So, what's HOT this winter?

Well...

We're currently pretty obsessed with the BBC sitcom Outnumbered, which is just wonderfully funny. Superb cast and wnderful writing. Not to be missed - and ideal for all the family! A first series has just been commissioned by the BBC, who know they are on to a good thing!

There was a really entralling film on Sky Movies called Hereafter, featuring three strands of a story about life after death experiences. Recommended!  Also, if you haven't seen it, don't miss Despicable Me!

On Twitter, Milton Jones, Jack Dee, Jimmy Carr, Adrian Edmondson, Nino Firetto, and Steve Death have been making us laugh. While Julian Clary's insights into Plymouth where he is in panto have been lots of fun.  Also, Ant & Dec have been a great addition to Twitter, as entertaining as ever. 

Muscially, Adele seems to be everywhere still and must surely clean up at the forthcoming Brit Awards.  This week saw a rejuvenated Madonna return to the spotlight in the UK with a guest star spot on The Graham Norton Show.

In the realms of sci-fi & fantasy, an advance trailer for December's The Hobbit has been released, and we are looking forward to seeing Edgar Rice Burrrough's John Carter Of Mars in 2012. Karen Gillan's Amy pond looks set to leave Doctor Who in the 2012 series, with rumours of something special for the show's 50th anniversary looming - possibly a multiple Doctor story.  Terra Nova on Sky One looks like it might have legs, although Fringe appears to have lost it's way a bit.   

Drama-wise, Treasure Island was great, with Eddie Izzard hinting at a follow up as Long John Silver.  Also, the second series of the new Hawaii Five 0 is now underway on Sky One. Look out again for the comedy legal drama Franklin & Bash.

So plenty to get everyone through the winter months and to look forward to in 2012!

 

 

Social Group members enjoyed going to see the Monty Python musical SPAMALOT together.

Some members went along to The Bristol Hippodrome in Bristol.  Some members went along to The Princess Theatre in Torquay.  It was the same show at both and both were much enjoyed!

This was a really good show, very entertaining, very nice, and naturally very silly.  The cast of 14 worked very hard to win over the audience, with lots of clever twists.  Lots of references to classic Monty Python and to The Holy Grail King Arthur-themed film, but also lots of up to date jokes, which were almost what it would be if Monty Python was still running now. Well done to Eric Idle for putting together such a great show!

This was a really upbeat feelgood cheer-up show.  10/10 If you weren't here with the group, you definitely missed out!

ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE....

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SOME OF THE BEST UK TELEVISION THIS AUTUMN...

An Idiot Abroad
Coach Trip
8 Out Of 10 Cats
Fringe
Harry & Paul
Have I Got News For You
Merlin
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow
Mock The Week
Sarah Jane Smith Adventures
Stargate Universe
The Apprentice
The X Factor
Ugly Betty
V

THE SOCIAL NETWORK tells the story of how Facebook started in the USA in 2004 (7 years after The Social Group was set up by Andrew Haglington in England).
The film switches back and forth between two law suits and what happened years before to cause the court action. The story is all about if the founder of Facebook stole the idea from someone else.
To be honest, with us having such an interest in all things connected with Social Networking, the film was a must.
But we have heard other people say they were not so sure about it.
Certainly, it did not have quite as much story as we expected and was perhaps a little predictable - with our own real-life experiences in this field being a lot more dramatic than this looked on screen.  We are pretty sure that when we finish our own book on how we started Social Networking in the first place that it will almost certainly be more sensational .

One of the funniest films we have seen in years!  ALIENS IN THE ATTIC tells how a bunch of kids in classic Scooby Doo type fashion fight off small aliens that look a bit like Crazy Frog! 
Yes, we know it doesn't sound much, but this is a brilliant film, with lots of really funny scenes.  After a bit of a cheesy start, they get just about everything right, with lots of excellent and very cleverly thought out scenes. Absolutely hilarious! 
REALLY FUNNY ENTERTAINMENT FOR ALL AGES! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! 10/10

DISTRICT 9 is a sensational film, perhaps one of the best sci-fi films ever!  Aliens have arrived in South Africa, where they are herded into refugee camps in a chilling reflection of Aparthied and modern human society.  The story unfolds as a government official gets more involved with the "prawns" than he would have wanted to, in a stunning story. Incredibly well done. An absolute must if you like great cinema! 
NOT TO BE MISSED! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! 10/10  

AVATAR (2009)
Avatar is almost certainly the biggest thing to hit the cinema in years - make sure you see a 3D screening where you have to wear the 3D glasses, and you are in for an amazing experience at a most beautiful and astounding sc-fi / fantasy epic!
If you haven't been to the cinema to see a film for ten years, this is the one to go to see on the big screen - it's astonishing!
People have compared it's impact to Star Wars or Lord Of The Rings, but it is so stunning in 3D that this really is in a league of it's own and it's not surprising it won Best Picture and Best Director at The Golden Globes and looks set to clean up at the Oscars - and the film is one of the most successful of all time!
Avatar is written and directed by James Cameron, and stars Dam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, and Stephen Lang.  The story is set in the year 2154 on Pandora, a moon in the Alpha Centuri star system.  Humans are engaged in mining Pandora's reserves of a precious mineral, to the detriment of the native Na'vi who's idylic natural existence is endangered.  In order to interact with the natives, the humans use an articial genetically-engineered substitute body or 'avatar'.  But the film is most about conservation and it's stunningly pretty.  Absolutely marvellous and totally absorbing!  
NOT TO BE MISSED & HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!  10/10  

Transsiberian (2008)
Transsiberian is an enthralling contemporary thiller directed by Brad Anderson, starring Emily Mortimer, Woody Harrelson, Kate Mara, Eduardo Noriega, Thomas Kretschmann, and Ben Kingsley.  The film is set amidst some fascinating scenery on the famous Trans-Siberian Railway which runs all the way from Vladivostock on the pacific to Mosvow and its Trans-Manchurian branch which joins it from Beijing.
The story tells of an American couple travelling on the train.  After the husband is suddenly missing after a stop at Irkutsk station, his wife finds herself vulnerable and in dire situation. We're not going to say any more, or it will spoil it, but this is an excellent film, with lots of twists and turns, and so good to see a thriller which has been done properly for once, with good solid writing and a plot which makes complete sense.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!  9/10  

The 2009 ninth series of "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" was a massive ratings success, with it's popular escapism to sunnier and warmer climes down under and a group of good natured contestants appealing to a British TV audience battered by a nightmare year of Credit Crunch, Swine Flu, MP's expenses scandals, an unpopular government, and weeks of rain, storms and floods in November.

Italian Chef series winner Gino D'Acampo was hugely popular, and was generally seen to be kind, thoughtful, considerate, entertaining, fun, talented, and brave. 

ITV1 hosts Ant & Dec were back on form, with some terrific comedy links.

While the new ITV2 show hosted by Caroline Flack was hilarious thanks to a lively panel and the talents of Russell Kane.

It was all looking "fantastico!" and worthy of some "Scopari!". 

Not even the return and the exit of potential loose cannon Katie Price / Jordan could de-rail what has been Britain's top show for the last three weeks. 

So it was all looking very good for ITV, who after a year of financial difficulties due to the recession, was delighted to have such a huge hit.

Unfortunately, with a twist in the tale, there's one last rat to spoil the Noughties.

Italian Chef Gino D'Acampo, the 2009 winner, and his fellow contestant ex-Hollyoaks actor Stuart Manning, now face criminal charges from the Australian authorities for animal cruelty after cooking and eating a rat on the reality show.

ITV has issued a statement apologising for the killing of a rat and has stated it will change the show's guidelines to ensure it does not happen again.

The two celebrities were part of a group in "exile" during part of the series, which meant they had meagre rations of rice and beans and were extremely hungry. Having asked production staff if they could kill one of the wild rats infesting the camp to supplement their rations, they were given the go-ahead by ITV producers, seeing the potential in a top chef preparing a meal of rat.

With so many creatures involved in the show, including the likes of cockroaches being eaten alive for the grossly unpleasant food-eating bravery trials, officials from the New South Wales Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are usually in attendance during filming - however, it is understood they were not around when the incident with the wild rat actually took place.

Australian RSPCA officials have now stated they will take action and police have issued "attendance notices" for D'Acampo and Manning to appear in court in New South Wales on 3rd February 2010.

An ITV spokesman said : "Having sought health and safety advice, the go-ahead was given purely on this basis, when it became clear that there would not be any harmful effects of eating a properly prepared and cooked rat.  The production was unaware that killing a rat could be an offence, criminal or otherwise, in New South Wales and accepts that further inquiries should have been made - this was an oversight. ITV apologises for this error, and to the celebrities concerned, and will put in place procedures for next year's series to ensure that this cannot happen again."

With the Australian authorities apparently intent on making an issue of this with the British TV company, Chief Inspector David Oshannessy, of the New South Wales RSPCA said it was not acceptable that an animal had been killed as part of a performance.

Concerns have been raised about the future of the programme which does so much to promote Australia to it's British audience and the negative effect this might have on relations between the two countries. 

Opinion in the UK is divided, with animal cruelty issues of concern to many, but with most people feeling the Australian officials are perhaps whingeing a bit too much and to coin a phrase, are making a meal out of this! 

 

2012 (2009)
Just back from our local Vue Cinema to see the most incredible disaster movie ever made, "2012".  If you haven't been to the cinema to see a film for ten years, this is the one to go to see on the big screen - it's fabulous and not to be missed!
With a good story, awesome special effects to astound you, and a top cast, including John Cusack (one of our favourite actors) in the lead role, it's hard to find fault with 2012.
The story tells of abnormal radiation from the Sun making the Earth destablise - hence earthquakes, volcanic erruptions, weather disruption, reversal of the magnetic poles, tsunamis, and gigantic floods of Biblical proportions. The film makers have lots of fun destroying many of the world's most famous locations, with roads collapsing into the ground and skyscrapers coming tumbling down. Sensibly the film avoids the usual disaster movie cliches and it is actually an unbeat story of how our heroes do all they can to survive the impossible end of the world! Visually amazing, very well done, and fantastic value for money!
One of the best films in years!
THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE & HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!  10/10  

Social Group Members with a valid Member ID Card qualify for a student discount rate every Monday and Tuesday - Barbican Leisure Park Vue Cinema (PLYMOUTH) and Longwell Green Vue Cinema (EAST BRISTOL).  Just show your Social Group Member ID Card at the box office on arrival and save money!