UK Top 10 Games: 27th February 2012

The Playstation Vita launches and scores the top 2 places as well! Uncharted: Golden Abyss is in at No. 1, followed closely by EA's FIFA Football which follows at No. 2.

They knock last week's No. 1, UFC 3, down 2 places to No. 3.

Rayman Origins also sees a boost in sales as the Vita version is released. It climbs an impressive 31 places up to No. 5.

The other top 10 new entry is FPS reboot, Syndicate which debuts at No. 7.

Outside the top 10, other Vita launch titles dent the top 40: WipEout 2048 is at No. 11, Ridge Racer at No. 28, Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition at No. 30, and Everybody's Golf is at No. 32.

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 also enters the top 40 at No. 33 - boosted by the Vita version.

Other new entries are the Wii's, The Last Story at No. 15. Fallout: New Vegas - Ultimate Edition (which features all the DLC of the original NV) at No. 17, the PS3's Jak and Daxter Trilogy is at No. 27, and finally, Sega's new IP, Binary Domain debuts at No. 35.

UK Top 10 Games (All Formats, All Prices):

1. (-) Uncharted: Golden Abyss
2. (-) FIFA Football
3. (1) UFC Undisputed 3
4. (2) FIFA 12
5. (36) Rayman Origins
6. (4) Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
7. (-) Syndicate
8. (3) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
9. (5) Battlefield 3
10. (6) Final Fantasy XIII-2

*Phew* What a week, eh? Come back next week for more news! Here's a trailer for this week's new No. 1: Uncharted: Golden Abyss:

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US Box Office Top 10: 27th February 2012

This week, Act of Valor debuts at No. 1 making nearly $25 million, it knocks last week's No. 1, Safe House, down 3 places to No. 4.

You can read our review of Safe House by clicking here!

It also beats fellow new entry, Good Deeds, which settles for No. 2 with $16 million.

The other 2 new entries of the week don't make quite an impact. Wanderlust, a comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston is in at No. 8 with $6.63 million. And, thriller starring Amanda Seyfried, Gone, at No. 9 making a measly $5 million.

All the other chart films drop places because of the new entries, with the exception of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, which actually climbs one place to No. 3 making another $13 million.

US Box Office Top 10:

1. (-) Act of Valor - $24.7 million
2. (-) Good Deeds - $16 million
3. (4) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - $13.5 million
4. (1) Safe House - $11.4 million
5. (2) The Vow - $10 million
6. (3) Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - $8.8 million
7. (5) This Means War - $8.5 million
8. (-) Wanderlust - $6.63 million
9. (-) Gone - $5 million
10. (9) Arriety - $4.5 million

That's all the box office news this week. Here's a trailer for this week's new No. 1, Act of Valor:

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Safe House Review

It's difficult to describe how I feel about Safe House. It has its good points, but ultimately it has too many flaws to be a must-see. The biggest one being the story itself.

The film doesn't exactly have an original story. A CIA agent goes rogue. A younger, more impressionable agent has to protect him and take him in. Questions get raised over who's the real bad guy: the rogue agent or the CIA themselves.
It's a plot that has been done before, and that would be forgivable if it wasn't for Safe House's clumsy way of re-telling it.

First, the camera drove me mad. It was jumping around all over the place during action sequences particularly, making it hard to know what was going on. This was a real shame because there is no reason for it to be like that. Simply having a more stable camera would have improved this film greatly.

The script was also below-par - just adding to Safe House's problem of barely being able to tell a story. I found the film hard to follow for the most part, luckily there were times that I was able to catch up and get some enjoyment out of the story - but this just didn't happen often enough.

But it wasn't all bad. Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington both deliver strong performances and play off each other well. It's annoying to think they could have done better with an improved script.
The supporting cast are also OK and secure acting as one of the films strong points.

Unfortunately, not many other strong points come to mind. The story is unoriginal and clumsily told - this is made even worse by the thin script and jumpy camera. The performances of Reynolds and Washington seem to be one of the only redeeming features - meaning Safe House is one for action movie nuts alone.

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UK Box Office Top 10: 21st February 2012

This week, Daniel Radcliffe's The Woman in Black keeps the top spot making £3.5 million. That's even more than last week's debut - mainly due to half term holidays last week.

The Muppets has also increased its box office takings this week, but remains at No. 2.

The only new entry this week is Nicholas Cage's Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, which comes in at No. 3.

Silent movie tribute, The Artist, also re-enters this week at No. 9 making another £500,000. Are we the only people who don't see what the fuss is about? Comment.

UK Box Office Top 10:

1. (1) The Woman in Black - £3,501,601
2. (2) The Muppets - £3,411,698
3. (-) Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - £1,340,000
4. (3) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace - £1,077,302
5. (6) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - £1,061,550
6. (4) The Vow - £953,165
7. (5) Chronicle - £727,871
8. (7) The Descendants - £564,536
9. (11) The Artist - £527,358
10. (8) War Horse - £450,073

Here's a trailer for this week's highest new entry: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance:

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UK Games Top 10: 20th February 2012

This week THQ's UFC Undisputed 3 claims the top spot. Something I was happy about, because it would be a shame to see THQ go bust. More No. 1's for them can only be a good thing!

It knocks last week's No. 1, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning all the way down to No. 12!

Meanwhile, a bombardment of special offers sees Modern Warfare 3, Mario & Sonic 2012, and Skylanders climb the charts.

Just Dance 3 also re-enters the top 10 at No. 10.

UK Top 10 Games (All Formats, All Prices):

1. (-) UFC Undisputed 3
2. (5) FIFA 12
3. (7) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
4. (10) Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics
5. (6) Battlefield 3
6. (2) Final Fantasy XIII-2
7. (14) Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
8. (3) The Darkness II
9. (9) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
10. (12) Just Dance 3

That's all this week! Here's a trailer for new No. 1: UFC Undisputed 3!

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US Box Office Top 10: 20th February 2012

This week, in a slightly unusual turn of events, Safe House climbs from it's debut position at No. 2 last week, to the top spot - knocking The Vow down to to No. 2.

The highest new entry is Marvel hero, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance which comes in at No. 3 making $22 million.

Meanwhile, spy rom-com This Means War comes in at No. 5 with over $17 million made.

Star Wars 3D seems to be getting a luke-warm reception by the public in the US as it falls another 2 places this week - making less than $8 million.

It manages to beat found footage super flick, Chronicle at No. 7.

You can read our review of Chronicle here!

The Woman in Black is one place lower at No. 8.

You can read our review of The Woman in Black here!

The other new entry is the latest offering from Studio Ghibli, Arriety. It's made over $6 million on it's opening weekend.


US Box Office Top 10:

1. (2) Safe House - $24 million
2. (1) The Vow - $23.6 million
3. (-) Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - $22 million
4. (3) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - $20.1 million
5. (-) This Means War - $17.6 million
6. (4) Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace 3D - $7.87 million
7. (5) Chronicle - $7.5 million
8. (6) The Woman in Black - $6.64 million
9. (-) Arriety - $6.38 million
10. (7) The Grey - $3.03 million

Here's a trailer for this week's new No. 1: Safe House.

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The Woman in Black Review

The Woman in Black is Daniel Radcliffe's first movie since Harry Potter ended. Because of this I was worried that whenever I looked at Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe's character in this movie) I would see a certain boy wizard staring back.
Thankfully, the tense atmosphere and jumps of this movie give you no space to think about anything else other than where the next scare is coming from.

The Woman in Black centres around Arthur Kipps - a widowing solicitor who is called upon to handle the estate of Alice Drablow who owned Eel Marsh House before she died. Unwelcoming locals are the least of his problems when he goes to the house and sees the ghostly figure known as The Woman in Black.

As soon as Kipps gets to the house the scares start coming. Most of the time they're just things that make you jump e.g. a bird flying out from nowhere. But they succeed in making you have a little accident almost every time.

This is aided by the tense atmosphere the film carries with it for the duration. You never feel safe, you always feel there is something round the corner. This is a film that doesn't need gore. The subtle things like seeing a ghostly shape in a mirror just for a second are enough to keep you on the edge of your seat until the climax where things start to really get scary.

Daniel Radcliffe for the most part does a good job in leaving his potter past behind, but at times I still find his acting a little wooden. Then again I've always thought that about him from the beginning of the HP days, so it wasn't a big deal.

There isn't a huge supporting cast, but the few who have substantial parts all do expertly well - I particularly enjoyed watching the couple who were the victims of the woman's work before - played by Janet McTeer and Ciaran Hinds.

The only real problem I had with this movie was the ending. It wasn't the worst ending I've seen this year (see Chronicle) but it was still a little disappointing.

In the end though, The Woman in Black is a scary film that is sure to make you jump and shiver again and again! The acting is mostly great, albeit the odd robotic line from Radcliffe - but this is a minor set back. The only real flaw is the slightly disappointing ending.

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The Muppets Review

I love the muppets. There's something about their charm, humour and character that have captured my imagination both as a child and an adult.

This year (or last year if your in the US), they come out of retirement after many long years left muppet-less. But now I can tell you that it was worth the wait! The Muppets movie is one of the best films I've seen in a long time!

The story goes that The Muppets have broken up and haven't put on a show in a long time. Because of this Tex Richman (who has discovered that there's oil underneath the Muppet Theatre) is planning to buy it - only to knock it down and drill for oil. The Muppets have to reunite and work together to raise $10 million and save the muppet theatre!

Tex Richman

The strong (human) cast of Jason Segel and Amy Adams are brilliant - Adams proves once again how versatile she is. She seems to be able to portray any character well, and has great chemistry with on-screen partner Jason Segel who also does a great job breathing life into his role.

Segel also did a great job writing (with help from Nicholas Stoller). The script here is brilliant. It makes enough time for both humour and emotional moments, with jokes that will please the young and the old alike. And the way the fourth wall is constantly broken with lines like "This is going to be a really short movie," never stops being entertaining.

I have to mention the songs as well. The first song to feature in The Muppets I couldn't help but cringe at. It's not that it was bad, but it was very cheesy and I worried that they would all be like that.

Thankfully, my fears were unfounded. The songs are brilliant and broken up by some gags to keep you entertained.
In fact, the songs turn out being one of the film's biggest strengths.

And for all you muppet fans out there, don't worry, none of the (original) muppets are over-used or lose their dignity from this film. The script treats them with respect and makes the best out of all of them!

The only muppet I could take or leave was new addition, Walter. He's a fine addition to the muppet line-up, but just a little dull. This isn't a huge problem though, and definitely didn't limit my enjoyment of the film.

Walter and Kermit

And if your a fan of celebrity cameos, you won't be disappointed here is all I'll say...

I find it difficult to find much to fault the Muppets with. It's funny, it's filled with catchy songs and also more emotional moments. It's ending is actually amazing, and signs the film off on a high! Whether your young or old, a muppet fan, or a newcomer to the series - you need to see this.

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Movie News with David Craig: Tintin 2/Transformers 4, Twisted Metal Movie, TMNT Reboot and More!

It's episode 1 of our new series! David Craig goes over the week's biggest movie news.

What did you think? Give us suggestions for improvements below.

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UK Box Office Top 10: 14th February 2012

This week, Daniel Radcliffe's The Woman in Black takes the top spot beating 3 other new entries. The stars first post-potter movie brought in over £3 million on its opening weekend. It knocks last week's No. 1, Chronicle down 4 places to No. 5.

You can read our review of Chronicle by clicking here!

The other 3 new entries this week are Jason Segel's The Muppets - which you NEED to see if you haven't already. Our review will be up in the next few days, and the score is going to be rather high I can tell you now.

At No. 3 is George Lucas' 3D conversion of the first Star Wars prequel - The Phantom Menace.

The final new entry is mediocre romantic drama, The Vow, which is in at No. 4.


UK Box Office Top 10:

1. (-) The Woman in Black - £3,153,020
2. (-) The Muppets - £2,650,664
3. (-) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace - £1,528,156
4. (-) The Vow - £1,091,469
5. (1) Chronicle - £1,024,583
6. (2) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - £902,857
7. (3) The Descendants - £743,017
8. (4) War Horse - £580,984
9. (5) Jack and Jill - £521,925
10. (6) Man on a Ledge - £419,979

That's all this week. To keep updated, like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter.
Here's a trailer for this week's new No. 1, The Woman in Black:

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UK Top 10 Videogames: 13th February 2012

This week, new RPG Kingdoms of Amalur takes the UK top spot, knocking last week's No. 1, Final Fantasy XIII-2 down to No. 2.

The Darkness II debuts just behind at No. 3, knocking Metal Gear HD and Battlefield 3 down to No. 4 and No. 6 respectably.

There is also a re-entry this week in the shape of Mario & Sonic 2012 which jumps 19 places thanks to the launch of the 3DS version of the game.

UK Top 10 Videogames (All Formats, All Prices):

1. (-) Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
2. (1) Final Fantasy XIII-2
3. (-) The Darkness II
4. (2) Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
5. (4) FIFA 12
6. (3) Battlefield 3
7. (7) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
8. (6) Assassin's Creed: Revelations
9. (8) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
10. (29) Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games

That's all the top 10 news for this week! Keep updated by liking our Facebook page or following us on Twitter.
Here's a trailer for this week's new No. 1: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning:

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Daily David (Weekly) Podcast #2

This week, David talks about Chronicle, The Muppets, and annoying adverts...

If the player isn't working, click here!

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US Box Office Top 10: 13th February 2012

This week the top 4 are taken by 4 new entries. The Vow comes out on top though - coming in at No. 1, ahead of all competition (despite the fact that it's pretty darn average) - it made over $40 million over its opening weekend.

Second place goes to Safe House starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds - it comes in at No. 2 and makes just over $39 million.

Next is Dwayne Johnson's, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island which is in at No. 3, beating George Lucas' 3D conversion of the first Star Wars prequel, The Phantom Menace - which debuts at No. 4.

Last week's No. 1, Chronicle, falls 4 places to No. 5 to accompany the new entries.

You can read our review of Chronicle by clicking here!

US Box Office Top 10:

1. (-) The Vow - $41.7 million
2. (-) Safe House - $39.3 million
3. (-) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - $27.6 million
4. (-) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace - $23 million
5. (1) Chronicle - $12.3 million
6. (2) The Woman in Black - $10.3 million
7. (3) The Grey - $5.08 million
8. (4) Big Miracle - $3.86 million
9. (8) The Descendants - $3.5 million
10. (5) Underworld: Awakening - $2.5 million

That's the Box Office for this week! Stay updated by liking our Facebook page or following us on Twitter.

Here's a trailer for new No. 1: The Vow:

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Opinion: Activision Aren't Learning From Their Mistakes!

I won't lie - I'm not a big fan of Activision. I think of them as the overlord of the videogame industry. Sure, they come up with good ideas sometimes, but then if that idea is successful they will sit there making sequel after sequel.

Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk, Spyro and other franchises they have simply flogged to death. Now, I know they announced they won't be making Guitar Hero games anymore (at least for a little while anyway), and it was this that made me thought they were changing.

I was still a little annoyed. At the end of the day, when Guitar Hero first came out it got good reviews, sold well and was loved by many people. Things could have stayed that way a lot longer had GH not become an annual thing. Activision failed to realise that people would come to a point where they didn't need anymore songs to play on their plastic guitars.

Arguably, GH would have worn out after a while anyway - but my point is it could have lasted a lot longer if Activision hadn't tried squeezing every last penny out of it, in the space of around half a decade.

But they seem to be making the same mistakes over and over again! At a time when Guitar Hero was starting to lag in the sales side of things, Activision launched the Tony Hawk: RIDE and SHRED games.
These were also games that came with tacky plastic peripherals. They were also games that sold poorly and have potentially killed the (once credible) Tony Hawk franchise.

THAT FAMILY DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A CONSOLE!!

 So that's 2 series that have crashed and burned thanks to the overuse of plastic peripherals. Surely Activision have learnt their lesson now?

Evidently not.
Skylanders was a bit of a surprise hit when it came out this Christmas - and guess what - it comes with a bunch of plastic crap. Now, I'm not saying Skylanders is a bad game - it's fun in its own little way.

What I'm saying is with 2 big name franchises killed due to the deadly combination of annual releases and plastic, why didn't Activision think twice before announcing Skylanders Giants (a sequel to Skylanders) yesterday?

If Skylanders becomes annual I can see it becoming the 3rd franchise to be killed by the deadly combination and I just wish Activision would learn something from the past decade.

Maybe Activision's lax attitude towards this situation is because as long as they have Call of Duty, they have a financial safety net. But with annual sequels of CoD too, surely there will come a time where that series starts to lag as well?

What do you think?

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UK Box Office Top 10: 7th February 2012

This week, found-footage super-hero movie Chronicle takes the UK top spot, just like it did in the US! You can read our review of Chronicle by clicking here!

It is followed at No. 2 by another new entry, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Sequel to Brendan Fraser's Journey To The Centre of the Earth (2008), this one stars Dwayne Johnson and Micheal Caine.

Previous No. 1, War Horse falls 3 places to No. 4. It beats competition from Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill, and Sam Worthington's Man on a Ledge - which come in at No. 5 and No. 6 respectively.

The final new entry this week is Carnage which comes in at No. 10. Slightly disappointing debut for the all-star ensemble, with less than £300,000 made.


UK Box Office Top 10:

1. (-) Chronicle - £2,193,072
2. (-) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - £1,200,587
3. (2) The Descendants - £1,112,964
4. (1) War Horse - £889,687
5. (-) Jack and Jill - £848,814
6. (-) Man on a Ledge - £697,394
7. (3) The Grey - £521,188
8. (4) A Monster in Paris - £474,941
9. (5) The Artist - £377,889
10. (-) Carnage - £298,733

That's all the Box Office news this week. To keep updated follow us on Twitter or like our Facebook Page.
Here's a trailer for new No. 1 - Chronicle:

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Comic Picks of the Week: 8th February 2012

Our Marvel and DC picks for the week ahead!

Marvel:

Carnage U.S.A #3

This mini-series about one of Spider-Man's most formidable foes has been very entertaining so far. If #3 can keep up the quality then we're in for a treat.

New Avengers #21

The H.A.M.M.E.R war continues, as Norman Osborn's Thor clone, Ragnarok, goes up against the New Avengers. #20 was a little disappointing but I have faith that this one can bounce back.

Secret Avengers #22

This much hyped new direction for the series, with a new line-up and new writer in Rick Remender looks great and should definitely be on your radar.



DC Comics:

Batwoman #6

A new story arc begins on what (I think) has been the one of the best New 52 titles of them all. My only worry is that J. H. Williams III's beautiful art will not be present with Amy Reeder taking over. Apart from that, this should be a must-have!

Penguin: Pain and Prejudice #5 (of 5)

The finale of this acclaimed limited series explaining the motivations of one of Batman's most famous villains reaches its conclusion. Let's hope it's a satisfying end.



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US Box Office Top 10: 6th February 2012

Chronicle, The Woman in Black and more!

This week found-footage super-hero movie, Chronicle, comes in at No. 1 with over $20 million made. It knocks Liam Neeson's The Grey down 2 places to No. 3.

You can read our review of Chronicle by clicking here.

Daniel Radcliffe's first post-potter movie, The Woman in Black comes in at No. 2 - just $1 million behind Chronicle.

At No. 4, true story Big Miracle debuts with nearly $8.5 million made - the film stars Drew Barrymore saving some Whales. Now who doesn't want to see that?


US Box Office Top 10:

1. (-) Chronicle - $22 million
2. (-) The Woman in Black - $21 million
3. (1) The Grey - $9.5 million
4. (-) Big Miracle - $8.48 million
5. (2) Underworld: Awakening - $5.6 million
6. (3) One for the Money - $5.25 million
7. (4) Red Tails - $5 million
8. (7) The Descendants - $4.6 million
9. (5) Man on a Ledge - $4.46 million
10. (6) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - $3.92 million

That's all the US Box Office news for this week. Stay updated by liking our Facebook page and following us on Twitter.
Here's a trailer for this week's new No. 1: Chronicle:

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UK Top 10 Videogames: 6th February 2012

This week Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII-2 jumps in at No. 1, knocking last week's No. 1 - FIFA 12 - down 3 places to No.4.

FF is followed by Metal Gear Solid HD Collection - a pack of remakes of classic games in the series (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker). It debuts at No. 2.

The other new entry this week is the latest entry in the Soulcalibur franchise: Soulcalibur V. It comes in at No. 5 (a worse debut than previous title Soulcalibur IV which debuted at No. 1 back in August 2008).

UK Top 10 Videogames (All Formats, All Prices):

1. (-) Final Fantasy XIII-2

2. (-) Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

3. (5) Battlefield 3

4. (1) FIFA 12

5. (-) SoulCalibur V

6. (9) Assassin's Creed: Revelations

7. (2) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

8. (3) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

9. (4) Just Dance 3

10. (8) Saints Row: The Third

That's all the chart news for this week. To keep updated like our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.
Here's a trailer for Final Fantasy XIII-2!

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Chronicle Review

Chronicle is a new take on the super-hero movie, incorporating found-footage effects into the genre. It follows 3 teenage boys, Matt, Steve and Andrew as they gain incredible telekinesis powers from a mysterious artifact found outside a party they were at.

The rest of the film is the 3 boys learning how to develop their newly-found powers and becoming more and more powerful as the film goes on.

The plot runs smoothly for most of the film, and is made stronger by the movie's interesting characters - portrayed by a strong array of actors - for many of which, this is their breakout role.

Dane DeHaan steals the show as Andrew - the troubled teen who lets his powers get the better of him. But the rest of the cast are also strong and offer well-rounded performances.

And despite the fact that Andrew is basically the bad guy of this movie, you can still sympathise with him - you can see why he's doing what he's doing, and that makes him a more relatable character.

DeHaan as Andrew

For a film with a relatively low budget, Chronicle is impressive on the special effects side of things as well. There are moments where things look a bit weird, and sometimes they look pretty fake - but on the whole Chronicle has good effects that hold up against some of the bigger budget blockbusters of recent years.

The main problem I had with Chronicle was the ending - I'm not going to spoil anything, so don't worry! I just thought that after such an action-packed and exciting finale, the ending was a bit of a buzz-kill. Why? It left a big question unanswered, and just didn't feel like an ending at all.

It's a shame because this one thing ends up tainting what was a good movie until then.

But, Chronicle is definitely worth seeing. It's a new spin on a classic genre, and something you probably haven't seen before. The cast is strong, and the character's are interesting - it's just a shame that the strong plot is let down by a disappointing ending that doesn't seem to answer some big questions.

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