A Mighty Magical Comeback for the Potterverse

So I've never been the biggest Harry potter fan. Sure, it's fun to imagine yourself in that world and to pick your houses and your pets and whatnot, but I found the world and story a little off for some reason. It never really helped that I couldn't get into the books...

But back in 2001, I was at the height of my Potter hype. So much so that I got a wonderful copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to find Them, complete with scribblings in the margin by one H. Potter (scribblings which I duly copied and then got in trouble for, for writing in a book with notes in the margin :P ). There was no story to Fantastic Beasts, it was more like an encyclopedia of all sorts of bizarre creatures of the wizarding world (which now I think about it, opens up a whole raft of questions about the nature of magic and the world itself); no matter, I loved it anyway. I liked reading about the strange and fascinating creatures inhabiting the magical world, wondering exactly what they looked like, and wondering how they all lived.

And now, we get to see them on the big screen.

The Great Gatsby: Glitzy and glamorous, but it's no Oscar bait...

Last night I was in a packed cinema, staring up from one of the lower seats at a party which would rival anything a modern celebrity could put together. Glitter cannons in the shape of champagne bottles throwing sparkling confetti over everyone, people throwing themselves fully-clothed into the pool, everyone dancing the Charleston to remixed jazz - it's the classic scene where Nick Carraway first meets Gatsby, and it's one of the best things I've seen on the silver screen to date. Forget fight scenes, forget daring rooftop chases and steamy kisses; the highlight of Luhrmann's Gatsby is the fabulous backdrop of lavish, roaring twenties parties.

Sherlock vs Sherlock: The Great Game

I'm sure this whole topic has been pretty much exhausted by now, but hey. Here goes nothing.

This year we've had two television shows, one from either side of the Atlantic. In the blue corner, representing tradition, story and people who want to write gay slash fiction, we have Sherlock. In the red corner, representing pandering to audience expectations, Hollywood values of making everything bigger and more American, and strict heterosexuality in their fanfiction, it's Elementary. And which is better?

There's only one way to find out.