Its just about possible to discern the semblance of a plot beneath the continual noisy din of action sequences and male grunting that plague Terminator: Salvation. Its 2018 and the battle between man and machine is raging on. Theres only one man who can lead the resistance and save humankind from their metallic foe and thats John Connor (Christian Bale). Then he comes across a half-man/half- machine named Marcus (Sam Worthington), a criminal sent from the past who claims to know the whereabouts of Johns future father Kyle (Anton Yelchin). Get all that? It sounds kind of confusing but director McG ascribes to the when in doubt blow something up school of storytelling. Bale looks like hes wandered on mid-way through filming The Dark Knight and seems to think putting on a deep, gravelly voice equals gravitas. Time to terminate the franchise? Extras: behind the scenes, mini-featurettes, the creation of the Moto-Terminator. Ann Lee Simon Pegg endearingly warms up proceedings as the voice of Buck, a wise-cracking one-eyed weasel, in the third outing for the Ice Age franchise. As the slightly insane leader of a rescue mission to save Sid the sloth (voiced again by John Leguizamo) from a moody T-Rex, Peggs character steals the show from Sid and the rest of his unlikely herd woolly mammoths Manny and Ellie (Ray Romano and Queen Latifah), and Diego the saber-tooth tiger (Denis Leary). Sids rescue aside, theres not much of a story to speak of and the eco-issues of the first two films are absent, but the animation is as sharp as ever, as is the post- modern sarcastic dialogue. And the acorn-obsessed Scratt is back, but this time theres a female coming between him and his booty. While Modern Warfare 2 may be the obvious shooter option, the true connoisseurs choice has to be Left 4 Dead 2, a surprise sequel for this year but one that defines (as did the original) true co-operative multiplayer action. It all feels remarkably familiar four survivors of a zombie apocalypse fight as a unit to overcome hordes of highly manoeuvrable and agile neckbiters and a few extremely volatile boss-infected the cream of the undead crop. Familiar it may be, but the sequel feels amazingly fresh. Its not just the daytime setting or the excellent new characters; everything feels tighter, faster and meaner. Its also a lot longer than the first in campaign mode, and the environments are nicely diverse. Mele weapons such as a guitar, chainsaw, fire extinguisher and even a cricket bat (are there any in New Orleans?) add a whole new dimension, and the incredible AI Director which responds to the skill of players by changing paths, power-up locations and enemy numbers is fiendishly clever and even more refined. Ultimately, L4D2 epitomises watercooler gaming; after even a few minutes of co-op play, youll have something extraordinary and unique to talk about. Simply brilliant. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 X360, 64 (also available on PS3 and PC, 47) PLAY NOW EXCLUSIVELY ON Brown Monkeys gone to heaven: Ian Brown has matured since his hellraising days and now lives his life as a calm and confident singer- songwriter frontman, nicknamed King Monkey, being abusive to air stewards and write Brown off as a thug. But he doesnt drink, he talks about his children a young son Emilio with his wife Fabiola, and two from a previous relationship. If people do have the wrong impression, he knows why. Ive not done myself any favours. Im on YouTube fighting my security guard, but Ive not had a fight since I was 14. I hit him in the arm. A little film makes me look like a thug but what can I do about that? How can I be macho? Im an Englishman that doesnt drink beer, which makes me a rarity, and Im a singer. Thats a bit effeminate, isnt it? How can you be macho if youre strutting around on stage singing? Tonight and tomorrow, Olympia Theatre, 72 Dame Street D2, 7.30pm, 39.20. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.ianbrown.co.uk The most anticipated shooter of the year or maybe any year has finally arrived, and somehow it manages to live up to the hype in spite of yet another disappointingly short single-player experience. Like the first Modern Warfare, you fight across different trouble spots around the world, taking on different characters in different combat units. The objectives are simple and very linear but the beauty of the game is that every small detail to every grand set piece is so polished and fast paced that you really do feel as though a war is being waged in your living room. And thats what does the most to offset the shortness of the campaign mode. Well, that and, of course, the legendary online multiplayer. There is a host of different MP game modes and a strong progression system that sees you level-up and earn access to bigger and better guns, as well as perks such as faster running speed and steadier aiming. Its not hard to see why Modern Warfare 2 has already broken every sales record going. STATE OF PLAY Games reviews by Steven Fox GIG Morrissey Monday, November 23, 2009 metrolife 13 Terminator Salvation Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 12, 23 Although its not as imaginative as the original, its still pretty cool. Extras: three featurettes, music video, digital copy. Damian Tully-Pointon Thanks to its seductive glam factor, this classy little biopic became the third-biggest ever French hit at the UK box-office, after Amelie and Cyrano De Bergerac. This, somewhat perversely, is Cocos life before she started her fashion house (i.e before she did anything interesting). Abandoned to a convent orphanage by her father, Chanel was left with a taste for older, emotionally absent men and an eye for severe black tailoring. At 19, shes singing songs in nightclubs until shes picked up by a sugar daddy (Benoit Poelvoorde). Its here that she and the story get stuck as Chanel sulks around, cutting up her lovers suits to create her mannish outfits before falling for Alessandro Nivola. Like a model: stylish yet too thin. Extras: writer/director commentary; making of; cast and crew interviews. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh The decision to splice together three of Chris Rocks performances from his Kill The Messenger tour is unsettling the fact the cuts can so often come mid-line seems to demonstrate how slick (or is that mechanical?) Rocks show was. But you cant deny the passion with which he delivers his tautly rehearsed material: and he has the audiences at New Yorks Apollo Theatre, Londons Hammersmith Apollo and Johannesburgs Carnival City Casino eating from the palm of his hand. Its funny thanks to Rocks trademark outrage mode ranging from snarl to disgusted squeak. Rock has been funnier, but there are true gems in his analyses of when white people can use the n word and the connection between a womans purse and her panties. Extras: none. Siobhn Murphy Staying In DVD Reviews Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs Twentieth Century Fox, PG, 23 Coco Before Chanel Optimum Releasing, 12, 23 Chris Rock: Kill The Messenger HBO Home Entertainment, 18, 23 Left 4 Dead 2 X360, 58 (also available on PC, 41) For most of the past two decades, Morrissey has looked like a quiff in search of a purpose. But over the last five years, hes managed to pull off a surprise third act to his career, reinventing himself as a rockabilly old boy with and this is the crucial difference from his early solo days a larder full of smashing tunes. Still, lately there have been signs that his Indian summer cannot go on forever. First, new odds and sods collection Swords was greeted with bemused yawns (this late in the day, who truly needs another double-disk of Morrissey cast-offs?). Then came the extraordinary news that the former Smiths singer had a loudmouth fan ejected from a gig in Germany only a few weeks since he himself walked off the stage in Liverpool after a bottle was chucked at his head. Still, at least hes continuing to make peace with his storied past: the set-list for the current tour includes some Smiths classics, such as Ask. Plus, what better place to cheer on a pugilistic old warhorse than the spiritual home of Irish boxing? Eamon de Paor Tonight, National Stadium, South Circular Road, 7.30pm, 68.20. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.itsmorrisseysworld.com index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html