Dream Works newest creation

From the makers of Bolt and Kung Fu Panda, comes a 3-D animated feature which promises a combination of Doctor Who, Star Wars and Star Trek.

Monsters vs. Aliens targets all ages, with its high empowered story for kick ass kids and references to B-movie sci-fi horror that will have the adults chuckling in their seats. It’s definitely a movie for all the family to enjoy.

The story begins when a meteorite hits California on the very day that Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is to marry local TV weatherman Derek (Paul Rudd).

In a classic Fifties B-movie scenario Susan expands to 10 times her normal size, is captured by the government and imprisoned in a secret facility run by General WR Monger (Kiefer Sutherland).

Her fellow freaks of nature include mad scientist Dr Cockroach (a droll Hugh Laurie), fish/ape hybrid The Missing Link (Will Arnett) and a gormless gelatinous blob called Bob (hilarious Seth Rogen).

But when evil alien Gallaxher (Rainn Wilson) sets his sights on planet Earth, Susan and the monsters are the only ones who can save the day. Fast-moving and sweet-natured with some healthy messages about tolerance and female empowerment, Monsters Vs Aliens is a lot of fun. In Witherspoon’s Susan, the movie offers a spirited heroine for girls while the enigmatic spectacle is aimed at boys and the monster movie reverence is for the benefit of the older movie fan.

Whilst the majority of the movie has been executed well, there is one slight glitch- the film lacks uniformity and doesn’t flesh out any of the ideas it plays with. It’s clearly trying to please everyone in the audience, and at times is does feel that the movie is trying to fit as many gags in to one scene as possible. But with seven writers on deck it’s not surprising.

The film is screened in both 3D and 2D, but aside from a handful of impressive 3D effects, you’d be equally well-served opting for the two-dimensional version.

Rhys Thomas’ debut novel, The Suicide Club is a haunting story centered on a group of disaffected teenagers who, under the guidance of a manipulative leader, decide to embark on a suicide pact. With great wit and an unwavering eye for muddle and adolescent drama, the novel is a pitch-perfect portrait of teenage disaffection that sets boy against boy, imagination against reality- and, untimely, life against death.

Craig Bartlett-Taylor was always trying to kill himself, but when he took an overdose at the back of Mrs Kenna’s classroom, Richie thought he’d finally succeeded: it was a real-life Worst Case Scenario. But then the new kid, Freddy, steps in and saves Craig’s life, and for Richie the lure of this mysterious newcomer is irresistible.

Freddy is like nobody Richie has ever met. Dark, sardonic and dangerous, he gives flight to Richie’s imagination, introducing him to a way of life he’d never thought possible. But when a night-time prank goes gut-wrenchingly wrong, Richie begins to question Freddy’s motives, and all too soon he finds himself committed to a sinister pact, with inescapably tragic consequences. It’s true that Freddy saved a life – but could he take one, too?

The term “Emo” is short for “emotional” in teenage speak, and it is the adjective that the narrator of this grisly debut novel uses hesitantly to define himself, although, he is quick to add, he does not much like being shoved into categories at all. In typical teenage fashion, he is struggling with a labile identity.

“I’m a normal kid, and I have a good soul,” the narrator tries to convince himself. But Rhys Thomas shakes concepts of “normality” to the core. It is a challenge indeed for an author to capture authentic teenage dialogue, and Thomas struggles with an irritating and inconsistent colloquial style, but this is nevertheless a very compelling subject matter.

After reading this, many will eagerly anticipate Rhys Thomas’ next novel with intrigue and curiosity.

Tween- magnet has reportedly pulled out of the remake of Footloose

For a chance to catch the best new musicals American Broadway has to offer, hop on over to the West End. Yes, its true notes from New York have travelled over to the UK, as the company’s production of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years and Jonathan Larson’s Tick Tick…BOOM! Will be fully staged side by side, at the Duchess Theatre this May.

And whats better is that you will not have to scavange the house for extra change to see the Olivier winner Paul Keating, Leon Lopez and Julie Atherton, because tickets will be priced from a credit crunch friendly £10 to £30 (and a season ticket for both productions will be available for a mere £50)

Its also rumoured that Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess will be playing the lead roles in Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom of the Opera, and will be opening the show in London. Apparently Andrew Lloyd Webber has suggested the possibility of simultaneous premieres in the UK, Shanghai and Toronto.

And for our young musical lovers (and Zac Efron stalkers) it is a sad day, as the High School Musical star announced he will not appear in the remake of Footloose. It seems that the tween heartthrob doesn’t want to be pidgeon holed into the sort of actor who only does big movie musicals- which is a shame since he is good at them.

Anne Hathaway, on the other hand, was happy to announce her role in the big musicals this year at the Oscars ceremony. Hathaway will be playing Judy Garland on stage and celluloid in the biographical Get Happy.

The West End is certainly looking forward to an exciting few months ahead.

Green hopes to star in The Green Lantern

Brian Austin Green, famous for his role in Beverly Hills 90210 (and most recently as Derek Reese on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is trying to land the role of Hal Jordan in The Green Lantern. But before taking the role he wants to know how fans feel about the idea.

Whilst campaigning for the role, he  has continously emphasised that  he wants to gage the fans excitement and earn their approval. But if history is anything to go by, actors who have campaigned for superhero roles in films don’t always work out-Sean Young for Catwoman or Thomas Jane for Jonah Hex come to mind. But there are exceptions which include Tobey Maguire, who auditioned several times for Spider Man, or even more recently with Oscar nominated Jackie Earle Haley- who reportedly sent in a homemade audition tape for the role of Rorschach in Watchmen.

 Green is also producing a live-action version of the Fathom at Fox- Atomic with Transformers Megan Fox set to play the lead role. Fathom, is the story of Aspen Matthews, a mysterious girl with amnesia that is discovered to be a member of a race of aquatic humanoid called the Blue, who posses the ability to control water.

 In an interview with CBR News, Green was quoted to have said: “I’m just intrigued and curious to see what the fans think. Ultimately, fans of the comic and the history should decide. If I’m not the right guy then I shouldn’t be playing the character but if people think that there’s something there, then let’s see where it can go.”

Green went on to talk candidly about his campaign for Green Lantern, his love for the character, how he would approach the role of Hal Jordan, and what fans can expect from the film version of “Fathom.”

Read the rest of the at Comic Book Resource.com