Postcards from the Back Row: January 2012

GM JORDAN reports on the latest film news and delivers his views!

In the bleak midwinter... We look at happier times and what we can expect to see hitting the silver screen's very soon. A missed bag by all accounts, with fantasy and macabre all heading our way in the next few months.

The Raven

Want to see what would happen if Edgar Allan Poe had been a man of action instead of being a man of macabre. No neither would I... Oh alright. John (High Fidelity) Cusack takes the role of Poe as he tracks down a serial killer who dispatches his victims using the writers' work for inspiration.

Cusack tends to hit the mark with his movies, he has had a couple of stinkers but they have been few and far between. How Cusack will handle the gothic world of Poe is anyone's guess but if Robert Downey Jnr can pull off a decent Sherlock Holmes there is no reason why he won't.

Watch out for The Raven in March.

The Woman in Black

If you were Daniel Radcliffe what would you do, look for another franchise or try different caps until you find one that suits you, and let's face it young Mr Radcliffe is in a unique position in that he can pick and chose which films he wants take part in.

Classic horror stories need suspense and they need atmosphere, the only problem I can see with The Woman in Black is Radcliffe is taking the lead. He just doesn't look like a man who has lived a hard life, he barely looks old enough to have a paper round never mind become a solicitor.

The script is by Kickass and X-Men: First Class writer Jane Goldman (Yes, Mrs Jonathan Ross) and from the trailer it looks pretty good, if only they had picked a leading man that didn't look like a 9-5 failed Goth. Still at least they will be bringing in the Harry Potter fans if nothing else.

The Muppets Movie

The Muppets return to save their theatre from an oil tycoon and get help from Amy Adams and Jason Segel.

Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and the gang, old and new, are here and it promises to be a whole lot of fun for the entire family. As usual expect guest stars to pop up, the in-jokes are plentiful.

Jack the Giant Killer & Snow White and the Huntsman

The coming year will see Hollywood plundering Grimm's fairytales further, returning to the source material as Tinsel Town's creative juices stop flowing and they have to delve into the original stories for inspiration.

Bryan Singer is responsible for bringing The X-Men to the big screen, teasing us with The Usual Suspects and almost killing the Superman franchise at birth with the dire Superman Returns. This time he weaves the story of Jack, a modern day human farmer forced to visit the land of the giants as war threatens to break out between the two species.

It could swing either way as to whether it will be worth watching, my advice is to give it a try just in case.

Kirsten Stewart (Twilight) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) are the two leads in Snow White and the Huntsman. Two beautiful people in a world full of hunchback and dwarfs, we can't wait. Rumour has it there are eight dwarfs in this tale as Disney own the copyright on seven and don't expect Snow White to sing the birds from the trees, this one is more likely to shoot them with a crossbow and hack the head of deer with a sword.

The Lone Ranger.

The troubled Johnny Depp film is back in production and more actors have been added to the roster, more next month.

Until next time..."Hi Ho Silver, Away!"