Sarah Gavron’s film about a teen left to fend for herself joins the likes of Kes in the pantheon of great British realist cinema
There is a great deal to love about Sarah Gavron’s new movie Rocks but, as a survey of contemporary British youth and their prospects, it is pretty depressing. Rocks is a 15-year-old London schoolgirl (played by newcomer Bukky Bakray) who is abandoned by just about everyone. Her father is dead and her depressed mother decides to go awol, leaving her to look after her younger brother unsupervised. Her school seems more concerned with lowering pupils’ expectations than educating them. Social services can barely keep track of her, either. There seem to be no safety nets left.
Realist cinema has always recognised the effectiveness of highlighting society’s failings through the plight of children, and Rocks joins a procession of British kids sounding the alarm,...
There is a great deal to love about Sarah Gavron’s new movie Rocks but, as a survey of contemporary British youth and their prospects, it is pretty depressing. Rocks is a 15-year-old London schoolgirl (played by newcomer Bukky Bakray) who is abandoned by just about everyone. Her father is dead and her depressed mother decides to go awol, leaving her to look after her younger brother unsupervised. Her school seems more concerned with lowering pupils’ expectations than educating them. Social services can barely keep track of her, either. There seem to be no safety nets left.
Realist cinema has always recognised the effectiveness of highlighting society’s failings through the plight of children, and Rocks joins a procession of British kids sounding the alarm,...
- 9/14/2020
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Voice cast includes Sally Hawkins, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe and Raffey Cassidy.
Animated feature Kensuke’s Kingdom, which includes Sally Hawkins and Cillian Murphy among its voice cast, has secured fresh finance and animation partners as it goes into production.
UK-based Lupus Films, whose credits include Ethel & Ernest, will receive backing from the BFI, Ffilm Cymru, Creative Wales and Film Fund Luxembourg on the adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s bestselling children’s novel.
Cardiff-based firm BumpyBox has come on board as the production’s Welsh animation partner. Previously announced production partners include Luxembourg-based Melusine Productions and French production company Le Pacte.
Animated feature Kensuke’s Kingdom, which includes Sally Hawkins and Cillian Murphy among its voice cast, has secured fresh finance and animation partners as it goes into production.
UK-based Lupus Films, whose credits include Ethel & Ernest, will receive backing from the BFI, Ffilm Cymru, Creative Wales and Film Fund Luxembourg on the adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s bestselling children’s novel.
Cardiff-based firm BumpyBox has come on board as the production’s Welsh animation partner. Previously announced production partners include Luxembourg-based Melusine Productions and French production company Le Pacte.
- 9/7/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Author: Stefan Pape
Known, primarily, for portraying Shaun in the breathtaking film/TV series This is England, Thomas Turgoose can be seen in Butterfly Kisses, playing snooker club manager ‘Shrek’ in Rafael Kapelinski’s debut production. The film, showing at the Berlinale, gets into the head of its teenage protagonist (Theo Stevenson), who is harbouring dark, perverse sexual desires.
We had the pleasure of chatting to Turgoose about the production, and how brave a piece of contemporary cinema it is. We also went on ask about This is England (naturally) – as the young actor describes just how special the experience has been to him over the years, and the incredible friendships he’s formed with his fellow cast members and crew. He also speaks briefly about his forthcoming collaboration with Margot Robbie in Terminal, and candidly discusses his career, and how he’s overcome a difficult period in his life.
Known, primarily, for portraying Shaun in the breathtaking film/TV series This is England, Thomas Turgoose can be seen in Butterfly Kisses, playing snooker club manager ‘Shrek’ in Rafael Kapelinski’s debut production. The film, showing at the Berlinale, gets into the head of its teenage protagonist (Theo Stevenson), who is harbouring dark, perverse sexual desires.
We had the pleasure of chatting to Turgoose about the production, and how brave a piece of contemporary cinema it is. We also went on ask about This is England (naturally) – as the young actor describes just how special the experience has been to him over the years, and the incredible friendships he’s formed with his fellow cast members and crew. He also speaks briefly about his forthcoming collaboration with Margot Robbie in Terminal, and candidly discusses his career, and how he’s overcome a difficult period in his life.
- 2/11/2017
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
[Updated with the UK teaser, featuring our first look at Keanu Reeves!]
I can't help but think that somehow, someway, Nicolas Winding Refn tapped into some of the dark corners of my mind and pulled The Neon Demon from inside.
From the get go, this thriller set in the modeling world and starring Elle Fanning as an up-and-coming supermodel who becomes the target of a group of glamour obsessed women who want everything she has, sounded promising – especially coming from the mind that previously brought us Drive and Only God Forgives. Now that I've seen the trailer, I can't wait to see this movie.
Shot by super-talented cinematographer Natasha Braier (The Rover, Somers Town, The Milk of Sorrow) and including the striki [Continued ...]...
I can't help but think that somehow, someway, Nicolas Winding Refn tapped into some of the dark corners of my mind and pulled The Neon Demon from inside.
From the get go, this thriller set in the modeling world and starring Elle Fanning as an up-and-coming supermodel who becomes the target of a group of glamour obsessed women who want everything she has, sounded promising – especially coming from the mind that previously brought us Drive and Only God Forgives. Now that I've seen the trailer, I can't wait to see this movie.
Shot by super-talented cinematographer Natasha Braier (The Rover, Somers Town, The Milk of Sorrow) and including the striki [Continued ...]...
- 4/14/2016
- QuietEarth.us
Fortissimo Films’ sells Spanish rights to the Toronto-bound period drama.
Bilbao-based Festival Films has picked up the Spanish distribution rights to Terence Davies’ Sunset Song from Fortissimo Films.
The period drama, starring Peter Mullan (Tyrannosaur), Agyness Deyn (Pusher) and Kevin Guthrie (The Legend Of Barney Thomson), will receive its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 10-20) in Special Presentations.
Davies’ long-gestating passion project is an adaptation of the 1932 classic Scottish novel by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, about a farmer’s daughter in early 20th-century Scotland facing a series of hardships.
Davies has frequently played in Toronto, starting with Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988 and most recently with The Deep Blue Sea in 2011, which Festival Films previously released in Spain.
Sunset Song is also playing in competition at San Sebastian (Sept 18-26).
Metrodome previously picked up UK and Irish rights (excluding TV, which area owned by the BBC) and is planning to release in Q4 2015.
The...
Bilbao-based Festival Films has picked up the Spanish distribution rights to Terence Davies’ Sunset Song from Fortissimo Films.
The period drama, starring Peter Mullan (Tyrannosaur), Agyness Deyn (Pusher) and Kevin Guthrie (The Legend Of Barney Thomson), will receive its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 10-20) in Special Presentations.
Davies’ long-gestating passion project is an adaptation of the 1932 classic Scottish novel by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, about a farmer’s daughter in early 20th-century Scotland facing a series of hardships.
Davies has frequently played in Toronto, starting with Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988 and most recently with The Deep Blue Sea in 2011, which Festival Films previously released in Spain.
Sunset Song is also playing in competition at San Sebastian (Sept 18-26).
Metrodome previously picked up UK and Irish rights (excluding TV, which area owned by the BBC) and is planning to release in Q4 2015.
The...
- 8/26/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Unkle guest vocalist and Shane Meadows collaborator Gavin Clark has died.
News of the singer's passing was posted last night (February 16) on Clark's Facebook page by his management.
"Gavin Clark tragically passed away last night," the message read.
"Until a full statement is released, we ask the press to respect the family's request for privacy at this time, so that they can grieve in peace."
The frontman of folk three-piece Clayhill, Clark featured on the tracks 'Keys to the Kingdom' and 'Broken' on Unkle's 2007 album War Stories.
He sung on several tracks on follow-ups End Titles... Stories for Film and Where Did the Night Fall.
Clark was the subject of Meadows's 2007 documentary The Living Room. He also provided the music for several of the director's films.
Clayhill's cover of The Smiths' 'Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want' closed Meadows's This Is England, and their track 'Afterlight'...
News of the singer's passing was posted last night (February 16) on Clark's Facebook page by his management.
"Gavin Clark tragically passed away last night," the message read.
"Until a full statement is released, we ask the press to respect the family's request for privacy at this time, so that they can grieve in peace."
The frontman of folk three-piece Clayhill, Clark featured on the tracks 'Keys to the Kingdom' and 'Broken' on Unkle's 2007 album War Stories.
He sung on several tracks on follow-ups End Titles... Stories for Film and Where Did the Night Fall.
Clark was the subject of Meadows's 2007 documentary The Living Room. He also provided the music for several of the director's films.
Clayhill's cover of The Smiths' 'Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want' closed Meadows's This Is England, and their track 'Afterlight'...
- 2/17/2015
- Digital Spy
Shane Meadows has made a career of chronicling the messy complications of regular life. Whether it's in his ongoing "This Is England," or in efforts such as "Somers Town" and "Twenty Four Seven," the filmmaker has taken an observational and personal approach to storytelling. But for this latest effort, he turns the camera to a close friend, the result is "The Living Room," and you can watch the whole thing right now. Running just a shade under forty-minutes, the documentary — which circles back to a few years ago — focuses on Gavin Clark, Meadows' friend, musician, and former member of Clayhill, and his battle to return to the stage. He begins by hosting a series of solo living room concerts, and after his music for Meadows' "Somers Town" gets critical acclaim, he makes his way back on the big stage once again. Check out the low-key film below.
- 2/9/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Writer-director Gerard Johnson’s sophomore feature, starring Peter Ferdinando as a corrupt London cop, is set to screen at Tiff next month, and the first stunning clip from the film has been released. According to THR, the pic owes a heavy debt to Gaspar Noe in one violent encounter; meanwhile Michael Mann and Nicolas Winding Refn duly pop up elsewhere in the palette. Tiff programmer Colin Geddes says director Johnson gives us a worthy UK cousin to Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant and The Guardian calls it an ambitiously scaled police-corruption thriller. Watch the clip below. The film also stars Stephen Graham (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), MyAnna Buring (Downton Abbey), Neil Maskell (Wild Bill), Elisa Lasowski (Somers Town) and Richard Dormer (Good Vibrations). Watch the clip below. Enjoy!
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The post Watch the First Stunning Slow-Mo Clip from Undercover Cop Thriller ‘Hyena’ appeared first on Sound On Sight.
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The post Watch the First Stunning Slow-Mo Clip from Undercover Cop Thriller ‘Hyena’ appeared first on Sound On Sight.
- 8/27/2014
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Gerard Johnson’s follow-up to Tony to receive world premiere as opening film; contenders for Michael Powell Award also revealed, including six world premieres.
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has revealed that corrupt cop drama Hyena will open the 68th edition of the festival on June 18.
The film reunites director Gerard Johnson with Peter Ferdinando, who played the lead in his debut feature Tony which received its world premiere at Eiff in 2009.
Producers include Stephen Woolley (Made in Dagenham, The Crying Game, Mona Lisa), Elizabeth Karlsen (Great Expectations, Ladies in Lavender) and Joanna Laurie. Hyena was developed by Film4. Sam Lavender and Katherine Butler exec produced the film for Film4 which was co-financed by Film4, BFI, Ingenious and Lipsync and will be released by Metrodome in the UK and distributed internationally by Independent.
Set in London, Hyena revolves around corrupt police officer Michael Logan (Ferdinando) who has to deal with an influx of ruthless Albanian gangsters...
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has revealed that corrupt cop drama Hyena will open the 68th edition of the festival on June 18.
The film reunites director Gerard Johnson with Peter Ferdinando, who played the lead in his debut feature Tony which received its world premiere at Eiff in 2009.
Producers include Stephen Woolley (Made in Dagenham, The Crying Game, Mona Lisa), Elizabeth Karlsen (Great Expectations, Ladies in Lavender) and Joanna Laurie. Hyena was developed by Film4. Sam Lavender and Katherine Butler exec produced the film for Film4 which was co-financed by Film4, BFI, Ingenious and Lipsync and will be released by Metrodome in the UK and distributed internationally by Independent.
Set in London, Hyena revolves around corrupt police officer Michael Logan (Ferdinando) who has to deal with an influx of ruthless Albanian gangsters...
- 5/12/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 13 Feb 2014 - 06:39
Our voyage through history's underappreciated films arrives at the year 2008 - another great year for lesser-seen gems...
For some, 2008 will be memorable as the year of The Dark Knight, with its astonishingly unhinged turn from the late Heath Ledger. Alternatively, it could be remembered as the year a legion Indiana Jones fans left cinemas glum-faced, having sat through Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.
Elsewhere, Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan sang and danced on a Greek island in Mamma Mia!, while Will Smith played an alcoholic superhero in Hancock. But as usual, 2008 offered plenty of watchable movies outside the top 10, which is where we swoop in - like Hancock after a bottle of gin.
So as usual, here's our selection of 25 underappreciated films from the year 2008 - starting with a British horror film starring Michael Fassbender...
25. Eden Lake
James Watkins had written...
Our voyage through history's underappreciated films arrives at the year 2008 - another great year for lesser-seen gems...
For some, 2008 will be memorable as the year of The Dark Knight, with its astonishingly unhinged turn from the late Heath Ledger. Alternatively, it could be remembered as the year a legion Indiana Jones fans left cinemas glum-faced, having sat through Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.
Elsewhere, Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan sang and danced on a Greek island in Mamma Mia!, while Will Smith played an alcoholic superhero in Hancock. But as usual, 2008 offered plenty of watchable movies outside the top 10, which is where we swoop in - like Hancock after a bottle of gin.
So as usual, here's our selection of 25 underappreciated films from the year 2008 - starting with a British horror film starring Michael Fassbender...
25. Eden Lake
James Watkins had written...
- 2/12/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Shot entirely on a Nokia Lumia 1020, this short film is rather fab and may even bring a tear to your eye! It stars singer / songwriter Ellie Goulding who plays Issy, wannabe music artist who lacks confidence and is egged on by her flatmate Tom. Her boyfriend is far too engaged in his own business to show any interest and it’s Tom who helps her find the form that he knows she can deliver.
The short film was helmed by Notting Hill / director Roger Michell who we interviewed recently for his movie Le Week-End which you can see here. It shows just how event Hollywood’s best and brightest can make a really effective short film with nothing more than a camera phone so if you’re inspired to make your own movie, get out there and do it!
Title: Tom & Issy Director: Roger Mitchel Writers: Stefan Georgiou and Sam Bern Cast: Dylan Edwards,...
The short film was helmed by Notting Hill / director Roger Michell who we interviewed recently for his movie Le Week-End which you can see here. It shows just how event Hollywood’s best and brightest can make a really effective short film with nothing more than a camera phone so if you’re inspired to make your own movie, get out there and do it!
Title: Tom & Issy Director: Roger Mitchel Writers: Stefan Georgiou and Sam Bern Cast: Dylan Edwards,...
- 11/13/2013
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
This Is England star joined by Elisa Wald Lasowski and Twilight’s MyAnna Buring in rounding out the cast of the London crime thriller.
Stephen Graham, star of This Is England and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, has joined the cast of crime drama Hyena. Other new cast members include Elisa Wald Lasowski, who starred in Shane Meadows’ Somers Town, and MyAnna Buring, who appeared in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Kill List and The Descent.
They join Peter Ferdinando and Neil Maskell in the thriller, produced by Number 9 Films and currently halfway through its London shoot.
Writer-director Gerard Johnson’s follow up to his debut, Tony, follows a corrupt policeman (Ferdinando) challenged by Albanian gang lords.
Joanna Laurie, Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen produce for Number 9 Films and it was developed with Film4.
The film is financed by Film4, BFI, Ingenious and Lipsync.
International sales are being handled by Independent and the UK distributor is Metrodome...
Stephen Graham, star of This Is England and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, has joined the cast of crime drama Hyena. Other new cast members include Elisa Wald Lasowski, who starred in Shane Meadows’ Somers Town, and MyAnna Buring, who appeared in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Kill List and The Descent.
They join Peter Ferdinando and Neil Maskell in the thriller, produced by Number 9 Films and currently halfway through its London shoot.
Writer-director Gerard Johnson’s follow up to his debut, Tony, follows a corrupt policeman (Ferdinando) challenged by Albanian gang lords.
Joanna Laurie, Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen produce for Number 9 Films and it was developed with Film4.
The film is financed by Film4, BFI, Ingenious and Lipsync.
International sales are being handled by Independent and the UK distributor is Metrodome...
- 8/8/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Yes, this comedy about a pair of washed-up watch salesmen who land a month's work experience at Google is utterly corrupt (the search engine supplied ideas and locations, key themes and swanky kit; their co-founder has a cameo; tax avoidance is not a plot point). But then Shane Meadows's Somers Town was bankrolled by Eurostar and that turned out swell; just because this is so blatant and lowbrow should not be due reason to damn it.
And indeed the Owen Wilson/Vince Vaughn chemistry still bubbles away cheerily as they head into their mid-40s, and Max Minghella flexes some unexpected comedy chops as the despicable Brit keen to turn his own internship into a full-blown post. So it's a shame about the token role for Rose Byrne (a workaholic coaxed from careerism by Wilson's butterscotch charms), as well as the extended central scene in a lap-dancing club. Getting...
And indeed the Owen Wilson/Vince Vaughn chemistry still bubbles away cheerily as they head into their mid-40s, and Max Minghella flexes some unexpected comedy chops as the despicable Brit keen to turn his own internship into a full-blown post. So it's a shame about the token role for Rose Byrne (a workaholic coaxed from careerism by Wilson's butterscotch charms), as well as the extended central scene in a lap-dancing club. Getting...
- 7/8/2013
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
The unctuous Fox-produced movie about Google is a giant free advertisement for its corporate mentor, and a disturbing trend
Fancy shelling out your hard-earned cash to watch a two-hour corporate video? If so, you've a treat in store. The Internship isn't billed as a commercial: it's supposed to be a wacky comedy in which the one-time Wedding Crashers gatecrash a tech giant's intern scheme. However, the film isn't set in a fictional workplace, as you might expect: the firm involved is explicitly Google, and the search monster pretty much steals the show from Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.
Much of the action takes place and some of it was shot at the hallowed Googleplex in Santa Clara. To accommodate other sequences, Google's creative team assisted with the design of a set and verified its accessories down to the most minute detail. Over two years, they lent props, advised on internal slang,...
Fancy shelling out your hard-earned cash to watch a two-hour corporate video? If so, you've a treat in store. The Internship isn't billed as a commercial: it's supposed to be a wacky comedy in which the one-time Wedding Crashers gatecrash a tech giant's intern scheme. However, the film isn't set in a fictional workplace, as you might expect: the firm involved is explicitly Google, and the search monster pretty much steals the show from Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.
Much of the action takes place and some of it was shot at the hallowed Googleplex in Santa Clara. To accommodate other sequences, Google's creative team assisted with the design of a set and verified its accessories down to the most minute detail. Over two years, they lent props, advised on internal slang,...
- 7/1/2013
- by David Cox
- The Guardian - Film News
It's top of the UK box office in spite of lacklustre figures, while Behind the Candelabra and Made of Stone sneak up the list
The winner
After landing at a disappointing third place in the Us chart the previous weekend, it was down to the overseas territories to pick up the slack for Sony's After Earth, which teams global superstar Will Smith with son Jaden. Could foreign make up for the weak results at domestic? Well, no complaints from Sony at its UK chart position (it's at the top) but the box-office number, £2.25m, is nothing to get excited about. By rule of thumb it's actually behind the pace of its Us debut of $27.5m – you'd expect a UK figure of around £2.7m. The result trails behind the debuts not just of 2013 franchise pictures such as Fast & Furious 6 (£8.72m) and Star Trek Into Darkness (£8.43m including previews), but also of similarly themed non-sequels.
The winner
After landing at a disappointing third place in the Us chart the previous weekend, it was down to the overseas territories to pick up the slack for Sony's After Earth, which teams global superstar Will Smith with son Jaden. Could foreign make up for the weak results at domestic? Well, no complaints from Sony at its UK chart position (it's at the top) but the box-office number, £2.25m, is nothing to get excited about. By rule of thumb it's actually behind the pace of its Us debut of $27.5m – you'd expect a UK figure of around £2.7m. The result trails behind the debuts not just of 2013 franchise pictures such as Fast & Furious 6 (£8.72m) and Star Trek Into Darkness (£8.43m including previews), but also of similarly themed non-sequels.
- 6/12/2013
- by Charles Gant
- The Guardian - Film News
Shane Meadows hasn’t made a feature film since 2009, and even then his last two efforts were both relatively minor key. “Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee” was a largely improvised mockumentary and comedy vehicle for his pal Paddy Considine, while “Somers Town” was a short (71 mins) but sweet way for Meadows to tell a story outside of his East Midlands comfort zone. In the interim he’s brought two mini-series to the small screen with “This is England ‘86” and “This is England ’88,” but now he’s back in the filmmaking business and the first trailer has dropped for the documentary, “The Stone Roses: Made of Stone.” It tells the story of “a resurrection nobody thought possible” that took place last year in Manchester, England. “It’s not very often one of your heroes asks you to make a documentary about your all-time favorite band getting back together after 20 years,” says Meadows in the trailer.
- 4/18/2013
- by Joe Cunningham
- The Playlist
David Michod begins shooting The Rover
Actors Anthony Hayes, Gillian Jones, Susan Prior and David Field have joined the cast in director David Michod’s follow up to his 2010 film Animal Kingdom.
The Rover has now begun production in the Sa desert for a seven week shoot.
Hayes and Prior appeared in Animal Kingdom while Jones was recently seen in The Tree and David Field has been seen recently in A Moody Christmas as well as Oak’s Hungrythirsty ad.
The additional cast join already announced leads Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson and Scoot McNairy, recently seen in Argo.
Michod wrote the film from a story conceived by himself and Joel Edgerton. It is produced by Animal Kingdom’s Liz Watts for Porchlight Films and David Linde of Lava Bear Films.
Natasha Braier, director of photographys on Shane Meadows’ Somers Town has been announced as cinematographer.
Watts and Linde said...
Actors Anthony Hayes, Gillian Jones, Susan Prior and David Field have joined the cast in director David Michod’s follow up to his 2010 film Animal Kingdom.
The Rover has now begun production in the Sa desert for a seven week shoot.
Hayes and Prior appeared in Animal Kingdom while Jones was recently seen in The Tree and David Field has been seen recently in A Moody Christmas as well as Oak’s Hungrythirsty ad.
The additional cast join already announced leads Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson and Scoot McNairy, recently seen in Argo.
Michod wrote the film from a story conceived by himself and Joel Edgerton. It is produced by Animal Kingdom’s Liz Watts for Porchlight Films and David Linde of Lava Bear Films.
Natasha Braier, director of photographys on Shane Meadows’ Somers Town has been announced as cinematographer.
Watts and Linde said...
- 2/5/2013
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
A film director can work for decades and never make anything approaching a good film. Often within the movie industry, wannabe directors can strive for years and years and never get close to making a feature film – that’s what makes the directors on this list so extraordinary. They have been extraordinarily consistent over a substantial amount of time, never allowing the quality of their art to shrink.
Some of the very greats have made poor films. Hitchcock made numerous clangers such as Family Plot, Topaz and Lifeboat amongst his formidable filmography. Francis Ford Coppola, director of the greatest film of all time (The Godfather Part II) has not made a good film for a while now and Billy Wilder did his best to taint his legacy with his late career output of Fedora and Buddy Buddy.
I decided a certain criteria was needed for a list like this, so put simply,...
Some of the very greats have made poor films. Hitchcock made numerous clangers such as Family Plot, Topaz and Lifeboat amongst his formidable filmography. Francis Ford Coppola, director of the greatest film of all time (The Godfather Part II) has not made a good film for a while now and Billy Wilder did his best to taint his legacy with his late career output of Fedora and Buddy Buddy.
I decided a certain criteria was needed for a list like this, so put simply,...
- 1/19/2013
- by Sam Moore
- Obsessed with Film
If you’ve ever seen a proper in-depth interview with a stand-up comedian you’ve probably come across the concept of ‘corporate gigs’ – shows where, as opposed to playing The Comedy Store or the Hammersmith Apollo or a festival, they do a set at the British Legal Awards or the GlaxoSmithKline Christmas party in exchange for a massive payday. Toning down your act might for the suits might not be something that’s in your game plan of being the new Bill Hicks, but they’re a guaranteed source of income when you’re losing money on your self-funded Edinburgh show or your critically acclaimed late-night BBC2 show has just been cancelled.
It’s a concept that’s now hit the moving picture industry. In the early 2000s BMW produced The Hire, a series of big-budget ten minute shorts, starring Clive Owen in a rather obvious knock off of The Transporter movies,...
It’s a concept that’s now hit the moving picture industry. In the early 2000s BMW produced The Hire, a series of big-budget ten minute shorts, starring Clive Owen in a rather obvious knock off of The Transporter movies,...
- 7/16/2012
- by Will Jones
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Del Toro joins six other directors for 7 Days in Havana, an anthology that treads a fine line between advertorial and artistry
In the scramble for financial backing, even big-shot film directors must take money where they find it. Shane Meadows took a £500,000 commission from Eurostar, and turned out Somers Town. Morgan Spurlock made a satirical virtue of it with sponsorship from juice manufacturer Pom Wonderful for The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. That, presumably, is part of the reason why film-makers of the calibre of Gaspar Noé, Laurent Cantet and Elia Suleiman accepted the invitation of rum magnate Havana Club, through its cultural arm Havana Cultura, to collaborate in a short film anthology called 7 Days in Havana. It might, just might, be designed to promote Havana.
As it turns out, 7 Days in Havana treads that fine line between advertorial and artistry, with a distinguished Cuban novelist, Leonardo Padura, overseeing the screenplay,...
In the scramble for financial backing, even big-shot film directors must take money where they find it. Shane Meadows took a £500,000 commission from Eurostar, and turned out Somers Town. Morgan Spurlock made a satirical virtue of it with sponsorship from juice manufacturer Pom Wonderful for The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. That, presumably, is part of the reason why film-makers of the calibre of Gaspar Noé, Laurent Cantet and Elia Suleiman accepted the invitation of rum magnate Havana Club, through its cultural arm Havana Cultura, to collaborate in a short film anthology called 7 Days in Havana. It might, just might, be designed to promote Havana.
As it turns out, 7 Days in Havana treads that fine line between advertorial and artistry, with a distinguished Cuban novelist, Leonardo Padura, overseeing the screenplay,...
- 7/5/2012
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
The Edinburgh Film Festival has announced its juries for its 2012 edition.
After last year's hiatus, which saw the accolades scrapped - to much consternation from press and industry - the Michael Powell Award for best British film has been reinstated, along with six other awards.
With previous winners including Duncan Jones' Moon and Shane Meadows' Somers Town, the Michael Powell has a prestigious history and the three-member jury this year will be chaired by Academy Awawrd winner Jim Broadbent. He will be joined Japanese actress Kiki Sugino (Hospitalite, Magic And Loss) and the founder and director of Tallinn's Black Nights FilmFestival Tiina Lokk. The jury will present awards for Best British Feature Film and Best Performance in a British Feature Film and, for the first time since the award was inaugurated in 1990, documentaries will be eligible for contention.
Jim Broadbent said: "It's very exciting to be Chair of the.
After last year's hiatus, which saw the accolades scrapped - to much consternation from press and industry - the Michael Powell Award for best British film has been reinstated, along with six other awards.
With previous winners including Duncan Jones' Moon and Shane Meadows' Somers Town, the Michael Powell has a prestigious history and the three-member jury this year will be chaired by Academy Awawrd winner Jim Broadbent. He will be joined Japanese actress Kiki Sugino (Hospitalite, Magic And Loss) and the founder and director of Tallinn's Black Nights FilmFestival Tiina Lokk. The jury will present awards for Best British Feature Film and Best Performance in a British Feature Film and, for the first time since the award was inaugurated in 1990, documentaries will be eligible for contention.
Jim Broadbent said: "It's very exciting to be Chair of the.
- 6/14/2012
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Prometheus: Michael Fassbender / android David Box office: Prometheus movie, Madagascar 3 in a dead heat. Assisted by outstanding business at IMAX locations and 3D surcharges, Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus is off to a remarkably strong start at 3,396 theaters in North America. Slightly behind on Friday, another 3D-assisted movie, the animated feature Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, will likely top the weekend at 4,258 locations. Including $3.56m from Thursday midnight screenings, the R-rated Prometheus grossed $21.4m on Friday as per studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo. That’s the tenth highest opening day ever for an R-rated movie — if you pretend something called inflation doesn’t exist. Additionally, that’s slightly more than the Kristen Stewart / Charlize Theron / Chris Hemsworth 2D, PG-13 adventure fantasy Snow White and the Huntsman‘s $20.46m (including a considerably more modest $1.38m at midnight screenings) at 3,773 locations last week. Both movies have about the same running time (i.
- 6/9/2012
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
Prometheus film Box office: Prometheus movie vs. Madagascar 3. Assisted by savvy marketing, excellent business at IMAX locations, and 3D surcharges, Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus, a prequel of sorts to Scott’s 1979 sci-fi / horror classic Alien, is off to a strong start at 3,396 theaters in North America. Slightly behind on Friday, the 3D-propelled animated feature Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted is expected to top the weekend at 4,258 locations. Including $3.56m at Thursday midnight screenings, the R-rated Prometheus is expected to gross $21m on Friday as per Deadline.com. That’s slightly more than the Kristen Stewart / Charlize Theron / Chris Hemsworth 2D, PG-13 adventure fantasy Snow White and the Huntsman‘s $20.46m (including a more modest $1.38m at midnight screenings) at 3,773 locations last week. Both movies have about the same running time. As per Deadline, Prometheus is expected to reach $55m by Sunday evening, thus ending a little behind...
- 6/9/2012
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
Prometheus movie: Ridley Scott, Noomi Rapace Prometheus movie box office: Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus, a sort of prequel to Scott’s 1979 sci-fi / horror classic Alien, is off to a solid start at the North American box office. At 1,368 theaters, Prometheus took in $3.56m, which is more than twice the midnight box-office take of the Kristen Stewart / Charlize Theron / Chris Hemsworth adventure fantasy Snow White and the Huntsman ($1.38m at 1,092 venues) and the Will Smith / Tommy Lee Jones / Josh Brolin adventure comedy Men in Black III ($1.55m at 2,232 venues). Note: Prometheus, like Men in Black III, has the advantage of box-office-boosting 3D surcharges. Also worth noting, Prometheus earned $1.03M from 294 (costlier) IMAX screens. That’s nearly a third of the film’s midnight box-office take. Back in July 2010, another sci-fier, Christopher Nolan’s Inception, debuted with $62.8m after grossing $3m at midnight screenings. So, will Prometheus open to more than $60m?...
- 6/8/2012
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
Scene-stealer Michael Fassbender, Prometheus The consensus seems to be that Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus is no Alien. And it’s no Blade Runner, either. But most critics have found Scott’s latest foray into science-fiction to be perfectly enjoyable within its intellectual and cinematic limitations. Most reviews have been positive, but without being overly enthusiastic. Of the stellar Prometheus cast, Michael Fassbender‘s android — who happens to be a Peter O’Toole fan — and Noomi Rapace‘s dreamy-eyed explorer have earned the best notices by far. Before reading any of the reviews, bear in mind that some critics have given out more details about the Prometheus plot and setup than they should have. Prometheus currently has an 89% approval rating among Rotten Tomatoes‘ critics. No "top critics" approval rating is available at this time. The sci-fier’s average grade is 7.2/100. Prometheus opens June 8. Ridley Scott directed from a screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof.
- 5/31/2012
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
by Vadim Rizov
Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's last film to receive American distribution, 2008's Still Walking, ended with a long shot of trains passing, "a moment whose metaphoric intent is clear," wrote Trevor Johnston. "Those trains have people on them with the same problems as the rest of us." Japanese National Railways' high-speed bullet trains serve a more optimistic function in I Wish, as well as providing some of its financing. Shane Meadows made use of Eurostar's funding for the delightful Somers Town, and Kore-eda is similarly adept in making sure he isn't compromised by his financiers.
Continued reading Film Of The Week: I Wish...
Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's last film to receive American distribution, 2008's Still Walking, ended with a long shot of trains passing, "a moment whose metaphoric intent is clear," wrote Trevor Johnston. "Those trains have people on them with the same problems as the rest of us." Japanese National Railways' high-speed bullet trains serve a more optimistic function in I Wish, as well as providing some of its financing. Shane Meadows made use of Eurostar's funding for the delightful Somers Town, and Kore-eda is similarly adept in making sure he isn't compromised by his financiers.
Continued reading Film Of The Week: I Wish...
- 5/9/2012
- GreenCine Daily
Here’s the new trailer for UK comedy ‘Outside Bet’ which has a fantastic cast including Bob Hoskins, Jenny Agutter, Phil Davis, Calum McNab, Adam Deacon and Emily Atack. It’s directed by Sacha Bennett (Bonded by Blood) and is based on the novel ‘The Mumper’ written by Mark Baxter and Paolo Hewitt.
Outside Bet is a comedy drama following the journey of seven friends during the Fleet Street print workers’ strikes in the 1980s. While money, privatisation, unions and dramatic media evolution start to swirl, the life-long group of friends find themselves at the bad end of a redundancy pay-out and invest their savings into a racehorse – hoping that one final race can turn their fortunes around. The story is one of friendship and overcoming the odds.
The film stars a host of British acting talent including Academy Award nominee Bob Hoskins (Mona Lisa, Made in Dagenham) and BAFTA...
Outside Bet is a comedy drama following the journey of seven friends during the Fleet Street print workers’ strikes in the 1980s. While money, privatisation, unions and dramatic media evolution start to swirl, the life-long group of friends find themselves at the bad end of a redundancy pay-out and invest their savings into a racehorse – hoping that one final race can turn their fortunes around. The story is one of friendship and overcoming the odds.
The film stars a host of British acting talent including Academy Award nominee Bob Hoskins (Mona Lisa, Made in Dagenham) and BAFTA...
- 3/22/2012
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Logan Marshall-Green, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Prometheus As quoted by Gregory Ellwood in HitFix.com, Michael Fassbender sees the android David, his character in Ridley Scott's Prometheus, as "this guy who is on his own for two years while everyone else is in cryostasis. So, what does he do? He amuses himself. … He's curious and how far will that curiosity go? … So, he's hyper-intelligent and more advanced than a regular human being so people don't really embrace him in. He's sort of used and abused. And so how does that make him feel? If robots can feel? You're always playing with the ambiguity if this robot is starting to form a real personality." Fassbender makes David sound quite a bit like Hal in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the added accoutrements of the Shame / Jane Eyre star's human form. Below is the domestic trailer, which is...
- 3/19/2012
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
Ridley Scott's Prometheus movie Philosophical question: if God created the universe and all its creatures, did he also create the title character in Ridley Scott's 1979 horror classic Alien? If so, then for what purpose? To make Sigourney Weaver a star? "How far would you go to get your answers? What would you be willing to do?" inquires Michael Fassbender's David The Android in the British trailer (please scroll down) of Scott's Alien sort-of prequel Prometheus. Although I don't think David is referring to Sigourney Weaver's stardom, the answer to that particular question seems to be … hop on a huge spaceship and travel to a distant, dark planet where things may not be quite as they seem. Hint: That's the place where Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Ian Holm, John Hurt, Harry Dean Stanton, and Yaphet Kotto encountered the remains of several gigantic beings in addition to...
- 3/19/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
A new short feature from Terry Gilliam, which we'll be streaming on this site, has been funded by an Italian pasta company. So, is it a film or an advert, or both? And how satisfying is this 20-minute morsel?
It hasn't been that long since Shane Meadows made a short feature with commercial sponsorship; Eurostar stumped up the cash for his drama Somers Town, and the company was rewarded with very prominent branding and plot involvement. Not everyone was thrilled that a film-maker should take the commercial shilling. My colleague David Cox sharply pointed out that Eurostar's corporate practices were given a rosy fictional glow.
Now Terry Gilliam has moved into this arena with a new 20-minute short film, to be distributed online. It has been entirely funded by the Garofolo Pasta company, an Italian firm based in Gragnano near Naples, where the film is set.
Gilliam has spoken glowingly...
It hasn't been that long since Shane Meadows made a short feature with commercial sponsorship; Eurostar stumped up the cash for his drama Somers Town, and the company was rewarded with very prominent branding and plot involvement. Not everyone was thrilled that a film-maker should take the commercial shilling. My colleague David Cox sharply pointed out that Eurostar's corporate practices were given a rosy fictional glow.
Now Terry Gilliam has moved into this arena with a new 20-minute short film, to be distributed online. It has been entirely funded by the Garofolo Pasta company, an Italian firm based in Gragnano near Naples, where the film is set.
Gilliam has spoken glowingly...
- 1/11/2012
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The man behind The Greatest Movie Ever Sold appears to adore his subjects – and why not? They're enabling him to posture, though it's not exactly clear as what
• Morgan Spurlock: 'I asked cigarette and gun companies for money to make a film'
That Morgan Spurlock – so much smarter than Michael Moore, isn't he? Really knows how to lay bare the overlooked evils that disfigure society. And few things could be more overlooked or sinister than product placement.
This at least is the premise underpinning Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. How wittily our hero skewers the greedy corporations that thrust their corrosive messages into the innocent entertainments of the people! How thankful we should be that such a tribune is peeling the scales from our eyes!
There's no doubt that the phenomenon being depicted is indeed rampant. Last year, Apple got its products featured in ten of America's 33 box-office chart-toppers.
• Morgan Spurlock: 'I asked cigarette and gun companies for money to make a film'
That Morgan Spurlock – so much smarter than Michael Moore, isn't he? Really knows how to lay bare the overlooked evils that disfigure society. And few things could be more overlooked or sinister than product placement.
This at least is the premise underpinning Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. How wittily our hero skewers the greedy corporations that thrust their corrosive messages into the innocent entertainments of the people! How thankful we should be that such a tribune is peeling the scales from our eyes!
There's no doubt that the phenomenon being depicted is indeed rampant. Last year, Apple got its products featured in ten of America's 33 box-office chart-toppers.
- 10/18/2011
- by David Cox
- The Guardian - Film News
Three brothers go on an unpredictable road trip to replace their dying dad's watch.
As full-length directorial debuts go, My Brothers - from Somers Town scribe Paul Fraser and first-time screenplay writer William Collins - is a charmer. I first caught it at Tribeca 2010 and was surprised when it took more than a year to make its way to Edinburgh Festival. What also surprised me, however, was how much of the film and its emotional resonance had stuck with me down the...
As full-length directorial debuts go, My Brothers - from Somers Town scribe Paul Fraser and first-time screenplay writer William Collins - is a charmer. I first caught it at Tribeca 2010 and was surprised when it took more than a year to make its way to Edinburgh Festival. What also surprised me, however, was how much of the film and its emotional resonance had stuck with me down the...
- 7/1/2011
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
It feels like a long time since we had a major film from Shane Meadows. It's not that the director hasn't been busy, it's just that his work's either been somewhat slight--the lovely, but lightweight "Somers Town," and the low-fi mockumentary "Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee"--or on television, like last year's four-part "This Is England '86." That series, which picked up a BAFTA for actress Vicky McClure on Sunday, has a follow-up currently in production, "This Is England '88," but it also looks like Meadows is finally making a return to some bigger-scale cinematic work. Jason Solomons of The Observer reports…...
- 5/24/2011
- The Playlist
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold's attack on the ubiquity of product placement could be seen as a win for the advertising industry
Drum-roll please: Morgan Spurlock, the dude who ate all those hamburgers in Super Size Me, is now bringing us The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. Well, actually, he isn't. Pom Wonderful is. The full title of Spurlock's new documentary (or "blockumentary" as he brands it) is Pom Wonderful presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.
Spurlock's subject is the ubiquity of branded messages in our lives, and the increasing prevalence of product placement. But there's the twist: the film was paid for by product placement and advertising. You see, he's making a point there. In true Spurlock fashion, it's a very amusing point. The Greatest Movie is a meta-film: it documents Spurlock's attempts to get brands to fund a project whose purported aim is to cast their marketing practices...
Drum-roll please: Morgan Spurlock, the dude who ate all those hamburgers in Super Size Me, is now bringing us The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. Well, actually, he isn't. Pom Wonderful is. The full title of Spurlock's new documentary (or "blockumentary" as he brands it) is Pom Wonderful presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.
Spurlock's subject is the ubiquity of branded messages in our lives, and the increasing prevalence of product placement. But there's the twist: the film was paid for by product placement and advertising. You see, he's making a point there. In true Spurlock fashion, it's a very amusing point. The Greatest Movie is a meta-film: it documents Spurlock's attempts to get brands to fund a project whose purported aim is to cast their marketing practices...
- 3/29/2011
- by Arwa Mahdawi
- The Guardian - Film News
You know, several times a day we think about how cool it would be to open up shop across the pond so that we could easily be there for all of the great shit they have going on. Film4 Frightfest, great Blu-ray editions we get the shaft on here, the seductive usage of the word "randy" ... so very much to love. Now, to further make us drool, The Horror Channel UK (yes, they have one of those there, too) is churning out another dosage of fright to get fans watching the carnage, Cruel Britannia.
From the Press Release
Cruel Britannia: The Cutting Edge of British Horror
April 8 – April 29, 2011
The Horror Channel celebrates the best of contemporary British horror with a special season of UK TV premieres which showcases some of the finest home-grown directorial talent around.
Kick-starting the season on Friday 8th April is the UK TV premiere of Steven Sheil...
From the Press Release
Cruel Britannia: The Cutting Edge of British Horror
April 8 – April 29, 2011
The Horror Channel celebrates the best of contemporary British horror with a special season of UK TV premieres which showcases some of the finest home-grown directorial talent around.
Kick-starting the season on Friday 8th April is the UK TV premiere of Steven Sheil...
- 3/10/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
The Horror Channel is to celebrate the best of contemporary British horror with Cruel Britannia – a special season of UK TV premieres which showcases some of the finest home-grown directorial talent around.
Kick-starting the season on Friday 8th April is the UK TV premiere of Steven Sheil’s debut feature Mum & Dad – a film described as “one of the defining British horrors of its generation”. Imbued with a terrifying ferocity, it centres around a young Polish immigrant (Holby City’s Olga Fedori) who finds herself imprisoned in a suburban House of Horrors. It also stars Perry Benson (This Is England, Somers Town).
This is followed by the UK TV premiere of Gerard Johnson’s debut, the dark, brutal and bleakly amusing Tony: London Serial Killer, transmitting on Friday 15th April. It has drawn favourable comparisons to John McNaughton’s seminal Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and features a star-making...
Kick-starting the season on Friday 8th April is the UK TV premiere of Steven Sheil’s debut feature Mum & Dad – a film described as “one of the defining British horrors of its generation”. Imbued with a terrifying ferocity, it centres around a young Polish immigrant (Holby City’s Olga Fedori) who finds herself imprisoned in a suburban House of Horrors. It also stars Perry Benson (This Is England, Somers Town).
This is followed by the UK TV premiere of Gerard Johnson’s debut, the dark, brutal and bleakly amusing Tony: London Serial Killer, transmitting on Friday 15th April. It has drawn favourable comparisons to John McNaughton’s seminal Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and features a star-making...
- 3/9/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Scottish-set horror “Outcast” marks the feature debut of noted television helmer Colm McCarthy, known for his work on popular British series “Spooks”, “The Tudors” and “Murphy’s Law”. Mixing Celtic mysticism and rundown council estates, the film is a monster movie with a social conscience, making a bold stab at providing believable, grounded chills. Headlined by the up and coming Niall Bruton and Hanna Stanbridge, the film has a supporting cast of recognisable Brit talent including James Nesbitt (soon to be seen in “The Hobbit”), Karen Gillan (currently on screens in “Doctor Who”), James Cosmo (“Sons Of Anarchy”), Kate Dickie (“Somers Town”) and Christine Tremarco (“Waterloo Road”). Having proved popular at the London FrightFest in 2010, the film now arrives on DVD via Momentum Pictures. The film takes place on a dilapidated council estate outside Edinburgh, where Irish travellers Mary (Kate Dickie) and her young son Fergal (Niall Bruton) set up home,...
- 1/15/2011
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
This coming Monday, 17th January, will see the UK DVD release of debut director Colm McCarthy’s Scottish/Irish folklore tale Outcast. To get you ready to jig, we’ve got a few new clips along with two copies to give away to a pair of lucky UK readers courtesy of the fine folks at Momentum Pictures.
Synopsis:
Boasting a strong cast of established British and Irish acting talent that includes James Nesbitt (Five Minutes of Heaven; Murphy’s Law), Therese Bradley (The Bill; Miles Away), Karen Gillan (Doctor Who), James Cosmo (Sons of Anarchy), Kate Dickie (Somers Town; Red Road) and Christine Tremarco (Waterloo Road) along with up-and-coming newcomers Niall Bruton and Hanna Stanbridge (Lip Service), the film has been described as “a monster movie, a murder mystery, and a Polanski-style tale of strange emotional ties that gradually unravel in several unpleasant ways” (FearNet.com) and as “a bold,...
Synopsis:
Boasting a strong cast of established British and Irish acting talent that includes James Nesbitt (Five Minutes of Heaven; Murphy’s Law), Therese Bradley (The Bill; Miles Away), Karen Gillan (Doctor Who), James Cosmo (Sons of Anarchy), Kate Dickie (Somers Town; Red Road) and Christine Tremarco (Waterloo Road) along with up-and-coming newcomers Niall Bruton and Hanna Stanbridge (Lip Service), the film has been described as “a monster movie, a murder mystery, and a Polanski-style tale of strange emotional ties that gradually unravel in several unpleasant ways” (FearNet.com) and as “a bold,...
- 1/13/2011
- by Pestilence
- DreadCentral.com
Outcast, the debut feature from director Colm McCarthy boasting a strong cast of established British and Irish acting talent that includes James Nesbitt (Five Minutes Of Heaven; Murphys Law), Karen Gillan (Doctor Who), James Cosmo (Sons Of Anarchy), Kate Dickie (Somers Town; Red Road) and Christine Tremarco (Waterloo Road), will be released on UK DVD by Momentum Pictures on January 17 2011. Inside you'll find a slew of new images, awesome DVD cover art, along with the UK DVD trailer! Indomnia Releasing will be releasing here in the States next year. It's a pretty fun flick, I'm excited to see it in a theater (hopefully).
- 12/22/2010
- bloody-disgusting.com
“The Best British Horror Film Since The Descent.” (Four Stars) – Eye For Film. Outcast, the debut feature from director Colm McCarthy (Spooks; The Tudors; Murphy’s Law), is an “intelligent, engaging, and unexpectedly creepy” (FearNet.com) contemporary supernatural horror film steeped in ancient Celtic occult, mythology and mysticism. Boasting a strong cast of established British and Irish acting talent that includes James Nesbitt (Five Minutes Of Heaven; Murphy’s Law), Karen Gillan (Doctor Who), James Cosmo (Sons Of Anarchy), Kate Dickie (Somers Town; Red Road) and Christine Tremarco (Waterloo Road), along with up-and-coming newcomers Niall Bruton and Hanna Stanbridge (Lip Service), the film has been described as “a monster movie, a murder mystery, and a Polanski-style tale of strange emotional ties that gradually unravel in several unpleasant ways” (FearNet.com) and as “a bold, ambitious first feature… a genuinely menacing piece of horror” (Twitch). On the run from a deadly...
- 12/15/2010
- by admin
- Horror News
Since her Bafta-winning Red Road performance, Kate Dickie has cornered the market in troubled women. She tells Jane Graham about why she's finally in a good place
Kate Dickie comes bounding in, cheeks glowing and nose tip pink, shaking the first snow of Glasgow's winter from her shoulders and apologising for her lateness. "I had to run here on this slidey snow," she says. "I was on my arse most of the way." A peal of raucous laughter echoes around the cafe she's showering with a flurry of melting flakes.
It might be a surprise that Dickie turns out to be an unguarded and animated conversationalist, and rather intoxicating company. But since her performance as Jackie, the still, stony CCTV operator mourning the death of her daughter in Red Road (the Andrea Arnold film for which Dickie won a Scottish Bafta in 2006), she has carved out a series of serious roles,...
Kate Dickie comes bounding in, cheeks glowing and nose tip pink, shaking the first snow of Glasgow's winter from her shoulders and apologising for her lateness. "I had to run here on this slidey snow," she says. "I was on my arse most of the way." A peal of raucous laughter echoes around the cafe she's showering with a flurry of melting flakes.
It might be a surprise that Dickie turns out to be an unguarded and animated conversationalist, and rather intoxicating company. But since her performance as Jackie, the still, stony CCTV operator mourning the death of her daughter in Red Road (the Andrea Arnold film for which Dickie won a Scottish Bafta in 2006), she has carved out a series of serious roles,...
- 12/3/2010
- by Jane Graham
- The Guardian - Film News
Shane Meadows' This is England '86 is out on DVD and Pure Movies is giving away three copies! This is England '86 stars Andrew Ellis, Andrew Shim, Chanel Cresswell, Joseph Gilgun, Kriss Dosanjh, Perry Benson, Perry Fitzpatrick, Rosamund Hanson, Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham and Vicky McClure. Award-winning filmmaker Shane Meadows (This Is England, Dead Man’s Shoes, Somers Town) makes his highly anticipated TV debut This is England ‘86 available to own on DVD from 11 October 2010 courtesy of 4Dvd, and will be packed with fantastic extras including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, cast interviews, outtakes, deleted scenes and an audio commentary from Shane Meadows.
- 10/10/2010
- by Dan Higgins
- Pure Movies
You just want the raw facts? Without any fancy interactivity? You've come to the right place
• Datablog: download the full list as a spreadsheet
1) James Cameron
Director: Avatar, Titanic
2) Steven Spielberg
Director: Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, Et: The Extra Terrestrial
Producer: Letters From Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers
3) Leonardo DiCaprio
Actor: Inception, Shutter Island, Titanic
4) John Lasseter
Director: Toy Story, Toy Story 2
Chief creative officer: Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios
5) Brad Pitt
Actor: Inglourious Basterds, The Assassination of Jesse James by the
Coward Robert Ford
Producer: Kick-Ass, A Mighty Heart, The Departed
6) Christopher Nolan
Director: Inception, The Dark Knight
7) Scott Rudin
Producer: No Country for Old Men, The Queen, The Truman Show
8) Quentin Tarantino
Director: Inglourious Basterds, Pulp Fiction
9) George Clooney
Actor: Michael Clayton, Ocean's Eleven
Director: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night, and Good Luck
10) Ed Vaizey
Politician: Minister for culture, communications and creative...
• Datablog: download the full list as a spreadsheet
1) James Cameron
Director: Avatar, Titanic
2) Steven Spielberg
Director: Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, Et: The Extra Terrestrial
Producer: Letters From Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers
3) Leonardo DiCaprio
Actor: Inception, Shutter Island, Titanic
4) John Lasseter
Director: Toy Story, Toy Story 2
Chief creative officer: Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios
5) Brad Pitt
Actor: Inglourious Basterds, The Assassination of Jesse James by the
Coward Robert Ford
Producer: Kick-Ass, A Mighty Heart, The Departed
6) Christopher Nolan
Director: Inception, The Dark Knight
7) Scott Rudin
Producer: No Country for Old Men, The Queen, The Truman Show
8) Quentin Tarantino
Director: Inglourious Basterds, Pulp Fiction
9) George Clooney
Actor: Michael Clayton, Ocean's Eleven
Director: Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night, and Good Luck
10) Ed Vaizey
Politician: Minister for culture, communications and creative...
- 9/24/2010
- by Peter Bradshaw, Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Faith films are burgeoning in the United States, but would you welcome them here in the UK? Or is religious scepticism the key to cinematic excellence?
Feature: Faith films perform a marketing miracle
There is, I think, something really curious happening at the moment, which I explored in a recent feature. A drop-off in conventional funding methods, together with a rise in the United States of devout Christianity and an increasing dislike of Hollywood's baser fixations, has paved the way for a new wave of super-profitable faith-based films. And though they've not washed up on these shores yet, the actions of UK distributors, in tapping church audiences for custom with mainstream releases they feel might strike a chord, suggests there's a hunger over here too.
But how far is this true? There are a few complicating factors. The first is funding. A reliance on the munificence of others leaves faith...
Feature: Faith films perform a marketing miracle
There is, I think, something really curious happening at the moment, which I explored in a recent feature. A drop-off in conventional funding methods, together with a rise in the United States of devout Christianity and an increasing dislike of Hollywood's baser fixations, has paved the way for a new wave of super-profitable faith-based films. And though they've not washed up on these shores yet, the actions of UK distributors, in tapping church audiences for custom with mainstream releases they feel might strike a chord, suggests there's a hunger over here too.
But how far is this true? There are a few complicating factors. The first is funding. A reliance on the munificence of others leaves faith...
- 6/18/2010
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
The Scouting Book For Boys sees Shane Meadows's young protege come of age. But can he mention politely that he never had Attention Deficit Disorder?
Thomas Turgoose is so ridiculously self-deprecating and low-key that it's easy to see why he's so spontaneous and unpretentious in front of the camera. Half the time, he has to remind himself that he's an actor – and he certainly never thinks of himself as a movie star.
"No way! I just feel like a spotty chav living in Grimsby," says Turgoose. "I walk around town on a Saturday morning same as anyone else. Chatting to my mates, checking out the women. I completely forget I'm in films till someone walks past me and says, 'There's that kid out of This Is England.'"
Turgoose was just 13 when he made his acting debut in Shane Meadows's mini-masterpiece, and 15 when they collaborated again on the low-budget film Somers Town.
Thomas Turgoose is so ridiculously self-deprecating and low-key that it's easy to see why he's so spontaneous and unpretentious in front of the camera. Half the time, he has to remind himself that he's an actor – and he certainly never thinks of himself as a movie star.
"No way! I just feel like a spotty chav living in Grimsby," says Turgoose. "I walk around town on a Saturday morning same as anyone else. Chatting to my mates, checking out the women. I completely forget I'm in films till someone walks past me and says, 'There's that kid out of This Is England.'"
Turgoose was just 13 when he made his acting debut in Shane Meadows's mini-masterpiece, and 15 when they collaborated again on the low-budget film Somers Town.
- 3/13/2010
- by Amy Raphael
- The Guardian - Film News
9th Annual Festival to Present 85 Feature-Length and 47 Short Film Selections from April 21 – May 2, 2010
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Tribeca Film Festival Virtual and Tribeca Film Boost Festival Reach
New York, NY [March 10, 2010] – The 2010 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by American Express®, the Founding Sponsor of the Festival, today announced the first 34 films to be presented among the 85 feature length and 47 short films at this year’s Festival. The 34 titles include 24 World Narrative and Documentary Competition films, as well as out-of-competition feature film selections in the Showcase and Special Events sections.
The 2010 Tff will take place from April 21 to May 2 in lower Manhattan. The 2010 film selection encompasses feature films from 38 different countries, including 45 World Premieres, 7 International Premieres, 14 North American Premieres, 6 U.S. Premieres and 12 New York Premieres, among which are 7 titles which are part of the fourth annual Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival. 96 directors will be presenting feature works at the Festival, with 38 of these filmmakers presenting...
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Tribeca Film Festival Virtual and Tribeca Film Boost Festival Reach
New York, NY [March 10, 2010] – The 2010 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by American Express®, the Founding Sponsor of the Festival, today announced the first 34 films to be presented among the 85 feature length and 47 short films at this year’s Festival. The 34 titles include 24 World Narrative and Documentary Competition films, as well as out-of-competition feature film selections in the Showcase and Special Events sections.
The 2010 Tff will take place from April 21 to May 2 in lower Manhattan. The 2010 film selection encompasses feature films from 38 different countries, including 45 World Premieres, 7 International Premieres, 14 North American Premieres, 6 U.S. Premieres and 12 New York Premieres, among which are 7 titles which are part of the fourth annual Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival. 96 directors will be presenting feature works at the Festival, with 38 of these filmmakers presenting...
- 3/10/2010
- Makingof.com
Triangle director Chris Smith has described his movie adaptation of the Cherub novels as "Shane Meadows meets Spy Kids". Speaking to Digital Spy, the Brit filmmaker admitted that he and co-writer Ronan Bennett want to replicate the "energy" of the Somers Town director in an espionage storyline. Smith said: "It's a big franchise already but we're trying to bring a Shane Meadowsy thing to it. What would Shane Meadows's Spy Kids be like? That's the plan. Shane's so good with kids, it's trying to get that energy on the screen but still make it feel a bit Bourne Identity. It's going to be a weird mix." Discussing the storyline for his movie version of Robert Muchamore's (more)...
- 1/22/2010
- by By Simon Reynolds
- Digital Spy
With Wednesday's announcement that Netflix InstantWatch is finally coming on the Nintendo Wii this Spring, Netflix now has the video game market in the palm of their hands. With all three next-gen systems providing it and phenomenal movie choices added every few days, the company has revitalized their home movie service. I freely admit that my satisfaction with Netflix has been rocky in the past, but in the recent couple of years, the growth of their streaming service has been so gratifying that it makes their DVD delivery service almost irrelevant.
Here are some of the great selections not to miss, newly available on Instant Watch this week.
• • •
Big Fan
Comedian Patton Oswalt, who first claimed cinematic acclaim with his voice performance in Ratatouille, here tries his hand at something much darker and pathetically sad. In truth, I've had a glimpse of that in his memorable appearance in an episode of Dollhouse,...
Here are some of the great selections not to miss, newly available on Instant Watch this week.
• • •
Big Fan
Comedian Patton Oswalt, who first claimed cinematic acclaim with his voice performance in Ratatouille, here tries his hand at something much darker and pathetically sad. In truth, I've had a glimpse of that in his memorable appearance in an episode of Dollhouse,...
- 1/17/2010
- by Arya Ponto
- JustPressPlay.net
While many critics are rolling out or have rolled out their Top 10 movies of the year or even the decade, I found myself devising my own and realizing that they seem to be more or less similar to others'. Where the Wild Things Are, Inglourious Basterds, Up, The Hurt Locker, A Serious Man... These are great, great movies that have gotten their dose of attention, thanks to the names behind them. So what are the ones left in the dust?
The following movies are all considered 2009 movies by their Us theatrical date. All of them, however, received only limited releases and never went wide. These are my favorites of the year that, if you haven't heard of them or was never given the chance to see them, I highly recommend hunting down on DVD. They are absolutely worth it.
• • •
Top Ten:
1. Medicine for Melancholy
Using the Before Sunrise model of...
The following movies are all considered 2009 movies by their Us theatrical date. All of them, however, received only limited releases and never went wide. These are my favorites of the year that, if you haven't heard of them or was never given the chance to see them, I highly recommend hunting down on DVD. They are absolutely worth it.
• • •
Top Ten:
1. Medicine for Melancholy
Using the Before Sunrise model of...
- 1/1/2010
- by Arya Ponto
- JustPressPlay.net
Somers Town (2008) Direction: Shane Meadows Screenplay: Shane Meadows, Paul Fraser Cast: Thomas Turgoose, Piotr Jagiello, Elisa Lasowski, Kate Dickie, Ireneusz Czop, Perry Benson Thomas Turgoose, Piotr Jagiello in Somers Town The happenstance friendship central to Shane Meadows’ Somers Town buds within a small black-and-white world, an environment populated with aesthetic lines, distinct or unseen, that stretch retrograde towards an urban horizon. Convergence is not merely suggested through contrast and forms, but is realized as ubiquitous in the neighborhood around the film’s young men. A district of London in the shadows of St. Pancras railway station, Somers Town is at a point of transition. New construction and redevelopment abut decades-old council flats and working-class cafes. Rather than lament gentrified encroachment and its broad [...]...
- 12/8/2009
- by Doug Johnson
- Alt Film Guide
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