Coming Up For On-Screen:

Hello again, just a quick update as to what's coming up in the next few weeks for the blog, and what you should be most looking forward to this May:

1. More Who- Yes, that's exclusive reviews of "Flesh & Stone"; "The Vampires Of Venice"; "Amy's Choice" and "The Hungry Earth", not to mention previews of the finale, and a look at the third April novel, "The Forgotten Army"

2. Games, and lots of em- Expect reviews of old favourite revamp "Splinter Cell: Conviction"; five years in the making 360 exclusive "Alan Wake"; new football contender "FIFA World Cup 2010: South Africa"; the "Halo: Reach" beta and "Split Second" before this coming Month is up. All this, and much more news besides.

3. Films galore- Of course we've got the first review (unofficial, that is) of "Iron Man 2" this May Bank Holiday weekend; then there's "Prince of Persia"; "Robin Hood" and first impressions of "Shrek: Forever After" (due out in the US on May 18th, then here in the UK on July 2nd :( )

4. What's On?- Find out the best TV shows that you should be watching before May is up!

Doctor Who: Night Of The Humans Review (4.5/5)

The second of the three April "Who" novels", "Night Of The Humans" proves to be a tricky read to rate, specifically because there are just so many different elements that form the structure of this great story (taken from sci-fi greats from across the years) that it's sometimes hard to know whether you love or hate "Night"- yep, it's the ultimate realisation of Marmite in paper form. Jokes aside, relative newcomer David Llewellyn manages to grasp the tricky relationship between the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond admirably, although perhaps that's partly due to the fact that the pair of companions are separated on warring halves of a slowly dying planet so must adjust to each faction's characteristics by befriending the locals. It's certainly a tale we've seen portrayed on-screen in "Who" before, but Llewellyn manages to keep things interesting using his impressive language techniques and references to war on our own planet planted cunningly throughout. The inclusion of multiple protagonists and antagonists spices things up rapidly towards the climax of "Night", ensuring that the titular Time Lord has some difficult choices to face before he leaves the Gyre, the dire consequences of which the author brilliantly brings across from the perspective of the Doctor in a plot containing so many twists and turns fans will barely be able to put this down. My only gripe with "Night" comes in the form of one of the characters mentioned in its deceiving synopsis: Dirk Slipstream. In this reviewer's opinion, Slipstream's true agenda is revealed far too quickly in what becomes quite a "move forward, move back" tale in its final 150 pages, and if Llewellyn had held off on giving us the truth of the captain's intentions towards the Gyre for just 50 pages or so longer, then "Night of the Humans" might have become one of the tensest and thus most effective "Doctor Who" novels in a long while. Saying that, as a first effort in the Matt Smith era, this author certainly does develop promise for any later work by himself in upcoming years. Keep a watch on Llewellyn's "Who"...

Call Of Duty: Black Ops

While the war between Infinity Ward and Activision rages on, and while millions still find themselves glued to last year's predictable yet well-recieved "Call Of Duty" effort, "Modern Warfare 2", Treyarch have been slowly building up the teaser to their latest edition of the blockbuster franchise, and last night revealed the first trailer for "Call Of Duty: Black Ops". The seventh main instalment will see players "witness the birth of the Elite Special Forces", and according to local UK retailer GAME will have them fight in "Cuba"; "The Arctic" and, most intriguingly, "the jungles of Vietnam". This suggests that- while not primarily based in that particular conflict- a level of the new "COD" game will take place in the Vietnam War of the '60s and '70s. The current release date for "Black Ops" is November 9th, so expect lots more info and game-play videos akin to last year's Arctic mission to be shown at E3 then published all over the net. Until then, here's the link to a frankly amazing teaser trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-debut-call-of/64932

Cemetery Junction Review (5/5)

Every now and again, a "Cemetery Junction" appears: little-known and little-cared for, and yet from out of nowhere proving to be absolutely superb with a great unknown cast and a fabulously written story. This isn't to say that Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant's latest blockbuster effort is perfect- indeed, there are moments where "Cemetery Junction" simply fails to capitalise on its potential by skipping between scenes, but the overall ace cameos by such greats as Ralph Fiennes and Burn Gorman (of "Torchwood" fame as the late Owen Harper) more than make up for the flick's shortcomings, providing delicately-placed humour in what is essentially a coming-of-age tale that, while too violent for the kids, is so intelligently produced that anyone over 15 cannot fail to instantly fall in love with. Despite the writers' claims that "Cemetery Junction" would be filmed in Reading, most of the location settings are undeniably forgettable, as Gervais and Merchant seemed to have opted for the suburban take on life, centring the core plot mainly in the streets and not in well established Reading locations. Ah well, much as there could to be to complain about in this one-off effort, it's a testmaent to "Cemetery Junction"'s greatness that no shortcoming can fully befall it.

Doctor Who: Apollo 23 Review (4/5)

"Apollo 23" marks the first full "Who" novel starring the Eleventh Doctor (as portrayed ,to great acclaim by fans, by Matt Smith) and Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillian), and there's an obvious sense that author Justin Richards has gained an almost-immediate sense of familiarity with the time travellers. The plot is quite complex to keep up with, seeing several portals being opened between a modern space base on our Moon and various locations on the planet Earth, with the Doctor tasked with the hefty proposal of closing these wormholes, then working out which dastardly creatures opened them in the first place and attempting to put an end to their plans of destruction. This sounds like bog-standard "Doctor Who", and for the most part it is, however there are times where you simply want to skip a chapter for its general irrelevance to the main plot, and in several cases this approach won't harm your reading of the climax of "Apollo 23". All in all, though, this latest novel definitely impresses as a readable representation of one of the Time Lord's unseen adventures through time and space, and is worth a look should it ever appear on your local library's shelf or cheap in your local bookstore.

Avatar DVD Review (5/5)

Before I go into the stunning visuals, powerful characterisations and awe-inspiring plot-lines that join together seamlessly to make the immersive experience that is "Avatar", let's get one thing straight: that score above? That's my opinion of the film as a whole, not the DVD release. For reasons best known to mega-millionaire director James Cameron, neither the digital nor Blue-Ray release contain any extras whatsoever: yes, you read right, that's no commentaries; no in-depth Makings Of; not even the wealth of trails used in the mega-seller's huge promotional campaign, nowt. If, at the £10 asking price for the DVD, this seems a rip-off, then by all means hold off until this summer's cinema release of "Avatar: The 6 Minute Longer Director's Cut" (I'm not kidding) gets the inevitable disc treatment, where there will no doubt be a plethora of goodies for fans to feast upon. Until then: "Avatar". The sheer amount of cash this film grossed in Box Office over its December-February broadcast period should already be enough to prove that it's a definite hit, not to mention its recently acclaimed title of "Highest Grossing Film Ever". The story, while not perhaps as in-depth as Cameron might have previously claimed, is a heartfelt and ripping yarn, taking misguided Jake Sully out of his strangely outdated wheelchair and into a bright blue "avatar" built to withstand almost anything, and later sending him into inner turmoil as he decides between his loyalties to the human race or the near-unstoppable destruction of the Navi homeworld. Each actor (such as Sam Worthington) suits their role perfectly, and brings "Avatar" to life in a way that no other film has been rendered before. The lack of a 3-D option on this release is a foreseeable one (although no doubt it will be available to viewers with enabled tellies in later releases of the flick), but doesn't affect the 2-hour film in any way, and still allows for a wonderful romp which deserves to be seen by all.

Decide Your Destiny: The Coldest War/Claws Of The Macra (3.5/5)

Remember what I said about that flurry of "Who" novelised releases? Case in proof, two new "Decide Your Destiny" books, dubbed "The Coldest War" and "Claws Of The Macra". Both of these releases feature an old enemy from the Doctor's past (but only technically since the 2005 revamp), the former starring the Sycorax from David Tennant's first adventure as the Tenth Doctor, "The Christmas Invasion", and the latter obviously bringing about the revival of the Macra, who were previously in a Patrick Troughton story then were seen terrorising New Earth's underbelly in the Series 3 episode "Gridlock". While both books have the Doctor and Amy Pond as guides, it's you- the reader- who decides how the "episodes" play out, with dire consequences or brilliant outcomes (such as the offer to travel temporarily in the TARDIS with the pair) depending on your choices. Undoubtedly you'll have seen this sort of release before, and the "Decide Your Destiny" novels don't completely do the series justice, but none the less at just a fiver each this pair of books is well worth taking a look at, and will provide hours of fun in conjunction with the website (occasionaly you'll be asked to visit the website for an animated scene or game to continue the story, boasting replay value for each release)