Imagine if Steven Spielberg directed Twilight or James Cameron the first Harry Potter. That’s the level of hype we’re talking here, when one of this generation’s best-selling books joins forces with one of the biggest directors of our time in this month’s The Lovely Bones.

Produced by Sir Peter Jackson of Mordor and directed by talented newcomer Neill Blomkamp, District 9 is a smart, slick sci-fi thriller that tries to hit all the buttons and almost – almost – succeeds. The film concerns the attempts of corrupt corporation MNU’s attempts to evict the stranded aliens – derogatively referred to as “prawns” – from a slum in the centre of town to a concentration camp far away from the dismissive human populace.

No doubt Lord of the Rings geeks worldwide already worship him as a god among men, but Peter Jackson will henceforth be known by a more concrete title – he’s been knighted in New Zealand’s latest New Year’s Honours list.

Despite the considerable hype surrounding it, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit is still yet to be green-lit by a studio, with reports now suggesting filming won’t get off the ground till summer 2010 at the earliest.

On December 11th, The Lovely Bones gets a limited release Stateside, with the full shebang rolling out a whole month later on the 15th. Over in the land of Blightly, we’ll get our fill of Peter Jackson’s latest a full six weeks later on January 29th, pretty much last in the world release queue. Not that we should feel maligned – the release date has been endlessly shunted about (it was originally slated for March 2008), ostensibly to ensure The Lovely Bones a spot on the Oscars shortlist.

You may have picked up on a recent bit of harrumphing from certain quarters concerning Guilliermo del Toro’s Hobbit film: namely, production has been delayed, it hasn’t been formally greenlit by any studio yet, ergo we’re never going to see it and the world will surely be engulfed by a cleansing fire should a hairy-footed teaser trailer ever make it to Youtube.

If, like all of us, you spend most of your time wondering when you’ll finally get to see the new 3D Tintin film, we’re sorry to tell you that the wait..

Oscar winning director Peter Jackson has revealed that after screen testing his new film The Lovely Bones he had to go back to the editing room to add more violent..

CGI effects have revolutionised modern filmmaking to the extent that effects alone can make or break a movie. But is an over-reliance on CGI driving audiences away and cheapening the cinematic experience? We take a look at the computer generated revolution – and how the revolutionaries might soon find themselves in the firing line.

Why are computer game movie adaptations so universally, brain-wiltingly awful? Can Hollywood produce even one that doesn’t make you want to stick pins in your eyes and lambast creation? Jon Cooper has the answers.