Although this is only his third film, it still surprises me that Matthew Vaughn's name is not better known, given that his previous two offerings were the superb Layer Cake and Stardust. Each revitalised a genre, but his intent to throw his hat into the comicbook superhero ring with a largely unknown title still made me slightly apprehensive.

The real problem will be how to promote Kick-Ass, which straddles the line between parody and homage, in equal parts hilarious and violent. The initial trailers were interesting but hardly gripping, nor did they seem to match the incredible hype from last year's ComicCon. You must ensure you see the restricted red band Hit-Girl trailer to fully appreciate the craziness that awaits. And then you must see the film.

My full Kick-Ass review is up, following a review screening I attended on Monday. The short description is that it's quite simply the most fun I've had a cinema since Inglourious Basterds last year. Faaez accompanied me and, aided by a raging post-stag hangover, appeared to have any remaining synapses blown away by the end, confirming it definitely wasn't what he expected from the advertising he had seen. I was asked to give a two-word review afterwards and whatever I said was almost certainly wrong. The correct answer is demented brilliance.

Fans may also wish to know that Forbidden Planet on Shaftsbury Avenue has a stack of the graphic novel, signed by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. Through a strange misunderstanding of retail theory, they are "cashing in" by reducing the price by a couple of pounds. Such inexplicable practices deserve to be rewarded.

Last week I also got round to seeing Crazy Heart, and have a review up for that too. Suffice to say Jeff Bridge's Oscar win was more than deserved. You'll notice some minor format changes in these two reviews and I'm hoping this will be the start of a steady stream for this year. I'd really like to get back into writing full reviews as well as the general film discussion in posts here, though obviously they take a significantly longer time investment.

It suddenly dawned on me that, after plugging Stardust repeatedly over the last year, I haven't actually raved about it here since seeing it. If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading this and go and book tickets. It's one of those magical films that ought to serve all genders, ages and tastes equally.

The reason I have been following it closely is, of course, that the story was penned by Neil Gaiman. Like the book it remains anapologetically (modern) fairy tale, though Matthew Vaughn's direction grounds the visuals in realism, with superb subtle flourishes such as the way Claire Danes' Yvaine seems to glow and wane according to her mood. Indeed Vaughn's involvement is what originally filled me with hope for the project, since selecting the director of Layer Cake, such a drastically different film, meant he must love the source material and the studio felt he was perfect for it so would presumably leave him alone.

The cast is sublime. Claire Danes is wonderful in her portrayal of the star, while casting a newcomer, Charlie Cox, as Tristran was vital in many ways to allow his character to naturally emerge and bloom during the story. The names alone in the supporting cast are phenomenal, but chief among them are a deliciously evil Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert de Niro's Captain Shakespeare. Although loosely based on the pirate captain from the book, Neil Gaiman said it best, "I know I didn't write a pirate captain performing a can-can in drag". So departures from the original story are very evident, but in every case they work well in translating the story to the big screen so even purists would be hard pressed to complain.

So this isn't supposed to be a review as such, just me urging everyone to go and see the film because you really will enjoy it. Like Pixar fare, there really is something for everyone, though this wasn't written primarily for children (Gaiman wrote the original as a fairy tale for adults, though the film is very much a PG). I fear that much of the advertising is designed to appeal more to girls (to the tune of a new Take That song, no less &mdash though worryingly I actually quite like it) or else will fall into the weird grey area where no one thinks it is really their sort of movie. I promise it is, just give it a go.