It's almost impossible to think it now but at the turn of the millennium the hottest ticket in town was M Night Shyamalan. His chilling ghost story The Sixth Sense built around an "oh wow" third-act plot twist, scooped six Oscar nominations and delivered a massive $670 million box office payday. Success thrust Shyamalan to Christopher Nolan-like levels of adulation, but the years since have not been so kind. The wheels began to judder on the uneven The Village before a series of creative misfires with Lady in the Water, The Happening and the truly terrible Last Airbender derailed him completely. Even this month's After Earth (complete with Will Smith's A-list star power) is proving to be a less-than-prosperous outing for Hollywood's one-time golden boy.

We here at Digital Spy are more interested in celebrating Shyamalan's triumphs though, in particular his 2000 Sixth Sense follow-up Unbreakable - in our eyes his most accomplished movie. At the time of release it failed to capture the public's imagination in the same way as its mega-hit predecessor, yet Unbreakable only grows in stature with the passage of time. Released before the onslaught of Hollywood's VFX-driven superhero epics, here is a movie that writes a giant love letter to the world of comic books while simultaneously lifting the hood to see what makes them tick.

With Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill and Michael Shannon, being released today (June 14), what better time than now to trawl through the Superman archives to take a look at some of the stranger moments from past movies?

When he's not saving the world or reporting as his alter ego Clark Kent, Superman has gone through some rather weird experiences. Here are five that stick out like a sore thumb...

Superman: The Movie - Lois Lane talk-sings a poem
Here Superman (Christopher Reeve) sweeps Lois Lane off her feet for a night-time fly above the city. In keeping with the romantic atmosphere, Lois launches into a spoken rendition of 'Can You Read My Mind?' and even manages to keep her stride when nearly getting hit in the face by a bird. Lyrics include: "Here I am like a kid at a school, holding hands with a God, I'm a fool."

It didn't take long. Moments after we finished watching the new trailer for Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa yesterday, our minds were already floating back to some of the classic moments from Steve Coogan's comic creation.

Partridge first cropped up as a hapless sports broadcaster on BBC Radio 4's On the Hour two decades ago before cutting through the mediums of chat show, sitcom, web video and travel documentary with his unique combo of chit-chat and analysis. One thing has remained consistent: he is always absolutely hilarious.


> 'Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa' trailer: The 10 funniest bits - clobber!
> Steve Coogan talks 'Alan Partridge' movie: 'There is a threat level'

With Norfolk's finest heading to the big screen this summer, Digital Spy wants to know what your funniest ever Partridge moment is. Air guitar? Re-enacting The Spy Who Loved Me? Reeling off a host of terrible TV show ideas? Leave your comments in this thread and we'll pull all the best suggestions into a reader poll in the next few weeks. Here are five good ones to get you thinking...

Football commentary
Football broadcasters reel off the same tired old cliches, yet Alan brought his own unique style to the 1994 World Cup on The Day Today. "He must have a foot like a traction engine!"

Superman soars back into cinemas today with Henry Cavill stepping into the role of the iconic DC Comics superhero.

So far critical reaction has been divided on Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, but Digital Spy wants to know what you thought of the eagerly-awaited blockbuster.

How did Henry Cavill shape up compared to Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh? Was Michael Shannon a chilling enough General Zod? And are you amped up for a sequel?

Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing is released in the UK this Friday, and its cast is packed to the gills with Whedon alumni from Angel's Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof, to Firefly's Nathan Fillion and Sean Maher, to Buffy's Tom Lenk and The Avengers' Clark Gregg.

Digital Spy looks back on 20 of Whedon's finest writing and directing moments across the big and small screen.

> Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado' actors: Where you know them from
> Joss Whedon: 'Much Ado About Nothing is a very modern piece'

Note: Only episodes of Buffy and Angel that Whedon personally wrote or directed were eligible for this list. That means no 'The Wish', no 'Passion', no 'Fool For Love'. Sorry, guys.

The first trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has been unveiled.

There's genuinely something in here for everyone: Lord of the Rings fans will get a thrill from seeing Orlando Bloom wielding Legolas's bow once again (if they're able to overlook the weirdness of Legolas being in The Hobbit at all), while former Lost star Evangeline Lilly's presence should excite more general genre nerds.

And then, of course, there's our first real look at Benedict Cumberbatch's dragon Smaug, whose eye was briefly glimpsed at the very end of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Here are Digital Spy's ten standout moments from the trailer...


We mostly just like this shot because it's pretty, and because it recalls several of the most iconic 'hero shots' of the Fellowship as they travelled through the Mines of Moria to Lothlórien.


Martin Freeman's Bilbo returns, and by the looks of things he's either surrounded by vibrant blue butterflies, or he's been indulging in a few tokes too many of the Halflings' Leaf.


Orlando Bloom makes a pouty, bow-wielding entrance as everybody's favourite elf Legolas.


...Although he's now got some stiff competition for that title in the form of Evangeline Lilly's elven bodyguard Tauriel, who proves herself pretty handy with a bow too.


"When did we allow evil to become stronger than us?" she asks Legolas, who's reluctant to get involved in a fight which he claims is not theirs.


As Bilbo slides down the enormous pile of treasure glimpsed in the first official still, Gandalf ominously pronounces that it's "undoubtedly a trap".


And things certainly aren't looking good for Bilbo in this creepy shot, which lends support to the cast's promise that The Desolation of Smaug will be a darker, scarier film than its predecessor.


Legolas and Tauriel are both glimpsed in arrow-slinging action, although they're going to have to get up early to beat The Return of the King's iconically ludicrous trunk-sliding manoeuvre.


Was that loud, distinctly ominous rumbling sound an earthquake? "That, my lad, was a dragon," elder dwarf Balin responds, grimly. Which can mean only one thing...


Hmm. Well. This certainly wasn't the direction we expected the Holmes/Watson reunion to go.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug will be released on December 13.

Watch the full trailer below:

Seven years after his last outing in Superman Returns, DC Comics's flagship hero is finally back on the big screen in the Henry Cavill-led reboot Man of Steel. With The Dark Knight duo Christopher Nolan and David S Goyer masterminding the story and Watchmen's Zack Snyder behind the camera, anticipation is at fever pitch for the superhero blockbuster.

Ahead of Man of Steel's June 14 bow, Digital Spy takes a look at 20 facts on the making of the new comic book epic.

> 'Man of Steel' review: Henry Cavill soars in new Superman movie
> 'Man of Steel' first reviews: What the critics are saying
> 'Man of Steel': Evolution of Superman's S symbol

Photo gallery - 20 bits of 'Man of Steel' trivia in photos:

While the cast of Joss Whedon's upcoming Much Ado About Nothing isn't exactly A-list, many of the actors involved are household names for anybody familiar with the writer-director's body of work.

The romantic comedy's lead duo Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker both starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off series Angel, where their slow-burn romance was beloved by fans before being tragically cut short, in classic Whedon style.

But there are familiar faces here from just about every corner of the Whedonverse, from Firefly to Dollhouse to The Avengers, and so we at Digital Spy have put together a guide to help jog your memory.

Alexis Denisof

Denisof had one of the longest and most impressively nuanced character arcs in the Buffy universe, beginning life as hapless, uptight comic relief on Buffy the Vampire Slayer before transitioning into a fully-fledged fighter in the Los Angeles-set Angel. Wesley was a consistently fascinating character, and Denisof's performance was seamless as he moved into increasingly dark territory. Playing sworn bachelor Benedick in Much Ado, his appealing comedic chops are on display once again.

Johnny Depp celebrated his 50th birthday this weekend.

The actor has been keeping a relatively low profile since 2011's The Rum Diary, appearing only in cameo and animated form last year, but his slate of upcoming projects looks more promising than it has in years.

Admittedly, nobody's going to get excited at the prospect of yet another go-around with Jack Sparrow, but Depp's currently filming Wally Pfister's Transcendence, has signed up for Rob Marshall's Into The Woods adaptation and may reunite with Donnie Brasco producer Barry Levinson on mob drama Black Mass.

Digital Spy takes a look back over Depp's CV, from scissor-hands to angora sweaters to golden teeth.