New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Derek Malcolm's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Byron Howard, Chris Williams.
Cast: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell, Greg Germann, Diedrich Bader
Description: Since he was a pup, Bolt has been the star of a hugely popular TV series of the same name, in which he plays a genetically engineered canine with superpowers who saves his plucky owner, Penny, from the clutches of the dastardly Dr Calico. Since Bolt has been raised on set and sleeps every night in his trailer, he believes that he is a superhero with a devastating bark and the strength to charge down a speeding vehicle. The pooch is blissfully unaware that Penny is really an actress or that his every move is captured on hidden cameras, which is then cut together to make the show. When fate throws Bolt out of his cocoon into the big, bad world, he is forced to fend for himself and realises that he is just a normal dog with only his wits to guide him.
Country: US. 2008. 87mins
Pooch power: Bolt, the canine star
This dog tale is the first major Disney film made by Pixar and there isn’t much doubt that the contemporary animation enhances the more traditional storytelling.
Bolt, a dog (voiced by John Travolta), is the all-powerful star of a TV show who can’t quite comprehend that it’s all make-believe when he’s able to defeat fleets of baddies in helicopters, planes and cars. Separated from his young owner (Miley Cyrus), he meets a trio of slick urban pigeons, a down-and-out but shrewd alley cat and a hamster called Rhino who is trapped within his exercise ball.
These are all fun conceptions, even if the many splendid action sequences have the effect of getting in the way of the better character drawing. Perhaps the single most inventive piece of animation is our hero’s Hollywood-type agent, who you suspect is copied from someone the makers know in real life.
While it’s a bit strange that the film takes the mickey out of its Hollywood masters at the same time as offering us so obviously anodyne a commercial project, there’s no doubt that Bolt cuts the mustard as a technically brilliant piece of animation. Even if it’s a bit too knowing in places for children and a bit lightweight in others for adults, as a whole it gives Pixar every chance to show that even with a moderate story line it can give us something to savour.
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Not only visually engaging but a nice piece of storytelling put this above most CGI animation that gets spewed forth from Hollywood. Travolta is okay as the protagonist Bolt, whilst Miley Cyrus is bland as his owner Penny (originally voiced by Chloe Moretz but later replaced by Cyrus as she was more well known), but the real star of the film is Rhino the Hamster (Mark Walton), a couch potato who believes everything that he sees on TV. The whole plot is based on the Jim Carrey film The Truman Show but has been altered for a younger audience, although the cynicism of Hollywood's intent is still there, it doesn’t have the impact of its predecessor. All in all, the best effort yet from Disney since they ventured into CGI animation.
- Bob, Cheam
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