4/5

The world loves Christina Aguilera. The woman deeply Hurt but still professing ‘I’m OK’ and the Fighter struggling to free The Voice Within. The long-time Dirrty girl praising God for having blessed her with The Right Man. We have loved all these faces of Xtina but lately we seem to be asking “where is she now?” If only the media would give her a moment to break free of the shackles binding her to unwaranted comparison with shock artist Lady GaGa, she could easily remind us why we love her so much. Making a cameo on new album Bionic, sandwiched between two movements of ego fuelled club bangers, the album does suffer a little from casting the vulnerable in a supporting role to the whore.

If Stripped is a proclamation of Aguilera’s pheonix like resurgence from a childhood of abuse and Back To Basics announces her deep routed love of her new husband, Bionic is inspired by the feelings of superhuman strength gifted to the singer by motherhood. Unfortunately, whilst the strength in Aguilera’s vocal is well suited to such declarations of narcissism, the lyrics fall sometimes just a little short of poetic. You’d be forgiven for the occasional cringe whilst listening to Bionic, reminiscent of the painfully sexual material of Madonna and Janet Jackson. The awsomeness that is the voice of the diva, though, more than makes up for any such shortcomings. Aguielra is correct, in a way, to draw comparison with her first album here, in that Bionic lacks the deapth of lyrical content that was so celebrated on Stripped and Back To Basics. It’s not so much that the album lacks intelligence but more that the brilliance of the work is found in the music and not so much in the lyric. A little less reference to the diva’s Woo Hoo and a little more focus on her inconquerable spirit might give the collection some much needed gravitas, to say the least!

Never short of astounding, though, Aguilera proves once again that the versatility of her voice is almost certainly foremost amongst her contemporaries. Pinning a Christina Aguilera song down to one genre is near impossible and never more so than on Bionic. There’s electronica, there’s R&B, there’s Hip-hop and there’s pop all blended into one finely tuned and somewhat indescribable sound. It really is a masterclass of musical composition. Sounding perfectly at home on every track, Aguilera treats the listener to a huge variety of vocal performance styles; from the traditional powerhouse belting, for which she is beloved, to repetition of the spoken word and also that gentle lullaby vulnerability found on the rare softer track amongst her catalogue. Linda Perry is always welcome on a Christina Aguilera record and the lightly cliché but beautiful ballad Lift Me Up is another sterling addition to the pair’s catalogue. Collaborations with the Australian genius Sia Furler are among some of the best of Aguilera’s career with the painfully haunting You Lost Me competing for the title, closely followed by the ear catching I Am. R&B whiz kid Claude Kelly puts his name to a deluge of interesting tracks including Glam, something of a Vogue part II and Prima Donna; marking the return of the trademark Xtina. Title track, Bionic, is an absolute stomper as well as the superbly produced Not Myself Tonight. Very rarely is such a masterfully produced and brilliantly eclectic piece of work found amongst the mainstream pop artists of today.

Though this may never be considered Aguilera’s best collection it is certainly worthy of its place amongst her other successful efforts, proving once more that she is truly an artist amongst singers.

Directed by: Mike Newell

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina

From its humblest beginnings as a side scrolling, simple minded video game the Prince Of Persia franchise has been characterised by fast paced jump sequences and acrobatic sword play.  Something of a free-running Jackie Chan meets Aladdin, the character has always been somewhat secondary to the thrill of the ride which is possibly both a curse and a blessing when it comes to film making.  Hardcore fans will want to see the signature attack sequences and high octane roof jumping but are perhaps less likely to care much about the rest.  Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has actually done a pretty good job of taking the character of the franchise and making it into an enjoyable film, though it is unlikely to ever be seen as anything more than that.

Dastan is a lowly street urchin whose bravery is recognised by the King of all Persia.  Welcomed into the palace as one of the King’s own sons, Dastan soon finds himself caught up in a tale of treachery and greed with a classic struggle for power thrown in to the mix.  Caring little for riches, Dastan sets about clearing his besmirched name and restoring peace to Persia as a fugitive on the run, accompanied by the lovely Princess Tamina.

Drawing heavily on the classic Bruckheimer combo of tightly choreographed action, slapstick comedy and archetypical characterisation, The Sands Of Time has a definite Pirates Of The Caribbean feel to it.  More family fun than edgy thrill, older gamers may well be disappointed by what is a clear appeal to the schools-out-for-summer market.  Alfred Molina’s turn as the often embarrassing, ostrich racing Sheik Amar, who is more likely to fall over than draw a sword, brings the project down to a level of Brendan Fraser-esque kitsch which shatters all credibility.  Jake Gyllenhaal plays the devil-may-care hero quite well, though, with a cheeky smile and a determined brow, complemented nicely by Gemma Arterton’s striking beauty and brash confidence.  Ultimately, of course, it is the masterful Ben Kingsley who keeps the film standing tall as only an actor of his calibre could.

Kingsley is also, unsurprisingly, just about the only lead actor in the film who could actually pass for Persian.  Adrenaline and excitement aside, amidst all the poll jumping and horse riding and sand sliding, one has to stop and wonder why no one is shocked to see a little white boy running through the Persian streets of yesteryear.  OK, so they were never likely to make a dark and gritty take on the video game, but the road they have taken does sacrifice a little integrity in its attempts to appease a mass audience.  Though not quite as brilliant as it could have been The Sands Of Time is also not actually as bad as some might have expected!

Tragic news!  It turns out that the new Shrek film is a major disappointment.  It only managed to open at number one in the US.  Not only that but it is also only the fourth greatest opening for an animated film of all time.  Those studio heads must be finding this really tough to deal with … and who could blame them?

Come on!  Since when was $71.3m a disappointment?

Shooting her always framed in windows with climbing flowers and mottled light, no one could capture the beauty of Judy Garland the way Vincente Minnelli could.  Meet Me In St Louis found its way back onto the silver screen this week after sixty-six years and it still stands proudly amongst the blockbusters of today.  With captivating eyes, a charismatic heart and a voice that could melt gold, Judy Garland really is a part of cinematic history and her scenes with the adorably morbid Margaret O’Brien are some of the most beautiful ever made.

When Judy sings Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas to the young Margaret, it’s like she is singing to her younger troubled self, still hopeful for a happier future; a future she never found.  This is a film which really captures the true essence of family and human vulnerability at its best.

Directed by: Samuel Bayer

Starring: Jackie Earle Haley, Rooney Mara, Kyle Gallner, Thomas Dekker, Katie Cassidy and Kellan Lutz

It is a brilliant idea.  If you fall asleep, you die.  Everyone has to fall asleep right?  It’s genius.  Unfortunately, a great concept is not enough to support an entire film project.  The script, the cast and the direction all fail to carry the concept beyond its most basic premise in what must be one of the worst remakes ever made.  In the face of Hollywood’s insatiable greed there is no franchise safe.  Comparisons between old and new aside though, if you look at this film as a product in isolation, there really is very little of value.  After all, where is the worth in a horror film that is, quite simply, not scary?

The story is rather a simple one really.  A bunch of teenagers are plagued by nightmares in which a hideous monster of a man with blades for fingers, the infamous Freddy Krueger, is trying to kill them.  Sure enough, the nightmares start to become a reality and as the teenagers dig into their own pasts to discover the forgotten connections between them, they must manage it all without falling asleep and thus falling victim to Freddy’s razor sharp fingers.

Herein lies the problem.  A Nightmare On Elm Street is really a collection of death scenes, and poorly imagined ones at that, strung together with as narrow a yarn as possible.  Killed off almost as quickly as they are introduced, only the most attentive of audience members would be able to pick these teenagers’ faces out of a lineup.  Each one is as forgettable and bland as the last, giving lifeless and stale performances and sharing about as much chemistry as Liza Minnelli and David Gest.  Freddy’s ‘menacing’ presence evokes more laughs than it does screams and director Samuel Bayer clumsily introduces the villain in the first two minutes, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.  There really is nothing less scary than a bad guy who is guised in absolutely no mystery at all!

One would hope that even in the weakest of horror films you would get at least one good fright.  Think again!  Cleverly, Bayer has laid out a few clues to let you know when the characters have begun to dream; eerie music and a blurry haze across the screen.  The film does succeed in evoking some interesting questions though.  Why do all of the nightmares take place in the same random industrial warehouse?  Why can none of these teenagers remember anything about their lives from before they started high school?  Can you really drag things from your dreams into the real world?  Whilst these may all be valid and thought provoking issues, it seems likely that most people will completely forget about dear Freddy pretty much as soon as they walk out of the cinema and will be getting a perfectly good night’s sleep to boot.  How ironic!

Directed by: Jon Favreau

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell and Samuel L. Jackson

In the wake of Hollywood’s recent superhero renaissance, Iron Man seems to have emerged top dog.  Though Batman, Spiderman and X-Men may have seemed a greater part of social consciousness, the metal clad man’s first foray into film absolutely smashed it at the box office and left both audiences and critics with their mouths wide open.  Now, oddly, it seems that Iron Man 2 may not be making the same critical impact as the first, but is that really what the creators of a superhero film are realistically looking for?  When the fans are coming out of the auditorium teeming with excitement and whispering “that was awesome” to each other, surely that must constitute a hit!

Now that Tony Stark has become a national hero, he stands to lose a lot more than just his life.   His name, his reputation and his loved ones are hanging in the balance as a vengeful Russian scientist, jaded by Stark’s visionary father, comes back to quite literally crack the whip.  Stark’s sniveling rival, Justin Hammer, also decides to cash in on the controversy but he is not alone in his attempts to steal the Iron Man suit, as the loyalty of Tony’s own best friend Rhodes comes into question.  If you thought one Iron Man was exciting wait till you see two of them fighting off dozens of Iron Man drones equipped with bigger and better weapons than ever before.  In fact, ‘bigger and better’ seems to have been the mantra of choice for Jon Favreau as he set about putting this sequel together.

Where Iron Man was ragged, gritty and urban in feel, Iron Man 2 has something of a new Hollywood glamour about it, a sheen almost.  The script is superbly polished, happily devoid of the typical sweeping philosophical superhero drivel that weighs Spiderman down so heavily and punctuated with a plethora of mischievous quips.  Robert Downey Jr. proves himself the master of cynicism as he underplays the narcissistic Stark terrifically.  Supported by the comically Russian, but brilliantly dark Mickey Rourke, the only thing threatening to outshine the pair’s command of the screen is Scarlett Johansson’s catsuit.

If Iron Man 2 falls short of it’s predecessor at all it is because of the shaky plot, which takes a good few long leaps to evade the gaping holes left in its logic.  Audiences are perhaps asked to suspend their disbelief a little more than is normally expected, but with sky high battling and fiercely exciting technology to focus on it seems unlikely that many will care about the flaws.  The perfect balance of action, fantasy and comedy, Iron Man 2 cleverly steers clear of morals, ethics and sentiment.  It is wildly chaotic, destructively messy and really good fun to watch.  A great one for the boys.

One of the advantages of having been born after the “Golden Age” of Hollywood is that there is an entire canon of films to turn to whenever one is bored.  I just finished watching Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 classic Dial M For Murder and, after a lifetime of hearing what a ‘classic’ it is, I do not feel disappointed in the slightest.  True, it’s tame by today’s standards, but brilliant none the less.  If I am ever caught out at such a monstrous game as murder, I shall hope to go down with as much sophistication and panache as Ray Milland.

There would be no Lady GaGa if it weren’t for the likes of Christina Aguilera.  In all this talk of Christina’s new look being ‘borrowed’ from Lady GaGa, let us not forget that where GaGa is just starting out, Christina is a veteran!

GaGa has made a splash, no doubt about it, but let’s look at this in perspective.  Has she really done anything that hadn’t already been covered by Madonna, Janet Jackson or Britney Spears?  One thing is for sure, she doesn’t have pipes like Christina.  No doubt when the album finally drops it will sell like hot cakes!

http://www.christinaaguilera.com/

3/5

“Never meet your idols,” they say.  We mortals often fool ourselves by putting our heroes on an impossibly high pedestal and anyone heading down to London’s O2 Arena last night expecting to see Whitney Houston returned to the vocal majesty of her twenties was deluded.  In the twenty-five years of her career, Whitney Houston has broken and held countless world records and remains the most awarded female singer of all time, as well as one of the highest selling.  She was and is a phenomenal talent who has helped to steer the course of modern music, setting the gold-standard for vocalists of today, and deserves to respected as such.  Her voice is deeper, her voice is huskier and she does not have the same stamina she could boast in yesteryear.  But by God she still packs a punch!

Whitney opened the show with a series of high-octane up-beat numbers from the new album and the entire arena was soon standing and screaming in excitement as she thundered through the classics My Love Is Your Love and It’s Not Right But It’s OK.  Houston seemed completely at home on stage and the many years all seemed to melt together in one fantastic moment of celebration.

After a short interlude, during which her backing singers gave a sterling performance of Queen Of The Night, Houston returned for a stripped back acoustic medley of her classic ballads.  Though the ageing diva was clearly out of breath and turned to cough in a fair few pauses, she still managed to crack out some breathtaking belts; including a stirring climax during fan favourite All At Once and a surprise surge of strength during a lilting I Learned From The Best.  Unfortunately, during the signature I Will Always Love You, although the money note started out well, Houston’s soprano eluded her and she was left apologising for her inability to hit the high note.  Watching this once titanic talent apologising for new inadequacies was a truly humbling moment, beautiful almost.

For some fans this was simply an unforgivable failure and they voted with their feet.  Those who chose to get their money’s worth were rewarded by a truly inspiration rendition of Whitney’s gospel anthem I Love The Lord, the performance of the night, and were back on their feet dancing away to surprisingly dextrous renditions of I Wanna Dance With Somebody and How Will I Know.  Whilst it is clear that the singer is past her prime in terms of live performance, her voice still has that magic tone that the likes of Rihanna, GaGa and Beyoncé would kill to emulate.  Looking happy, healthy and full of passion, Houston honestly did sing her heart out … quite literally it seemed at some points.  Younger fans are really quite lucky to have seen this great talent before health forces her into retirement.  It probably is time that Houston shy away from such a demanding schedule of live touring, but as long as she keeps on recording there will be plenty of people happy to listen.  Keep them coming Whitney!

Directed by: Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois

Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, America Ferrera and Craig Ferguson

Have you ever wanted to fly on the back of a dragon?  Well this is probably about as close as you’re ever going to get!  It seems odd that with all the money and all the technology in Hollywood, it’s still the cartoons that come off the best in 3D.  After the disastrously disappointing Clash Of The Titans, which was not really 3D at all, How To Train Your Dragon presents a refreshingly joyous romp around the three dimensions of a genuinely exciting and imaginative world.

Hiccup is a disappointment to his father.  So named because, in a village of Viking dragon slayers, the young boy manages to be the only individual who lacks the killer instinct.  Preferring to find friendship where others find fear, Hiccup sparks up a partnership with the rarest kind of dragon, The Night Fury, and together they set about changing the attitudes and the hearts of the angry Viking villagers.  Call it Romeo and Juliet, call it West Side Story or call it Pocahontas, there is something about a love for the ‘forbidden other’ that gets an audience behind a story and you can be sure, this dragon is cute!  No … irresistible!

As only worlds first conceived in novels seem to be, this is a universe rich with engaging characters, awe inspiring scenery and a wonderful variety of creatures.  The creativity behind the various types of dragon is somewhat reminiscent of the earlier stages of the Pokémon franchise in terms of characterisation and design.  Different physical forms, fighting styles and numerous imaginative embellishments on the traditional fiery breath make it all really rather exciting.  The battle scenes are brilliant, the flight sequences are exhilarating and the 3D animation serves only to make the whole thing that little bit more enjoyable.  Once you manage to get past the idea that all the Vikings are in fact Scottish, there isn’t really much to stand in the way of you having a great time.

If How To Train Your Dragon is lacking in anything, it is probably substance.  The message is one we’ve all had rammed down our throats since birth and the sentiments have been more than covered by the back catalogues of Disney and Dreamworks.  The packaging, though, is decorative enough to distract from the film’s weaknesses and the plot presents enough twists to keep a whole family engaged throughout the duration.  What with cute faces, blasting action and some hilarious banter, this one really is worth the extra cash it costs to buy the tickets.  Don’t expect your life to be changed, but you can expect to have a damn good time!