Tsar Tipped for Glory

'Tsar' lastest Russian film tipped for Oscar honours.

'Tsar' is a rich-looking historical epic set in 16th century Moscow, where the forces of good and evil square off in an epic struggle between the spiritual monk Filipp and his childhood friend Ivan, tsar of all Russia also known as Ivan the Terrible.

Pavel Lungin, winner of Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival for his film Taxi Blues in 1990, takes the helm as director and given the films infamous subject and high production values, he will be expecting more success with this film.

An insider on the Oscars panel said: 'the film is both a visual feast and a fascinating look into Russia's past, if it's chosen it could do very well'.

If 'Tsar' is chosen by the Russian Federation's Oscars National Selection Committee to be Russia's latest nominee for the Best Foreign Language film at the 2010 Oscars, it will continue the Russian Film industries rich and successful tradition in this catagory.

Russia's most recent film to scoop the prize in 1994 was 'Burnt By The Sun' directed by Nikita Mikhalkov and since then Russian films have been nominated an impressive 5 times for the award.

The Soviet Union also received a total of nine nominations, which included three winners before 1991.

Amid a Global economic downturn many film studios are struggling to make ends meet but with the Russian film industry producing movies of this quality it looks in rude health.

The announcement for this years nominees is scheduled for February 2nd and everyone involved with film will hope 'Tsar' will showcase the Russian Industries strength.

Bon Jovi and I at Work...

Just a quick shout out to the Legend Jon Bon Jovi. His new stuff aren't quite the same nostalgic, immense rock anthems we are all used to. But that is mainly because they are not meant to be and it takes time for songs to achieve that sort of credibility...

However a great guy and true professional... Jon Bon Jovi you're a hero

Die Bayern Munchen

A Day In The Sun

So there I was listening to the 3rd day of the 5th Test live from the Oval in my living room on Radio 5 Live. When suddenly my phone rings.

'Hello, it's Si (One of my bosses), what are you doing tomorrow?'

'Nothing?' I respond.

'Okay, meet me at The Oval at 7am tomorrow' he says.

'Cool.' I say.

The next day i'm there at 6-30 am my mistake, bloody London transport, always gets you where you want to go.

Anyway, so it was an amazing day I have to admit although at first I was surpremely confident of England beating the Aussies for most of the day it was only until Freddy Flintoff ran out Ponting for 66, whilst the Aussies Captain was building up a solid partnership with Mike Hussey that I actually thought England would wrap up and win the Ashes before the 5th day.

Anyway, it was quite an achievement, both sides were weaker than in 2005 and as the Series wasn't on terestrial TV and I am no longer at Uni I got to watch alot less of it, which is inevitable.

10 Things We've Learnt This Week About The Champions League

My good friend Ibrahim Mustafa wrote one of these about the Premier League last season, so now i'm nicking his idea. Well done Ibs you've created a winning format...

10 things we learnt from this weeks opening games in 09/10 the Champions League.

1) Qualification from the group stages in the Champions League is now a complete formality for English sides. Missing key players (Chelsea - Drogba), having half your team missing (Arsenal - No keeper etc etc), playing poorly away (Man Utd) and completely lacking in proper form (Liverpool - victories against Burnley and Stoke at home don't count as form) means nothing when you're up against the sides that would struggle to stay up in the Premiership. Harsh??? I think not unfortunately.


2) Most of the sides in this years Champions League are won't be in it next season and for good reason. Wolfsburg, Zenit, CSKA Moscow, Athletico Madrid. One season wonders domestically - or have lost players over the summer.

3) Ibrahimovic is a better signing than Eto'o, yes!!! Eto'o looks slower older and more at odds with his teammates than the Slavic Swede.

4) The 3 of the 4 Italian teams will be lucky to get to the quarter finals and are shockingly short of quality and experience. AC Milan need a proper goalkeeper, not a 32 year old ex Messina and Perugia shot stopper who has never played in the Champions League before, or for that matter dealt with a cross. Juventus have a manager with no Champs League experience, Ciro Ferrara, and this showed in their dismal home display against Bordeaux, which ended 1-1. Fiorentina lost 1-0 Lyon. Nuff said...

5) As much as Jose Mourinho wants to hate Barcelona and win the Champions League he will achieve neither at Inter Milan.

6) Paul Scholes scores goals . Still!!!

7) Barcelona are still the most entertaining and best team in Europe. Real Madrid will push them close as their 5-2 win at Zurich suggests. But Messi is an act in himself.

8) Rangers will battle bravely to compete in their group but will ultimately end up throwing away their chances of qualifying by losing at home to Romanians Unirea Urziceni.

9) The inclusion of more teams from lesser footballing nations will improve the competition in the long term, but at the moment provides a uncompetitive 4th seed in each group.

10) After a long time in the dulldrums Bayern Munich will once again be a force to be reckoned with in Europe.

WESTMINSTER LIVE!!

I was recently given the opportunity to be the face of Westminster Live Studios in the middle of Westminster opposite the Houses of Parliament.

I met some great people and very thankful to the team for the opportunity to be a leading figure in the progression of such a dynamic, imaginative and youthful team.

FINAL CALL FOR THE FA CUP?

Last night a friend of mine brought up the small matter of whether the FA Cup is as important now as it was, let's say 10 years ago. 

A well documented subject but one none the less I feel needs to be discussed. I think it remains a landmark tournament and a trophy that every team would love to win. 

However, it is now a fourth rate competition and if you consider side such as Manchester United can now win the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup all in one season, the FA Cup is no longer there only other chance at success. 

In addition,  sides like Arsenal, Aston Villa would rather qualify for the Champions League for financial reasons than have one day in the sun in North London.  Not to mention sides in the Championship would rather get promoted and already have a huge fixture list, so the better ones don't really need the cash a cup run would bring and sides from the bottom half would rather avoid relegation.

This is not to say teams don't want to win the Cup, just incentives aren't there, the competition needs a cash injection. Sides need think of getting to the latter stages of the competition because it makes financial sense to attempt it rather than for prestige or a small cash injection.

The amounts need to be big enough that sides would rather gamble on the FA Cup rather than an outside chance of getting in the playoffs. 

But as a spectacle, having been to a couple of finals now, and having watched Chelsea and Everton fans enjoying themselves so much during there day out last weekend. I know the anyone who says the FA Cup is dead, unimportant or worthless are just bitter they missed out on the showpiece final.

Premier League 08/09

So... A quick review of the Premier League season is in order.

Champions Manchester United are worthy winners, there squad starting eleven and manager at the best in the world and I expect them to go on and retain the Champions League this evening against Barcelona.

Liverpool have closed the ground on the Manks considerably this season, but I can't help feel, without Man Utd's fixture congestion makeing them constantly a point and two games behind Liverpool for much of the run in gave a false sence of rivalry.

Sure United stumbled, slowed and chuffed at times, but they were always capable of winning every game they player in their run in.

Chelsea were disappointing under Scolari and i can't wait to see who comes in for next season and what shape the team form under there leadership.

Arsenal were at times brilliant but generally lacked experience and the consistency that usually brings.

Villa,Fulham and Wigan deserve honourable mentions for performing well above their status.

As for the Relegation battlers. Hull benefitted from maximising their points against teams on poor form at the beginning of the season, i'm think of the Arsenal game fundementally. Newcastle were effectively relegated last season when they started this negative cycle of decline and no Masiah could save them and West Brom were great but came up abit short. Boro the less said about the better, nice Club, Manager, Chairman, but they needed there summer signing Alfonso Alves to come up trumps for them in the final third and he didn't. Top goalscorer Tuncay with just 4 goals will testify that he needed alittle more help on that front.

DEFIANCE

NO PLOT SPOILER INCLUDED

Daniel Craigs latest offering to the big screen is Defiance and it's alright. The film follows the fate of a small group of Belorussian Jews who 'Defy' the Nazi occupation of Nowogrodek and Lida in present day Belarus and setup their own settlement in the forests.

Craig plays Tuvia Bielski a farmer who leads the large group for two years with the support of his hot headed brother Zus and his younger brother Asael Bielski, both played excellently by Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell.

The Story is based on a true story and is a relatively unknown. I have studied History for all my life and have only ever given passing reference to it.

As for the film, the acting is great, the story is as original as a real story can be and you can feel the cold through the cinema screen. It is also a decent length, about 2 hours and doesn't depress you as certain films from that period can. I'm thinking of Roberto Benigni 's 'Life is Beautiful', which certainly proved life was far from Beautiful.

Being a natural Historian of 'Social Scientist' as we are now labelled, I really liked this film. However i will struggle to give it more than a 6.5 out of 10 because the film lacks mass appeal. Some will find it a solid historical account, some will find it a horrible dramatisation and hollywoodisation of the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust. Others will just find it boring. The film is basically set in one place, the forests, their is limited gun play, gripping horror and no grand battles, which i know attract many to the war genre.

If you know about the Final Solution, the Ghetto's, this is interesting and gives a look into the psychy of those inside them, if you do not you will not learn much. None the less I would encourage everyone to watch the film, the story is great and inspiration to us all.