Before he became more famous as the writer behind Nick Park's hugely successful Wallace & Gromit, Bristol-based Bob Baker was more famously known as the man (along with fellow writing partner, Dave Martin) who created one of Doctor Who's most enduring creations, K-9. 

However, Baker and Martin's contribution to the long running serial was rather more varied than just the creation of Luke Smith's future university roommate. Together they wrote a total of eight Who stories during the show's 1970s heyday and it would be fair to say that, during this period, putting aside both Robert Holmes and Terrance Dicks for a moment,the ‘Bristol Boys' were the primary freelance writers for the show.

From their pens we were treated to the psychedelic The Claws Of Axos, the joyous celebration of The Three Doctors, the infamous return of the Sontarans in The Sontaran Experiment, Sarah Jane Smith's tearful farewell in The Hand Of Fear and K-9's first 'affirmative, master' in The Invisible Enemy.  

So, what about The Mutants?

This 1972 serial was the duo's second contribution to the show and is the only one of their initial four stories to not contain a significant returning element from the show's canon of villains/characters. Bob Baker says it's his favourite of the stories he and the now-departed Martin wrote, yet fandom doesn't seem to hold The Mutants in quite the same regard as some of their other contributions. Why is that?

For a start, I'd suggest that one of serial's main drawbacks is that, not only is The Mutants a six-part story (which is a beast of varied success in 70s Who), but, perhaps more damagingly, it's a visually fairly boring six-part story.

Unlike some other examples of this subgenre, The Mutants does have enough character, mad ideas and plot twists to sustain a two hour plus running time, but it lacks the sense of scale, imaginative imagery and quotable dialogue that the most beloved six-parters from this decade (and by this I mean Genesis Of The Daleks, The Seeds Of Doom and The Talons Of Weng Chiang) have in abundance.

The fact that director, Christopher Barry, is rather dismissive of the tale on both the DVD commentary and accompanying documentary is actually pretty revealing, and the feeling one comes away with is that a director with more urgency, flair and enthusiasm for the story would have brought a lot more to the table.

Another significant demerit for the story is that it contains one of the worst guest performances in the show's history. Portraying the 'enlightened' Imperial soldier, Cotton, is actor Rick James, who seems incapable of delivering his (admittedly poor) lines with any degree of conviction or dramatic purpose. If ‘wooden' could be summed up in a sentence it would be: Rick James' performance in The Mutants. And that's being kind!

However, it's not fair to lay the blame solely at James' feet and his obvious miscasting is yet another misjudgement by the clearly disengaged Christopher Barry.

Another factor in this show's somewhat spotty regard is the fact that nothing dates a piece of film or TV show more than its vision of the future. Whether it be the late 60s Technicolor of Star Trek's 23rd century, or the late-80s glitz and colour of Back To The Future Part II's 2015 stories, which postulate a bright, shiny future, they very rarely convince.

This is especially true of Doctor Who (both old and new), where budget is a constant issue and overlighting is the constant enemy of production.

The visions of the future that tend to work best in the show, whether it be the endless motorway of Gridlock, the faux Victoriana of A Christmas Carol, or the Berlin bunker feel of Genesis Of The Daleks, are successful precisely because they eschew the shiny, accentuate the ‘lived-in', and make use of the greatest friend Doctor Who has ever had: low lighting. 

In comparison, the future as portrayed in stories like this one, with its Ikea-like space station populated with overweight thesps in tight blue uniforms and silly hats, just looks, well, a bit daft.

However, despite these negatives, there is a lot to admire in The Mutants. And while I personally enjoy Baker/Martin's The Three Doctors and The Hand Of Fear more, one can see why, from a writers point of view, that this is Baker's favourite.

It's easily the partnership's most coherently plotted adventure, with a ton of incident and a very clear sense of geography to the story. Every character and layer of the narrative is essential, everyone's motivations are clear and the more psychedelic and 'out there' moments (which had been overdone in The Claws Of Axos) are used here with economy and purpose.

Sure, the whole ‘anti-empire' story is as old as the hills, but here, allied to a classic Who- trope of villainous middle management desperately plotting to stay in power, it works really well. This is helped by the fact that Paul Whitsun-Jones as the oily figure of The Marshal and George Pravda as ruthless station scientist Jaeger are both very watchable villains who relish, but never overplay, their constant double-crossing and scheming.

At the other end of the scale, this story also finds series regulars Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning on top form. In fact, this adventure gave me new appreciation of just how brilliant Jon Pertwee was as the Doctor. In an era where Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker seem to have become the default classic Doctors of choice among fans, it's become curiously fashionable to knock Pertwee's incarnation of the Time Lord. 

Without doubt, his character is sometimes overbearing, clubbable and much more aristocratic than many of the other versions of the character we're used to. But I'd argue that Pertwee's influence on the character is, in many ways, actually far more profound than either Troughton or Baker's. 

Yes, both of those actors gave brilliant and vivid performances as the Time Lord, which certainly echo within the show and its public perception to this day. But it's the understated, yet authoritative Pertwee, playing a very moral man of action, who is the absolute bedrock for what actors such as Peter Davison, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant would do with the part in years to come.

No one could say that Pertwee was the most gifted and versatile actor to play the part. But the most important? I think there's certainly a case to be made.

Which is a longwinded way of saying, despite a number of missteps in terms of its execution, I enjoyed The Mutants immensely. It's a hugely entertaining slice of time capsule entertainment, and while there are better made and more sophisticated episodes of classic Who available for purchase, if you're in the mood for a solid slice of belt and braces, early 70s pulp storytelling, then The Mutants will be right up your street.

Extras

Extras on the DVD are standard for a 2-disc release. The obligatory feature commentary track is ably moderated by new series Dalek operator Nicholas Pegg and features a rotating cast of contributors, including Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Garrick Hagon (Ky), director, Christopher Barry, script editor, Terrance Dicks, co-writer, Bob Baker, set designer, Jeremy Bear and special sound man, Brian Hodgson. It's a lively, informative and hugely entertaining track and well worth a listen.

Aside from the commentary, the other main extras are the various documentaries.

First up is Mutt Mad, which, to be honest, is a pretty standard behind-the-scenes/look back documentary that features contributions from many of the surviving key players behind the show.

Of more interest is Race Against Time, a documentary narrated by Who stalwart Noel Clarke, which looks at the representation of black actors on British television from the 1960s through to the present day. With a natural focus upon Doctor Who throughout the years (and some discussion of Rick James' turn as Cotton taking up some of the running time), it's a highly interesting and thoughtful piece that ends with a tantalising tease of a whole host of fantastic black actors being mooted as potential future incarnations of our favourite Time Lord.

Rounding out the main extras is the short, but perfectly formed, Dressing Doctor Who, which tracks costume designer James Acheson's work on the show during its early-to-mid 1970s 'golden age'. Now famous for his Academy Award-winning work on Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor and Stephen Frears' Dangerous Liasons, as well as Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies, it's a nicely done retrospective that re-enforces just how talented a backroom team the show boasted during the Letts and Hinchcliffe eras.

In addition to these, there's also a short Blue Peter clip from the early-1970s, featuring former Who companion, Peter Purves, and a gang of the show's monsters, as well as the usual photo gallery of production, design and publicity stills for the show.

Feature:
Disc:

Doctor Who: The Mutants is out now and available from the Den Of Geek Store.

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This review may contain spoilers.

7.4 Benny's Funeral

After last week's entirely jump the shark exercise in the casino, it was, perhaps, not a bad thing that there weren't any huge Hulk-like leaps of logic in this story. After attending the funeral of a well respected grifter called Benny, Ash is somewhat confused when the same man runs past him, looking oddly like actor Denis Lawson (Local Hero), while he's sitting in a traffic jam.

After catching up with Benny, he discovers that the grifter has fallen on hard times and owes money to the wrong people. Or, that's the tale he tells, and soon Mickey and the gang are cooking up a scheme to get revenge on minor gangster Danush Larijani, and give their old associate some help.

It doesn't take long before I began to smell a rat, especially when Benny can't provide them with any solid information about Danush, and then when nobody seems to know or have heard of him. But embracing their long term relationship, the gang seem oblivious to these inconstancies, and plod on with their nefarious plan.

The issue I had was the acting that Denis Lawson did at this point rather gave away that he was lying. Maybe they'd have been better not giving him the last part of the script until he'd shot all the early scenes, because he ends up playing someone not telling the truth, rather than someone who's actually convincing.

That said, they did hold the narrative flip until deliciously late in the day, and much later than I was expecting them to. I'm also not sure it was necessary to explain what happened in the level of detail provided, once they were onto Benny, other than how the cases containing the money got swapped. Hustle likes a fine sense of irony, and that Benny ends up in exactly the situation he claimed to be at the start falls very neatly into that category.

This show always makes me laugh, and the funniest bits were those where Mickey and Sean set up a fag selling business next to the one that Danush supposedly runs. It wasn't anything they particularly did. It was the thought of Adrian Lester reading his street slag dialogue out loud for the first time at rehearsals that made me chuckle. It was also rather remarkable how putting a baseball cap on him seemed to take at least 10 years off his age.

Robert Glenister's 'Dutch' accent didn't do him any favours, but he was his usual high standard in other respects. And his reaction to being told the dangers of driving a HGV versus smaller trucks was classic Ash.

Overall, this was a nice counterpoint to the previous story, and while it didn't provide any genuine shocks to regular watchers of the show, the narrative scam was reasonably well crafted, and the twist was executed late enough for some viewers to have second guessed themselves by then.

I can't believe we're heading for the penultimate story in season 7 already! The fact it's gone so fast probably is indicative of how much I enjoy this show, or is it how few we get each season? Probably a combination of both, as it's never around long enough to become wholly bored with.

Read our review of episode 3, Clearance From A Deal, here.

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2.13 Celebrity Pharmacology

Although set in a college and involving teenagers, both chronologically and emotionally, Community doesn't make as much use of its setting as you might think, preferring instead to explore the character comedy arising from the group's archetypes, along with Troy and Abed's bromance.

This week, however, Community goes all after school special on us, giving us their very unique take on a morality tale in two acts. The evils of drugs, dependency of any kind and underage sexting all get the Russo treatment. Yup, it's time for Community to do Degrassi Junior High, in Celebrity Pharmacology.

Annie, under the guise of giving something back, ropes the rest of the group into performing an anti-drugs play, to be performed in front of an audience of at-risk teens, one of whom is Brita's nephew. Clearly, that runs in their family.

With Pierce cast as the evil Weed, but with no lines, he desperately tries to get Annie to supersize his part. When the usual begging doesn't work, he follows her home and ostensibly bribes her, under the pretext of helping a kindred spirit, and here begineth the lesson.

In the wake of accepting an enormous cheque that means she won't have to empty her ovaries, Annie allows her new benefactor to ride roughshod over her production, and disaster, of course, ensues. Never in the history of after school specials has weed looked so unappealing, and yet, the at-risk kids love Pierce, demanding more drugs with menaces. Apparently, sparklers are the best way to win over surly teenagers.

Of course, Celebrity Pharmacology isn't really about the evils of drugs. As mentioned earlier, it's about the evils of dependence, but it's also about demons. While Annie struggles with the spectre of her breakdown and addiction, she's also fighting for her independence. Having been cut off by her parents and the period fairy, she's barely able to pay the rent, and seemingly unable to get past the consequences of her addiction. Pierce's offer is clearly too good to turn down, but unusually for Pierce, his motives aren't creepy, bigoted or inappropriate in any way.

In this episode, we finally get to see a little of what drives Pierce, and while it's not original, it is incredibly telling. Having caught a glimpse of Pierce Senior, thanks to some old home movie-style advertising, the reason for Pierce Jr's annoying personality becomes clear. What's not explained, however, is why he never got over it. He's a pensioner, and his father's advertising-related rejection still bothers him. Don't all rich people acquire a therapist accessory as soon as they can afford it for precisely these reasons?

Annie's selling out of her principles actually repulses the group this week. Where usually Jeff would be congratulating Annie on her business acumen, in Degrassi Greendale High, even the ex-lawyer is disgusted, although that could partly be due to the fact that she's making him wear cat ears. 

In fact, he's more than disgusted, he's actually concerned about the 50 potential meth heads Pierce has inspired, and they turn to the one and only ex-Senor Chang to scare the bejesus out of the kids. He, of course, turns in a stellar performance, and after taking the beating of his life from a bunch of sugar-crazed 14-year-olds, it's happy endings all round. Degrassi would be very proud.

This being Community. though, the B-story more than tempers the pseudo-morality of the main arc, and then some. Through a Chang-inspired macguffin that leaves Britta's phone in Jeff's grubby hands, he ‘accidentally' propositions her 14-year-old nephew, which is creepy enough. What's creepier, however, is the fact that the nephew wholeheartedly accepts that proposition. It takes the strategic theft of Britta's bra (the mechanics of which are never fully explained) to keep the kid quiet. Remember kids, drugs are bad, but fantasising about your hot aunt is totally cool.

Celebrity Pharmacology is one of those Community episodes that doesn't reveal it's brilliance straight away. It totally creeps up on you, and before you know it, you're watching a pitch perfect recreation of hundreds of after school specials, but with sincerity and more than a little heart, and the underlying subversion stops it from becoming sentimental.

It's a beautifully crafted slice of TV heaven, and one more reason why this show is head and shoulders above almost every other comedy currently on your tellybox. They even find time to move the Chang/Shirley storyline on during the am-dram shenanigans, and their final scene is almost touching. Almost.

As always, Ken Jeong is utterly fabulous, and the split personality intimations are hilarious and scarily believable. Is it crazy to hope that Shirley will get over her Theo-love and accept the madness of ex-Senor Chang? Stranger things have happened, right?

As Community episodes go, this is, without doubt, about to become a classic. Beautifully written, scored to perfection and performed with relish by the cast, this show is still yet to put a foot wrong. We can but hope that the perfection continues well into the future.

Read our review of episode 12, Asian Population Studies, here.

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2. Missio

By Jupiter's cock, the prequel series is really upping the stakes in terms of excitement, intrigue and sex. What was initially considered 'filler' until the second season rolled around has, in only two episodes, raised the level of betrayal and duplicity in ancient Capua and given us new characters that we are already caring about.

The second episode, called Missio, sees almost every character given a task of some kind that, for better or worse, will affect their standing at Batiatus' ludos.

After being beaten and humiliated, Batiatus is rightfully out for vengeance against his rival, Vettius, and his financial backer, Tullius, and it is time for Gaia to make her move, both for her favour with Batiatus and Lucretia and for herself. With Roman noble, Qixus, visiting Capua to purchase gladiators for his primus, the stage is set for some good old fashioned intrigue, murder and, this being Spartacus, sex.

For Batiatus, his beating has only highlighted how he is standing in the shadow of his father and grand-father, men who all produced champions for the ludos and have their names etched in history. This desire to supersede them has led to Batiatus not only chastising his current Doctore for his dated methods, but makes him blind to 'diplomatic' solutions leading to the first fractures in his friendship with Solonius.

In order to win the favour of the visiting Qixus, all stops are pulled out to put on a show and to 'steal' the Roman's purse strings from the likes of Vettius. After using Gaia's feminine wiles to lure him to the ludos, our host of characters are faced with missions that affect their lives and friendships at the ludos.

Ashur and the fellow gladiatorial recruits are given the job of ambushing Vettius and exacting vengeance. This bloody task ensures they will be accepted into the brotherhood at the dismay of Doctore, who believes Batiatus is sullying the good name of the ludos with these underhand tactics.

For Crixus, a chance is given to prove himself against champion, Gannicus. Thanks to Oenomaus' teachings, Crixus has quickly become a formidable trainee, whose desire to not simply be a slave is leading him to throw himself into his teachings with relish.

Gannicus' brotherhood with Oenomaus is threatened after a display of his virility is demanded of him, with Oenomaus' wife, Melitta. Turns out Qixus is a sexual deviant and prefers to watch rather than engage in such activities. Who'd have thunk it?

In probably the episode's best scene, this betrayal is played out while Oenomaus is forced to fight and kill his former mentor and current Doctore, as Batiatus has shown interest in promoting him to the role. Let's just say the imagery of 'penetration' is as subtle as you'd expect it to be from this show.

However, it is Oenomaus, Gannius and Melitta whose missions have affected them the most. As they are led back to their individual cells after the acts they have committed, you can see the grief and hurt etched in their faces. However, as Melitta says to her husband, "We do what we must in this house." Something tells me that she may have slightly enjoyed her time with the champion. Surely a Gannicus/Oenomaus clash is an inevitability.

With Qixus' favour secured, secrets and betrayals now etched in everyone's minds, Batiatus, Lucretia and Gaia celebrate the only way the audience would demand, with a threesome!

Roll on next week. This just keeps getting better and better.

Read our review of the series opener, Past Transgressions, here.

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3.2 Adam's Family

Warning: this review contains spoilers

“George... you're chit-chatting... with a gimp.”

One of the most-frequent accusations thrown at Being Human, certainly on the Den of Geek comments board in any case, is that positioning Russell Tovey as a figure of fun has proven less effective as the show has developed.

In truth, Being Human has always handled comedy and drama rather well, and it is fair to say that responsibility for the bulk of the laughs lands in Tovey's lap. George's meek, uncomfortable persona lends itself to being made fun of, and it seems that this time round, the writers have made a clear decision to venture down the road of smiles and see what it comes up with.

In this second episode, more than any I can remember, Being Human played out as a comedy more than a work of drama. Dark comedy, that's for sure, but comedy nonetheless, and the writers, actors and entire production team pulled it off with assured confidence.

Last week's dogging interlude hinted at the weird and wonderful places the show was prepared to go this year to deliver laughs of a distinctly different variety. But I had no idea, as I watched mouth agog, that this week's storyline was going to go where it eventually ended up.

In fact, I'm betting not one person watching did. For the sight of a gimp holed up in a darkened basement, ready and, importantly, willing to give himself up so that others might live, and have a little debauched fun at the same time, left me stunned, bemused, amused and jealous at the same time. Jealous, not of the practice, you understand, but of the confidence the writers are exhibiting in this series already.

The very idea of a typical, middle-class suburban couple, who to the outside world look perfectly normal with a well-to-do upbringing, actually revealing themselves as vampires with a sinister sideline in kinky sex parties and gimp hirings and bitings led to the realisation, for the first time, of why Being Human is on BBC Three. Risks can be taken and the slimy, underbelly of society can be studied in all its grimy glory. As country house owner Richard points out, "the depravity of the human heart knows no bounds. Name your blackest desires and somewhere, out in the sweating mass of humanity, you'll find someone all too happy to gratify them."

His disdain for the human race was clear to see, but gimp number 7 wasn't perturbed one bit. Happy to do his job. Happy to please his masters. The clear inference of the human race acting as little more than the vampire hoards' feeding ground was well handled here, but the humour of the situation, of the insanity of the country house set-up, was the masterstroke of all this.

Mitchell, George, Annie and Nina might think fitting in with the human world is tough, but Richard and Emma have embraced their lot, finding a less brutal way of surviving in this world, while casting aspersions on the likes of Mitchell's wanten bloodlust. It might be a sick, strange way of living, but it's a better way of going about their business than the Box Tunnel 20 Massacre.

Speaking of which, Mitchell's anguish about that little blip isn't going to go away any time soon. With Lia's warning still ringing in his head – he will be killed by a wolf, says she – he was met by Richard to offer him a passage out of town. The Old Ones, the Vampire Elite, want him to do a runner to South America, to let things die down. Of course, it's a one-way ticket offer and 'the last Russell Brand in the shop' didn't particularly want to play ball. He had other things on his mind.

Well, one thing, actually. Annie.

How do you solve a problem like Annie? Relegated to a bunch of weak storylines last season, I fear more of the same this year. Sure, she will get the odd powerhouse of an episode, and I'm sure that somewhere down the line, the issue of whether she should stay or go will again rear its head. But in the main, Annie will be handed the supporting character role.

It's a role that undersells Lenora Critchlow's undoubted acting chops, of course, but the fact is that vampires and werewolves are more interesting than ghosts, and the underlying story of packs of wolves and clans of vampires occupying mainline Britain is fundamentally strong enough to carry the series forward. Annie's ghostly realm and purgatory have been covered. We get how that all works now. So, it seems that she will play the supporting act for the most part. Shame.

It will also be interesting to see how the writers handle the burgeoning romance between her and Mitchell. I'm not surprised the show has gone down that road – the suggestion of attraction between the pair has always been there – but if it gets it wrong, the series could collapse under the strain of stolen kisses and awkward silences.

We had romances throughout series 2, of course, and it wasn't a problem, but we now have an established pair in Nina and George and I'm not yet convinced that the show needs a second love story. I'm happy to give it a chance, though.

No furry activity for the aforementioned lovers this week, as they were too busy dealing with the episode's titular protagonist, Adam. In another powerful plot – the writers have a knack of weaving several strong stories together, each one standing up on its own merit – we had a chance to meet young (well not quite) Adam, whose own parents supported his cravings. Until they died, that is.

Taking him under their wing, it gave plenty of opportunity for moping (Mitchell), sarcasm (George), tenderness (Nina) and perving (Annie). Playing on his permanently teenage state, Adam's humour was puerile, but entertaining, and with a few corking one-liners and the odd bit of emotional drama ('you want to know how I'm feeling, George? Hungry'), the boy did good.

If there are aspects of this week's show that I've barely touched upon (Mitchell's job interview – wonderful), it's testament to how much it packed in. Last week's opener was a tough act to follow, but by bringing us into the weird world of a couple of middle-class vampires out in the country, Adam's Family exceeded all expectations.

Read our review of last week's episode, Lia, here.

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After the joyous Epic Yarn, which is due to arrive in Europe next month, Kirby’s already preparing for his next adventure. There’s no title for the game as yet, but we know it’s set to hit the Japanese Wii some time this year, and will be programmed, as ever, by HAL Laboratories. Oh, and we also know the game features hats.

Once again, Kirby 2011 takes the form of a 2D platformer, and while the adorable knitted look of Epic Yarn has been dropped, the game looks as engaging and sugar-sweet as ever. Kirby’s old ability to inhale enemies makes a welcome return, and there are also some Super Smash Bros-style special attacks, including a havoc-inducing giant sword that shatters everything in its path.

The early video you can see below is, unfortunately, hideously grainy, but the game still looks great. More news on the new Kirby game as we get it.

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Currently best known for his appearance as Charles Brandon in the television series The Tudors, British actor Henry Cavill is a relative unknown in Hollywood. That hasn't stopped the 28-year-old actor from landing the starring role in Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan's upcoming Superman movie (with Matthew Goode apparently the runner-up).

Cavill's been auditioning for similar roles for the past five years, having lost out to Brandon Routh in 2006‘s Superman Returns, and been pipped to the post for the roles of James Bond and Batman by Daniel Craig and Christian Bale, respectively.

In fact, our very own Ti Singh singled out Henry Cavill as one of the five actors who could play Superman in a Den Of Geek article last September.

While not a big name star as yet, Cavill has most of the qualities you'd look for in a potential Man of Steel. He's already proved his acting ability in The Tudors, and his role in Tarsem Singh's forthcoming action fantasy, Immortals, means he'll already have had plenty of experience with the physical demands an effects-laden Superman movie will bring.

"In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen," read a Warner press release. "I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield."

The new Superman movie is set to arrive in December 2012.

Deadline

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It's an easy recipe for success. Take Anthony Hopkins, add supernatural elements, mix in a little hint of Catholic Church pomp and circumstance, slap on a glaze of Exorcist, and bingo. You've got a cake made for box office success.

The Rite, the supernatural thriller starring the aforementioned Sir Anthony as a Catholic exorcist who may or may not be overtaken by the forces of evil, debuted at the top of the box office this weekend. The Rite (reviewed here) brought in $15 million, dethroning last week's top flick, No Strings Attached (second place, $13.65 million).

The Rite easily outpaced the other new release of the weekend, The Mechanic. Jason Statham shooting people took in a healthy $11.5 million this weekend, good for a solid third place tie. The Mechanic is a strong debut for Statham after the disaster that was Crank 2: High Voltage. It's not powered him up to the openings of the Transporter series, but it's a solid improvement over Crank the second, which managed only $13.6 million for its entire US run.

The Green Hornet, a funnier sort of action film, brought in $11.5 million as well. My fears of box office failure were a bit off, as Hornet has grossed an impressively healthy $78.8 million at the US box office in only three short weeks.

Also picking up $11 million ($11.1 million, to be exact) is The King's Speech. Riding a wave of potent press and awards nods, The King's Speech has already grossed $78.8 million in the States, with more money to be milked by a potential edit from R to PG-13 by the Weinstein Company. Not like they need it, as The King's Speech has grossed many times its $15 million budget and has banked $121 million worldwide. That's Weinstein's second-largest grossing film, behind Inglourious Basterds' $313 million.

True Grit drops out of the top five, but actually added a little cash at the box office versus last week. This weekend the flick banked $7.6 million, up from last weekend. The total so far is $148.3 million and rising. If you thought the Western was dead, think again. This is a good sign for Cowboys Versus Aliens later this summer.

Meanwhile, The Dilemma suffered a massive box office collapse. The flick drops to seventh from third last weekend, losing nearly 40 percent of its grosses. It's not Gigli, but it's not good. The Dilemma took in 5.476 million bucks stateside, and has managed only $40.6 million or so. That's with good reason, as The Dilemma was kind of terrible and depressing. The sooner it goes away, the sooner I can forget it ever happened.

Black Swan slips from sixth to eighth this weekend, showing signs of weakness for the first time in a long time. However, it took home $5.1 million and will break $100 million in the US (right now it sits at $90 million). I'd imagine Darren Aronofsky wishes he'd made a body horror a long time ago, given how wildly successful Black Swan has been and continues to be. Prediction: there'll be a lot of Black Swan Halloween costumes this year, so stock up on eye shadow now.

The Fighter sinks to ninth place, but holds tight to most of its box office. The Paramount flick managed to bring in 4.055 million bones, nudging its total take to $78 million. It won't break $100 million unless it wins a slew of awards this season, and even then, that's not likely. Still, it's made serious bank and is one of Paramount's many big successes over the past few months, alongside True Grit and No Strings Attached.

Rounding out the top ten is Yogi Bear, which will probably gross $100 million before all is said and done. Yogi added $3.165 million this weekend, pushing his total up to $92.5 million. He can make it, and probably will.

Out next weekend is yet another 3D flick with James Cameron's name on it. This one is Sanctum, and it involved a climbing expedition in some sort of cave. If that's not a recipe for claustrophobia, I don't know one. Also coming out is The Roommate, which is kind of like Single White Female meets Sorority Row, but starring actresses too old to be college girls.

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Sometimes, you have a calling. Sometimes, you're born into the family business. Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue) is dealing with a bit of both. He's the son of an undertaker, and has the family funeral home to run, if he so chooses. Otherwise, if he doesn't want to be a mortician, he can follow the other family vocation and become a priest. Spending his whole life wrist-deep in corpses doesn't sound appealing, so Michael takes up the collar and heads off to seminary.

The only problem with this whole line of work is that Michael doesn't exactly believe in God or want to be a Catholic priest. His initial plan, to attend four years of college on Rome's dime, doesn't work out so well when he is told by his advisor that he either finishes school and takes up the vow of priesthood, or his scholarships become student loans and he's saddled with $100,000 worth of college bills. However, his advisor gives him an out: if he goes to Rome for a few months to learn to be an exorcist, then once he gets back he can decide whether or not he's in or out of the absolution game.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in the Vatican's exorcist college, then do as Father Lucas Trevant (Anthony Hopkins) does. He's not the most traditional exorcist, according to Kovak's teacher, but he's effective. However, who does the exorcism when the exorcist gets possessed?

If The Rite has one saving grace that elevates the movie from slightly boring to entertaining, it's the work of Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins, who is aging from Hannibal Lecter into the world's favorite creepy grandfather, really turns on the charm and turns up the energy in the second half of the film. His accents change wildly. He modulates his voice from his normal Father Lucas Trevant voice to his possessed vocal inflection. His expressions change wildly as the CGI transformation crawls along his skin. His eyes roll in his head. His grin becomes a leer.

In short, Hopkins does everything possible to make sure this movie ends on a high note. Hopkins goes so far into camp territory that he may as well pitch a tent and take archery lessons, and for the most part, it's wildly entertaining.

The same can't be said of the performances of Alice Braga, whose main gift to the production is nice hair, and Colin O'Donoghue, whose main asset is that he looks like Milo Ventimiglia with an unconvincing American accent. Ciarán Hinds (as Vatican exorcism professor, Father Xavier) and Rutger Hauer (as Michael's father, Istvan Kovak) are mostly wasted in limited roles that give them very little to do.

The direction by Mikael Håfström (1408) is fine, but nothing special. The film seems to be taking a lot of its cues from other exorcism-based horror films, but it doesn't go over the top like most of them do. It also doesn't go for realism quite like The Last Exorcism did, either. It kind of splits the difference, with a realistic first seventy-five percent and an outlandish final quarter that will inevitably leave neither side completely satisfied.

Still, from a technical standpoint, the movie looks wonderful. Håfström makes great use of the city of Rome and his interior locations are all shot beautifully. The scenes in which Kovak the younger wanders through the Vatican and attends various classes are all quite beautiful, and after seeing the movie you'll probably want to go visit Rome, even if it is infested with cats.

The film's awkward attempt to straddle two worlds is also reflected in the script by Michael Petroni, based off of Matt Baglio's book. At times, the dialogue tries to reach for depth and meaning. At other times it shoots for comedy value. Sometimes, it does both of these things at once, to its detriment.

Had it gone for realism and given Father Lucas a mental illness, then it would have been mediocre but consistent. Veering wildly into supernatural horror territory offers a glimpse of what might have been had all the demonic possession victims eaten as much scenery as Hopkins did, which could have made the film a wildly fun mess.

As it stands, The Rite is fine for fans of exorcism films or Anthony Hopkins fanatics, but it's nothing special for anyone else. Between Hopkins giving a fun performance and some lovely shots of moody old buildings embraced by shadows, The Rite is entertaining enough to recommend, but not highly.

US Correspondent Ron Hogan would be slightly afraid of Anthony Hopkins in real life, but terrified of Christopher Lee under the same circumstances. Find more by Ron daily at Shaktronics and PopFi.

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5.12 Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning

There's something a bit unfair about the writers of 30 Rock taking a swipe at reality TV. Like dumb fish bobbing around the proverbial barrel, reality TV shows are such easy prey for anyone with a well-aimed satirical streak, you could almost feel sorry for them. Almost. In truth, this week's glorious double barrelled attack on the genre was even funnier than watching the entire cast of Jersey Shore actually being shot in a barrel.

30 Rock has done a good trade in fictional reality shows since MILF Island first made its appearance in season two, but this week it outdid itself. Now in production, Angie's sassy diva vehicle, Queen Of Jordan, was following Tracy around, hoping to capture a bit of his own special brand of crazy, while he did his best not to give them anything that could hurt his chances of an Oscar win.

Spying an opportunity to finally make Tracy behave like a professional, Lemon soon became embroiled in yet another battle of the wills with her star, who was proving ingenious in his attempts to stay on the cutting room floor.

Next up came Jack's brilliantly cynical idea to pre-record a one size fits all disaster benefit so NBC could beat the other networks to pity ratings. With the help of a generic benefit song from Jenna and some heartfelt words from Bobby De Niro about the tragedy of super intelligent shark attacks, NBC was primed and ready for a disaster, any disaster. And it didn't have to wait long for one to arrive. I won't ruin the punchline, but it was a riot.

The third 'reality' format to be paid homage to was ABC's The Bachelor, in a story where Lutz's favour was being courted by the rest of the TGS writers. Surfing a temporary wave of popularity, Lutz revelled in foot rubs and boob flashings galore until, like an evicted Big Brother contestant, normal business resumed and he was back at the bottom of the pile.

Hands down, though, the best gags this week went to Tracy. He may or may not win his Oscar, but he does get to take home the award for most inspired use of a Billy Joel song in a sitcom, as well as special mention for commitment to having boobs pressed against him. He will get there. The man will get there.

Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning gave us an embarrassment of reality-based riches (to be honest, they had me at Real Life Transvestite Hoarders of Orange County Penitentiary...). This was the show firing on all cylinders, one that provided nods for the nod-spotters (scheduling change! Lost! Liz's waning interest in adoption!), coined ‘the snart', Liz's new gross bodily function, and included more meta-references than you could shake a postmodern stick at. In short, a real corker.

Read our review of episode 11, Mrs Donaghy, here.

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3.15 Overlords

If the past few weeks of The Clone Wars has demonstrated anything, it's that the very fabric of Star Wars lore can be addressed and added to in the animated spin-off. And, so quickly, another story comes along which has possible dramatic ramifications with the television series.

Whereas the previous trilogy delved into the world of the Dark Side and the Sith, this new trilogy, starting here with Overlords, is a study in The Force, examining the prophecy that Anakin Skywalker is the 'chosen one', bringing balance to the universe.

The story sees Anakin, his feisty Padawan Ahsoka and Obi-Wan, encountering a family of Force-wielders, beings whose powers belittle the Jedi with uncomfortable ease and lie somewhere between, and above, Jedi and Sith. Whilst resting, each of the Jedi are visited by familiar faces.

As revealed last week, Qui Gon Jinn returns for a brief chat with his former Padawan. Hearing Liam Neeson's tones will send shivers down your geekoid receptors. The sense of awe has never been more apparent in the series, due to the weight Neeson brings to the role.

Also returning is actress Pernilla August as Shmi Skywalker, who has some disturbing news for her son, from beyond the grave. Most concerning, though, is the vision Ahsoka suffers, a future version of herself who states that Anakin may be her downfall. A grim foreshadowing for the character?

All these visions could turn out to be merely manipulations by the Force-wielders, who seem to have the upper hand by some margin with the Jedi (until Anakin reacts and confirms his role as the 'chosen one' in a magnificently tense scene). But it's this mystery which is so enticing and looks set to continue for the next couple of episodes as the prophecy is explored.

From the very beginning of this episode, the Jedi are placed within mystery and peril, an angle which plays very well in terms of drama. The action may be low, but the intrigue and interest is at full tilt, engrossing and demanding in equal measures.

With a wonderfully pitched soundtrack, using some incredibly emotive cues from the films (quite unusual for The Clone Wars), and the stunning visuals of the new additions to the Star Wars galaxy, the Force-wielders and the planet they inhabit, Mortis, this episode contains a  perfectly pitched balance between story and production.

Initially, the prospect of Liam Neeson would have seemed to be the point of interest in Overlords, but this is not the case. By exploring the notion of the 'chosen one' and the very nature of the Force and how it can be manipulated, the makers of The Clone Wars are asking questions that the cinematic saga never did. The right kind of questions.

Read our review of episode 14, Witches Of The Mist, here.

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Once again casting players in the role of Isaac Clarke, a man who spends his weekdays performing MOTs and the weekends slicing up murderous mutant creatures, Dead Space 2 is the continuation of the surprise 2008 hit.

If you're unfamiliar with Dead Space, this is full-on, brutal survival horror that plays like Resident Evil 4 with go faster stripes. It's third person exploration and combat, utilising a series of makeshift power tools as weapons with which you need to 'tactically dismember' your foes, all the time trying to avoid becoming so much mulch.

The original game set the bar very high, indeed, and was a very stylish sci-fi romp that featured all of the usual scares associated with this genre, such as telegraphed monster closets, gruesome foes and scarce ammo, and threw in some genuinely unsettling atmosphere and devious mind games. The result was a truly original take on survival horror that pushed people's scare buttons and was a very enjoyable title.

Dead Space 2 clearly aims to improve upon its forerunner, and promises a bigger, better game packed with even more horror and enough blood to fill a small ocean.

The story follows on from the first game. Isaac, having escaped from the USG Ishimura and Aegis VII, having destroyed the red marker, is found floating in space and taken to Titan Station, a huge floating city in space above Titan, one of Saturn's moons.

As the game opens, it appears the Earth Government (EarthGov) are not so sure of Isaac's story, and he's clad in a straightjacket and detained in a psych ward.

Of course, it doesn't take long for things to go the way of the pear, and not only is Isaac thrown into another confrontation with the Necromorphs, but he's also now hunted by the apparent ghost of his dead wife, whom he spent the first game looking for. Be careful what you wish for, eh, Isaac?

Soon the entire city is overrun with the hideous Necromorphs, and Isaac is left to survive in similar fashion to the original game, only on a much larger and more varied stage.

Bright lights, big city

One of the common criticisms of the first game was the repetitive nature of the environments. Being based primarily on a star ship, some felt that the game lacked variety. Dead Space 2 addresses this, and the city is an interesting and varied place, featuring gloomy hospitals, shopping malls, residential apartment blocks and even opulently decorated churches and kindergartens.

Whilst you explore the city, you'll also soak up one of the game's strongest points, the atmosphere. Dead Space set the bar very high here, and the sequel doesn't rest on its laurels. Dead Space 2 ups the stakes, and just about every trick in the book is used to keep players in a constant state of uncertainty.

All manner of sounds and voices can be heard everywhere, from screams and whispering to, always chilling, babies cries, and environmental scares, such as pipes bursting and lights cutting out are as effective as ever. The sound design is superb, and the SFX and ambient music set the tone perfectly.

The lighting deserves particular praise, too, and is some of the best I've ever seen, delivering a real sense of danger as you gingerly and cautiously advance down pitch black corridors and manoeuvre around blood stained rooms with only a thin beam of torchlight illuminating the way.

The encounters with Isaac's wife can be pretty scary as well, although she does lose some of her terrifying presence after several random pop ups, diminishing her threat a little.

Some boss encounter set pieces are truly impressive, and often leave Isaac in a very precarious state, and even introductions to the game's standard enemy types are impressive.

It all comes together to form a horror title that won't fail to give everyone a seat-leaving moment at least once, and an experience that most will find continually unnerving and tense.

One point of contention here for many will, no doubt, be the decision to give Isaac a face and voice. Whereas he was a silent protagonist in the first game, here he's got his own dialogue and will react vocally to things he sees and does. Personally, I prefer the silent hero route, as I feel this benefits the dark, unnerving atmosphere more than a chatty star, which I feel can pull you out of the experience a little. Of course, this is all down to personal taste, and some may welcome the added personality.

Slice and dice

The core gameplay in Dead Space 2 remains pretty much the same as before, and if there's any major shortcomings to be found here, it's the similarity to the first. In fact, very little has changed other than a few improvements, and the combat and tactical dismemberment remains as important as ever.

Once again, Isaac makes use of various cutting tools to rip the Necromorphs limb from limb, and the weapons on offer are quite varied, including the staple plasma cutter, pulse rifle, line gun and ripper, amongst other new additions like the javelin gun.

All weapons are effective in some way, and you can simply shoot enemies to take them down, but as in the original, the key is to slice off enemy limbs one by one, killing foes quickly and saving ammo in the process.

Different weapons are more effective against some enemies than others, and if you're going to survive, you'll really need to conserve ammo, as it can be scarce, especially on harder difficulties. And, with more enemy variety, there's even more reason to keep a flexible arsenal to hand.

To augment Isaac's weapon-based combat and to help save ammo, Dead Space 2 features a more robust and useful telekinesis and stasis system. As before, Isaac can pick up objects and throw them. But this time there's far more scope in combat, and Isaac can not only hurl objects, including spikes and loading crates at foes for an instant kill if aimed correctly, but he can also rip the claws off dead foes and hurl them back at enemies. You can even shoot the spiked limbs off a Necromorph and then use TK to hurl its own arm back at it, with fatal results, often pinning said foe to the wall. Nice.

Stasis is more prevalent here, too, and although it was used sparingly by most in the original, here it's far more essential, not only to bypass deadly hazards such as spinning air circulation blades, but to slow down the much more agile and deadly Necromorphs, either to make them easier to hit, or to stop them so you can run in for the melee kill. You'll use it much more in normal fights this time around, and if you find yourself without stasis power, you'll instantly feel vulnerable.

This all helps to create an improved combat system, and one that demands real tactics. You really can't simply fire away at foes here, and aiming for limbs and using the right weapons for the job are the easiest way to success. It makes even simple fights a challenge, and slicing off limbs just never gets old.

That said, the game can become a little repetitive at times, and after a while you'll start to guess when the next ‘surprise' attack will occur, negating the fear somewhat, but it never gets dull. Just don't expect anything radically different from the first.

A to Z, up and down

A cool feature of the first game was Isaac's handy laser pointer, compass thingy. This always pointed Isaac in the right direction, and it returns here, albeit in a beefed up manner. Now, Isaac's direction finder not only points to the next objective, but can also be set to find the nearest safe point, shop and workbench. It's a nice feature, and ensures you'll never get lost in the expansive city.

Perhaps one of the biggest improvements, however, is the antigravity sections. The original game had such sections, but these were a little clunky and unwieldy, especially during combat. Isaac would only jump from one point to another awkwardly, and the end result wasn't all that great. Here, Isaac has been freed from such constraints, and thanks to some handy manoeuvring jets on his suit, he can fly around smoothly, in full 360 degrees.

This is a welcome change that makes antigravity sections far more enjoyable, and also makes for more impressive puzzles and situations.

Social carnage

As well as the long and polished single player campaign, Dead Space 2 features an online multiplayer component. This has been hyped quite a bit during the game's production cycle, and it's no surprise, given the human vs Necromorph angle, a la Left 4 Dead.

Sadly, although the multiplayer modes are enjoyable enough in small doses, pitting teams of engineers versus a variety of Necromorphs in game types such as deathmatch and objective-based missions, it's not very well balanced, and players of human characters are vastly more powerful that Necro players, who'll spend a good deal of time waiting to respawn.

The online component certainly doesn't come across as an afterthought, but it's nowhere near as good as it could have been, and most will tire of it fairly quickly.

Luckily, this doesn't really matter, as the main course is, without a doubt, the single player, and here the game hits the mark. The story is intriguing, the visuals are impeccable, the campaign is long and always enjoyable, and if you're looking for atmosphere, it's laid on thick.

Dead Space 2 is a sequel that does its predecessor proud and is a great continuation of the story. Yes, it's not all that different from the first game, but if you loved the first, that's no bad thing. If you've never played the first (and why not?) then this is even more of a must see, and makes for the first must-have 360 game of 2011.

Dead Space 2 is out now and available from the Den Of Geek Store.

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The avalanche of shots from the shoot of the Spider-Man reboot shows little sign of abating, and these latest pictures to appear, arriving at On Location News, offer a closer look at Andrew Garfield's take on the webslinger in action.

Here's a collection of the shots that the site took, and, as usual, click on any of them to make them bigger.

On Location News

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While watching Australian cave-thriller, Sanctum, I could tell that writing about it was going to be a bit of a tricky task. You see, I'm aware of my ethical and professional obligation to provide an objective review both to Den Of Geek and, of course, to you, the readers.

On the other hand, I'm also aware that after the multi-billion dollar success of Avatar, Sanctum executive producer, James Cameron, has the kind of money and power that, were I to say something he didn't like, he could have me quickly and brutally killed within minutes, possibly at the hands of a giant forklift robot operated by the man himself.

So, with that in mind, I'm now going to say some nice things about Sanctum.

The 3D effects are okay. And there is a surprisingly nasty bit of gore about an hour in that is quite good.

Er.

Oh, I haven't done a synopsis yet. That's, at the very least, going to be neutral.

A group of cave divers, led by the irascible Frank (Richard Roxburgh), attempt to infiltrate the world's oldest, deepest and most mysterious cave system. His crack team includes an American playboy financier and his girlfriend, and Frank's 17-year-old son, Josh, whose concentration and devotion to his dive team duties is tempered by his abundance of daddy issues. When exploring the caves, an exit collapses, and the team are forced into a fight for survival.

So, we're all happy to end the review here, right?

No? It's just that if I'm forced to write any more, I'd almost certainly have to mention the elephant in the room. Namely, that Sanctum is one of the single most boring films I've seen in recent times, a movie so unrelentingly lifeless and dull that at one point I was genuinely concerned that it would cause my glazed and tired eyes to cross permanently, therefore putting the film back into 2D and negating its only true selling point. 

And I don't really want to bring that up, as it'll only end up with someone being sent back in time to kill me before I write my review. It's for this reason that I also wouldn't want to talk about the abysmal script that does about as poor a job of structuring, pacing and setting up a story as you could expect from a major film.

For example, Sanctum's idea of setting up the tense, angst-y relationship between Frank and his son Josh, is to treat us in the opening scenes to at least nine different characters approaching Josh and saying, "Your dad's really mad at you, you know. He's really, really mad," before cutting to Frank, who is being earnestly told by another character, "You shouldn't get so mad at Josh. He's a good kid!" This exchange is then repeated ad nauseam for thirty excruciatingly dull minutes, with almost nothing else of note happening on screen, before we're  launched into the 'meat' of the film, where our heroes are suddenly in peril and we're genuinely expected  to care about what happens to them.

I, for one, would like to state on the record that I definitely did not find this lame attempt at character development incredibly inept, half-arsed and frustrating. Instead, it was a refreshing change from most other films, which tend to provide the audience with at least one memorable or interesting character to latch onto, instead of populating the whole cast exclusively with charisma-free, two-dimensional (the irony!) schmucks that are so forgettable that you are forced to impose names and personalities on them yourself in a last-ditch attempt to stay awake, like Robert Downey Jr in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

(See if you can spot Crocodile Sean Pertwee, yuppie McNulty from The Wire and my personal favourite, gravely constipated Chesney Hawkes.)

Needless to say, I won't be talking about the dialogue in this entirely positive, non-critical review of Sanctum, and how it is hackneyed, banal and groan-worthy in the extreme. I know that Mr Cameron isn't shy of filling his own scripts with some clunkers, but compared to some of the rubbish the poor actors in Sanctum are forced to speak, the scripts of Titanic and Avatar look like David Mamet or something.

One odd thing about Sanctum that I definitely can't mention is how, despite Mr Cameron's position as executive producer (as the marketing materials are very keen to make us aware of), the film could not be more at odds with his long standing and admirable tendency to fill his movies with strong-willed, powerful women of action.

There's an ugly streak of misogyny running through Sanctum, as all (well, both) of the women are either incompetent, flighty, vain or self-obsessed. Oh, and  in constant need of being rescued by the physically and mentally superior male characters. It certainly leaves a bit of a nasty taste in the mouth, and in 2011, it's sad to see such negative, sweeping generalisations still being made about people. Still, I guess that's Australians for you (*).

I'm obviously not going to be talking about what an ugly spectacle Sanctum is purely on an aesthetic level, with its never-changing palette of muddy greys and browns. There's a reason why there aren't many films set exclusively in caves. It's because caves are basically just rocks and water, which are horrible things to look at for hours on end, regardless of how many dimensions you film them in.

One aspect of Sanctum that I can talk about, as it is a genuinely impressive achievement, is how it is a film set almost exclusively in a cave that manages to be entirely devoid of any sense of claustrophobia. There are a couple of scenes that show characters (both women, naturally) struggling for minutes as they pitifully try and force their way through 'gaps' you could practically drive a bus through. I know that it must be hard enough to get the 3D cameras underwater, let alone into cave crevices, but it's embarrassing how little tension and suspense the filmmakers manage to generate over the course of the film.

While I'm clearly an exception, I know that there are potentially a lot of reviewers out there who might speculate Sanctum is a film that has been primarily produced to demonstrate that a (relatively) low budget film can be produced using the impressive 3D technology that Mr Cameron pioneered with Avatar. Which essentially makes Sanctum a 90 minute technical test reel, only one that we have to stump up cash to go and see.

Some might argue that this film will set a dangerous precedent if it makes a lot of money (which it probably will, due to the extra revenue that comes in from the higher price of tickets for 3D films), demonstrating that people will literally watch anything if it's marketed heavily enough and the 3D tech is up to scratch.

Some might say that attempting to shamelessly piggyback off of the success of Avatar with such a joyless, lifeless, cynical film probably isn't the best use of Mr Cameron's time, money and resources at the moment. 

But I wouldn't say that, obviously. I liked it.

(*) A joke, before anyone writes in to complain!

Follow Paul Martinovic on Twitter @paulmartinovic, or for more babble check out his blog here.

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The casting for the 23rd James Bond film is well under way, and Deadline is now reporting that the latest addition to the line up for the as-yet unnamed film is Javier Bardem.

Bardem, an Oscar-winner for No Country For Old Men, had apparently been offered a "starring role" in the production. And while there are no official details as to what that starring role is, as Deadline rightly points out, "traditionally the bigger male role opposite 007 is the villain".

Given that Bardem has more than earned his on-screen villain stripes in the past, it'd make sense that he'd be the foe in the new film. But it's, of course, unconfirmed.

Bardem has also reportedly been offered the lead role in The Dark Tower trilogy, but it'd presumably be possible to balance both projects.

Here's the story at Deadline.

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Given that it appeared on the worst film of 2010 list for quite a few Den Of Geek writers, you'll not be surprised to hear that we weren't fond at all of the A Nightmare On Elm Street remake/reboot/travesty. But that, along with the new take on Friday The 13th, earned enough box office dollars to seemingly warrant sequels. Yet. sequels have not been forthcoming.

So, what's been going on? Well, over to the Twitter account of Brad Fuller, who produced both films.

Friday The 13th first, then, as that looks like it might yet happen. "Shannon and Swift wrote a great script," Fuller wrote. "We are ready to go, when New Line is ready. But as of yet, they are not ready. Rated R horror movies, right now, don't seem to generate interest from the studios."

That sounds like the kind of project that could be switched on quite quickly, although there's little sign of a green light yet. As for another A Nightmare On Elm Street? Good news, friends. "As for Freddy," he adds, "as far as I know, there isnt [sic] even talk of writing another script."

May we just say: long may that continue.

Fuller also offered updates on a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, saying that he expects to have more script details in "4 to 6 weeks", while the new take on The Monster Squad "is being rewritten and we hope to have a script in the next few weeks". We'll see.

Fuller's Twitter account is www.twitter.com/bcfuller.

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Just because the main cast of The Dark Knight Rises is now in place, what with the casting of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, that doesn't mean the rumour mill isn't still having some fun with the project. The latest example? The tittle tattle spreading around the web linking Robin Williams with the role of Hugo Strange in the movie.

This one can be traced back to a Tweet eminating from BatmanOnFilm, which wrote "RW as Strange? Hmmm." Given that BatmanOnFilm isn't a site which generates rumour mill casting news as a rule, this ignited chatter that RW meant Robin Williams, and Hugo Strange was in The Dark Knight Rises.

However, there's no guarantee at all that that's what BatmanOnFilm meant (even though one or two other places seem to have the story, too. But they may have picked it up from BoF, too).

Granted, Robin Williams has history with Christopher Nolan, having worked with him on Insomnia, and having said that he'd like to work with the director before. But we can't find anything to substantiate either that Hugo Strange will be appearing in The Dark Knight Rises (which would then seem quite villain heavy, with Bane and Catwoman already appearing), or that Robin Williams is involved.

Of course, as soon as we find anything out, we'll pass the news along...

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Some horrible, horrible news to start the week off. The legendary composer, Mr John Barry, has died. He was 77 years old. We caught the news from a Tweet off his fellow 007 composer, David Arnold, who wrote, "It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that John Barry passed away this morning."

He added, "I am profoundly saddened by the news but profoundly thankful for everything he did for music and for me personally."

Personally, I was still in my teens when I picked up a copy of John Barry's Dances With Wolves score, and after playing it non-stop for many, many days straight, it sent me off to find more of his work. And what a rich selection there was to choose from. The Lion In Winter. Out Of Africa. Midnight Cowboy. Born Free. And, of course, his iconic work on the James Bond series.

Barry worked on the music of Bond films from Dr. No right through to 1987's The Living Daylights, and always claimed, too, that he was at the very least a co-author of the main 007 theme tune. (Monty Norman continues to get sole credit.)

He picked up five Oscars throughout his career, and was nominated for a further two more (one of which was for his underappreciated score to Chaplin). And across a movie scoring career that ran from 1960 to 2001's Enigma, Barry marked his place in cinema history as one of the finest movie score composers we've ever seen.

Rest in peace, Mr Barry. Your influence and music will live on for a long, long time...

David Arnold's Twitter

Our tribute to the Bond films of John Barry

This review contains spoilers.

While at first this seemed liked a fluff episode, with the return of Jenny (for a one-off cameo) and a happy reunion with her ex-friends at the ARC, there was actually a lot more going on in Primeval than just evil hyenas, and a lot of comedy moments involving supposed paintball and team building.

While the main story was, indeed, a bit of lightheated fun, the overall story arcs that have been the main thrust of the more serious aspects of the show seemed to hit a high point this week. As, while Abby and Connor seem to have some fun fending off some ex-cast members from The Lion King, Matt and Becker have a lot more serious episode and finally we begin to see that Ethan, Emily and Matt are all holding a lot back.

Let's take Ethan first. It seems that the story he spun about being from the ninteenth century was partially true. There was, indeed, a killer on the loose around that time with the same form of operations he uses to ‘spy' on his targets. However, and this is where things get a little interesting, he seems to have millitary training, is adapt with engineering and electronics and can lay a nifty booby trap or two.

Added to this he seems to have photos taken in a photo booth, and have some affinity to a house and is remembered by an old lady. This slow reveal and discrepancy in his story is beginning to flesh out quite a two dimensional baddie, and shows that there is a lot more going on with him than first appears, especially in the way he purposely sets a trap and captures Becker.

Even with the lack of monsters, this was all pretty tense stuff and quite well played out. A nod, then, to the writers, as this more than made up for last week's silly encounter in the graveyard.

It is, as mentioned above, not only Ethan who has secrets, as Emily is married, which scuppers Matt's potential future dating plans. And while it seems his love life has taken a turn for the worse, that's not the only thing he is going to be worried about, as the ‘secret' man he keeps visiting dies and we find that he is actually Matt's father.

Now, there have been rumours as to who this character is and where he came from. Another question should be ‘when', as in his final words he tells Matt that the ARC's still in danger and this is the reason why they came. Wild speculation could be that this older gentleman is Danny returned from living in the past, but aged, with Matt being his son, a variation of Cutter or somebody else. But whoever he was, it leaves a few tasty titbits of story for us to follow, especially as Matt is now on his own.

While these intriguing elements threaded their way though this week's episode, everything else was a little basic. And while it was fun to see Jenny again, nicely tanned, toned and looking lovely, the episode didn't really give us much, apart from a few light-hearted moments and, essentially, a minor monster.

However, again a nod to the effects department, who managed to get the right mix on the monsters. While the baby hyenas where cute, cuddly and no real threat, the prehistoric ones where pretty horrific and nasty and all rendered in broad daylight, a trick that I have been told is pretty difficult to pull off in creating convincing CG monsters, especially ones covered in hair.

Overall, a good solid episode with a few laughs, especially the Lester cameo. But the main meat of the story really was the moving along of Matt's mission and the credible threat that Ethan is beginning to pose.

Read our review of episode 5 here.

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With LittleBigPlanet 2 already released and the arrival of Killzone 3 imminent, I thought that now would be the ideal time to take a look at my most anticipated upcoming exclusives on the PlayStation 3 (as is becoming something of an annual tradition). So here’s a rundown of the ten exclusive titles I’m most looking forward to - and I hope you all like sequels, because there sure is a lot of them...

MLB 11: The Show

The previous Major League Baseball title on the PS3 was excellent, so this is one that I’m looking forward to greatly. I’m not hugely knowledgeable about baseball, but the game mechanics and ease of play made it one of those titles that is easy to pick up but tricky to master. One of the few sporting franchises that is a PS3 exclusive, it also just happens to be one of the best.

The latest instalment will see  numerous gameplay improvements, as well as 3D and Playstation Move support. The game will be available on 8th March in the US, and if the previous title is anything to go by, won’t be released in Europe. However don’t let that put you off, as it’s region free and easy to import.

Please feel free to let me know what titles I’ve overlooked and your opinions on the ones I’ve selected in the comments section below.

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