The last good fight you'll ever know - The Grey!

Holy murderin' Mary! The Grey is one of the best, most kick-ass films I've seen in ages! God bless you, Joe Carnahan, ye whose A-Team summer tentpole had its moments - but nothing prepared me for this. I can't remember the last time I saw location shooting this compelling and gut-wrenchingly engaging. I don't want to spoil anything here, so sorry - no synopsis. Just know that if you're looking for an in-your-face outdoor survival yarn that drinks from the same hard-edged seventies well as Deliverance, The Grey serves up the existential action face-rip you're looking for. Liam Neeson is fantastic - there's only one other "name" actor in the mix, and it took the end credits for me to ID him, so see for yourself. And about those end credits - you might want to hang out for all of them - no reason...The Grey is world class adult action filmmaking and you will have one hell of a time finding anything better to catch at home this week. Get to know the name of cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi, as his work here behind the camera is nothing short of astonishing. Carnahan and Takayanagi are definitely going places. Supremely, humbly, viscerally recommended!

At long last: first trailer for SKYFALL!

Six months to go and we get our first real footage from the next long-awaited Bond outing! This looks like vintage Bond to me. A quick glimpse of the Aston Martin and only the barest hint of Javier Bardem - but Skyfall is looking like it delivers!

 

ASSEMBLE!!! Avengers rocks!

Summer is upon us at last, True Believers! And what a way to get started! The Avengers just smashed the all-time biggest weekend opening ever at $200.3 million (the previous record holder, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 had earned $169.2 million).

Josh Whedon is now officially The Man. Do you know the phrase, "crowd pleaser?" That's The Avengers. A phenomenal main course after the appetizers of Captain America, Thor and Iron Man, The Avengers does everything on a massive scale while keeping the characters fresh, human and easy to relate to. The idea of Josh Whedon suddenly becoming one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, able to make anything he desires, is a giddy one to contemplate.

The biggest howls from the audience all belong to The Hulk, as personified by Mark Ruffalo. I lost count of how many leap-from-your-seat moments The Hulk inspired. Everyone is terrific, even Scarjo - who makes Black Widow a much more interesting and clever of an asset to the team here. I want to stay as spoiler-free as possible, but you should banish any thoughts of disappointment from your mind and run to this movie. The effects are off the charts. You will see the Helicarrier. You will see Nick Fury shoulder a bazooka. You will see New York turned into a battlefield. You will see moments you've been hoping to see made flesh since the days of Jack Kirby. The only sour note is Fury's aid Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders - the victim of some truly milk-curdling line readings.

Tom Hiddleston is remarkable as Loki, surpassing his turn in Thor in a major way. He's fantastic here and gets to be a true old school villain locking horns with each member of the A Team.

It's easy to see why the movie's done so well - it's that rare film that makes you want to tell everyone you know about it - and then march back and see it again. I suspect Avengers sequels will be a mainstay every 2-3 years for a while.

What's particularly marvelous about The Avengers is the cross-generational appeal. I saw faithful Silver Age  greybeards and youngsters of age six gaping at this movie with equal glee. It's definitely got the chops to make everyone happy - if you love comics or just love a rip-roaring, entertaining movie, grab your hammer, get a little angry - and suit up!

Sherlock returns: this Sunday!

As if Sundays weren't busy enough, with Game of Thrones, Mad Men and The Snoozing - I mean, The Killing. But they can all take a back seat. This coming Sunday heralds the longed-for return of BBC's splendid Sherlock, back for its second season of three feature-length episodes - A Scandal in Belgravia, The Hounds of Baskerville and The Reichenbach Fall.


Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman star. Incredibly, word from across the pond has this second season being even better than the first! If you haven't seen the first season yet, grab your deerstalker - this is one of the best shows of the modern age and a real gem. Welcome back, Holmes!