QUESTION: Who would be your favourite 'Guardian'?

Rise Of The Guardians got me back thinking in the ways I did as a child, especially towards the mythical characters that lead the movie. I remember the days when I believed in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus and I really think the movie established these characters in a new light for children today. It really was great to see these characters interpreted differently to what we normally expect. We have seen plenty of movies involving Santa but none that team him with imaginary personnel who have mythical origin stories like he does. This is what made Rise Of The Guardians so fun, and why it will have children in awe of the spectacle. What I want to ask then is which one of the 'Guardians' is your favourite? The one you believed in most as a child? The one you wished was real even now? Which is the one you will convince your children is true?





1. EASTER BUNNY - The animal who brings the joy, and chocolate eggs, to Easter. Hiding them in your garden the Easter Bunny will continue to watch as you rummage through the outdoors in search of the colourful eggs he had left for you to collect.












2. JACK FROST - Was never so much a person as an expression, but Rise Of The Guardians may have people thinking differently. Jack Frost is the term used when it is bitterly cold outside and you wrap yourself up warm in the hope that the frost doesn't get you. For adults he may be a pain but for children nothing makes you happier than a garden full of snow.










3. SANDMAN - The creator of dreams, the Sandman will infiltrate your mind and release wonderful thoughts of wonder and hope that you dream about until you wake the next day. The Sandman keeps your imagination alive.











4. SANTA CLAUS - The most famous out the lot. Wearing a big red coat and a fluffy white beard, Santa travels the world in his sleigh on Christmas Eve delivering presents under people's Christmas trees, as long as you've been good of course.












5. TOOTH FAIRY - When those baby teeth fall out, stick it under your pillow and in the morning you will find a gold coin. Why? The Tooth Fairy that's why. She enters your room and replaces the tooth with gold so she can keep it for something to remember you by.









According to the film these are the five 'Guardians' who protect children's imaginations across the globe from the notorious Bogeyman. I remember believing in the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny and hearing the term Jack Frost but it wasn't until the film Halloween that I had ever really heard of the Sandman. Strange film to get you thinking about dreams I know. And Santa Claus, well I'm still a believer.





   

QUESTION: Who is the scariest movie psychopath?

Trying to keep to some kind of connection with last week's film release, Seven Psychopaths, I thought I would ask who you thought is really a psychopath in the movie world. Seven Psychopaths is more of a satirical comedy with the nutcases, although still being nutty, more comical then really psychotic. What I want to know then is in your eyes which character is the nuttiest, and the one you would least want to meet in a dark alleyway? Total Film has also done a feature on this topic and I'm going to use five of their top ten choices as examples below. So have a think, which one of these would you not want to be alone with? 

1. HANNIBAL LECTER (Silence of the Lambs) - Imprisoned for murder and then eating his victims, former psychiatrist Hannibal is interrogated by Clarice Starling who needs his help to catch a serial woman killer. You wouldn't want this guy getting inside your head mind you. Played by Anthony Hopkins.

2. NORMAN BATES (Psycho) - A deranged motel owner who dresses up in his dead mother's clothes and murders occupants when they're in the shower. Don't think I would like to stay at the Bates Motel. Played by Anthony Perkins.

3. COLONEL KURTZ (Apocalypse Now) - A top Colonel turned insane by the trauma of war and now hiding out in the Cambodian jungle as the head of a small village where he plays God to the tribe and kills anyone who gets in his way. Played by Marlon Brando.

4. LEATHERFACE (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) - Severely disfigured living within a psychopathic family, Leatherface kills or kidnaps anyone who comes near their property and introduces them to a family that kill for sport. His weapon of choice; a chainsaw, mask of choice; victim's faces sewn together. Played by Gunnar Hansen.

5. ROARK JUNIOR (Sin City) - Roark is nicknamed the Yellow Bastard and in the comic book film noir he is highlighted as bright yellow and tremendously ugly. He gets his kicks from kidnapping and torturing children, especially the ones that got away years before. Played by Nick Stahl.

Now there is several more that could have been added to that list, John Doe (Seven), Jack Torrance (The Shining), Annie Wilks (Misery), Joker (The Dark Knight), but I decided to go with the ones above as they were the ones Total Film put at the top of their list. I personally don't think any are worse than the other but that's because I wouldn't want to be left alone with any of them. On second thoughts I think it would be the oversized chainsaw wiedling, dead skin wearing freak from Texas who would have me running the fastest. Now if you've seen Seven Psychopaths you'll know what I mean when I say these guys make the ones in McDonagh's new movie look sopping wet behind the ears. 

  

QUESTION: Jake Gyllenhaal's best film?

In the recent release, End Of Watch, Jake Gyllenhaal brings a performance with clout. He has always been an actor who performs to a high level, and he has generally been cast in very different roles. He always has been a hit with the ladies but he also hasn't been afraid to play a homosexual and appeal to the male audience. His abilities are not used for the pay packet and many of his diverse performances high light he is in it for the art. At the age of 32 he is still frighteningly young for a Hollywood star who has been in many films. If his early career is anything to go by then he will be around for at least 30 years more. Anyway I thought I would take a look at some of his better films and below I have listed five for you to have a look at.



1. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN - I had to start with this one as it is definitely his most controversial role, and probably the one he is most known for. In the film he plays a cowboy sent up to Brokeback Mountain to work. His new work partner, and the only one joining him up the mountain, is Heath Ledger. The two grow so close over their time up the mountain and begin a love affair that the pair fail to let go of when they finally return home.





2. DONNIE DARKO - His first major film outing saw Jake play a kid called Donnie Darko who starts to have visions of a giant bunny rabbit who is counting down to the end of the world. Donnie brushes off the hallucinations until he notices the rabbit's predictions are coming true. Jake has come a long way since this role and it seems like a life time ago.










3. JARHEAD - A film about Desert-Storm soldiers preparing for experiences in Saudi Arabia and eventually fighting in Kuwait. Gyllenhaal plays Anthony Swofford, the soldier whose autobiography the film is based on.










4. SOURCE CODE - Time travel has become a theme for Gyllenhaal in his films. In Source Code he plays a soldier who has signed up for an operation in where he is sent back in time into someone else's body to help the authorities catch a terrorist who has blown up a train.







5. ZODIAC - Directed by David Fincher, Gyllenhaal is given the lead ahead of stars such as Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo. He plays a cartoonist who becomes obsessed with the identity of the Zodiac Killer, who has been giving out clues to his identity for a number of years.







Some great films he has done then. His performances have also been top class in them all, ranging from a fearsome soldier to a homosexual cowboy. His latest film End Of Watch shows Gyllenhaal's ultimate range as an actor and also highlights that great things are to come for him if he keeps up the good work. Hard to believe he is only in his early thirties based on his current mature performances.





    

QUESTION: Who is the most up and coming young actress?

Jennifer Lawrence has recently hit the ground running when it comes to performing in Hollywood films. Since starting out in smaller films, such as Winter's Bone, she has gone on to be cast as recurring characters in two major franchises, X-Men and The Hunger Games. As well as these she has given a star turn in this week's release, Silver Linings Playbook. She really is a major star for the future. Looking at Miss Lawrence then I thought I would ask who else there is who is being shaped to become a future star. There are several young actresses ready to pounce onto the big stage and stake a claim to remain there. Have a look at five potential candidates below and start looking out for their movies, as they will definitely be moving on to bigger things.




1. JUNO TEMPLE - Recently had a small part in Christopher Nolan's final Batman epic and has also acted alongside James McAvoy in Atonement and Matthew McConaughey in Killer Joe. With 9 films already announced, or completed, expect to see much more of Juno in the next few years.










2. ELIZABETH OLSEN - Often the forgotten Olsen sister but if anything has shown she is actually the better actress out of them. Recently she has been a huge success, giving great performances in Silent House, Martha Marcy May Marlene and had a support role in Red Lights. For the future she is slated for 4 films with one of them being Spike Lee's Oldboy remake.









3. HAILEE STEINFELD - In her first major film debut she was nominated for an Oscar for her brilliant performance in the Coen Brothers' True Grit. She hasn't graced the screen quite so much since but that may be due to her being involved in 6 films, all to be released within the next two years. She is also the next female to portray the character of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet's next big screen outing.









4. CHLOE GRACE MORETZ - Will be remembered by most for dropping the 'c' bomb when she played Hit Girl in Kick Ass and although she is returning to that role, she could well be remembered now for portraying Carrie in the remake of the older film. As well as these she has played a werewolf and a vampire, whilst also being Joseph Gordon Levitt's younger sister in 500 Days Of Summer. Out of these five she is probably the most known and will be seen in no less than 10 films over the next few years.







5. SAOIRSE RONAN - Starred alongside Juno Temple in Atonement and also gave a great performance in The Lovely Bones. Saoirse is still building her portfolio but it already includes playing an assassin and a ghost trapped in the afterlife. Expect to see more of her as she is soon to hit screens in The Host, from the author of the Twilight books. If this is another potential franchise let's just say she will have a good few films coming her way.







These are possibly the 5 I would suggest have the most potential. As always there will be others out there who are just as good but these gals all have many films soon to hit screens and have already given great performances in the ones they have been seen in. Anyway if you haven't heard of one, keep an eye out for them after this as I'm sure you will now be able to spot them and understand why they are ones for the future.

    

QUESTION: Worst Kevin James movie?

As usual I'm directing my question towards the film I saw in cinemas last weekend, unfortunately though that film was Here Comes The Boom. After watching it I realised that I can't remember a good movie that Kevin James has been involved in, where we see his face on screen that is. When he was Doug Heffernan in King Of Queens I thought he was great, and I really enjoyed the sitcom, however since he has made the step to film he has failed to keep us all laughing. Hitch is probably his best film to date and is the only role he has played that isn't typical him but when I researched his other films all have had bad reviews and are all rated 6.0 or lower on imdb. Not good for an actor that had a long successful sitcom. So to look at his films I found it too hard to pick a best so thought it would be better to let you pick the worst. 5 films below; what is Kevin James worst?




1. GROWN UPS - Some thought this was good I thought it was bad. James plays one of a group of friends who get together for a weekend after spending the years since school apart. The group ditch their partners and end up enjoying the same activities they did when they were kids. Now what could be more fun?









2. I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND LARRY - Teaming alongside friend Adam Sandler, James plays a fireman who loses his insurance once his wife dies. The only way he can get it back is to pose as a homosexual with his colleague Sandler but can they keep up their facade when a detective and smoking hot lawyer are on their case?







3. PAUL BLART: MALL COP - I really thought this would be better but as per usual the trailer took away all the good bits. James is Blart, a mall cop who wants to be a policeman. He gets his chance to convince when the mall he patrols is taken hostage and he is the only means of escape.










4. THE DILEMMA - Playing friend to Vince Vaughn, James is the unsuspecting man whose wife is having an affair. With Vince knowing he must decide whether it is best to tell his chum or let him remain happy.











5. ZOOKEEPER - When a zookeeper (James) threatens to quit his job in his search for love, the animals break their code of silence and attempt to talk their favourite zookeeper into keeping his job and finding love at the same time.





Now there are 5 pretty bad movies. I feel bad bringing down an actor I always loved as I was growing up but his turn into film has really not gone his way. He is becoming the go-to guy when Sandler may be too expensive and I can't help but think he is in his shadow. Go back to the beginning Kevin and show the world you aren't another Sandler and please stop doing such abysmal movies. Thank you.

QUESTION: What is Ben Affleck's worst film?

Lately Ben Affleck has completely turned his career around. He was once the cheesy, less than capable actor who played a leading ladies man with very little clout. He was often slated for his performances and on some occasions blamed for the outcome of the movie. In the past 5 years Affleck has turned his status around. Since directing the brilliant Gone Baby Gone he has made a respectable name for himself as being a director. He then moved on to direct, and star in, The Town. Another that was a brilliant film and Affleck also manages to direct himself in to a decent performance. Now comes the cream of the crop, Argo where he directs his first movie out of his comfort zone and directs himself in a performance you didn't think he would be capable of. He has turned his fortunes around and fair play to him as now I feel he is going to continue to be a respected director and alter his status in the Hollywood world. However he has made some stinkers and I looked at 5 of these to see what his worst ones were. Not to bring his recent excellent work down but I thought it would be much more of  to look at some awful films. Being a fan of Affleck's recent work I hope, instead of reading this and being put off by him, that you can come to appreciate how well he has transformed himself into someone who deserves a lot of recognition.




1. FORCES OF NATURE - Affleck plays a man soon to be married who meets a fresh love when he is involved in an incident on a plane. Cue decisions as to what direction his life should continue in. Oh and this one also stars Sandra Bullock!!







2. GIGLI - The film that could have completely derailed his career. Starring alongside his then fiancee Jennifer Lopez, he plays a hit man who becomes best friends with another man and woman via a hostage. It even sounds dull to read. The film has been rated a 2.4 on IMDB so is one that is best avoided.






3. PHANTOMS - One of his much earlier films, but still after the brilliant Good Will Hunting, Ben plays one of a group of survivors who must rid the 'phantoms' who are killing people in his town.






4. SURVIVING CHRISTMAS - Playing a lonely millionaire, Affleck turns up in a family romantic comedy that you would have expected of him back in the day. Here he pays a family to spend Christmas with him after getting fed up of being lonely.










5. THE THIRD WHEEL - Finally the story of a couple who hit a homeless man in their car and then struggle to break free from him for the rest of the night. Doesn't sound like much of a movie to me Ben.










Well as we can see he has certainly done some shockers but instead of remembering these let's look at how brilliant his films are now and I hope highlighting these films makes you realise that he has become the man to watch if you are to be guaranteed a good film. By directing Affleck has matured and I would like to think it is safe to say that these poor rom coms he once starred in are a thing of the past.

QUESTION: Best stop motion movie?

After seeing Frankenweenie last week I found myself searching the internet to find other gothic stop motion films much in the vein of this film. Whilst on my search I found an interesting article on about.com. The writer had published a category under Hollywood Movies; 5 Best Stop Motion Movies. So I took a look and there were some pretty good movies on the list. So what I thought I would do is ask you this question and post their five top stop motion movies and see if we agree. The five are below now tell me which one is your favourite.

1. MARY AND MAX - A story about two pen pals who write to each other often although one is an 8 year old girl and the other a 44 year old man.

2. FANTASTIC MR FOX - Adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic book. A clever fox antagonises a local farmer by stealing his produce; however he must defend his own kind when the farmer's retaliation becomes a little psychotic.

3. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS - Old school Christmas tale from producer Tim Burton about character Jack Skeleton who attempts to bring the joys of Christmas to gothic town Halloweentown, whose residents are constantly depressed.

4. CHICKEN RUN - Mel Gibson lends his voice to a cockerel that flies into a farmer's chicken coup and reluctantly helps them escape the farm before they are all killed and put into pies.

5. CORPSE BRIDE - Another Tim Burton film, although here he directs. A young groom practises his vows in an isolated place although a corpse laying nearby resurrects upon hearing these vows believing he was reciting them to her.

So there are the five posted on about.com and they are all ace films meaning it will be tough to pick which one is the best. On the website Mary And Max was rated number one and also has the highest rating on IMDB, however it is probably the one that is the least well known. Anyway let us know which one of these you think is the best. 

QUESTION: Best Daniel Craig film?

With Daniel Craig bringing an emotionally brilliant performance in the latest Bond movie Skyfall I thought it would be good to look back at some of his films and decide what we think is his best. Before he became Bond he was relatively unknown but now he has propelled himself into the Hollywood stratosphere. He has had many supporting roles in the past, I have watched many films where he seems to appear in the background, but I want to look at the films he has made within the last ten years where he plays more of a lead. Have a look at 5 choices below and let us know what is Daniel Craig's best film?




1. CASINO ROYALE - Craig's first outing as Bond was a fine performance in a fine film indeed. It can be seen as one of the better Bond's to date. In the film we go back to the beginning and witness how he undertook his first mission which pitted him against LeChiffre who is using poker winnings to fund terrorism.






2. COWBOYS & ALIENS - Released only last year Craig plays a cowboy with a severe case of memory loss who is hunted by Harrison Ford's badass outlaw, however they soon become allies when the Old West is threatened by aliens.








3. DEFIANCE - Here he stars as one of a set of Jewish brothers in Nazi occupied Eastern Europe. He leads many Jews into a forest to build a new village to keep them safe from the dangers that are around them.






4. LAYER CAKE - Playing the man with no name Craig is a drug dealer who wants to retire with the small fortune he has made himself, however a bigger fish than him soon asks him to take on one last deal which causes him to fall into a triangle of sex, betrayal and death.








5. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO - Another released last year. A remake of the Swedish version and an adaptation of the popular book Craig plays journalist Mikael Blomkvist who is hired to find an elderly man's niece who disappeared many years ago. In order to find her he has to hire an expert computer hacker; a mysterious woman with obsolete social skills.



There are 5 to pick from then and I have to say 3 of them are very good films, the other 2 are slightly average but definitely have their audience. Anyway let me know what you think then, what is Daniel Craig's best film?

QUESTION: What is the scariest movie monster?

Hotel Transylvania brought something relatively fresh to the cinema audience last weekend in that it gave us a nice side to the monsters parents tell their children about in ghost stories. It was good to see them as loveable characters as opposed to ones we are all afraid of. Spinning it back on its head then I have decided to ask what is the scariest movie monster, but the choices will be from the character types that were in Hotel Transylvania. Look below to see which monsters were seen in a lighter way in that film and which ones in reality would scare you the most.




DRACULA - A legend of a vampire who would need to drink human blood through his pointy fangs in order to feed. He could also disguise himself as a bat in order to escape deadly situations and creep up on his prey.











FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER - Many get confused between which one Frankenstein was, he was the Doctor not the monster. The monster was a creation made out of random deceased body parts and then awakened by a lightning bolt. He then went on to despise humans due to the neglect from his creator.





WEREWOLF - A giant howling wolf that would howl during a full moon. The werewolf would then take human form until the following full moon where he would hunt for humans to feed.








THE MUMMY - A deceased human who was bandaged from head to toe and place in a tomb like coffin in a way of punishment during Egyptian times. The Mummy is one of these who have come back to life and exacts revenge on the human population.









ZOMBIES - Dead humans that have come back to life and stalk the living. They would kill by delivering a single bite that would transform the victim into a zombie.








There are 5 of the monsters portrayed in Hotel Transylvania that are given a gentler more comical side. Many will still imagine them as scary beings and that is probably how they are best known, so tell me which one was always the one you were most frightened of?

QUESTION: What is the best time travel movie?

With the release of Looper last weekend, a film based around the notion of being able to time travel, I have been researching into time travel movies to see what the best ones out there are. I have noticed that Total Film have done a feature on it and stated their favourite top 50 time travel movies. Starting from the top of their list, with the films I have seen, I've listed 5 films below with the question what is the best time travel movie? Of course there will be others so feel free to add more in the comments. Do you agree with their list?




1. 12 MONKEYS - When the future's population becomes decimated by disease a corporation send Bruce Willis back in time to find out what started the virus, and for him to destroy it before it wipes out every man on Earth.











2. BACK TO THE FUTURE - Marty McFly gets caught up with a mad scientist and transported back in time in a time machine he has invented out of a Deloreon. Whilst in the past Marty becomes the affections of a younger version of his Mother which could possibly have dangerous repercussions on the future.










3. DONNIE DARKO - Jake Gylenhaal play the title character who after narrowly avoiding death begins to have visions of a man in a bunny costume who tells him the World will end soon, transporting Donnie through time with the ability to find a way to stop it.











4. GROUNDHOG DAY - Bill Murray awakens on Groundhog Day and begins his normal life, however when he goes to bed at night he wakes up and finds himself back on Groundhog Day once again, a continual loop that never seems to end so how will he escape?












5. THE TERMINATOR - Sarah Connor is soon to give birth to the resistant leader of a future rebellion army who manage to take down a cybernetic race that has taken over the world called the terminators. In order to prevent this from happening the machines send a terminator back in time to kill Sarah before she gives birth, but the humans are wise and send back their own man in order to protect her.








There are your 5 then and I'm pretty sure you have all seen them as they are all cracking films. Total Film listed Back To The Future as their number one but do you agree? Let us know below.