PLAY NOW EXCLUSIVELY ON where From me to you: Sam Taylor-Wood sees many parallels between her life and that of the iconic Beatle whose early life is examined in Nowhere Boy popping a hunk of pain au chocolat into her impossibly tiny, yoga-toned body. Casting Aaron was straightforward really, because I had a lot of Lennon look-a-likes walk through the door. But it was much more about finding somebody who could play that role with intensity, charisma and charm, but then could pull off the fierceness, the aggression, the angst too. And once youre into the story you start to feel that he does embody the spirit and soul of Lennon. Yoko Ono apparently agreed, sealing her approval by permitting her use of the anthem Mother. It was, Taylor-Wood reveals, along with the screening for Lennons friends and family in Liverpool, the most important barrier to get through. Though she insists, I never, never think about what people think. A friend of mine once told me, Today is the tomorrow that we worried about yesterday. She hugs her massive engagement rock, proudly. I think I live by that. Nowhere Boy is out on St Stephens Day With hardly any fanfare, the latest Link adventure comes to DS and its a winner, naturally. At first glance, however, youd be forgiven for thinking it looks identical to 2007s Phantom Hourglass and then dismissing it as a rushed sequel. Spirit Tracks is, thankfully, nothing of the sort. While Phantom Hourglass was a romp on the high seas of Hyrule, Spirit Tracks is a steam-powered adventure. Set 50 or so years afterwards, this Legend Of Zelda tale recounts how train tracks were laid across the land several hundred years ago to act as chains atop a pit where the demon king was cast after being defeated. Those tracks are now crumbling and its up to you to chuff across the kingdom, exploring, questing, etc. Stylus controls are great, theres massive depth and a couple of new gameplay elements, such as possession powers and a set of pan pipes that allow you to activate special skills, are welcome. It does all feel a little familiar, though, and while its a long game its also quite easy and some portions are a little repetitive. STATE OF PLAY Games reviews by Steven Fox Staying In DVD Round-Up 2009 Monday, December 21, 2009 metrolife 15 The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks DS, 47 Tony Hawk: Ride XBox 360, 120 (also available on PS3 and Wii) The Tony Hawk skateboarding games have been a little irrelevant for some time, both because of their own staunch refusal to innovate and the fact the rival Skate titles are simply better in almost every department. Tony Hawk: Ride is the franchises attempt to face up to both of those challenges but, by trying too hard, it fails tragically. The games core difference is the inclusion of an extremely well-made skateboard peripheral, designed to translate real-life skater moves to the living room. Unfortunately, for all the motion controllers pizzazz, its poor it just never gives you the confidence of consistency. And for all the controller innovation, the game is old school, offering very little advancement on pulling off the same old skater tricks. Its also overloaded with naff unlockable and often offensively lame bonus videos, and some truly obtrusive in- game advertising. But worst of all is the price tag. To be asked to shell out so much on this is simply obscene. Those whod written off Mickey Rourke (pictured below, right) as a bloated, orange, chihuahua loving joke, were floored by his multi-award-winning comeback, The Wrestler (22). Hes perfectly cast as a useless, broken-down piece of meat ex-champ, who hauls his mashed-up, steroid-pumped body around the New Jersey fringe circuit for a few bucks a match. Tear jerking, funny, dignified, the so-called Rocky of wrestling is one youll want to watch again. Wrestling the Best Actor Oscar off Mickey, Sean Penns (pictured below left) charismatic turn in Milk (21) as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be voted into major public office in the US, injects what could easily have been a worthy political history lesson with an exceptional sense of humanity, humour and vitality. The ideal stocking-filler for your closeted gay friend. Too highbrow for The Sound Of Music, yet feel that somehow that it isnt Christmas without a screen-full of nuns? Go for elegantly intense play- adaptation, Doubt (21). Unsurprisingly 15-times- Oscar-nominated Meryl Streep shines as a hellfire headmistress in a 1960s Bronx convent school who crosses swords with Philip Seymour Hoffmans (possibly too) touchy-feely Father Flynn. But its supporting actress Viola Davis as a local mother whos the revelation here. A personal must-buy of the year is Anvil! The Story Of Anvil (21). A touching, funny, brilliantly entertaining rockumentary about two middle-aged rockers still living the dream, its like Spinal Tap but actually, like, real. The only fictional comedy to match Anvil is The Hangover (21). With surprise gags round every corner it sees a bunch of 30- something misfits wake up from a stag night in Vegas to find the groom missing, a tiger in the bathroom, an unknown baby in the wardrobe and no collective memory of the night before. Perfect hung over New Years Day viewing. Many people list Let The Right One In (21) as their film of the year buy it and find out why. A haunting, delicately beautiful coming-of-age love story, with vampires, this is Twilight for grown-ups. Yes, its in Swedish with subtitles, but you honestly dont remember that (always a mark of a good film) and its got a really cool commentary. Seeking something still more exotic? Try The Good, The Bad And The Weird (22). Taking Sergio Leones genre classic as its template, director Kim Ji-woon (A Tale Of Two Sisters) transfers the treasure- seeking action to 1930s Manchuria in a gloriously hectic, completely over the top chase movie. Comes with a whole disc of extras. A spaghetti eastern, if you will. Zaire 1974 was the legendary concert series staged to coincide with the epic Rumble in the Jungle fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Soul Power (22) is a verit style doc featuring peerless concert footage of soul greats James Brown, BB King, Celia Cruz and Bill Withers previously left unseen due to legal wrangles for the last 35 years. A gem. Buffy creator Joss Whedon produced another cult TV hit with Dollhouse (30). A Charlies Angels- style set-up sees various babes, including Eliza Dushku (pictured above) have their identities erased by a sinister organisation, then sent out on random missions set by rich men. The dodgy brain-washed prostitutes in peril concept enjoyably morphs into a hugely compelling thriller / mystery series youll want to watch in one 13-hour sitting. Having spoiled television for the foreseeable future by creating The Wire and making everything else seem basically rubbish David Simon attempted to make amends with Generation Kill (47), an intelligent depiction of marines at war in Iraq, which illuminated the humanity of the soldiers on the ground and the idiocy of their superiors. Meanwhile, Simons 2000 (pre-Wire), Emmy-winning mini-series The Corner (35) made it to DVD a deeply compassionate account of a year on a drug-ravaged west Baltimore street corner (based on real lives), that affectingly highlighted the fissures in the American Dream. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh with Siobhn Murphy index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html