Episode 5 : Scary Monsters and Squishy Feet

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Added on Sat, 01 Dec 2007 16:06:09 +0100.
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After a mysterious and unexplained absence last week, we return with another batch of the half-baked opinions you've come to expect from us.

Top ten rundown to kick off, stats stolen from the The U.K. Film Council for the weekend Nov 23-Nov 25, 2007.

30 Days of Night at 10, which we'll probably be holding up as the least objectionable horror film of 2007 in a month or so. Deffo worth watching.

At 9, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, which we'll politely skip over.

Shrooms somehow staggers its way to number 8, which is impressive given how uniformly terrible it is. We recommend a course of hitting this with a stick.

Number 7 sees itself holding lovingly to August Rush, which we'll skip over a little less politely this time.

The 6th position this week fills itself with The Darjeeling Limited, which we promise we'll get back to you on. Honest.

Good Luck Chuck is at number 5, and it's really nothing like as bad as its excruciating trailer makes out. Hardly revolutionary, but its a respectable entry into the romcom cannon. Not a terribly effective weapon, that romcom cannon.

The fourth numeral gets all up in Ratatouille's grill, which I'm officially bored of telling you is alright, if nothing spectacular.

Stardust up at number 3, to our very welcome surprise. An excellent little fantasy flick, and I'm very happy it's found a more appreciative audience in the U.K. than elsewhere. Good on ya', you plucky Brits!

Beowulf at 2, the slightly dull 3D extravaganza that falls uncomfortably between the stools of third rate Shrek knockoff and serious fantasy epic. Also, whoever at the BBFC decided this was tame enough for a 12A cert is on muchos crack.

At the top of the charts, American Gangster, Ridley Scott's latest. Excellent performances from Washington and Crowe, but we've sort of seen this story before. Many times. The fact that this one is (largely) true doesn't cut it all that much slack. Enjoyable enough, but doesn't seem to hang together well enough to be the Oscar contender it's cracked up to be.

Also covered here, Warner Herzog's Rescue Dawn, seeing Christian Bale as a US fighter pilot shot down over Laos and interred in a POW camp with Steve Zahn. Well, their characters at least. It's an interesting little film, full of the man v nature stuff that Herzog's so interested in and excellent performances from Zahn and Bale, but there's very little sense of danger throughout, which gives the film a rather odd patina that's tough to break through so the chewy centre goes sadly unchewed.

Lions for Lambs - it is dismal. That is all. Thank you, drive through.

Join us next week, where we'll be taking a sidelong glance at recent years outstanding Westerns in honour of the release of the titletastic The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.