I’ve always been a big Science Fiction fan and I have a great many cracking movies in my collection. However, I think that the best of these date back to many moons ago; long before the advent of CGIs, supersize budgets and HR payroll software. In that age of British cinema the emphasis was firmly placed on story and acting (quite rightly too)! And in my opinion, one of the greatest British Sci Fi films made from this time still has to be the 1960 version of, ‘Village of the Damned’. Not only did it stick very closely to the novel, but it also had some really good solid acting (albeit it a little old fashioned in places and quintessentially English throughout!).

Of course, any serious Sci Fi buff will already know that ‘Village of the Damned'was based on John Wyndham’s excellent book, ‘The Midwich Cuckoos’. Wyndham was one of Britain’s greatest Science Fiction writers and this is one of his greatest tales. Set in a quaint and sleepy English village (Midwich), the story itself is all surprisingly believable, even by today’s standards…

Everyone in Midwich is put to sleep and afterwards all of the women (regardless of their age) find that they are pregnant. As you can imagine, this ends up causing quite a few arguments and there are soon many suspicious or angry husbands roaming the quiet country lanes. However, when it comes to who (or what) has actually made these women pregnant the whole thing begins to get even more interesting.

Time passes and each of the Midwich ladies give birth to seemingly normal, healthy babies. That brief spell of unconsciousness had all been very strange for the villagers, but life soon returns to how it had been before it… for a time. Then more problems arise in Midwich as the babies begin to age much faster than they should and it soon becomes apparent that they are all far from ‘human’. I shan’t give away any more of the plot but rest assured; it gets very, very interesting indeed!

‘Village of the Damned'is undeniably dated, yet it is still extremely rewarding to watch. George Sanders is excellent in the lead role of the curious school teacher and the strange children themselves are all very convincing. Anyone who watched this movie fifty two years ago when it was first released would have found it incredibly creepy!

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Right since its very earliest days, British television has provided us with some truly cracking morsels of science fiction. One of the first fine examples to grace our screens was the 1958 BBC adaption of, %u2018Quatermass and the Pit’. Starring Andre Morell as the intrepid rocket scientist, this was genuinely scary stuff for the time; even when it is watched today, there is something decidedly creepy about this superb BBC TV dramatization. And (if you still aren’t convinced of its scare factor), you should be aware that both John Carpenter and Stephen King have cited %u2018Quatermass and the Pit’as a major influence on their work.

Over the years, many more Sci-Fi programmes would begin to appear on the Great British goggle box; %u2018Doomwatch’, %u2018Survivors’, %u2018Blake’s 7’, %u2018Sapphire and Steel’, %u2018Day of the Triffids’, %u2018The Tomorrow People’… and (of course) the super popular, %u2018Doctor Who’! Amongst a schedule that has included programmes on everything from elevator etiquette, equine insurance and the Ethiopian embassy, British television has also aired some of the finest science fiction shows ever.

Many of these programmes have since gone on to become major cult classics. We have already mentioned the timeless %u2018Doctor Who’, but don’t forget about those others… %u2018The Prisoner’, %u2018Red Dwarf’, %u2018The Tripods’, %u2018Children of the Stones'and %u2018The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'have all have a serious impact on popular culture!

So, what lies ahead for home-grown science fiction? Well, things may have moved on in the world of British telly, but the good news is that programme makers are still coming up with a few original ideas. In recent years we have been wowed by shows such as, ‘Life on Mars'(plus its sequel, ‘Ashes to Ashes’), ‘Paradox’, ‘The Survivors'(remake) and ‘Invasion Earth’. And, if that is anything to go by, there are some pretty exciting shows to look forward to in the years to come.

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Once upon a time cartoons were for kids. Once upon a time executive office furniture was used for sitting on rather than racing up and down the corridors, but times have changed on both counts. At least in my house and my office they have anyway! The Simpsons started it, although the humour in that is so gentle and inoffensive you could let your kids watch it safe in the knowledge that the worst they would here is “Cowabunga!” Futurama, the second (and I think better) creation by Matt Groening went a bit further, with a slightly foul-mouthed, alcohol, kleptomaniac robot, a few vaguely sexy scenes and plenty of humour that would have sailed over the heads of any little ones watching…

But you could still screen it, unedited, before the watershed. Seth MacFarlane, the king of adult animation, was the man who single-handedly took cartoons away from children and plonked them squarely into the late-night TV schedules. Plenty of people have levelled plagiarism accusations at MacFarlane, accusing him of ripping off The Simpsons in his show Family Guy. But when did you ever see Marge and Homer sensibly discussing family problems while getting dressed for a heavy night of bedroom bondage? When did any of the reasonably wholesome Simpson kids ever plot to kill Marge, or take over the world, or have any number of homo-erotic dreams about their teddy bear? No comparison.

Family Guy is more than just a collection of close-to-the-bone, off-colour jokes; when was the last time you saw a full song and dance routine reproduced in glorious animation? In fact, apart from the sickeningly-sweet Glee, when was the last time you saw a musical number on TV at all? MacFarlane is a huge fan of the old time musicals and lovingly recreates their style in the now traditional Brian and Stewie episode that you get each series. Yes, it’s rude, crude and ever so slightly gross, but it’s also the most original, amusing and entertaining thing on TV. Make sure the kids are tucked up in bed, open up a beer and enjoy some cartoons; it’s the adult thing to do!

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British actor Sean Bean is one of the most rugged actors around. For years he has dominated historical television series with his iconic role as Sharpe in the long-lasting Napoleonic War epic, originally written by Bernard Cornwall. This series saw him as a lowly but tough and dependable soldier in the British army fighting off the French forces from Spain to Belgium where the decisive battle of Waterloo was fought.

Through most of the series he depicted grime, chin stubble and a ragged uniform. This was reality historical tv.

One of Sean Bean’s other major roles was in the first film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring. In this epic movie he played the warrior prince Boromir, the favourite son of his demanding father. Boromir made one fatal mistake, but redeemed himself by defending the hobbit Frodo to the death towards the end of the film.

A son of Sheffield in Yorkshire, Sean Bean naturally talks with a Yorkshire accent. Although he has managed to change his voice as required for most of his acting roles, in one recent series he has been able to let his original accent come through. This is Game of Thrones, a fantasy series set in an alternate world where warlords battle it out for domination of several kingdoms.

It is violent, sexy, dirty and vicious. When you see Sean Bean hitting the red carpet in his designer suit for Hollywood premieres, it is a far cry from most of his film roles, when he is about as far from a designer suit as you could possible imagine.

Maybe this is the mark of a great actor, that Sean Bean can make you forget the glamour as he portrays the grit.

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Some of the best British films of the last decade have been the Harry Potter franchise. With the seventh book (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) being split into two for filming purposes, these eight films have brought work, money and kudos to the British film industry.

It is probably a bit over the top to say that the Harry Potter franchise has revitalised the British film industry all on its own, but the series has certainly helped breath new life into the system. All over the country actors and actresses, producers, directors, studios, special effects companies, stunt doubles and filming sites both large and small have benefited from this incredibly popular series of books and films.

It is to the credit of the author of the books, Joanne or J K Rowling, that the films were made in Britain and featured mostly British actors. She insisted from the start that since the books were set in Britain with a definitely British feel to society and school, the films should reflect the books.

As a result the eight films have been a showpiece for the British film industry. Although my friends and I are well past the age of reading Harry Potter in the school playground, we have been serious fans of the films, catching each one soon after their release.

This year with the launch of the final, long-anticipated finale of the series, was no exception. The fact that a large group of us was on holiday in Cornwall in the south west of England made no difference to our enthusiasm or our plans. Sadly for them, a few of my friends had over-indulged the night before, so leaving Jane, Tom and Colin at the hotel in Looe, the rest of us headed off to join the local kids for an evening of Potter-mania.

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One such very British film that we must here endorse is Run Fatboy Run – the film which definitely helped catapult Simon Pegg into a better position for his movie-making future.

The film, if you’ve not seen it, tells the story of Dennis, a man who…you won’t see running much. In fact, he’s scared of everything. Commitment included, so when he is about to get married to his long-term girlfriend, you can guess what happens.

For the first time in his life he runs as fast as he can in the opposite direction.

What I didn’t know about the film, when I first saw it, was that it was directed by none other than David Schwimmer of Friends fame. That’s right, the loveable dork has grown-up and completed his first film!

Honestly, who’d have thought it, a great British film coming from an American?

Well, if you’re dubious, don’t be. Schwimmer directs the film with a dynamic and simple approach that won’t leave you scratching your head or feeling dizzy. Despite what my friend Tim from Diesel Wakefield says, it is a film that anyone can enjoy. OK, so it has some romantic moments, but don’t let that put you off because this one’s worth watching.

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‘Iron Man'presented the world with a nice surprise in 2008 – a superhero movie that didn’t take itself too seriously! Which considering it dealt with the issues of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction is quite a feat! Now two years and some diminished box office returns later, ‘Iron Man 2'slams onto DVD standing up somewhat awkwardly to its older brother.

Whilst ‘Iron Man 2'follows the example of not taking itself too seriously, it does suffer a bit from the lack of any real danger. Whilst Jeff Bridges was perhaps not the grave threat that fans were hoping for in the first film, Mickey Rourkes turn as the sadistic ‘Whiplash'in IM2 is a bit all over the place. He is given a thrilling and great bad-guy -style entrance near the beginning of the film, but is virtually forgotten (and literally locked up) until the end of the film. Throughout the weighty middle we have to put up with Sam Rockwell’s irritating Justin Hammer, a rival weapons designer to Tony Stark whilst Tony himself staggers about getting drunk and partying with hot chicks.

An uneven entry perhaps, but overall IM2 is still enjoyable and has some great moments – keep a close eye out for Captain America’s shield which Tony uses to prop up his latest contraption. The chemistry between Robert Downey Junior and Gwyneth Paltrow is still present and highly amusing. Looking at the suit though, you do wonder if Tony should switch to red diesel uk considering the problems he has with his power source throughout most of the film.

Forgettable, but enjoyable nonetheless.

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Anyone who says Britain can’t make decent genre television really needs to remove their chin from the cesspit of generic US imports. Britain has and still does make wonderful genre shows. The only difference is money. Today I’m going to talk about one such show that sadly was a victim of merciless budget cuts; ’Ultraviolet’.

Created and written by Joe Ahearne, ‘Ultraviolet'paved the way for modern genre shows to be taken seriously. At its core the show was essentially a gritty and hard edged police drama that just happened to have vampires as the protagonists. The most telling characteristic of this drama was that it never actually referred to the vampires as vampires. Jack Davenport played the lead character Michael Colefield as a normal police detective who accidentally gets drawn into the ‘CIB'unit after his best friend is turned into a ‘Code V’.

Ultraviolet had it all; from unrequited love between two main characters all the way along to a sinister political plot on the part of the ‘Code Vs’. Far more ‘real'then it had any right to be, the show was received warmly by the critics but never picked up enough of an audience on its initial run to convince Channel 4 executives to renew the series. Email marketing and word of mouth spread quickly though and even today there are mass calls for a return to the world of ‘Ultraviolet’. Joe Ahearne himself stated that he would have loved to return for another series, but as time ticks on, it seems ever more unlikely that we will see those characters again.

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So I trod carefully, and on that first episode I didn’t expect much.

But it was good. I loved it right away. I loved the humour, and the jokes, and even…dare I say it: Colin the dodgy and highly unhygienic caretaker. When that show ended I was devastated. But I own every episode on DVD now so I don’t mind too much, to tell you the truth.

Will there ever be a series as good as that ever again? I don’t think so. It wasn’t just the jokes. It was also the timing of when it came out, just before the rules on what you could show on TV became much stricter. Because of this they were able to do things which would be impossible, or very frowned-upon now. I’ll never stop loving The Brittas Empire, but chances are that I’ll never love it as much as Keith. Which, now I come to think about it, is undoubtedly a very good thing…

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Natalie Portman, the 29-year-old actress whose filmography includes blockbusters such as the Star Wars prequel trilogy and “V for Vendetta”, as well as artistic dramas such as “Closer"and “The Other Boleyn Girl”, has finally been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. The role that earned her this nomination was Nina, a troubled ballerina in the psychological thriller “Black Swan”.

On Sunday, February 27, 2011, Portman, who was previously nominated in 2005 for Best Supporting Actress in “Closer"strode gracefully onto the stage and accepted her Best Actress Oscar from presenter Jeff Bridges. Before the result was announced, the audience was treated to a video montage of all the nominees'performances. It was an unquestionably talented group represented, with the other actresses (Annette Bening, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, and Michelle Williams) all deserving of the award. But no one can contest the fact that the winner, Natalie Portman, undoubtedly deserved the Best Actress Oscar.

While some critics may not have liked the film “Black Swan”, Portman’s performance in it was nearly universally hailed as brilliant and career-changing, called an iconic performance of a lifetime. The role is physically demanding, with Portman dancing intricate ballet herself (a trained ballerina when she was young, she needed six months t prepare her body for the role) and in the movie she wore ballet costumes which looked to me like they were made from bridal fabrics.

More importantly, the role is emotionally electrifying. Portman’s portrayal of Nina as she descends from paranoia into madness is riveting. Her hallucinations, and her horror at her own actions, is beautifully acted, with many of the hallucinating scenes, with their physical elements, absolutely breathtaking.

Portman clearly put her heart and soul into this fearless, Oscar-winning performance, and was very invested in this role, discussing the concept of a ballet film with the director nearly ten years ago.

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