23:05

Kissing as if no-one is watching
having your picture taken by a stranger
Walking in a straight line
straight to you
while you bump into anything that moves.
Wiping water away from your eyes
is it sweat or sun tan lotion melting
Riding the Bakerloo or Central
at Tottenham Court Road
on a Monday night
just like any other night to some
to those who take this step everyday
to the drunk who sleeps on the step
you step over

Dancing with your iPod to the sound
while you tip toe avoiding the lines
every step could be your last
every step could be your first
The first for the rest of your life
the life that doesnt have a course
My course is following the red line
on a Monday night

Its 23:05
55 minutes to tomorrow
55 left of today
Can you still make a first impression
or should you put it to bed
Gonna go to sleep tomorrow
and wake up in the same day
No drawing board
to go back to
I know what must be done
just like any Tuesday morning
but for now its still Monday night.

Pan - Preview

Released today from Warner Bros. this is the first offical teaser trailer of Pan, a live-action origin story of the fabled Peter Pan, how he became the boy who could never grow up and how he became a part of Neverland.



Directed by respected Brit, Joe Wright, the teaser introduces us to many a character and the fine ensemble Wright has assembled. From Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard calling upon his theatrical background, in playing the pantomine villain, to Garrett Hedlund as James Cook with both hands in place. Along with spirited newcomer Levi Miller as the eponymous Peter and Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily.

After a brief foray into Oliver Twist territory, the film shows Peter being kidnapped from an orphanage and being taken aboard a ship in the sky towards the second star to the right. There he embeds with the tribe before battling Blackbeard and his tyranny. 

 

The film will be released in both a 2D and 3D format, the footage seen thus far makes this reviewer believe that the combination of fantasy, flight and action may make it a suitable film for the transfer to the third dimension much in the way Avatar set the bar for.

Pan is released in UK cinemas in July 2015 and promises something for all the family.

www.facebook.com/PanOfficialUK
Twitter: @PanOfficialUK
https://www.warnerbros.co.uk/movies/pan

Birdman - Hammer

Out on 1st January 2015, the much touted Birdman is released by Fox Searchlight UK and here is another clip from the film starring Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone and Zach Galifinakis, the film is directed by Alejandro G. Innaritu.

You have had exclusive access to great clips already, here are the clips again:

Does She Talk?
Levels Upon Levels

The film is out on January 1st, and should be seen to be believed.

Let's Talk About Robert

We are going to talk about an NFL player who in his third season in professional sport is quickly becoming one of the most troubled young stars not through off-the-field issues for once, but for his conduct and lack of performance on the field.

Robert Griffin III was drafted by the Washington franchise three years ago with the second overall pick, in a trade deal where they went all in on the Baylor quarterback who had won the Heisman Trophy at a canter following his scintillating play in Art Briles' system.

Behind Andrew Luck, RG3 was considered to be one of the future elite signal callers in the game. However, not all has gone to plan for the QB as serious injury led to him failing in his first play-off game and then repeated injuries has led to a quarterback contest with Kirk Cousins, his back-up and now his continued poor play upon return from a dislocated ankle has led to calls for the team to drop him and play Colt McCoy.

Now playing McCoy would be the wrong thing to do and a cry for help, however, RG3's play has been absolutely woeful in recent weeks. The failure to make plays down the field with his arm, failure to extend plays with his legs due to a fear of re-injurying himself, the failure to protect himself from constant pressure has led many to call him a deer in the headlights.

Nevermind that, he is a very big deer. He cannot read defences, he does not throw away the ball quickly to avoid a hit, he has talented receivers who do not get the ball. You could question the offensive line for failing to defend their franchise man under centre, much like the Carolina Panthers are failing to protect Cam Newton this season.

Both men look like shadows of their former selves yet it should not be forgotten that neither of them came into the league as renowned passers, this has not improved for either of them. Whilst Cam has improved in the pocket, for RG3 it sometimes resembles a heave and hope format, whereas Luck's mechanics are second to none. Cam is helped by his height, RG3 is short in comparison - yet Russell Wilson (drafter in the third round by Seattle in the same draft as Luck/Griffin) is the best passer on the run in the league and is even shorter than both of them.

Griffin is guilty of having a meteoric rise far too quickly and guilty of cashing in on his own talent. He trained for the combine and impressed a lot of people and had a televisual charm in abundance, however, he is being spoilt by an owner who will bend to his every wish.  You can change the coaches, the co-ordinators but sometimes you have to expect better results from a starting quarterback who should be maturing by now and instead this week has been involved in a back and forth tittle tattle with his coach Jay Gruden via the national media.

Don't worry though it should be easier for Griffin this week on the road in San Francisco against a rejuvenated defence who will be salivating at the thought of getting to Griffin numerous times. Then they face the porous Colts so some respite might arrive, before a home game versus the St. Louis Rams who made Peyton Manning's life a misery on Sunday gone.

This is before the NFC East stretch at the Giants and before two home games versus the Eagles and Cowboys. All teams are built on having a capable pass rush, my prediction is the Rams game on 7th December may be the final coffin for the team, as it is at home where the fans may be their most vocal in asking for Griffin to be sat for the rest of the season. They are 3-7 meaning the Raiders will not win that many to make the Redskins get the overall first draft pick with Marcus Mariota earmarked to be the first quarterback off the board.

So what is the solution for the Redskins?  Oh god, lets talk about Jameis

Birdman - Does She Talk?

Fox Searchlight UK are pleased to release another new clip from the highly anticipated release of Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu starring Michael Keaton, Emma Stone and Edward Norton.

Keaton plays a former blockbuster film actor who cannot shake off the pigeon holing of playing an iconic comic book character, whilst mounting a Broadway return. Sound familiar, considering Keaton famously played Batman twice in both of Tim Burton's imagining of the DC Comics hero.

In this clip, Mike (Norton) who has been handed a role in Riggan's (Keaton) new play meets his daughter played by Emma Stone for the first time. The clip shows you the manic energy of the walk around cinematography and the energy being used by both Norton and Keaton, two livewires seemingly let off the leash in their roles.

Birdman is out on general release on 1st January 2015

Electricity - Trailer preview

Soda Pictures is proud to release a new UK trailer for the forthcoming release of Electricity directed by Bryn Higgins and starring Agyness Deyn, in a breakthrough role.

 

Based on the novel by Ray Robinson, Deyn plays Lily a young woman from Lancashire who whilst on medication for her epilepsy experiences a wealth of hallucinations when looking for her long lost brother in London, in a modern twist on Alice in Wonderland.

The trailer starts with Deyn walking along a sea-front promenade with the camera cutting between close-ups and point of view shots of Alice as she stumbles whilst walking. Then we flit from other characters, when we first encounter that who we know to be her brother, the trailer does not make that so clear. She asks, 'Does he think of me?' meaning we think this is a romantic tryst she wishes to rekindle. Another man tells her to forget about the past.

Borrowing from the visual strength of Kieran Evans' startling Kelly + Victor - a criminally underrated film - Electricity will be helped by what looks to be a mind-blowing lead performance by former model Deyn, who has a role where she is in every shot of the film.  Her strength and also her vulnerability in the role will lead to many plaudits for her. Here is hoping the film can create a spark with an audience.

Electricity is out from Soda Pictures on Friday 12th December

The Thief Of Baghdad

As part of the continuing Masters of Cinema series from Eureka Video, The Thief of Baghdad is released on a special Blu-ray edition and brings to the small screen in a new print one of the great films in the career of the hugely admired Douglas Fairbanks.

Directed by Raoul Walsh, but produced by the highly independent Fairbanks, Thief tells the story of Ahmed (Fairbanks) who encounters danger and adventure in equal measure in a purely studio based film.  Featuring ahead of its time special effects such as the famous climatic flying carpet ride, the film is indicative of one man's vision. In stark contrast to the stringent Hollywood studio system that was still 10 years away from its heyday, this was a film full of invention and imagination.

We are still ten years from Capra's coming out party with It Happened One Night, 15 years from John Ford's Stagecoach in 1939, the same year as Hitchock's final UK film before he came to America in 1940 under David O. Selznick to make Rebecca. In the mid 1920s three years before the advent of sound in cinema, the art form was following theatre by making the actor the star.  The stars knowing this wanted more creative control of their final product.

Fairbanks was a contemporary of the other two Hollywood darlings of the mid to late 1920s, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin. The three of them helped form United Artists; the independent production company that allowed the three stars to make what films they wanted and give them the power to produce and in Chaplin's case ultimately direct.  It gave them the freedom to pursue artistic endeavours of their own volition.

In Fairbanks case it was a chance to do something of this scale, a film with vastness of a Cecil B. DeMille film but with the imagination of Melieres whilst embracing a key central performance by the featured actor.  In a way you could say Thief is the first actor led film who was not reliant upon the name of a director be it Griffith/Lubitsch above the title.

 

If that's the case the Thief of Baghdad is an amazing Hollywood product - larger than life, fantastical, amazing and hugely entertaining. The reason a silent cinema featuring the problem of a white man play a Muslim is accepted due to the sheer photogenic presence of Fairbanks himself. Like his contemporary Chaplin, there is a magnetism about his performance the way he moves and does his own stunts all with a charm burning from his shirtless torso and a smile beaming from whiter than white teeth set against the vast production and set design.

While the case this could be made as an actor's auteur film, the work of Walsh who would go on to direct such classic Hollywood fare as High Sierra and White Heat, should not be ignored. Coming to the set as a somewhat novice, this was his first major production and he does a great service to the film by keeping the tempo and tone throughout the work.

From shimmering up a rope out of a basket to the carpet ride, there are thrills and spills a plenty in this brisk 140 minute running time. It would be a great introduction for many to the joys of silent cinema, helped by the sprightly new score by Carl Davis and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The dual format Blu-ray/DVD edition has an accompanying 40 page booklet by Laura Boyes from the North Carolina Museum of Art.

The Thief of Baghdad will be released on Blu-ray/DVD dual format on Monday 24th November at £14.99 rrp

www.eurekavideo.co.uk

Can the Colts stay Luck-y?

Being a New England Patriots fan, I was quite apprehensive about the Week 11 game at Lucas Oil Stadium versus the Indianapolis Colts. It's all well and good beating the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning at Foxboro, again. Yet this was a true road game in a suspected AFC playoff team and Super Bowl contender. Being in England, I had to sleep and hope I woke up to good news.

I woke up to a scoreline of 42-20 victory for New England. Yet it wasn't another great showing by Tom Brady, he threw no interceptions but the hero was unheralded running back Jonas Gray who ran for 199 yards and four touchdowns.

However, upon reading social media my interest has been piqued by the future more of the Colts. Being a fan of Brady and Bill Belichick, you get accustomed to them finding ways to maintain a consistency of performance and finding ways to succeed.  Belichick employed a sixth lineman to help the running game and simply overpowered a weak Colts defence.

Before Sunday, the Colts were leading the NFL in offence and yet were last in defensive rankings.  When you have put all your chips in on a franchise quarterback and ask him to take you to the promised land of Super Bowl glory, the minimum requirement is to give him the opportunity to win the game. That means keeping him on the field, give him short field to work with and disrupt the offensive flow of the opponents.

Belichick in employing Gray as his offensive weapon, fundamentally kept Luck off the field for long periods of time. The constant scoring meant Luck had to throw more; Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson ran the ball only 7 times, not helped by Bradshaw breaking his ankle.  Luck has offensive weapons but there are teams in the AFC with just better defenders than what the Colts have.  The Patriots have Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Logan Ryan. Would any member of the Colts secondary dislodge those gentleman?

My concern for the Colts is that this was a season that was an opportunity to get a number 1 or 2 seed. The defeat yesterday means they will have to go through Mile High and then Foxboro to reach Arizona, they are conveniently playing in a poor division and they are the best team in that division for this season.

The Houston Texans are having a great defensive year in spite of offensive failings. In JJ Watt you have a player who would be considered for MVP awards if the Texans were above .500; and they are now at .500 with a seemingly more capable quarterback in Ryan Mallett.  Houston have a wealth of talented defenders apart from Watt; they drafted Jadaveon Clowney correctly and still have Brian Cushing and Danieal Manning who put up great numbers. The team is carried though by Watt, and for years to come the battle between him and Luck will be exhilarating.

The point of the last paragraph is that if the Colts do not get help on that offensive line to protect Luck then Watt, Clowney et al will eat him up and usurp them as the number one team in the AFC South.

Case in point they need to plan and draft better. It was fortuitous that Coby Fleener was drafted 34th overall and become the perennial safety blanket (aren't all tight ends safety blankets) for Luck has evidenced by his 7 receptions for 144 yards on Sunday night.  It was a stroke of luck for the Colts but look at who was selected 35th and 36th in the same draft. After Fleener was Courtney Upshaw (Alabama) by the Baltimore Ravens, a wonderful player and after him was Derek Wolfe a component defensive tackle for the Broncos. Even the unfortunate Jonathan Martin (Stanford) was selected 42nd by the Miami Dolphins as an offensive lineman.

Fleener will be around for years but he can expect more coverage next week after news that Dwayne Allen has a high ankle strain so a few weeks out.  The only worry is will Luck get the ball to him, enough to get the win. The Colts are 6-4 and the Texans 5-5, the encounter at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 14th will be all important to who makes the playoffs.

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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 40th Anniversary

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the film's original theatrical release, Second Sight is proud to release The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on Blu-ray in a stunning 4K restoration and 7.1 audio mix, making the film look and sound like never before.

The film is widely considered to be one of the finest horror films ever made and the infamy of the film's release, where it was banned in certain sections of America, has not diminished in recent years.

Directed by Tobe Hooper, who does so with great visual panache and integrity, it remains a wonder why Hooper did never become the bigger director this film promised, and instead became reliant upon working for people he influenced such as Steven Spielberg.

The film is the atypical horror movie sharing the generic conventions that was initiated by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho in 1960 - the final girl, the remote location, fear of the unknown and unknowing stranger who thinks he is normal and audience intrigue, and dare we say empathy, for the villain.

Leatherface was quite probably the first iconic horror character, a forerunner for Michael Myers, Freddie Kruger, Pinhead and others. The iconography of this masked villain and the image of him twirling his trusted chainsaw in the setting Texas sun helped the film become a success; a success mirrored by a film released the previous year The Exorcist.

That film initiated the audiences apparent insatiable appetite for evil to appear on screen and the need to know more about evil intentions; the film like Psycho used supposed non-fiction material as basis for their screenplays. The legend of Ted Bundy is omnipresent over both pictures.

The film will be released as a two-disc limited edition Steelbook Blu-ray, with brand new artwork and stacked by brand new bonus features, a standard two-disc Blu-ray with reversible sleeve featuring new artwork and original US poster. All will be available from 17th November.

Features include new audio commentary with Tobe Hooper along with three other commentaries featuring among others Gunnar Hansen who played Leatherface. Numerous documentaries, deleted scenes, outtakes also feature.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre still maintains the power to shock, disturb and horrify. The chance to see it in the best restorated version ever is one not to be missed, not just for horror film aficionados but for those interested in the history and power of the motion picture.

Two disc Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray £22.99
Two disc Standard Edition Blu-ray £19.99

www.secondsightfilms.co.uk

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Foxcatcher - New Quad

 

Entertainment One is pleased to release a new Quad poster for the forthcoming release of the highly anticipated Foxcatcher which will be released on 9th January 2015.

The poster tellingly gives attention to the trio of the heralded threesome - Steve Carell (John du Pont), Channing Tatum (Mark Schulz) and Mark Ruffalo (Dave Schulz) - who in the trailer all appear to give career best performances.

From Tatum's sheer intensity and physicality, to Carell's spine-tingling depiction of a conflicted individual to Ruffalo's typically cool performance.

 

Foxcatcher tells the unexpected tale of millionaire benefactor John du Pont, who gave his home to the US Wrestling team in preparation for the Olympics in Atlanta 1996.  However, slowly du Pont's vision for the scheme became odder and slowly a psychological twist about desire and loyalty appears leading to tragic consequences.

Also featured in the trailer was Vanessa Redgrave as du Pont's mother, and also in the film but not featured in the trailer are Sienna Miller as Nancy Schulz, Dave's wife and Anthony Michael Hall, as du Pont's valued assistant.

The film is directed by Bennett Miller (Moneyball, Capote), a director who is slowly becoming established as one of the finest in the business, when depicting real life events in an entertaining manner.  Miller won the Best Director Award at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Miller should be applauded for having the gall to cast Steve Carell in a physically different and mentally demanding role showing he can act dramatically as well as be a master of comedy. Credit also to Tatum who nails his most dramatic role to date without resorting to macho histrionics. 

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Let's Talk About Ched

Ched Evans is a criminal. He has been convicted of his crimes. He has served two and a half years in prison for his crimes. Ched Evans is now out of prison seeking to rehabilitate himself back into society. Ched Evans is a footballer. Kicking a ball for a living is all he knows. The normal rules of society do not seem to adhere to professional sportsman.

Today, Tuesday 11th November 2014, the players union of professional footballers, The Professional Football Association (PFA) made a request to his previous employer, Sheffield United, that Evans be allowed to train with the club.  No decision has been made by the club to re-employ him although why would a club entertain a request without the possibility of future employment.

Footballers are positioned in a vaunted status in British society, they are put on a pedestal by us all. Which young child at school doesn't want to be a professional footballer with all the riches and glamour that come with the role.  However, you get one shot at stardom and if you cock up then you should seek an alternative route to fame and fortune, as your poor lack of judgment has cost you ultimately.

Yet when you are told you are good at something from an early age you believe it is your right to do it for as long as you can.  Evans has only known one skill, to play football. He has represented his country, Wales, and yet he has been convicted of rape.

Upon release, Evans claimed he is innocent and was wrongly convicted. This was exemplified by his failure to show neither remorse nor apologise to the victim of his case.  Evans has released a video statement but has not done any media appearances and go on the charm offensive.  His anonymity is speaking volumes at this time.

When Lee Hughes was jailed for causing death by drink driving, he showed remorse and went and played for a non-league side paying his dues and then being bought by Oldham Athletic and Notts County eventually. Although even his attmept at rehabilitation was not totally successful. He is currently playing for Forest Green Rovers

Evans is becoming a sort of privileged figure, he has served a jail sentence but is going back to work. Would this happen to a binman or school teacher, there is always a period of rehabilitation but none of the stigmatism a sex offender against children would have stained against their name.

Think of this situation. There are female assistant referees in the Football League who no doubt officiate games involving Sheffield United. When they do the handshakes before the game to laughingly portray Respect, what if one of those female assistants choose to not shake the hand of Evans. If this writer is thinking about it, someone higher up in power must be or they think a convicted rapist can shake the hand of a hard working young female under the spotlight of respect.

We can talk about Ched. But Ched needs to speak more for himself instead of hiding behind a governing body which should be ashamed for their stance in this instance. When figures come out about the small number of minority figures in the national sport, that same governing body are giving support to a man who should remain unemployable until he shows remorse for his actions.

Battle of the Five Armies - Main trailer

Following on from the teaser trailer I covered last week, today I can show you a link to the offiical main trailer for The Battle of the Five Armies, which will be released worldwide on December 12th in time for Christmas. And in so doing ending the trilogy and the fine work of Peter Jackson.

To see the trailer for yourself, click here:

The trailer features a lot more than we saw in the teaser; we even have glimpses of returning characters from the Lord of the Rings trilogy with appearances by Hugo Weaving and Sir Christopher Lee.  Most pleasingly, though, the trailer does not give away too much unlike some other trailers - we have enough action and enough dialogue to indicate the gripping nature of battle between brothers in combat, yet the sheer majesty and grandeur of the war is not given away. Although with the film likely to have a three hour running time, this will surely be one long battle.

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The Gambler - New trailer

 

 THE ONLY WAY OUT IS ALL IN

Paramount Pictures are pleased to announce the new trailer of The Gambler starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes).

The new trailer allows us more of a glimpse into the life of Jim Bennett (Wahlberg), an English professor who has a secret double life as a high stakes gambler at night.  Jim owes money to several people who we meet, Frank (John Goodman), a loan shark and a gangster played by Michael Carter Williams, who takes Jim's life as collateral for the loan.  Coupled with the difficult relationship with his mother (Jessica Lange) and the blossoming relationship with a student (Brie Larson); the film offers many twists and turns as Jim finds the answers to his problems and win back the money he owes everyone without losing his life.

The trailer shows a lot, a lot of generic dialogue is thrown around by Goodman as the paternal advisor to Wahlberg; and Wahlberg's character does come across as someone who does not learn his lesson to often, therefore the introduction of a young fair maiden might make him change his ways.

For Wyatt, this a great shot in the arm to follow up the unexpected success of his Apes reimagining with a solid dramatic work with some established Hollywood veterans in Wahlberg, Goodman and Lange; who seem to be enjoying their work.

The Gambler is out in UK cinemas on 19th December

Join the conversation on twitter with the hashtag #THEGAMBLER

Men, Women and Children - preview

 

Paramount Pictures is pleased to release a brand new trailer and poster of the forthcoming Men, Women & Children from acclaimed director, Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) starring Ansel Elgort, Jennifer Garner, Adam Sandler and Emma Thompson.

Men, Women & Children follows the story of a group of high school teenagers and their parents as they attempt to navigate the many ways the internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives. The film attempts to stare down social issues such as video game culture, anorexia, infidelity, fame hunting, and the proliferation of illicit material on the Internet. As each character and each relationship is tested, we are shown the variety of roads people choose - some tragic, some hopeful - as it becomes clear that no one is immune to this enormous social change that has come through our phones, our tablets, and our computers.

In the trailer we get to meet Tim (Elgort) and Brandy (Kaitlyn Dever) two individuals who find each other at high school, yet the path of true love does not run smooth as Brandy's mother (Garner) deliberately watches all of her daughter's interactive activity through her phone and the internet.  Is her mother living vicariously through her daughter, or protecting her as best she can in a dangerous world or can this be prescribed as over-parenting to the nth degree?  Following on from the box office success of The Fault in our Stars, there is a potential for another box office hit with the right balance of humour, affection and another bedside hospital visit foreboding.

The film has the usual sheen associated with Reitman's work which took a slight dramatic detour with Labor Day last year, yet this return to an ensemble piece (such as his under-rated Thank You for Smoking) could well harken back to his work with Juno, where his chops of garnering good teenage performances can be expected. Based on the novel by Chad Kultgen, Reitman wrote the screenplay with Erin Cressida Wilson (Secretary, Fur)

A link to the trailer is available here

The film is scheduled for release in UK cinemas on December 5th

http://twitter.com/ParamountUK  

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In the Heart of the Sea

 

Directed by Oscar winner Ron Howard and starring Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw and Brendan Gleeson, In the Heart of the Sea tells the epic true story of men who survived upon the vessel Essex which would serve as the inspiration for Herman Melville's Moby Dick in the winter of 1820.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E0b2bYO519s
 
In the Heart of the Sea reveals the encounter’s harrowing aftermath, as the ship’s surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive.  Braving storms, starvation, panic and despair, the men will call into question their deepest beliefs, from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade, as their captain searches for direction on the open sea and his first mate still seeks to bring the great whale down.

 

In the Heart of the Sea stars Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers, Rush) as the vessel’s veteran first mate Owen Chase; Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) as its inexperienced Captain, George Pollard; Cillian Murphy (The Dark Knight Rises) as second mate Matthew Joy; and Ben Whishaw (Skyfall) as novelist Herman Melville, whose inquiries into the event 30 years later helped bring the story to light.  Tom Holland (The Impossible) also stars as young seaman Tom Nickerson, and Brendan Gleeson (Edge of Tomorrow) as the same man, 30 years later.  Spanish actor Jordi Mollà (Riddick) is the captain of another ship, the Archimedes, who tries to warn the Essex of what may lie ahead.

The trailer is a gripping two and a half minute teaser which has the customary voice over from the experienced old dog, some lilting music from the soundtrack and some amazing photography of the action at the sea, borrowing a trick from Spielberg's Jaws in that we do not see all of the beast. 

 

The film promises to be the best nautical movie seen since Master and Commander, which was directed by Hemsworth compatriot Peter Weir and starred Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany.  That film, pardon the pun, sank from public consciousness but hopefully will be remembered now, and if the film does half of what the trailer envisages we land lovers are in for a treat.

Opening worldwide beginning March 13, 2015 in theatres and IMAX, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

In the Heart of the Sea will be released in UK cinemas on 13th March 2015

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Grand Central

 

GRAND CENTRAL stars two of France’s most exciting and talented actors - Léa Seydoux, winner of the Palme d’Or in 2013 for her stunning performance in Blue Is The Warmest Colour, and Tahar Rahim who received many accolades for his gripping performance in A Prophet including two César Awards and Best Actor from the European Film Awards. 

Gary (Tahar Rahim) is young, agile and a quick learner.  He's one of those guys who's never been promised anything.  After a succession of odd jobs, he’s taken on at a nuclear power plant.  There, amongst the reactors and their high doses of radioactivity, he finally finds what he's been looking for: money, a team, a family.  But the team also includes Karole (Léa Seydoux), the wife of his colleague, Toni (Denis Menochet), with whom he falls in love.

While the film may follow the familiar narrative arc of forbidden love and thou shall not covet thy neighbours wife, the film is elevated beyond the average by having two starlets such as Rahim and Seydoux, who are head and shoulders above the rest of French actors currently.  Menochet does well with the idiot husband role, Menochet starred in the brilliant French drama The Returned, which has provided a springboard to many a French actor in recent years.

At times beautifully shot when in the countryside, and the young director Rebecca Zlotowski (Belle epine) has an observant eye to relationships and garners electrifying performances from the actors involved, evoking passion and a certain enigmatic quality not to be missed.

The film is released on Home Entertainment DVD and Download on Monday 10th November by StudioCanal. 

www.studiocanal.co.uk

Battle of the Five Armies - Preview

 

Click here to see an exclusive World Premiere Announcement video starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Richard Armitage and Luke Evans.  The World Premiere takes place in London on December 1st, 2014; with Peter Jackson and much of the cast and crew in attendance to meet and greet fans. The Battle of the Five Armies will be opening in UK cinemas on Friday 12th December.

If you click here you will also see the teaser trailer where the battle holds the centre of attention, with Armitage and Evans exchanging words before battle.  Epic in scope, huge in its ambition yet the music of Howard Shore forebodes an underlying finality to proceedings.

Following on from the DVD/Blu-ray release of The Desolation of Smaug Extended Edition, the appetite is getting well and truly whetted before the conclusion of The Hobbit Trilogy: The Battle of the Five Armies promises to not disappoint.

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www.warnerbros.co.uk/thehobbitmovies

Imitation Game - Six Minutes

 

Another week, another clip for the hotly anticipated The Imitation Game starring the Oscar tipped Benedict Cumberbatch as the famed Alan Turing, master of the Enigma code at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. A period of history strongly felt to help the Allies defeat the Nazis during the conflict.

In this brief 42 second clip, Turing meets Joan Clarke, played by Keira Knightley, Turing has the opportunity to meet someone of similar beautiful mind to his. Someone he can work with in the battle to save the war.

Cumberbatch is gaining a lot of momentum in recent weeks since the film premiered at the London Film Festival, many predicting he will garner his first Oscar nomination. Not to be confused with the film Enigma which starred Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet and was more an ensemble piece, this focuses more on the work of Turing alone and his affect on the whole scheme during and beyond the war when he was largely forgotten following the Allied victory.

And an added bonus for you readers, here is a making of featurette, where Mr. Cumberbatch, Mr. Strong and Ms. Knightley along with director Morten Tyldum talk about making the film.

The Imitation Game is released on November 14th

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BiRDMAN - Levels Upon Levels

In what promises to be one of he main Oscar contenders and featuring a memorable central performance from a rejuvenated Michael Keaton, Alejandro Inarritu's Birdman has released another featurette in anticipation of its January 2015 release in UK cinemas.

Levels upon Levels supplies us with more insight into the character of Riggan Thompson (Keaton), an actor famous for portraying a superhero who is struggling with adapting and starring in a Broadway play.

Inarritu, in the featurette, mentions how he wanted the audience to experience all the action through the eyes of Riggan, hence the point of view cinematography and how the audience will get shocks as Riggan experiences them.

Keaton explains how the film goes from dark to funny and back and forth throughout the piece.

Follow this link for a sneak peek of Birdman - http://youtu.be/LU9XI9iLcRs

Birdman stars Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and Zach Galifanakis