnus Patrick Baladi alongside Sorted’s Claire Keelan, Benidorm’s Nicholas Burns and Moving Wallpaper star James Lance. Read the rest of this entry »

Virgin1 has confirmed the list of celebrities taking part in factual entertainment series The Prisoner: X.

The programme, in which stars live in the world’s harshest prisons, will feature Jack Osbourne, Toby Young, Debra Stephenson and Linford Christie.

Also confirmed are Will Mellor, Joe Pasquale, Donal MacIntyre and Marc Bannerman.

All the celebrities will live as inmates and undergo “a series of intimate, personal journeys”.

Linford Christie will visit Belize’s Central prison, where guards keep control with a sniper system, while Donal MacIntyre will be sent to Louisiana State Penitentiary, where cells are reserved for those facing the death penalty. Each presenter will apparently spend time with murderers, rapists and armed robbers.

Virgin1’s director of programming Daniela Neumann said: “For the first time ever we will genuinely see these celebrities eat, poo, sleep and shower in the most disgusting prisons in the world.

“These are personal and intimate journeys for people who are used to soft cotton sheets, fine wine, gourmet food and toilet paper.”

The Prisoner: X airs in the autumn.

The Mighty Boosh director Paul King will helm British comedy The Bunny And The Bull.

According to The Sun, the big screen project is like “Being John Malkovich with a UK spin”. It is scheduled to be released next summer.

It is being produced by Warp X Films and has cast Edward Hogg and Simon Farnaby in the lead roles.

Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding and The IT Crowd’s Richard Ayoade will also make cameos. Fielding is apparently playing a drunken Spanish bull-fighter.

It’s good to see that some actual thought has gone into the script this time, with a couple of decent ideas tapping into the futuristic, post-nuke premise of the show. Elsewhere though, the stilted dialogue is still dreadful and there’s plenty of cringeworthy narrative at work.

The sonic crowd control system is an interesting concept that could well be witnessed in the future, and the same can be said of pharmaceuticals taking over from conventional drugs on the black market. These ideas are neatly contained within the mission to find elusive gang leader Zero, a pursuit that provides some cohesive purpose and intrigue to the episode - although the revelation of his real identity is badly mishandled and laughable.

The interaction between the Code 9 crew is still painful to endure, particularly in the group dialogue scenes in their shared house. It becomes even worse when the contrived friction and flirting spills onto the dancefloor. Their boogying in a nightclub looks like a Bacardi advert and is utterly superfluous to the plot, but seems to be there to impress any youngsters watching. Do the makers of Spooks: Code 9 really have such contempt for the audience?

Furthermore, the intercutting of a policeman being shot with the Code 9 team partying in a nightclub is a creative misfire of the highest level, spoiling any tension and poignancy that may have emerged from the slaying. It’s a shame, as the later battle scenes on the housing estate are effectively handled and momentarily conjure up a sense of claustrophobia.

On the whole, this episode still falls short of the mediocre mark, but at least we’re given a glimpse of what can be done within the broad canvas of the envisioned world of 2013.

MoviesOnline lead us to this wonderful poster for a proposed sequel to the Dark Knight.

This poster IS viral marketing at its best. Creative and fun - hints without spoiling and gets you excited. You will tell all your friends about this poster.
Read the rest of this entry »

Like many shows last year, the second season of Heroes was cut short due to the writer’s strike, so I won’t hold it against them that it was perhaps even more anti-climactic than the end of season 1. That said, Tim Kring and Co. have a lot to make up for this season, as Heroes has been seriously stretching the limits of watchability in my opinion, and I’m on the verge of losing interest. So now imagine my excitement when I heard this juicy little scoop about two new faces who might be joining the show this season. (Note: That was sarcasm.) Read the rest of this entry »

This second installment of the new Spooks spinoff is certainly an improvement on the dire opener, although that’s hardly a compliment. Code 9 is still painfully contrived and overly reliant on deploying thriller cliches without even trying to put a new spin on them.

The entire show comes across as one of those school teachers who tries desperately to be trendy and get down wiv da kidz. Innit. The overwhelming desire to pander to the youth demographic means that swear words are conspicuously jammed into the dialogue at any opportunity, with added emphasis. It leads us to witness Jez’s sex life in too much detail and endure an overly stylised flashback scene in a nightclub, complete with hip music and slow-mo.
Read the rest of this entry »