Just a couple of things we've seen lately that might interest you...

Pushing Tin - stars Billy Bob Thornton, John Cusack, Angelina Jolie, Kate Blanchett

Top flick this, I do this alot and I'm doing it with this one, I'm enjoying it more the second time around. Nick (Cusack) is a top gun air traffic controller who is considered by his peers, and most importantly by himself, as the best of the best. His world is uniform and precise and never deviates. Then in walks Russell (Thornton) wearing a feather in his cap and carrying his own chair and Nick see's "threat" written all over him. Lives are turned inside out at work and play, and lets not be forgetting who they're in charge up there. Friendly skies eh.

A movie about air traffic controllers, top stuff. For me its a unique concept, hell I've seen loads of the dudes get offed by some angry guy with a machine gun but somehow I don't think that counts. What we get is a tight-knit group of co-workers in a super high stress place who naturally are best friends - I mean who else would understand that kind've stress right? Police tend to hang together, forces dudes hang, even IT dudes hang out together - lucky I can't stand 'em! The community we're introduced to here have their own unique ways of blowing off steam and idiosyncrasies when beautiful women are around. And we have women in the team as well, we love it. Its all totally believable and its a credit to director and actors et al for pulling it off as such. The one problem I did have was the amount of drink-driving they do, I mean you can put it down to their way of life yadda yadda yadda, but in this day and age are we really supposed to stomach the fact that people go out to dinner and get so smashed they can't control their primeval urges and then jump in the car and drive home? C'mooooon, get real. So there is a use for salt in this flick.

Its a great group of characters and they all have a chemistry, the direction leaves little to the imagination without overtelling the story. Its part feel-good, part black humour, and if you've never seen Cusack play an asshole, this is the sucker to see him in all his assholeiness gloriness...ness! 4 stars.

Gone In 60 Seconds - stars Nicholas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi

Imagine you could have any car you wanted, any car at all. Then imagine you could go out and get it right now. You'd know how to bypass the alarm/imobiliser, pop the lock, start it and drive away in 30 seconds flat. Tops! You know what this movie makes me want to do? Just that, steal cars. Imagine doing it for a living, sooooo cool...ok I feel like a kid coming out of a karate movie and doing high kicks on my mates.

This is a remake of a '74 (alleged) classic of the same name, I've never seen it and don't really want to but I suppose some time down the track it will happen. What we have are high tech car theives stealing state of the art cars from all eras - I've never seen so many ways to start a car. What happened to using the two little wire thingies under the dash?

Its nothing special in the acting stakes, but it is an audio visual treat. Who doesn't like fast cars, honestly. I'm the slowest driver in the history of driving - I'm the guy that gets overtaken by the oldies riding zimmers - and I love fast cars. I think what excentuates what we're seeing is the fact the characters are all loving what they do. Lets not even go into the plot albeit to mention that Memphis Raines is a long-retired car thief who gets dragged back in to save his bro's ass, and even he is enjoying the feeling. You can see it in their eyes, their actions - at one stage Sway (Jolie) walks into a parking garage and her whole face lights up "Hello ladies", one of my favourite parts of the movie. You can tell these people like it despite the consequences should they fail, which makes us like it even more. And hey, its for a good cause.

Odd-ball characters are everywhere, an ex-car thief who works as a driving instructor among them. Unfortunately there are the usual suspects; a jive talking african-american (who is damn funny I have to say), the socially incapable super-geek, the strong silent mean bastard. But you can put it aside, they're done well by their respective actors and none of it is overblown. Its just a rockin'rollin'ride into car theft, the lighter side of it lets say.

Lets not forget the soundtrack either, there's some top little tunes in there, the song that comes on when Memphis is in the showroom playing a wanker is priceless - wish I knew what it was. The inclusion of songs from Crystal Method, Moby, The Cult (wahoo!), George Thorogood and Jane's Addiction make for a fairly eclectic mix, I'm gonna go find it. All aboard!!! 4 and a half stars.

Goldmember - stars Mike Myers, Mike Myers, Mike Myers

I loved the first one, its a classic in my book. That scene where he's doing the three-point-turn in the hallway and making sure he looks, its my kind've kooky humour. The second was good too, just not as good. And this?

Pretty badly drawn out visual gags and one-liners make this a spoof of itself just about. It did have its moments - the urine sample had me rolling in the aisles...er, well on the couch anyway, man I laughed at that! But the rest was so-so. Myers is brilliant playing his characters though, couldn't work out what accent he was trying to pull with Goldmember himself, sounded scottish at times. But yeah, kudos to Myers, he makes it.

I'm trying not to make it sound bad, its not bad, and if you like the first two then this will really please. But yeah nah other than seeing Mike do his thing for another time it wasn't more than an average comedy for me. 3 stars.

Cheers all

BH