Every week, without fail, a batch of haircare products crosses our desks with the hope of us getting around to try them so as to present to you, dear reader, our verdict on the best. Occasionally a batch stands out brightly, purely because of its brilliant packaging, as did a fluoro-green group of products that recently arrived from the house of Schwarzkopf.

We think the name – [3D]MENSION – sounds very post-modern, and with the ‘MEN’ part of its name bolded in black to appeal to the male of the species, our graphic designer was virtually having an orgasm over the design. But of course there’s more to quality product than mere packaging, and [3D]MENSION delivers results. Targeting the hair, scalp and roots, it provides a full care routine with minimal fuss. Why? Because of these ingredients: Panthenol to condition the hair, Menthol to refresh the scalp, and Carnitine to stimulate the roots. Not only do the products leave a guy’s hair smelling fresh, men, rejoice, for you won’t get all confused with the mathematics either when shopping for the range for every product is priced at a trusy $21.95.

For [3D]MENSION stockists phone 1800 251 887.

Young Adult stars Charlize Theron as Mavis Gary, a big city children’s author who makes the rash decision to return to her small Minnesotan town where she becomes hell-bent on rekindling a romance with her high school sweetheart. The only problem is, he’s now married and has a newborn baby. As simple as it sounds, this is what makes Young Adult so interesting. The hero of the film evolves from sweet kiddies’ book writer to atrocious villain, with her blatantly sinister motives of wanting to break up a marriage just so she can be selfishly content verging on atrocious. All evil aside, you can’t help but empathise with Theron’s character. You really don’t want the marriage to end, but at the same time you kind of want Mavis to end up happy. In fact, the film rather mind-fucks you.

As for Theron’s thespian delivery – if anyone is suited to play a bitchy, shallow and wicked character, it’s her. She does a superb job in her role as Mavis and sometimes you can’t help but almost laugh at her character’s disregard for anyone but herself - it’s that over the top. But while our protagonist is utterly self-confident in her mission, she’s obviously ignorant as to how unlikely her goal is to achieve.

With its solid, tragic storyline and a cast of powerfully driven characters, Young Adult will simultaneously appeal to and repulse audiences. And with a soundtrack featuring the credible retro likes of Veruca Salt (the rip-roaring Seether, Soundgarden (an instrumental version of Black Hole Sun), Dinosour Jr (Feel The Pain) and Teenage Fanclub (The Concept), both flick and soundtrack have hit written all over them.

‘Young Adult’ screens nationally. To view the film’s trailer, click on the image below.

The soundtrack is out through Warner Music.

A movie’s just not a movie without a ripper soundtrack these days, and new Aussie film Any Questions For Ben? delivers quality and value on the music front with a double-disc set of tunes: in fact some 30 tracks that you might be surprised actually fit into the one film. The first disc kicks off with Marvin Priest’s rather catchy Own This Club, with the dance tempo continuing courtesy of Zoe Baldwi’s Freefallin. Meanwhile, the only real dance track on disc two is the decidedly retro You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate.

The remainder of the music falls into either the commercial rock or indie pop genres, with tracks by the likes of Silverchair and Powderfinger, Pete Murray and Newton Faulkner, Ella Hooper and Angus & Julia Stone, all ensuring there’s something on here for everyone. Even your Nan and Pop will be pleased to hear Dean Martin’s Ain’t That A Kick In The Head kicking around, while your folks might like to let their hair down with Free’s All Right Now.

An excellent eclectic collection.

‘Any Questions For Ben?’ soundtrack is out through Liberation Music.

Tom Cruise has somehow managed to dodge another bit of Scientology controversy, and, er, blessed us with his presence as Ethan Hunt, the secret agent who surely must now be close to retirement. (Seriously, we spent half the movie wondering if he was about to break a hip). As most people who are on the verge of old age will tell you, you can be certain that if something goes wrong, the Russians are to blame. This time around in the Mission Impossible franchise is no different, as we once again see the storyline being somehow connected with Russia. This is a bit unfair considering the Cold War ended over 20 years ago. Those poor old Russkis aren’t even communist anymore, yet still manage to come us as the villains in modern spy tales.

As they must have spent years cultivating and fine-tuning this incredibly deep storyline, we wont spill the beans too much regarding what MI: Ghost Protocol is actually about. Sorry, that’s classified.

We can tell you that, yes, it is another in the franchise that we could live without, but the film does have its merits. One redeeming factor is the action. As you watch the flick, you get a real sense of evolution when it comes to the action, and it reaches its peak in this offering, practically making you squirm and lift your ass off your seat.

Although the storyline is clichéd, it is more solid than we expected. Expect to feel slightly more concerned for the characters in this film than you’re use to with the series. Honestly, we don’t think anyone cared if that whiny chick in MI2 didn’t get her life-saving serum.

Your mission – if you choose to accept it – is to find a free two-and-a-half hours in your busy lives to watch Tom Cruise do what he does too often – shut his silly mouth and continually shoot people. If you decide not to take on this mission, fear not. Millions of others will. This message should self destruct in five seconds. Not unlike Cruise’s acting career.

‘Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol’ currently screens nationally.

The uncanny mannerisms are what will impress most movie-goers. And the splendid job in hair, makeup, and costume. But as for plot, ‘The Iron Lady’ falls somewhat short of substance for a film that celebrates one of the greatest female political icons of the 20^th Century.

All eyes are on Meryl Streep throughout most of the film, of course. Can she extrapolate on the bitterness she brought to us as Anna Wintour in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’? Project a more universal sense of purpose and persistence than her Julia Child? Well, yes, she can, but unfortunately the scriptwriters neglected to include all the grittier, meatier stuff that made British politics in the 1980s so hard-hitting. Sure, viewers get to see montage after montage of protest and civil war, but despite some carnage, the real flesh and blood of the heady situations – from the miner strikes to the Falklands war – appear to have been kept locked in the archives.

Showing Thatcher’s progress into politics – as one of only a few women in a male-dominated field – is a necessary part of the film, but amongst the extreme images of marginality (a blue frock floating amid a sea of pinstripe suits; lessons on having her vocals deepened in order to be taken more “seriously”), the film begins to look more like a camp exercise in gender deconstruction. You almost feel as though Streep is about to throw a Joan Crawford and shout at the head of the boardroom table, “Don’t fuck with me fellas; this ain’t my first time at the rodeo”.

If Streep had been given a bolder script to work with – and Thatcher’s life was packed with substantial subject matter, from her negative stance on gay rights to personal issues that co-influenced her resignation in 1990 – she, and ‘The Iron Lady’ might both be worthy of an Oscar. Albeit, the actress will likely be nominated, but it’ll be the makeup and costume that run away with any major gold statues.

‘The Iron Lady’ releases on Boxing Day. To view the trailer, click on the image below.

It was 1985 when I first met Sade. As a young teenager, I would loiter backstage at the Perth Entertainment Centre, autograph book in hand, waiting for musicians to complete their soundchecks for that evening’s concert performance. Bryan Ferry, Billy Joel, Chrissie Hynde, Simple Minds, The Thompson Twins, A-ha… when I look at my tattered old autograph book today, I realise there’s no other industry I could have ended up in but publishing reviews in entertainment and the arts.

Occasionally, mid-soundcheck, an artist would come out to greet this avid fan, squiggle a cute message on a vinyl record, and provide me with tickets to the evening’s show – one for me, and one for whomever decided to wag school to join me on my celebrity-stalking adventure. I was only 14 and was on a tight budget, so the freebie front-row tickets came in very handy. Anyway, back then, there’s no way I could have truly known what Sade was banging on about on stage with all those lyrics about diamond lives, smooth operators, and lovers in paradise…

Fast-forward a quarter of a decade and I’m invited to review the legendary singer’s performance at An Evening On The Green on Perth’s picturesque Esplanade. Studying the photographs from Tuesday night’s performance, the girl hardly looks like she’s aged. Nigerian-born and London-bred, Ms Adu has managed to maintain her model features (she did begin her career as a fashion model). But aesthetics aside, it’s the voice that’s truly impressive, and it only seems to have gotten better over time like a fine vintage wine (a clichéd analogy, I know, but heck, what else springs to mind whilst listening to this diva’s laidback tunes?).

Supported by a full band and session singers, the soul, R’n’B and smooth jazz hits just kept coming: ‘Your Love Is King’, ‘Hang On To Your Love’, ‘The Sweetest Taboo’, ‘Jezebel’, ‘Paradise’, ‘No Ordinary Love’, right through to her recent hit-with-good-groove ‘Soldier Of Love’ (funny how she’s increased the funk factor as she’s matured).

The slickly cut, towering video footage impressed the crowd, even pleasing patrons seated way back on the green. As for lucky punters in the front few rows, at close inspection of the singer’s outfits (all six costume changes) Sade continues to possess class, right to the very last stitch. In fact, everything this girl does oozes sheer style. She poses in profile mid-chorus to let you appreciate that one-of-a-kind killer silhouette. She curtseys before each of her session players as she’s introducing them one by one. And even when she’s making a dirty joke, she delivers it with finesse and a lack of offense.

This might well have been one of the best live performances of 2011. Every element of production appeared to be carefully considered to the point that even when a 50-foot red velvet curtain came undone and began spiralling downward, each of the players just kept on playing as Ms Adu belted out ‘Nothing Can Come Between Us’ as though nothing should ever get in the way of a great song.

Sade plays the Sydney Entertainment Centre Friday 9 and Saturday 10 December (last minute tickets at www.ticketmaster.com.au) followed by the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Monday 12 December (www.ticketek.com.au). Photography by Antonino Tati.

Dysfunction sells well in contemporary entertainment. Why else would we tune in so avidly to shows like ‘Dexter’, ‘True Blood’, ‘Entourage’ and ‘Mad Men’ on the telly? And cinema is turning on to storylines just as twisted. ‘Burning Palms’ is a movie so warped that while it may not be in the same Oscar-worthy ensemble category as, say, ‘Crash’, its intense scenarios make ‘Magnolia’ look like an actual comedy.

Set in incestuous Los Angeles it criss-crosses the stories of a father’s relationship with his precocious teenage daughter (that borders on incest), a lover who comes undone in the manner of Macbeth following her boyfriend’s kinky bedroom requests, a gay couple who bring home the ultimate lifestyle accessory in an African child only to realise that keeping up with the queer Jones is tedious work, a lonely woman who confronts her attacker with a bizarre request, and an unsupervised boy who leads his brothers down rather disturbing paths.

From the co-screenwriter of ‘Disturbia’ and ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ this macabre satire of sorts features a motley crew of a cast that includes Dylan McDermott, Paz Vega, Zoe Saldana, and the sorely missed (sincerely!) Shannen Doherty of ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ fame (who might best have stuck with an American accent instead of feigning British). Stick around for the ending of this flick and you’ll realise why they’ve tagged it with the slogan ‘Five Tales That Will F#%! You Up For Life’.

‘Burning Palms’ is available on Blu-ray (RRP $44.95) and DVD ($39.95).

When a biographic documentary about one of the world’s greatest icons is missing the key ingredients of his solo artistry, one’s got to consider the project a little suspect. Perhaps Sony Music have their own doco planned and are holding on to all the quality music Michael Jackson released from the late 1970s onwards, but it would have lent more credibility to this film if some kind of deal were come to where at least a snippet of ‘Thriller’ was included instead of, say, ‘Somebody’s Watching Me’ (of which Michael only lends a bit of backing vocal).

Still, ‘Michael Jackson: The Life Of An Icon’ is imperative viewing for fans and intriguing stuff for pop cultural enthusiasts at large. At least the lengthy production is peppered with interviews by members of the Jackson family who mattered to Michael most as he was growing up: his mother Katherine; sister Rebbie; brother Tito; and childhood friend (and producer of the documentary) David Gest.

Says Katherine Jackson: “[This] is a truly remarkable film that captures the true character, wit and sensitivity of my son [that] takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that will bring people to tears.”

This reviewer didn’t find it too tear-jerking, but there was a certain rollercoaster element to its narrative, throwing the viewer into the 911 emergency scenario when Michael was discovered dead on that fateful day of June 2009, then tracking back through his early childhood years, commentary on his stern father Joe, his break with his brothers in the Jackson Five, and first-time encounters with big-name stars like Dionne Warwick, Martha Reeves, Jimmy Ruffin and Peabo Bryson. Indeed it seems all these divas and big boys of soul have only wonderful things to say about Michael, and whenever any touchy subjects come up like the child molestation trial and his haphazard marriages, the vox vibe is an overly protective one.

That said, a generous amount of time is dedicated to the pitfalls of what it was to be Michael Jackson, so much so that in the end the documentary reads more like a sad obituary than the true celebration of an icon. Again, though, it makes for fairly gripping viewing. Kind of wish Janet had a say, though. And how wonderful would it have been to hear more from Latoyah?

‘Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon’ is out now on DVD and Blu-ray through Universal.

Cue the end of the world. The previous two ‘Resistance’ games saw the desperate battle of humankind as the Chimeran race bullied their way into existence and wiped out pretty much everything. With most of the world as we know it devastated, what remained of the human race was forced underground into small communities, left with a daily struggle of survival. A glimmer of hope arises when Dr Fyodor Malikov comes up with a plan that just might work to destroy the Chimerans.

You control Joseph Capelli, an ex-soldier, who must leave his family and carry the weight of freedom on his shoulders as he travels from Oklahoma to New York City on a gruelling and seemingly suicidal mission. The stunning graphics captivate you from the very beginning, and only get more beautiful and intricate as the journey continues. A huge plus is that you don’t have to play alone, which always seems to be the case with most first-person shooter games. You can play with an accomplice the whole way through, online or offline.

There is also a multiplayer mode with extensive levels all across the world, allowing players to find a level that makes them feel right at home. This game is a must for anyone who enjoys a good, understandable storyline that also allows you to spend time exploring for yourself, and of course, discovering upgradable kick-ass weaponry!

‘Resistance 3’is available on Playstation 3.

Following the immensely popular ‘Batman: Arkham Asylum’, ‘Batman: Arkham City’ builds upon its predecessor’s intense, heavily layered and atmospheric settings. Rather than set you on a linear path, you get to choose their own mission, flying over dark cityscapes and swooping down to surprise villains. And there are plenty of them about town, with ‘Arkham City’ possibly the most packed superhero comic-come-game when it comes to being studded with bad guys. Prepare yourself for a surprise appearance from just about any one of DC Comics’ nastiest characters: The Joker, Two-Face, The Penguin, Riddler, Calendar Man, Catwoman and more, in scenarios that include high-impact street brawls, forensic investigations, and one-on-one show-downs.

Players are even invited to step into Catwoman’s boots for a while just to see what it feels like to play villain, while fortunate folk with 3D compatible hardware have the option of playing the game in 3D mode.

Be it in 2D or 3D, an innovative touch to ‘Arkham City’ are the occasional glimpses into Batman’s tortured mind. Concepts of time and space are a little warped too, for example when The Joker teases Batman with a challenge, he does so via several television screens which give the player a trippier, postmodern, intertextual experience. The caped crusader has plenty of new toys to fight with, too, including a Cryptographic Sequencer V2 and smoke pellets. Indeed design group Rocksteady Studios have done a masterful job in keeping the series alive and innovative. Ardent followers and novices alike will be very impressed.

‘Batman: Arkham City’ is available to play on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. Also available is Frank Miller’s origin story of the Dark Knight in the animated feature ‘Batman: Year One’ out now on DVD (RRP $34.95) and Blu-ray ($39.95). Also available On Demand and to Download. Visit www.warnerbros.com.au for more information.