This could be brilliant, or it could massively disappoint, but the thing that's got me excited right now is how it seems to be mixing up genres. Is that a World War 2 plane against a dragon? Oh, I so hope so! Let's hope the final film looks as cool as the trailer!

I don't expect this to prove to be universally true, but for me, Predator is the perfectly paced movie. The story has a rhythm to it that means I can pretty much watch that movie on a continuous loop (and have done so in the past). After action movies of the 80s where Arnie would always kick arse, it was refreshing to see a movie where the action heroes had it handed to them on a plate. It was essentially G.I. Joe vs Aliens, and I loved that premise. The predator has remained my favourite movie monster ever since - something about those facial mandibles. I've even had chance to talk to some of the people who designed it over the years (including the late Stan Winston). The Aliens Vs Predator movies never seemed to have enough alien or predator action in them so when I heard about Predators, I was excited. The premise is pretty simple - The world's best killers are rounded up and put on a game preserve planet for the predators to hunt. But what I liked about this movie, in a slight twist at one point, is that the killers decide to go after the predators. It has many of the elements I loved about the original - the jungle setting, the cast getting knocked off one by one, vague references to the original Predator, heck even the mini-gun (officially the greatest movie weapon ever made). Unusually, you never learn the names of the vast majority of characters (or if we did it was very quick and I missed it) and that can make you disconnect with them slightly. Still, it did feel odd, cheering a serial rapist as he decides to jump a predator. And perhaps that's the problem. There's nothing likeable about these characters. They've all done terrible things, why should we care that the predators knock them off? Adrien Brody makes an interesting action hero that retains some of Arnie's traits but gives it a slightly different twist. I'm not a huge Brody fan, but he is good in this. Topher Grace was the one who surprised me, putting in a very subtle but effective performance. Look, I doubt this movie will win a lot of critical acclaim, but as a popcorn movie sequel to the original Predator, it does it very very well and I found it thoroughly enjoyable.

Movies – Page 2 – Adrian Faulkner

Q: Fan Made Final Fantasy Advent Children Trailer

There are elements of anime that I absolutely love. The hyper-reality where everyone's abilities are ramped up to superhero proportions, huge frickin' swords and the way that fantasy and SF mix as if it's no big deal. Japanese storytelling is very different to the 3 act structure you commonly find in the west and as a result the story is rarely something you can guess. I love the Final Fantasy Advent Children movie for all these reasons. And I'm not that huge a Final Fantasy fan. I get how the movie might not be everyone's cup of tea and to be honest there are elements that don't exactly fit for me either, but still, it's something I really vibe off. It pushes creative buttons. So in looking for a piece of music from the movie, I came across this fan-made trailer which uses Clint Mansell's Requeim For A Dream (best known to most of you as the music in the trailer to The Two Towers). I like how the clips match the flow of the music. If you've not seen movie, I think it's worth a watch, even if there may be bits you hate.

Q: New Non-Fiction: Star Wars Memories

Over at the SciFiNow Blog they are running a series of posts by Star Wars fans recounting their first encounter with the franchise. It's all connected with their latest issue and with the upcoming release of the movies on Blu-ray later this month. I've been a huge Star Wars fan for years so I was delighted to be able to contribute to this. You can read my post about how I never got to see the movie in 1977 here . Enjoy!

Q: The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Trailer

Q: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

It surprises me but for some in the Fantasy community, Harry Potter is considered the black sheep of the family. Like it if you must, but we'd rather you didn't . I've even seen people argue that it's not fantasy at all - you know, despite the magic and the wands and the house elves and dragons and such stuff. I resisted Harry Potter when it first came out. I'd covered a lot of fads and this had fad written all over it. But I was working for a magazine around the time of the first movie and needed to write an article about it. Now some can know nothing about a property and write about it as if they are a fan but I think such articles lack an honesty that can get the writer rumbled if they slip up on a fact. So I decided that I had to read the first book. I remember sitting down that night thinking "well at least it's short" and then being hit with how great the book was. I went out and bought the other 3 books then available in the series the very next morning. Because I've been keen to avoid spoilers, it's meant that for the last 3 books I pretty much locked myself away for 24 hours and read them solid. I knew, doing what I did, I'd not be able to turn on the computer without getting some spoiler. I'd like to go back and re-read them all at some point but for now I'm just happy to re-enjoy them through the films. And I really can't wait until Deathly Hallows. It was an exciting book and the film looks fab