Season of the witch
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Claire Foy, Robert Sheehan, Christopher Lee
Director: Dominic Sena
Rating: **

I admit I lost track of the sieges and battles. Season of the Witch opens with a series of helpfully labelled sequences in which desert battles are fought, cities are sacked, buttresses stormed, redoubts doubted, enclosures enclosed, and so on. I didn’t take notes, but if I had, an example might be, “The Siege of Synecdoche, April 1, 1239, AD”

Anyway, there’s a slew of them. Crusaders in armour do battle with fierce desert tribesmen under the blazing sun. Heads are lopped off and roll across the plain.

After about a dozen years of this, we pause for a discussion between the two hero Crusaders, Behmen (Nicolas Cage) and Felson (Ron Perlman). “The killing of the women and children must stop!” they agree. Having arrived at this conclusion after 12 years of rape and pillage, they do not qualify as quick studies. The comrades abandon the armies of the Crusades, hit the road and happen across a town somewhere in the vastness.

The director was inspired by Ingmar Berg man’s The Seventh Seal (1957), that classic tale of a knight who returns from the Crusades and encounters Death on the road.

Audiences for Season of the Witch may not be thickly larded with students of The Seventh Seal, but those few will be rewarded by sundry parallels and allusions.

Washington, Nov 2 (ANI): British actress Sienna Miller has reportedly called it quits with her boyfriend British DJ Slinky Wizard, as she is not able to maintain a long distance relationship.

According to Britain’s Sunday Mirror, Miller, 27, who has been dating the DJ, real name George Barker, since July this year, had to move to New York for her turn in Broadway production ‘After Miss Julie’.

And the distance is said to be too much for both to handle so they have decided to part ways.

“We had all hoped Sienna and George would be a long-term relationship. They always looked so happy together,” Contactmusic quoted a source as telling the publication.

“But they realised it wasn’t going to last the distance with Sienna being out in New York with the play for the foreseeable future, so they agreed to part ways.

“Long-distance love isn’t something they were prepared to do and it was a mutual thing that they decided to part. They’ll remain pals and who knows what the future will bring?” the source added.

Melbourne, Nov 2 (ANI): Actress Nicole Kidman says she’s terrified of singing and has to be coaxed into it.

The Oscar winner, who has previously released duets with her Moulin Rouge! costar Ewan McGregor and British singer Robbie Williams, says she is not a natural singer who can easily perform in front of a crowd and had to cajoled into performing for a crowd while filming her new musical movie Nine.

“I was terrified of it,” the Daily Telegraph quoted Kidman as telling Britain’s Empire magazine.

“I am not a natural singer in the sense that I don’t love getting up in front of a group of people and just belting out a tune. It needs to be coaxed out of me because I want my voice to tell a story and sometimes it doesn’t have the capacity to do that.

“When Nine director Rob Marshall approached me, he told me a role had been written especially. He told me he wanted her to look like a goddess and I was a little overwhelmed by that,” she added.

Washington, Nov 2 (ANI): Joe Jackson and footie superstar Cristiano Ronaldo have joined hands to sell grills to sports fans at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

TMZ.com has revealed that the Jackson family patriarch has got a stake in a company called ‘Game On Products’.

And now he is preparing to offload them at the event next year (10), reports Contactmusic.

Joe has claimed that he and Ronaldo will shoot TV, magazine and web adverts for the Goalie Grill next month (Dec09).

Sydney, Nov 2 (ANI): Mel Gibson has reportedly become father for the eighth time as the actor’s Russian lover gave birth to a baby girl late last week.

The ‘Lethal Weapon’ star already has seven children – a daughter and six sons – with his estranged wife Robyn.

According to celebrity website, RadarOnline.com, Oksana Grigorieva gave birth on Friday, a few weeks early. However, no further details have been revealed, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Grigorieva, who has signed 53-year-old Gibson”s record label, has a 12-year-old son with former James Bond Timothy Dalton.

London, Nov 2: In the first ever séance on Twitter, a psychic has claimed that he contacted the spirit of Michael Jackson.

The “Tweance” lets users follow an online real-time chat with River Phoenix, Kurt Cobain and the ”Thriller” superstar.

The spooky get-together was organised by top psychic Jayne Wallace, who contacted the spirit of Jade Goody in a seance conducted by The Sun.

And now, Jayne has spectacularly conducted a full paranormal chat with the King of Pop for millions of Tweeters.

During the incredible session Jayne revealed that Jackson hinted that his addiction to prescription drugs had led to his death.

Jayne claimed that when she asked Michael on who was responsible for his death, he did not take any names.

“No-one was responsible. I was warned many times about medication but the pain was too severe, and I felt I could not survive without it,” The Sun quoted Jayne as telling what MJ told her.

The psychic also claimed the King of Pop had told her he was looking forward to coming to London to perform in his O2 Arena tours.

She also said that MJ told her he was glad his film ”This Is It” had been released saying: “I let them film. I”m glad the fans have something. I give it to you all as my final gift. I will channel my energies through your dreams.”

Jayne also claimed that MJ told her: “I was a man of many masks. I don”t know if I ever saw the real me myself. ”

A spokesman for Angels Fancy Dress in London, who came up with the idea for the Tweance, said: “We were amazed to see no-one had used Twitter for a seance before. We had seen Jayne doing her seance in The Sun and thought we would see if she was interested.”

Melbourne, Nov 1 (ANI): Aussie supermodel Lara Bingle has revealed the secret behind her super slim body – daily run, with after-dinner chocolate as an indulgent reward.

The 22-year-old fiancée of cricketer Michael Clarke revealed her exercise regimen and diet, including a personal trainer twice a week, half-hour beach runs and weights.

Bingle said she eats bread, pasta and chocolate and loves a good dessert, however, she tries to stick to healthy foods such as fish, salad or vegetables.

“Of course, I have days I don”t want to train. But I like to indulge a bit when I eat, so I don”t feel as guilty if I”ve trained,” the Daily Telegraph quoted her as telling new health magazine Your Body.Bingle admits she and Clarke are very competitive when they exercise.

“If I”m going to run with him, I want to beat him – and he will also want to beat me,” she added. (ANI)

London, Oct 28: American actor Taylor Lautner has sparked off rumours that he is romancing country singer Taylor Swift after the two of them were seen together in Los Angeles.

Both the Taylors were snapped sitting side-by-side as they enjoyed a game of hockey between the Los Angeles Kings and the Columbus Blue Jackets at the city”s Staples Center last weekend, reports the Daily Express.

Speculations of a relationship between the two have been floating ever since they were seen hugging each other after one of Swift”s shows in Chicago, Illinois earlier this month

Although, Swift”s reps had tried to clear the air by saying the duo were “just friends”, the pair”s latest public outing has kicked off gossip again.

According to the New York Daily News, the pair went to the same hotel after the hockey match and left the Beverly Wilshire together early the next day.

London, Oct 28 (ANI): ‘The Shining’, a 1980 psychological horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick, has topped a new poll of ‘The Scariest Films Of All Time’.

The film, which is based on Stephen King”s novel, stars Jack Nicholson.

It topped a poll of users of film website Totalscifionline.com.

‘Rosemary”s Baby’, starring Mia Farrow and directed by Roman Polanski, landed the second spot in the list.

British cult classic ‘The Wicker Man’ stood third while ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ came fourth.

1960’s ‘Psycho’ rounded off the top five.

””Nearly 30 years after its initial release, The Shining remains an unparalleled study in isolation, madness and paranoia,” the Telegraph quoted Matt McAllister, editor of Totalscifionline.com, as saying.

””The expansive sets, surreal visuals, and an intense performance from Jack Nicholson add up to a film guaranteed to give viewers a sleepless night,”” McAllister added.

The Scariest Films Of All Time are:

1. The Shining (1980)

2. Rosemary”s Baby (1968)

3. The Wicker Man (1973)

4. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

5. Psycho (1960)

6. Alien (1979)

7. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

9. Halloween (1978)

10. Jaws (1977)

Washington, Oct 28 (ANI): American boy band Jonas Brothers have in a letter to fans denied rumours that they are breaking up, stating that they would continue making music together.

The rumours had started after word spread that Nick Jonas, 17, had formed a band called Nick Jonas & the Administration and they intensified after it was revealed Kevin, 21, is getting married.

“We plan to make music together for as long as we can,” People magazine quoted the brothers as saying in a letter to fans.

“We’ve said from the beginning of our career as the Jonas Brothers that anything we do outside of the group is a side project because you can’t break up brothers,” Nick wrote of Nick Jonas & the Administration, which is releasing an album next year.

“My brothers are my biggest supporters, and were on the phone with me everyday while I was in the studio asking how it was going, and telling me they couldn’t wait to hear the record,” he stated.

“We are so proud of our brother Nick. We know that we will be doing music together for the rest of our lives. But we are thrilled for you to hear these songs that were on his heart,” Joe and Kevin wrote in a joint message.

“A three-chord strand is not easily broken, and one thing’s for sure… this three chord strand is stronger now than it’s ever been. You are truly the best fans in the world, and we love you with all our hearts,” they added.