American Gangster/Lions for Lambs/Peep Show/Planet Terror

In Tony’s absence, Alex, Paul and Tom discuss the things they’ve been watching in between marathon Guitar Hero III sessions.

First up is Ridley Scott’s compelling crime thriller about real life drug lord Frank Lucas and Detective Richie Roberts, the honest cop who pursued him, American Gangster. This has been compared with such greats as Heat, The French Connection and The Godfather. Check out how it measures up in the eyes of Paul and Tom.

Lions for Lambs is Robert Redford’s political drama investigating the many various viewpoints on the War on Terror. It stars Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Redford himself. See if it made us want to take action or take a snooze.

Also discussed is the fourth series of the excellent British comedy Peep Show, as well as the final sorry offering oozing forth belatedly from the damp squib formerly known as Grindhouse: Planet Terror.

Stay tuned at the end for a heavy metal treat from the band Strong Bad. We give you ‘TROGDOR’!

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Call of Duty 4/Assassin’s Creed/Beowulf

In this episode, the Cowboys discuss immersive military shooter, and possible game of the year, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. For an earlier look at the games multiplayer component, see Episode 21.

Also on the table is the parkour-fuelled, medieval hitman game Assassin’s Creed. Alex played this until 4am the day of recording just so he could review it completely.

Finally, Robert Zemeckis’ visually stunning, completely over-the-top rendition of the ancient poem Beowulf gets our attention. Check out how one of the oldest stories in human culture stands up to jaded 21st Century ideals.

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Christmas Shopping Special

This week, the Cowboys discuss what’s on the market in video gaming this holiday season. The consoles, the hand-helds and the biggest games that most of our listeners will be considering getting for their loved ones or themselves.

We put the biggest purchases into perspective and might even be able to offer an alternative if you can’t find what you’re after; or, if it’s ridiculously priced on the secondary market; or, if there are no great games on it yet… until Super Mario Galaxy of course (have a guess).

To cover all bases, we also discuss some great DVD/HD-DVD/Blu-ray releases too and some oddball gadgets you might like to throw money at.

Now we have machine guns…

Ho Ho Ho

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PES 2008/Little Man/30 Days of Night/Sicko

Tony tackles Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 on the Xbox 360 and Paul talks about his hellish experience with a ‘little’ movie that has been described as "possessed by the devil".

Then, we brave the shark-like jaws of David "Hard Candy" Slade’s Alaskan vampire siege movie 30 Days of Night, before once again dissecting Michael Moore’s Sicko, which has finally (albeit, in some cases, briefly) opened in the UK.

Check out Episode 15 for an earlier review from our Canadian correspondent, Mat Lo.

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Eastern Promises/Saw IV/The Last Mimzy/The Fountain/Moribund Game Genre’s

This week, the subjects under discussion include…

David Cronenberg’s violent look at the Russian mafia in London, Eastern Promises; Paul talks about Saw IV and the new directions it doesn’t take; and Alex talks about mind-expanding kids film The Last Mimzy and mind-imploding art film The Fountain, which Darren Aronofsky seems to have made for himself alone.

We also delve into the state of video game genres that are perhaps past their best and in need of a good creative kick in the pants in order to win back todays gamers.

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