To celebrate the release of The Hunger Games, a film in which children are forced to fight one another to the death (much to the amusement of others), we’ve decided to look back over cinema’s Top 10 Most Inappropriate Games For Children. Not because we like children, or want to preserve them in any way, just because we can…

She’s 13. What have you achieved today?

The recent release of Super 8, in which [SPOILER] Joe Lamb and his little girlfriend Alice form a psychic connection with a magnetic extra-terrestrial, got me thinking about the film industry’s love of bizarre inter-species pairings. So here are some unexpectedly harmonious affinities, and some that should have banished multi-species experimentation to the top shelf.

Nostalgic for the good old days of The Goonies and Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Never fret – JJ Abrams has written a love letter to Steven Spielberg that sprinkles the ‘only kids can truly understand’ formula with a dusting of real monster magic. Old-timers will breathe a sigh of relief, new bloods will wish they lived in a time when you biked to visit your friend just next door, fabrics came in seven hot variations of ‘mustard’ and cool kids had walkie talkies not iPhones.

Veteran film-maker Jean-Luc Godard recently lamented the state of modern cinema whilst promoting his new film Film Socialisme. I take a look at his comments within the context of some of the independent cinema flourishing today and ask whether film is indeed over, and what to make of the term “auteur” in the current cinematic climate.

IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN! Super 8 is out on Friday, and if we haven’t cracked the monster’s identity by now we may as well pack up and go home. Lend us your eyes (we’ll give them back)…

With less than a fortnight to go until the release of Super 8, we’re taking our monsters old school and looking to the enormous repertoire of national treasure Roald Dahl for inspiration. Our latest creation is running riot in Dahl’s hometown of Cardiff – see how many of its parents you can guess…

TWO WEEKS TWO WEEKS TWO WEEKS ‘TIL SUPER 8! We’re still searching for answers, but as this week saw the release of instant megahit Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 we’ve taken our inspiration from the various monsters of Harry’s world. See how many you can guess…

So after a wet and blustery June and a less than tropical July, it looks like August is going to be no better. So, rather than delay the inevitable, best face facts now: that barbeque is staying in the shed, you’re not going to get a chance to wear that bikini and picnic food tastes rubbish when it’s covered in rain. However, last time we checked cinemas are all rain free! Huzzah! Here’s your pick of what’s to come next month!

With less than a month to go until Super 8 bursts onto our screens, we’ve been wondering what sort of monsterLAD could kick through the side of a train. Maybe we haven’t been thinking mechanically enough… See if you can guess all of today’s mash-up components!