Upcoming Releases - August '12

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


Ted - 1st August 
Comedy | Fantasy
106 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane, Giovanni Ribisi
Director: Seth MacFarlane

'As the result of a childhood wish, John Bennett's teddy bear, Ted, came to life and has been by John's side ever since - a friendship that's tested when Lori, John's girlfriend of four years, wants more from their relationship.'

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


The Flowers of War - 3rd August
Drama | History | War
146 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Xinyi Zhang, Tianyuan Huang
Director: Yimou Zhang

'A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan's rape of Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.'

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


360 - 10th August
Drama | Romance
110 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Rachel Weisz, Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins, Ben Foster
Director: Fernando Meirelles

'A dramatic thriller that weaves together the stories of an array of people from disparate social backgrounds through their intersecting relationships.

Official site: http://www.magpictures.com/360/


The Bourne Legacy - 13th August
Action | Adventure | Thriller
135 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Joan Allen, Albert Finney
Director: Tony Gilroy

'An expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum's novels, centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films.'

Official site: http://www.thebournelegacy.net/#/home


Brave - 13th August
Animation | Action | Adventure
100 mins
PG certificate
Main cast: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Kevin McKidd, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters
Director: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell

'Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.'

Official site: http://www.disney.co.uk/brave/


The Expendables 2 - 16th August
Action | Adventure
102 mins
TBC certificate
Main cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Liam Hemsworth, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme
Director: Simon West

'Mr. Church reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.'

Official site: http://theexpendables2film.com/


Take This Waltz - 17th August
Comedy | Drama
116 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Michelle Williams, Seth Rogan, Sarah Silverman, Luke Kirby
Director: Sarah Polley

'A happily married woman falls for the artist who lives across the street.'

Official site: http://www.magpictures.com/takethiswaltz/


The Watch - 24th August
Comedy | Sci-Fi
101 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade
Director: Akiva Schaffer

'Suburban dads who form a neighborhood watch group as a way to get out of their day-to-day family routines find themselves defending the Earth from an alien invasion.'

Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thewatchmovie


Shadow Dancer - 24th August
Drama | Thriller
101 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Clive Owen, Andrea Riseborough, Gillian Anderson, Aiden Gillen, Domhnall Gleeson
Director: James Marsh

'Set in 1990s Belfast, an active member of the IRA becomes an informant for MI5 in order to protect her son's welfare.'




Total Recall - 29th August
Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
118 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Bill Nighy
Director: Len Wiseman

'A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after a visit to Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led - goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.'

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



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

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Trailers: Man of Steel, The Campaign, Bachelorette, The Master & The Bourne Legacy

First teaser trailer for Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner and Michael Shannon. Release date: June 14th 2013

New trailer for The Campaign, directed by Jay Roach and starring Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott and Brian Cox. Release date: September 28th

New trailer for Bachelorette, directed by Leslye Headland and starring Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan, Isla Fisher, Adam Scott and James Marsden. Release date: September 7th

New full-length trailer for The Master, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Laura Dern. Release date: November 9th

New clip from The Bourne Legacy, directed by Tony Gilroy and starring Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Joan Allen and Albert Finney. Release date: August 13th

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Review: The Escapist

The Escapist stars Brian Cox in the lead role of Frank Perry, a convict serving a life sentence in a London prison. Frank keeps his head down and doesn’t cause any trouble. However, he unexpectedly receives the first letter for a very long time, informing him that his daughter is near death after suffering a drug overdose. This bad news makes him realise he needs to see his daughter again to make peace with her, so he decides to break out and devises a plan of escape.

Frank brings a number of the other inmates in on his plan. First he goes to Brodie (Liam Cunningham, who is brilliant as usual) who seems to be his closest friend in prison. Brodie’s knowledge of the underground tunnels comes in handy when planning their escape route. Edgy boxer and former thief Lenny Drake (Joseph Fiennes), new boy Lacey (Dominic Cooper) and Batista (Seu Jorge), who concocts and deals drugs in the prison, are also brought on-board. 

Unfortunately, another convict called Tony (Steven Mackintosh) discovers what they are up to and threatens to tell his brother, the menacing Rizza (Damian Lewis), who rules the prison while the guards look the other way. The group need to find a way to keep Tony quiet if they want to make it out to freedom.

Brian Cox is solid and sympathetic as The Escapist’s emotional core and his fellow inmates are played by a talented supporting cast. The action inside the claustrophobic London prison switches between the events before and during the breakout. The scenes showing the escape set up questions for the viewer to ponder, which are answered throughout the course of the film in the interspersed flashbacks. The rush of the breakout mixes well with the anxious planning stages. The film uses a very effective past-and-present structure and good editing, and it adds a great final plot twist. Benjamin Wallfisch’s excellent score helps to heighten the moments of tension with its intensity and sense of urgency.

The Escapist was directed by Rupert Wyatt, a British talent who followed this debut feature with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Wyatt also co-wrote the film with Daniel Hardy and has said that the structure of the film’s plot was inspired by a well-known short story written in the 19^th century: American author Ambrose Bierce’s An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Frank Perry is shown reading this story and he shows it to Rizza near the end of the film. It is set during the American Civil War and also features an irregular time sequence and a twist ending.

The Escapist is a thrilling and clever prison drama with an innovative plot structure. Add to that a range of interesting characters, an impressive cast and engaging music, and you have a refreshingly enjoyable escape film.

Posters & Pics: The Hobbit, Dredd, Elysium...

New image from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, featuring Martin Freeman. Release date: December 26th

New banner poster for Resident Evil: Retribution, which stars Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr and Kevin Durand. Release date: September 28th

Motion poster for Dredd, which stars Karl Urban, Lena Headey, Olivia Thirlby and Domhnall Gleeson. Release date: September 7th

Teaser poster for Oz: The Great and Powerful, which stars James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis. Release date: March 8th 2013

First official still from Elysium, featuring Matt Damon. Release date: March 1st 2013