The Dark Knight goes against the accepted wisdom that summer blockbusters offer nothing more than brainless action-packed fun.

Writer/director Christopher Nolan has delivered a smart and complex story that places characterisation and narrative on the same level of importance as stunts and special effects.  read more »

While Chris Nolan's Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight is anchored to the real world, Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy revels in its fairy-tale universe. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army will transport you to a world that's fanciful in the extreme; where there's a 'Troll Market' beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and tooth fairies are not only real - but ravenous and unlikely to disappear when fed some coins.

Based on Mike Mignola's comic books, this isn't really a superhero movie at all; it's a wildly imaginative creature feature that never loses the courage of its convictions (unlike the aforementioned The Dark Knight).  read more »

It’s been a long time coming, but this addition to one of the sharpest, smartest role-playing franchises is everything a fan could want, and an ideal starting point for newcomers.

The original Fallouts featured enormous, expanding plot-strands, cunning character development and more than their fair share of sardonic wit, and all of these remain rock-solid features of this latest effort. However, where the isometrically-scrolling graphical landscapes were all the rage 11 years ago, they wouldn’t cut it today. Enter the Elder Scrolls engine…  read more »

Irving Berlin's classic 1954 musical White Christmas, starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, is returning to cinemas in the UK just in time for the festive season.

Unlike previous cinema re-issues of the film, for its latest return to the big screen White Christmas has undergone a complete digital restoration, ensuring that it looks as vibrant as it did on its original cinema release (if not better).  read more »

Tobe Hooper's seminal 1974 shocker ranks up there with Army of Darkness and Dawn of the Dead when it comes to the number of times it has been released on DVD. Previous Special Edition discs on both sides of the Atlantic appeared to have done a damn fine job with the movie, so why should anybody care about this new (and rather ridiculously titled) three-disc set?  read more »

Tony Stark's alter-ego recently clanked into London town to promote the Iron Man DVD and Blu-ray release at HMV, and Marvel's chart-topping superhero had everyone doing double-takes.

Looking every inch the Avenger, the man inside the Shellhead suit transpired to be super-fan John C. Christiansen, a 30 year old estate agent.  read more »

Dead Set is proof that you don’t have to go to Pittsburgh to tell a great zombie tale. Savage, smart and absolutely thrilling, Charlie Brooker (Nathan Barley co-creator and Guardian writer) has brought high-octane horror back to British screens in a way that hasn’t been attempted since the Seventies/Eighties.

The DVD of the 5-part serial should be considered a must-own by genre fans.  read more »

Before he started cranking out Batman movies, ruining Planet of the Apes and singing up storm with Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, filmmaker/Goth-poster-child Tim Burton briefly worked in the animation department at Disney. As unbelievable as this might seem he actually did some work on The Fox and the Hound before deciding that this wasn't the life for him.  read more »

To celebrate the UK cinema release of Quantum of Solace this week, the HCC team will be taking a look at a new 007 Blu-ray release every day. Today it's time for Thunderball, which was to prove a turning point for the Bond franchise.

The fourth movie of the Connery era was responsible for elevating the role of gadgets centre-stage in the Bond universe and it was to become the most successful Bond film of the Sixties.  read more »

I never quite know what to make of Prison Break. The first season was entertainingly in an extremely stupid kind of way, while the second almost bored me to tears with its take on It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. However, when I caught the finale of the second season my interest suddenly spiked again.  read more »