Being somewhat of a know-nothing person with respect to world history until recently (I’m trying to know more), I was massively looking forward to watching the Che Guevara movies. The first part really didn’t disappoint, and was a great complement to the Motorcycle Diaries from a few years ago and which covered his earlier life and coming of man. Benicio Del Toro really is one of the greatest screen actors of his generation and this is likely to be one of the roles that people remember him by, although watch out for The Wolf Man which is coming out later this year. With that said, he is supported by a large group of unknown actors (well unknown to me anyhow), and the actor playing Fidel Castro is uncanny. The film’s final set-piece, the battle for Santa Clara, is perhaps one of the most dramatic pieces of cinema I’ve seen for a while even without the impact of a musical score. Steven Soderbergh has, with this film, proven himself to be one of Hollywood’s most consistently good directors and I very much look forward to seeing Che Part Two when it opens in the UK in February. It is unlikely these films will be awarded at the Oscars though, due to the nature of the subject matter.

To get an understanding of Barack Obama's foreign policy you must read Hillary Clinton's Confirmation Hearing speech. Here is the transcript for your information.

Much has been touted about LabourList, the left's new blog created to try and own some of the online discussion around UK politics. So far it hasn't started greatly for the site...firstly it didn't work during its first media appearance on Channel 4 news and now it seems the site owners don't really care for copyright...just check out this mashup video they created for George Osborne bashing - it seems to be full to brim with potential violations. Although the site is only in beta, if they start as they mean to go on it will simply be great news for the opposition. However it is good for UK politics that the left now seems to have a suitable hub for discussion. Update: The Guardian has a decent critique of the new site and Labour's new media strategy.

Note: My blogging strategy for 2009 is to blog less but make the content more interesting. Essentially digital media has changed, and my online lifestream is more complex than just one avenue. I hope to continue to interest the readership. Until my next impressive entry I've been tagged onto a learning meme by Ged Carroll, king of the memes. So here goes...the media I've enjoyed over the Christmas break... Book: In Defence of America by Bronwen Maddox DVD: Wall-E Music: The Killers, Bon Iver, Glasvegas Film: Body of Lies TV: Above Suspicion Print: The Spectator - Christmas issue

Following on my annual theme here are my picks for the best films of the past year... The Dark Knight Iron Man Juno Eagle Eye Be Kind, Rewind There Will Be Blood Persepolis No Country For Old Men In Bruges The Happening (yes I liked it!) There are plenty of cracking films I haven't seen yet, judging by this list, so I need to get on the case. The films I really want to see are... Gomorrah Man On Wire Burn After Reading Donkey Punch The Strangers

Linking to this amusing post on Iain Dale's blog. I noticed also that John Lewis is selling upside down Christmas trees, weird I say. Perhaps there is some correlation between that and Labour's reversal of fortunes in the opinion polls? The Tories have also created a Gordon Brown saviour of the world ringtone. Download today!

The Future of Politics report from Orange. Kudos to Iain Dale for the highlight.

Last.fm, my music discovery site of choice, has revealed what its users have liked in 2008. The system seems somewhat flawed as the best album of the year goes to Coldplay as do six of the top songs, but as a band it is nowhere to be seen in the top artists. Now my choices for the best music of 2008 are as follows...this is what I've listened to with the most pleasure. Neon Neon - Stainless Steel Kings of Leon - Only By The Night 808s and Heartbreak - Kanye West Juno OST Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid Laura Marling - Alas, I Cannot Swim Razorlight - Slipway Fires

Esteemed PR folk - Ged Carroll and Jonathan Hopkins - asked me to join in on a meme for providing advice on not-very-technical things that every PR person should know. So here goes... Every PR person should realise that a life is now one big RSS feed, and this also goes for the brands we represent. Web communications is moving towards a news feed of information, thanks to the likes of Twitter, FriendFeed and Facebook. Consumer behaviour is at the heart of driving this so my advice would be for each PR person to try to understand this, and drive communications that fit within this trend. Ged also invited me to another meme, this time on cheap to free online things you can do to keep PR clients happy. Linking to the above suggestion, we need to make sure that clients has a visible online lifestream. The cost attached to this is minimal, and the benefit most wonderful.

I love movies, no matter how budget. This fighting sequence is perhaps the worst but most amusing ever created. Caution, not for the lighthearted. Monty Python has just launched their own YouTube channel, worth subscribing to. The Star Trek trailer is now out too. Likely to be one of the biggest films of next year.