As part of the Sci-Fi-London OktoberFest, The Royal Observatory in Greenwich put on a super special event investigation all things extra-terrestrial. There were masked mutants at every entrance, an alien adventure game and a tour of space from the amazing planetarium. Plus, a special screening of Gareth Edward’s low budget, sci-fi film Monsters finished off the universal evening. Nice.

I’ll never know what made the mysterious Banksy make a pretty accesible opening sequence for The Simpsons but gosh dammit, I wish I could. With his anti-agendas, why hook up with “The Man”? Yes, artists are allowed to get involved in other stuff but all I can say is “Keep It Real”. It’s on. Banksy vs Dali.

Halloween is a time for scary movies with a high sugar and fat content. Cast aside nutritious award-winning scares and shun that well-received Scandinavian or Japanese horror… It’s time to pig out on the scary movie equivalent of tarty/spooky Halloween costumes, apple bobbing and dodgy home-made punch with jelly spiders in it. What does the world want out of a truly great Halloween movie? PURE NONSENSE!

And so we continue with our odyssey to find the 10 best Halloween movies of all time. Let bad taste and good taste rub shoulders this Halloween, just as the dead rise up to greet the living…

October is, of course, a time dominated by ghouls, zombies and good ol’ fashioned frightfulness. But with All Hallow’s Eve not falling until the last day of the month, what on Earth are you supposed to do until then? Well you can stop fearing death by boredom and leave your demise to the demons, because here at Best For Film we’ve leapt on the case and compiled some of our favourite film events happening this month. After all, if you’re going to get shocked by skeletons and mauled by monsters, you might as well have some fun first.

Here at Best For Film, we want you to be prepared. Halloween comes but once a year, creeping up on you whilst you are distracted by the changing weather and the slow realisation that it’s not acceptable to wander around in your bikini because SUMMER IS OVER. And we would hate for you to miss out on super cool Halloween things due to a lack of preparation. So here it is, champs; a list of Halloween film events for you and me and all to share.

When the film Adulthood was released in UK cinemas in June 2008, its opening weekend grossed more money than the freshly released Sex and the City. In the wake of its success, a spate of new and gritty urban films has been drawing audiences to cinemas in increasing numbers, with films such as Shank and Dead Man Running bringing new vigor to the UK film industry. Despite their success, though, the issue of black representation is never far away. With a panel debate titled “The New Blaxploitation?” taking place as a part of London’s Across the Street, Around the World festival, Best For Film went to investigate.

Whenever you head to the cinema these days, there’s always an advert asking audiences to be vigilant against video pirates: making sure anyone with a camcorder can’t buckle their swash.The one thread that runs between them all is an emphasis on the value of the ‘cinematic experience’. Pirates, we’re told, are a threat to that experience. Well certainly those big hats must be blocking somebody’s view. But however much we cinema-goers care, or don’t, about internet piracy, we do all care about having a good Saturday night at the movies, whatever picture we see. But how connected, really, are those two things? Is internet piracy really the biggest threat to our cinematic experience, and if not, what else is?

14-17 Oct. Whattaya gonna do? Hang around wishing it was Halloween already – or gather your entourage of scary film freaks and descend on a Hammer Horror film festival in Whitby, Dracula’s spiritual home? Revel in Victoriana, gloomy windswept seas, vampire masquerade balls and tea houses galore as this pretty coastal town is taken over by horror films for one pre-Halloween weekend only.

Hyper Japan, a three day “pop culture” event made its way to The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane last weekend. Imagine all things Japanese under a London roof; food, art, gaming, fashion and technology (I saw my first 3D telly!) and you’ve got something a bit like it. But I had no time for Japanese tomfoolery, I was there with a purpose. So I tore myself away from the manga illustrators and Japanese fashion show, slapped on my film hat and went to be wowed (and a bit weirded out) by the joy and absudity of anime.