Thursday 29 September 2011

Upcoming Releases - October '11

Here is a selection of films due out in UK cinemas next month.


Midnight in Paris - 7th October
Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
94 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody
Director: Woody Allen

'Gil and Inez travel to Paris as a tag-along vacation on her parents' business trip. Gil is a struggling writer and falls in love with the city and thinks they should move there but Inez does not share his romantic notions. When Inez goes off dancing with her friends, Gil takes a walk at midnight and discovers what could be the ultimate source of inspiration for writing. Gil's daily walks at midnight in Paris could take him closer to the heart of the city but further from the woman he's about to marry.'

Official site: http://www.sonyclassics.com/midnightinparis/


Perfect Sense - 7th October
Drama | Romance
92 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Ewan McGregor, Eva Green, Connie Nielsen, Ewen Bremner
Director: David Mackenzie

'A chef (McGregor) and a scientist (Green) meet just as an epidemic begins to rob people all around the world of their sensory perceptions. This is a life-affirming look at what it means to love and be loved in these turbulent times.'

Official site: http://www.sigmafilms.com/films/perfect-sense/


Johnny English Reborn - 7th October
Adventure | Comedy | Thriller
101 mins
PG certificate
Main cast: Rowan Atkinson, Dominic West, Rosamund Pike, Gillian Anderson, Ben Miller
Director: Oliver Parker

'Rowan Atkinson returns to the role of the accidental secret agent who doesn't know fear or danger. In the years since MI-7's top spy vanished off the grid, he has been honing his unique skills in a remote region of Asia. But when his agency superiors learn of an attempt against the Chinese premier's life, they must hunt down the highly unorthodox agent.'

Official site: http://www.workingtitlefilms.com/films/view/film/93/johnny-english-reborn


Tyrannosaur - 7th October
Drama
91 mins
18 certificate
Main cast: Peter Mullan, Olivia Colman, Eddie Marsan
Director: Paddy Considine

'The story of Joseph, a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction. As Joseph's life spirals into turmoil a chance of redemption appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker. Their relationship develops to reveal that Hannah is hiding a secret of her own with devastating results on both of their lives.'


The Three Musketeers - 12th October
Action | Adventure | Romance
110 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Milla Jovovich, Ray Stevenson, Logan Lerman, Matthew Macfadyen
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

'The hot-headed young D'Artagnan along with three former legendary but now down on their luck Musketeers must unite and defeat a beautiful double agent and her villainous employer from seizing the French throne and engulfing Europe in war.'

Official site: http://www.threemusketeers-movie.com/


Real Steel - 14th October
Action | Drama | Sci-Fi
127 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Kevin Durand
Director: Shawn Levy

'A future-set story where robot boxing is a popular sport and centered on a struggling promoter (Jackman) who thinks he's found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he also discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father.'

Official site: http://www.steelgetsreal.com/


Contagion - 21st October
Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller
106 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow
Director: Steven Soderbergh

'A thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the Center for Disease Control to deal with the outbreak. As the contagion spreads to millions of people worldwide, societal order begins to break down as people panic.'

Official site: http://contagionmovie.warnerbros.com/


Anonymous - 28th October
Drama
130 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Rafe Spall, David Thewlis
Director: Roland Emmerich

'A political thriller advancing the theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford who penned Shakespeare's plays; set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her.'

Official site: http://www.anonymous-movie.com/


The Ides of March - 28th October
Drama
101 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Director: George Clooney

'The Ides of March takes place during the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, when an up-and-coming campaign press secretary (Ryan Gosling) finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate's shot at the presidency.'

Official site: http://www.idesofmarch-movie.com/


The Help - 28th October
Drama
146 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain
Director: Tate Taylor

'An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960's decides to write a book detailing the African American Maid's point of view on the White families they work for, and the hardships they go through on a day-to-day basis.'

Official site: http://thehelpmovie.com/us/



Information obtained from IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, http://www.filmdates.co.uk/, and the films' official websites.

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Review: Blitz

Jason Statham stars as Detective Tom Brant, a no-nonsense cop who, at the start of the film, assaults three youths trying to break into a car and receives some bad publicity in the newspaper. When a young policewoman is shot dead one evening at point blank range, a new Inspector called Porter Nash (Paddy Considine) is put in charge of the investigation to find the person responsible and he discovers that Brant’s questionable methods could be useful in this case.

The psychotic killer (Aiden Gillen) who calls himself “The Blitz”, phones journalist Harold Dunlop (David Morrissey) to confess his crime and vows to kill eight more police officers. His quest for tabloid glory leads him to commit vicious and shocking crimes against the upholders of the law, like shooting a young officer sitting in his car in broad daylight.


Brant and Nash make a good team as they join forces to protect their own and take the murderer down because the police need to catch him before he catches them. These two characters, and the villain, are the highlights of the film thanks to the actors who portray them. There is a strong cast of British actors including Jason Statham (continuing his action-packed career), Paddy Considine (on fine form following great performances in Submarine (2010), Hot Fuzz (2007) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)), and Aiden Gillen (from TV’s The Wire and Game of Thrones). David Morrissey and Luke Evans also make the most of their smaller roles. 

The director, Elliott Lester, has worked on over 100 music videos and commercials. This is his second full-length film following teen drama Love is the Drug, which was screened at the Cannes film festival in 2006. Nathan Parker, who wrote Duncan Jones’ excellent debut film Moon (2009), adapted the story from a novel by acclaimed Irish crime writer Ken Bruen, who has written a series of books featuring the character of Brant.


Blitz is a solid cop drama with good performances, direction and framing. However, there are times when the tone of the film switches unsuccessfully between darkly humorous, tragic drama and action-packed thrills. The attempt to move away from a straight action film and add other elements sometimes leaves it feeling fragmented and uneven. The sub-plot involving a policewoman recently out of rehab also detracts from the main story and isn’t as involving as it should have been. There is another missed opportunity concerning the interesting relationship between the killer and the journalist following the story of his career. This isn’t built upon; instead the journalist seems to disappear half-way through the film. 

Overall however, the film is an enjoyable cop drama. Brant, with his unconventional (and not always law abiding) methods of stopping criminals, is a likeable character, and action star Statham builds on the hard-man image he has cemented in films like The Transporter (2002), Crank (2006) and The Expendables (2010).


[DVD screener provided by flickfeast. Review originally posted here]

Monday 26 September 2011

Adjustment Team & The Adjustment Bureau


My article for Suite 101, Adjustment Team and It's Movie Adaptation The Adjustment Bureau, looks at Philip K. Dick's sci-fi short story and the film it inspired, including the similarities and differences between the original material and George Nolfi's adaptation.

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See more Philip K. Dick movie adaptations at LOVEFiLM, where you can choose from over 70,000 movies to rent as well as movies to watch online.

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Interview: Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)


MyMovies.net have released an exclusive interview with Gary Oldman, who plays George Smiley in Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy:

Monday 19 September 2011

Alt movie poster #6

Alternative movie posters pay homage to film as well as showcase artistic talent and creativity. Some are minimalist, some complex, some include in-jokes for those who have seen the movie. This feature celebrates the work of fans, artists and designers whose love of film is clear to see.



Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Created by: Paul Smith



Have you seen any alternative movie posters you'd like to share, or created your own and would like it featured? Get in touch!

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Visit LOVEFiLM, where you can now watch movies online as well as renting blu-rays, DVDs and games.

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Lately I've been distracted by... Mark Kermode's new book, a movie characters t-shirt, a Rachel Weisz interview, and more!

Links to articles, pictures and other shiny things from across the web.

The ads for the New York International Latino Film Festival last month poked fun at movie cliches:
http://www.slashfilm.com/gallery-york-international-latino-film-festival-ads-poke-fun-movie-cliches/nyilff-2/


Total Film counts down 30 shocking movie deaths:
http://www.totalfilm.com/features/30-shocking-movie-deaths

Threadless has reprinted this awesome Z-A movie characters t-shirt:
http://www.threadless.com/product/2340/Z_A/tab


The Guardian published an extract from Mark Kermode's new book, The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex: What's Wrong with Modern Movies?:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/28/mark-kermode-multiplex-blockbuster

Empire provides a guide for aliens on how NOT to conquer planet Earth:
http://www.empireonline.com/features/how-not-to-conquer-planet-earth/p1

Fright Rags has a great Dog Soldiers-inspired t-shirt:
http://www.fright-rags.com/dog-soldiers-p-512.html


The Guardian interviews Rachel Weisz:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/aug/28/rachel-weisz-interview-spy-love

Monday 5 September 2011

Trailer: The Hunger Games


Adapted from a novel by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games is a sci-fi action film set in a dystopian future, where a young girl called Katniss takes her sister's place in a fight to the death between 24 participants in the televised games.The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Elizabeth Banks, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland, and is due for release in UK cinemas on March 23rd 2012.


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