If you feel the need for speed and like your action heroes with more brawn than brain, then Rob Cohen's outlandish action-adventure might just set your pulse racing. Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) is a renegade with little interest in the law or public property
Warner Bros expands its cult TV cartoon series into a breezy and entertaining big-screen romp that should play well at half term. Fans of the show will undoubtedly get more out of The Powerpuff Girls Movie than newcomers, but there's plenty to enjoy.
xXx (12A, 124 mins) spy tale with more brawn than brain in which action man Vin Diesel takes on a group of hi-tech terrorists led by Marton Csokas, but sex rears its head in the shapely form of Asia Argento - see review. THE POWERPUFF GIRLS MOVIE (PG,
HISTORIC sites near Dorchester, including Maiden Castle, could become the backdrops in a £85m blockbuster about King Arthur being shot by Hollywood mogul Steven Spielberg. The American producer and director is considering locations in Dorset and the West
POOLE pop wannabe Chris Manning is preparing for one of the most nerve-wracking moments of his life - singing for survival in the Fame Academy. The 23-year-old from Creekmoor has been sharing his concerns with his fellow housemates as his live television
BOATS could be crammed dangerously close together in a holding area only a few hundred metres long if Poole's dream of a second lifting bridge goes ahead. That is the fear of maritime users who believe the proposed multi-million-pound second crossing
GEOFF Butler has been left frustrated after another 'quality' player last night snubbed a move to the Wessex Stadium. The Terras boss had hoped to sign Stuart James, after the Bournemouth-based student was released by Newport County, earlier in the week
EUROPEAN Ballet is bringing the fairytale of Cinderella to Ferndown Community Centre next month. The work, with music by Prokofiev, will be performed on Sunday, November 3 at 7.30pm. For ticket details and to book, call (01202) 894858.
THURSDAY (17) Lonnie Donegan, Weymouth Pavilion Kindly Keep it Covered, Royal Manor Theatre, Portland Faustus, Portesham village hall Miracle Theatre's The Chairs, Gillingham School Old Rope String Band, Fontmell Magna village hall FRIDAY (18) Big Bill
LITTLE more than a decade ago Mary Black was just another Irish folkie with a painfully pure voice and a growing reputation. Today she's a giant of the music world who has recorded with everyone from Van Morrison to Joan Baez but she can still walk down
AMBITIOUS new plans were launched today for a million-pound centre of sporting excellence as part of a major leisure development in Dorchester. Organisers of the proposed complex at Poundbury aim to win lottery cash but also appealed businesses and Dorchester
THE future of a historic Portland landmark is to come under the spotlight later this month. A public meeting has been called to discuss the future of the 158-year-old Trinity House Lighthouse Service obelisk at Portland Bill. Earlier this year campaigners
A WORLD expert in breast cancer has told a Dorset seminar that encouraging progress has been made in the last decade in tackling the disease, but there is still a long way to go. Professor Sunil Lakhani, who runs the Lesley Elliott and People of Dorset
WEY Valley students are leading the way in the fight against bullying. The Weymouth school is hosting a 'peer mediation' day aimed at schools across Dorset, both those who currently run a scheme and those that want to start one. Pupil Chris Griffin, 15
Happy Birthday Max: Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth HOW many 80-year-olds can sell out a 1,500 seat theatre, tell a string of of jokes that wouldn't look out of place on the Frank Skinner Show, get the audience singing joyously along and bow out with a
A GRIEVING Dorset couple have spoken of their shock after discovering their son had been killed in the Bali bomb horror. Douglas Warner, 35, died in the explosion at the Sari nightclub in the beach resort of Kuta on Saturday night. It is unknown whether
SOLAR power firm Spectrum Energy is poised to create up to 100 jobs with the opening of a new call centre next year. Forty new jobs would be created at the launch with up to 60 more jobs over the next 18 months as the operation expands. Spectrum supplies
JP MORGAN Chase & Co's third-quarter net income plunged 91 per cent, down from $449 million (£283 million) to $40 million (£25.7 million). America's second-largest US bank has lost money in investment banking. JP Morgan was also forced to write off
LYME Regis town council has come to the rescue after a manpower crisis threatened to put a damper on the reosrt's Guy Fawkes celebrations. The traditional bonfire planned as a centrepiece for the seafront fireworks display on November 2 looked set to
AN electrical fault is being blamed for a massive blaze which wrecked a detached house at Uplyme in the early hours of Tuesday. Eleven fire engines and more than 60 firefighters from throughout the area were called to the village when neighbours reported
WEST Dorset District Council's Leisure Development Fund have provisionally recommended allocating £3,000 towards skateboard equipment in response to an application for cash aid from Lyme Regis Development Trust. The Fund's panel decided not to award the
Mike Leigh's mournful study of contemporary family life is the perfect antidote to the slam-bang pyrotechnics of xXx. Set on a run-down South London housing estate, All Or Nothing is an intimate and emotionally devastating study of everyday people who
The plucky cartoon heroes return in the sequel to Asterix And Obelix Vs Caesar, which sees the herculean chums venturing to Egypt to help a friend win a bet. Cairo, 52BC: Empress Cleopatra (Monica Bellucci) has given her heart to Roman emperor Julius
A LOTTERY which raises charity money from a kiosk in Bourne-mouth's gardens may close until next year after a major slump in income. The Bournemouth Lottery, run by the borough council, has raised tens of thousands of pounds in the past but is unlikely
ONE of Dorset's leading heart consultants has welcomed a new report which questions Britain's ability to cope with its growing coronary heart disease problem. Consultant cardiologist Dr Andrew McLeod admitted that although this area had good facilities
ANGRY tenants confronted the landlord who is telling them to leave one of Bournemouth's landmark apartment buildings. Almost half the residents at Boscombe's San Remo Towers will be ordered out when their tenancies expire. Businessman Simon Bladon - whose
Happy Birthday Max: Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth How many 80-year-olds can sell out a 1,500 seat theatre, tell a string of of jokes that wouldn't look out of place on the Frank Skinner Show, get the audience singing joyously along and bow out with a
ANOTHER high school teen drama, this time with a little cross-border rivalry for added piquancy. Genevieve (Piper Perabo) arrives in town on a foreign exchange. Shacked up with the school's most popular honey, Starla (Jane McGregor) she begins to make
OR, how extreme sports saved the world... There's a new Bond film just around the corner and to whet your appetite here comes musclebound hulk Vin Diesel to warn Double Old Seven that there's a new guy in town. And he's got a new set of rules. xXx is,
HISTORIC sites near Dorchester, including Maiden Castle, could become the backdrops in a £85m blockbuster about King Arthur being shot by Hollywood mogul Steven Spielberg. The American producer and director is considering locations in Dorset and the West
When I were just a lad, I remember big brother John bringing home records that sounded like nothing I'd heard before, a mysterious voice from another world, sung by people with exotic names like 'Leadbelly' and 'Muddy Waters'. I was initially intrigued
TONIGHT (17) Lonnie Donegan (Weymouth Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth): A legendary figure of Britain's folk roots movement hits town. Details alongside. Chill (Cornwall Hotel, Alexandra Road, Dorchester): Rolling Stones to Robbie Williams from this
MATTHEW CLARK, Poole Runners' reigning UK cross country champion, continued his impressive rise to prominence as he marched to victory in the Wessex Cross County league event at Salisbury. The Uplands School pupil cruised to a comfortable win in driving
DAVE Kiteley paid tribute to his depleted Terras side following their Wessex Comb-ination Cup first round first leg heroics at Gosport. Injuries, suspensions and unavailabilties saw Wey-mouth travel to Privett Park with just 12 players, last night. But
Dear Odds On, I have an important job in the public eye as I manage a football team. I have a lovely house and an Italian girlfriend, but recently I had a bit of a fling with some Swedish bird. Unfortunately she has written a book about her life and has
BUNGLING FA chiefs have been left red faced following a mix-up over Dorchester Town target, Ross Marchant, writes Paul Baker. The former Sunderland striker was refused permission to play for the Magpies against Sittingbourne last week because officials
ANDRE Compton produced the best ride of his short career with Pirates as they hit Ipswich and Coventry hard with three late 5-1s to forge into a welcome 12-point lead in the Craven Shield Final last night. With two-thirds of the first leg gone at Wimborne
AFTER many months of refurbishment, the largest regional arts centre outside London is soon to reopen. Poole Arts Centre has undergone improvements costing around £8.5m, cash that came from Poole Borough Council, the Arts Council and individual grants
A LIGHTHEARTED blend of music, comedy and dialogue is being staged in Christchurch next week to raise funds for further research into cystic fibrosis. Opus 8's The Cruise stars just four actors and a pianist but they magic-up a cast of 20 as they set
DON'T forget to book places for Dorchester Arts Centre's There Be Giants half-term workshops. The activities will run from Monday to Wednesday, October 28 to 30, with Nikki Northover at the helm. During the three days, youngsters will be able to learn
TOP-CLASS comedy drama and acclaimed dancing are on offer at Weymouth College next week. On Tuesday, the Dark Horse Theatre Co brings The Joy Society to the venue, a hilarious and surreal piece of work in which a buffoon infiltrates a spiritual sect and
BRIDPORT Arts Centre has a busy weekend ahead thanks to a brace of fine performances, starting tomorrow night with Projet Brassens. This French-themed evening will feature the British-based cabaret jazz quartet performing the music of the cross-Channel
ROLL up! Roll up! Tomorrow night sees a bunch of top Dorset musicians performing as you've never seen them before. They will taking to the stage at Dorset County Museum for a night of Victorian Music Hall. Among the performers will be David Norton, creative
SOUTH Dorset MP Jim Knight has today made a controversial U-turn to back a rejected route for Weymouth's vital relief road. He has announced his support for the Orange Route - which would run through ancient woodland at Two Mile Coppice - and has given
THE death of a baby in his carry-cot overnight remained a mystery after an inquest in Dorchester failed to find out why he died. West Dorset Coroner Michael Johnston heard how two-month-old Thomas John Ellis Neil Jackson was found with breathing problems
WIDOWER Adam Crozier called for clearer no-swimming warning signs at West Bexington after his wife was swept out to sea and died. Mr Crozier said the tragedy might not have happened if there had been more visible warnings about strong currents off the
WEYMOUTH skate-park The Front has come a long way from a distant dream and a derelict petrol station. The not-for-profit skate facility has just been hailed as one of the best of its kind by the Government, and is being held up as a paragon for other
DISABLED cricketer Mark Pickersgill from Dorchester could be on his way to India with the England team. The talented 26-year-old Dorset county captain, who has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis since childhood, is hoping he'll be chosen for the national
AXMINSTER Carpets have won planning permission for a factory shop at Abbey Gate despite road safety fears. The store at the former Chaffey's removals depot will give the company the opportunity to maximise sales of seconds and end of line products, members
CHERRIES' stylish midfielder Brian Stock added a fashionable shirt to his collection of prized caps after making his second appearance for Wales earlier this week. Stock swapped shirts with former Chelsea youngster Sam Dalla Bona following Wales's 2-1
SOCCER mad James Souter-Phillips, aged four, scored a first when he became the youngest person ever to represent Lyme Regis in a competitive football match. The tiny tackler was chosen to play in the local soccer club's under six team which drew 1-1 in
A THRIVING Lyme Regis boatbuilding firm may be forced to quit the town - with the loss of some nine local jobs - because of a shortage of industrial units in the resort. Champion yachtsman Christ Turner's booming business has outgrown its premises in
