The Coffin Joe series has been celebrated for decades - beginning in the 1960s and now I believe on its ninth installment, the collection has obtained cult status for director Jose Mojica Marins in Brazil and across the world. Watching "Embodiment of Evil" it is impossible to understand why. I can not remember when I have seen a more incoherent and frighteningly stupid film.

In this installment, Coffin Joe is released from prison after 40 years and immediately sets about achieving the goal that has alluded him since the first film - to impregnate the perfect woman with the perfect demon child. First problem - Coffin Joe, played by the director himself - is a fat, seedy, slow and bearded old geezer who finds it hard enough to walk out of the prison, let alone impregnate a young and beautiful woman. Aided by his old hunchback servant 'Bruno' and a couple of tarted-up bad actresses, Joe aims to rekindle some of his old murderous and torturous spirit along the way...

... and so the gore begins, but unfortunately it may as well be called bore-gore. There is absolutely no substance to this violence at all and it does nothing for the story. EXAMPLE: In order to prove one woman's allegiance to him Joe injects her with a drug that makes her believe her buttock has been sliced off and that it has been fed to her. When she comes round she says she would eat her flesh for him and so shes in the gang. WHAT THE HELL????? HUH???? Head scratching begins. Apart from that, Joe's apparantly frightening appearance - that is a black cloak, a black top hat and six inch fingernails (non-pointed) - makes this actor/director look absolutely stupid... the character comes across like a proud moronic teenager trying to act inconspicuous with green hair.

There are a tonne of things wrong with this film but I'll let it have one star - because one plot line shows the ghosts of Joe's previous victims haunting him and these ghosts at least look ghostly, but that's about it. This is a stupid, stupid film that is one long step too far for this series. If I were an amazon product buyer I'd send all the copies back, I haven't seen anything this bad in years.

I loved the idea for this one - a delayed flight leading to a group of passengers stranded in the terminal overnight telling each other stories. There is no specific genre for this type of story but it has been done before in literature and film and usually works well. Unfortunately I expected a lot more from this book than I actually got; mainly because it reads as a collection of short stories, in the style of - but not the same league as - titles such as Stephen King's "skeleton crew". Short story collections are fine but in "Tokyo Cancelled" the stranded passengers plot is nice and original so I had hoped that the stories would converge to show some reason or fateful experiences that had meant the passengers would meet and be stranded together as they are. Other than that, I found the stories to be very random, especially the early ones, and just don't feel that the novel holds itself together.

It has always fascinated me how Crime-Thriller novels have managed to endure, especially those that deal with murder as the central antagonism. Book after book after book is released dealing with similar simple plots, similar character profiles and predictable conclusions. However, for me Blood Brother does what only a few of these novels do successfully, and that is to inject real originality into the story. I don't want to give away too many spoilers for this piece but the title of the book is very apt; Homicide Detective Carson Ryder is brought into a murder investigation after a strange video insists upon his involvement, and the chief suspect for the horrific murders is one Jeremy Ridgecliff... what the NYPD don't know is that Ridgecliff is Ryder's brother and Ryder has used his brother's mind to solve murders in the past.

By making the serial-killer the brother of the detective J.A. Kerley added a touch of genius and it helps the novel crack on at a vast pace. With Ryder trying to stop the killings and at the same time trying to catch his brother before the Police find out about their unique relationship, the reader is treated to a tense, well written and excitingly original book that has more than everything a crime fan needs for a good fix.

What is also great about this novel is that like the Scarpetta novels by Patricia Cornwell, it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone book for those who haven't read Kerley before and also as a follow-on from the last book for loyal fans.

What put me off this movie from the start was the title, because it is a bit of a mouthful and makes little sense to most people. "Extraordinary Rendition" (for those of you who don't know) refers to the process of arresting and transporting somebody from one state to another, usually outside of the 'normal' judicial system and often involving many countries who would rather keep their involvement a secret. Word has it that such procedures are kept quiet because their legality and the legality of the detention are questionable.

With that deplorable necessity out of the way I can say that the plot of the film is exactly as I have described above - Zaafir is a man abducted from the streets of London and taken via many secret flights from country to country until arriving in an 'unknown country'. Here he is interrogated and tortured by The Interrogator (tsk) and kept in solitary confinement until he is returned to the UK without explanation. Everything has changed for Zaafir and the rest of the film documents his attempts to re-integrate into a world that has become opaque and unrecognisable to him. Director and Writer Jim Threapleton has delivered here a part-thriller, part-expose narrative that has a very well defined contemporary social consciousness that exaggerates 'Guantanamoesque' themes and the idea of innocent people being targeted and twisted to 'alternative' ways of thinking.

Of course this is not the first movie to tackle such themes but this one just happens to be better than most of the others; in terms of action this is a fast-paced thriller but also has moments of such intensity that it achieves a roller-coaster effect for the audience, who will be gripped by the sheer reality of what does go on behind closed doors. Omar Berdouni is believable as the protagonist and the supporting cast are consistent, but for me the star of this film is Andy Serkis. We know him from Lord of the Rings and King Kong, and we know him from smaller roles in a number of films, but in Extraordinary Rendition Serkis proves his metal as a versatile actor and gels the whole thing together. Well worth watching and full of attractions for all adult viewers, this movie is not going to win oscars for its cinematography or editing (which are standard) but is definitely one for the collection.

The Singer - or Quand j'étais chanteur for those of you keen enough to want to know - is a lovely little film set in the seedy bars and restaurants of France that play host to the single, divorced, widowed and generally most bored or lovesick characters to be found. Into this arena is thrown Alain Moreau (Gerard Depardieu), who is a famous semi-talented performer at these places and also one of their own - he too is single and sad. When Marion - (Cecile De France) a woman who would not normally fit in at one of these places - attends one of Moreau's performances she is strangely attracted to him, and so begins an unlikely romance between this beautiful young woman and the overweight, ageing Singer.

In order to appreciate the quality of this film you have to understand a little of its construction. The songs used in the film are meant to take the viewer back in time to the days when 'the crooner' was the saviour of the bored housewife or the flirty 'bacheloress', but at the same time Depardieu's humorous performance shows how outdated they are; his weight, age and small talent are all exagerrated for effect and it works very well, but for the general viewer the limited possibility of a romance between the two main characters may confuse this humour and make them miss the entire point of the film. If you don't care abour what this film is trying to show, then I'd say quite honestly don't bother because it is full of meaning and will be a confusing bore to you. But if you have the patience and interest then it is great... I wouldn't quite say (as others have) that The Singer is a return to form for Depardieu, but he and the rest of the cast carry their characters off well enough to keep the film in shape. Cinematography is average here.

The scope for doing anything above average with the slasher genre is pretty thin these days, and this film really doesn't do anything to help itself in the way of originality - even though it does try. Here we have a group of people scooting off to a makeshift Woodstock in search of sex, drugs and everything else you would associate with any other slasher film... here they find themselves prey to a murderous psychopath who happens to walk and talk like one Ronald Reagan. In terms of the plot - nuff said; either the makers of this film didn't have a clue what they were doing or they thought they were doing something clever with the Reagan angle (Reagen was previously known as 'The Gipper'), but either way it just doesn't work.

In terms of suspense, frights and tension this film is considerably lacking. It tries to make up for its inadequacies with extensive drugs and gore but falls flat on its face. The acting reeks of people who just wanted their pay check and is wooden with a capital 'W'. So why 3 stars? Well, David Arquette wrote, produced, starred in and directed this film alongside wife Courtenay who stars and produces; off the back of the Scream franchise their involvement was sure to attract the usual audience and they made sure that this film ticked all the boxes for what makes a slasher popular. If you don't expect too much from your films this one can be quite a laugh, but that's 'Grease 2' type of funny rather that Ben Stiller funny, so be warned unless you are really REALLY into these cheap horror flicks.

Children's books have become extremely monotonous over the last five years, which is in many ways due to the explosion of fantasy-horror writers in the wake of Harry Potter's success. Arguably many of these have been very successful and popular, but after reading "Charlie's Monsters" myself and to my young relatives I have to say that this one falls a little short of the mark. The first problem is originality; here we have Charlie, a boy who suffers terrible nightmares and discovers one day that this is because he has the power to open portals to the world of the Monsters - a power that leads him to the Nightmare Academy. When forced to open one such portal he awakens the worst of all monsters, Barakkas (A-Team anyone!), who becomes his nemesis. Now, since this is the first in the series you already know that this nemesis idea will pass to the sequel, which is fine, but everything in here rings of Harry Potter influence... even that would be OK if the author had added something to make it different, but he hasn't and because of that I can't like it as much as I try. Having said that, the children are of course the important consumers of these books and they will like it; Lorey's writing style is kids-book-101, but the story has everything they will want from the young hero, the villain and the adventure. At the end of the day their happiness is what matters, but there are better and more original books out there that will give variety of plot and vocabulary to their minds.

Let's get straight into it: Simon Lester, our protagonist, is a film critic who has been forced out of employment by a lawsuit taken out against his co-founded magazine. Luck comes his way when he is asked to write a book detailing the career of silent film maker Tubby Thackeray, a controversial figure and performer who has been wiped from history. Lester must restore a reputation shrouded in mystery and discover why Thackeray was erased in the first place.

I genuinely loved this book and not just because of the simple (yet highly original) plot. Anybody who has read Ramsey Campbell will know that his wonderful stylistic talent completely engrosses the reader and makes them live the plot as if they were in it themselves. If you haven't read Ramsey Campbell, then the proof of this talent is "The Grin of the Dark", where the reader literally lives out the terror of Lester's discoveries. Unlike most horror-thrillers this one boasts surprisingly believable characters, a fast-paced international plot and an underlying mystery that will truly terrify you as it is uncovered. A word of warning though: this book is too good to be read a few pages at a time on the tube to work so choose yourself a weekend, get youself a few bottles of wine and hide away with this next to a table-lamp.

p.s. if the whole 'existing in the world of the novel' palava doesn't grab you, or if you are more studious, I can also tell you that from the eerie and chilling opening (clownophobes beware!) to the very end Campbell's imagery and compositions are delightful and rank alongside the better literary novels of our time. Well worth buying and collecting.

Ok, so the first thing that most modern gamers will notice is that "Sun Age" is a CD-ROM rather than a DVD-ROM and that while most blockbuster game releases now require 5+ GB of hard-drive space, Sun Age could almost fit on a floppy disc (not really, but you get the point). Don't be put off by this, because this game does deliver.

The Premise: The Sun Age is upon the earth and the solar system is dying; what once was is now turned into a variety of desolate wastelands being fought over by 3 races of survivors and alien beings...

... erm, that's basically it! But again don't be put off because the simplicity of this game is what saves it. First you choose which race to fight with - you can be Human Federals, part of the mutant Raak-Zun or the more sophisticated Sentinels - and then battle to secure the last resources from Earth, basically in the same way you would position troops in Red Alert or LOTR: Battle For Middle Earth. There are added narrative elements however; for example, if you choose to be a Sentinel you will be able to use futuristic state-of-the-art technology to open gateways to an alien planet rich in the resources you need to survive. Plus, there is also an ongoing mystery in the game surrounding a monstrous creature that is just waiting to be discovered.

So, a small-sized game that delivers more than most would expect; it is original, fun and relevant to world affairs (dwindling resources being fought over - ring any bells?), and even better is is laptop friendly, so you can take it to play on your lunchbreak or you train journey home. I give this game four stars for its over-achievement. Oh, and its dirt cheap as well...

This film follows the changing fortunes of one Rafael, a cocky and arrogant salesman who is loved by all his female colleagues and can't get enough of them. But when he loses what he thinks is a guaranteed promotion to another guy, his ego takes such a bashing that he just has to tease and dig at his conqueror. When this turns into a fight Rafael's opponent ends up dead, and so begins a fast-paced and hilarious tale of blackmail and gender-conflict as the one person who knows about Rafael's crime is the one and only woman at work that he is yet to seduce...

"The Ferpect Crime" is a delightful black comedy and will keep you laughing to the end; the acting is spot on and believable despite the unlikeliness of the plot. The chemistry between Rafael and his nemesis 'Lourdes' works brilliantly well and holds the film together as it heads towards its unpredictable and satisfying conclusion. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles available, so if you are not into the whole 'world cinema' thing then this might not be for you, but give it a try and you'll find a joy in watching it that allows you to watch it over and over again. As a guide, I'd say that watching this film gives a feel-good factor on the same page as "A Fish Called Wanda" and "Johnny English". Great fun all round.