Having heard some less than positive reviews, I was expecting to watch a totally different film to what I viewed. For an hour and a half I was gripped by an entertaining storyline, some great acting, and a familiar but gripping concept.

Genre wise it’s Sci-fi meets thriller, and whilst some of the science doesn’t make sense (does it ever?) the simple premise and twisted nature of the narration keeps the viewer on their toes and questioning what is going on. There is also some dark humour within the film which stops it getting too heavy when it had the potential to do so.

Jake Gylenhall is excellent in the lead playing a believable lead character and the supporting cast are also very good.

A great Saturday night action flick for getting through some popcorn. Quick tip though – taking a journey on the train immediately after seeing this film will mess with your head…

Ever since I seriously injured my ankle (a story that shall be explained in full some day) I have been trying to get back to full fitness. This has never occurred for a number of reasons – the main one being the rather painful ankle. I have however been a member of our local so called “leisure” centre for the past few years, entertaining ideas of becoming healthy whilst still enjoying far too much chocolate and cake, and handing over my hard earned cash to a group of toned instructors who shout at me.

In the past few weeks, however, I have turned a new leaf, attending classes at a more regular pace – I should explain I do classes rather than swim due to a dodgy ear and avoid the gym because of the scary ladies who comment on everyone who walks through the door.

Classes are good because you are with others who are going to have the same struggles over the next forty five to ninety minutes, a sense of camaraderie emerges as you will others through, joining together against the shouting ball of rage that is the instructor.

My favourite classes up to now have been boxercise (hitting things to music whilst someone shouts at you featuring a lot of rather sweaty people), and spinning (riding on a bike to music whilst someone sits and shouts at you and a number of other rather sweaty people). I have even been unfortunate to have circuits with an ex-army instructor who felt “music was for the weak” and who took “no pain, no gain” to a new level.

However tonight at the behest of one of the coaches I attend a body balance class. I was the only bloke. I was also it seemed the only person to not know how to perform a darn dog, a bush tree, a barking squirrel and a number of other positions involving animals and putting my body in positions that God never intended. I wondered what an onlooker would have thought I was doing when holding the cobra, they’d probably have just seen a fat guy struggling to touch his toes!

But I’ll go back. Why? Because I suppose in some way I hope that the weight will go, I hope that the ankle will heal a bit and I hope that with more confidence and a better waist line I’ll get the girl

The storyline is ok, the effects of the fight scenes later in the movie get in the way of the action itself and the CGI isn’t too bad. Some of the characters don’t get space to develop and far too much time is devoted to school boy romance (in a similar vein to the twilight movies). The sci-fi element is sadly underplayed, which is a shame because the idea is quite a good one.

Overall a good movie for teenagers, or to stick in and watch once. Certainly not one I’m going to be wanting to see again or talking about with friends…

6.5/10

The film, whilst short, packs in a great story line as well as questions of hope and purpose. It is a modern parable that allows space for discussion at the end (it certainly got our group of teens talking).

Moving and memorable, this is a film that will stay with you and you’ll find yourself showing to friends, family and colleagues (and chatting about afterwards) well worth its price!

10/10

Just a note: Whilst Gaiman writes children’s books, this is not one of them. I’d suggest 14+ with adult themes, language and violence.

In the Church Invisible Page takes us 40 years into the future where it seems to all extents and purposes that the church has died. With his guide Lydia leading him through a strange new world with Egg Shaped Pod transportation and adverts that walk through you, he learns of the reasons why the church has died. The narrative is interupted at various stages by Stephen who answers the questions that readers may be asking at each stage, providing insight, a second point of view and lots of factual information. This mix of narrative gives the book a very round feeling, though it does exclude it from the late night reading pile as it’s digs a bit too deep into the mind!

The story is of course labelled as fiction, but I think sadly that the matter of the book is very real. There are a number of issues which as a church we need to sit and look at honestly here and these are represented greatly by the accompanying questions at the end of the book. This gives us more than a “Christian Novel”, this opens the door to this being a useful small group material, something which I hope to do in the future.

In conclusion then this book is challenging, it’s different from you’re average novel and yet it has the characteristic Page humour that you’d expect. It’s well worth a read