Films To Watch Before You Die #14 - Almost Famous (2000)

D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die...

Almost Famous, 2000.

Directed by Cameron Crowe.
Starring Patrick Fugit, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee, Zooey Deschanel, Kate Hudson and Philip Seymour-Hoffman.

Almost Famous is the story of 15 year old aspiring writer William (Fugit) who after several articles for small publications is given the chance to tour with his heroes Stillwater and whilst writing an article for Rolling Stone. William is instantly thrown into a world of rock egos, groupies, partying and the life only a 15 year old could dream about.

Touring the country on the bands tour bus, sharing hotels with them and their groupies as well as attending parties William falls in love, loses his virginity and lives his dream. After idolising the band for so long he gets to meet them and see the real Stillwater, egos and arguments included. As the band threaten to fall apart he witnesses the struggles and tension as well as the real men behind the rock personas of lead singer Jeff (Lee) and main creative Russell (Billy Crudup), William’s favourite.

All the while William builds a strong bond with Groupie Penny (Hudson), who is in love Russell, but used by him and discarded when no longer needed. William also learns the truth, pain and reality behind Penny and why her and the other groupies do what they do with such dedication.

Almost Famous is a film based upon the experiences of its writer and director Cameron Crowe when he was touring with bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the real Stillwater in his youth. Crowe has stated he fell in love, lost his virginity and met his heroes during those times and so has pumped those experiences back into his film for a real personal and authentic feel.

The film has also given birth to an iconic scene in movie pop culture that is known as the Almost Famous moment. Russell and William split from the band so Russell can be with ‘real’ people and they end up at a high school party in which Russell climbs onto the roof. High on LSD he screams “I am a golden god” before instructing William to write that his last words were “I’m on drugs” and then he jumps from the roof into the pool. That scene has been recreated and quoted by many artists in a variety of films, TV shows and songs as they search for or achieve their own Almost Famous moment.

Almost Famous is a fantastic film that illuminates the reality behind the rock n roll and brings to life the dream of every young rock fan. It’s a film that must be seen before you die because by experiencing this story through the eyes of a 15 year old the audience is automatically transported back to a time when they dreamt of touring with their favourite band and an immediate childlike excitement enthuses all who watch.


D.J. Haza

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DVD Giveaway - Batman: The Movie - NOW CLOSED

As we wait with baited breath for the six-minute prologue and new trailer from director Christopher Nolan's final Batman feature, The Dark Knight Rises, what better time than to offer one of our readers the chance to grab a Special Edition DVD copy of the classic 1966 theatrical effort, Batman: The Movie, starring Adam West and Burt Ward as the Dynamic Duo!

Read on for the synopsis, trailer and details of how to enter this giveaway...

"When Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) get a tip that Commodore Schmidlapp (Reginald Perry) is in danger aboard his yacht, they launch a rescue mission only to find themselves set up by four of the most powerful super villains ever, who seek to defeat the Dynamic Duo once and for all! Armed with a dehydrator that turns humans into dust, the fearsome foursome intend to take over the world! Can the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder use their high-flying heroism and groovy gadgetry to declaw Catwoman (Lee Meriwether), ice the Penguin (Burgess Meredith), upstage the Joker (Cesar Romero) and stump the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) in time?"


To be in with a chance of grabbing the prize, simply add us on Twitter, go directly to the competition message and hit retweet.

The giveaway is open to anyone (although if you're outside of the U.K. make sure you can play region 2 discs) and closes at midnight on Friday, December 23rd.

The Prize Finder - UK Competitions
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By entering this competition you agree to our terms and conditions, which you can read here.

Indie Corner – Trailer for the multi-award winning indie thriller Rage

Inspired by Steven Spielberg’s classic TV movie Duel and films such as John Carpenter’s Halloween, writer-director Chris Witherspoon’s (Middle Man) suspense thriller Rage has enjoyed a fantastic run on the independent festival circuit this past year, picking up a host of accolades across America and Europe, in addition to some strong press from the likes of Film Threat and Fangoria, who described the $100k feature as “really, really good… a tight, taut indie thriller with enough action, suspense and intrigue to fill three movies.”

Rage tells the story of Dennis Twist, a suburban, 30-something who unintentionally provokes the wrath of a dark, mysterious, homicidal motorcyclist and must fight for his very life. The confrontation with “The Biker” escalates into a daylong battle of cat-and-mouse, concluding in an extremely violent rampage. Witherspoon also features on screen, where he is joined by a cast of fresh talented actors including Rick Crawford (Wild Sunflowers) and Audrey Walker (The Waiting List) – check out the trailer here…


For more information on Rage, visit the official site.

Special Features - Steven Spielberg: From ‘Filmmaker’ to ‘From’

Anghus Hourvouras wonders whether the world’s greatest filmmaker has endorsed himself into a corner...

There was a time when Steven Spielberg’s name on a film meant something. It was an event. A reason to go to the movies. There are few filmmakers that have been able to generate excitement in film fans both young and old. That statement was true in the 1970s, the 1980s, and even the 1990s. I don’t know how true that is anymore.

Something happened in the 21st Century that changed the perception of Spielberg. It was subtle and for many years I didn’t even realize it was happening. The world’s most popular filmmaker had transformed from a creative mind to a product endorsement. At some point we started seeing the word “from” appear more in front Spielberg’s name than “a film by”.

This year alone we’ve seen a glut of product “from Steven Spielberg“. Movies like Super 8, Cowboys & Aliens and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Even on the small screen we see “From” on TV Shows like The United States of Tara, Terra Nova, and the new NBC series Smash. Now at the end of the year we have two movies actually directed by Steven Spielberg and doesn’t seem to be the same level of excitement. It seems like stamping his name on so many films and shows has devalued the brand.

It’s semantics. Perception versus reality. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the film community or entertainment journalism who doesn’t appreciate his work. There’s still respect among his peers and reverence among the media. But to the ticket buying public the transformation of Spielberg from creative force to endorsement stamp has had an impact.

In the U.S., the buzz for The Adventures of Tintin is almost non existent. To a degree, it’s understandable. It’s a property far better known overseas than in the States. But on paper one would think a big animated film directed by one of the world’s most successful filmmakers would be cause for excitement. And yet we are a weeks away from release without so much as a peep outside of the hardcore geek community already familiar with the character. His second release in 2011, War Horse, is generating a little more interest in the media due it’s award prospects, but neither film is setting the media ablaze with interest.

The truth is, Spielberg has lost his luster thanks to “From” appearing on so much lackluster product. Studios are eager to have him on board. His name used to be associated with quality. Movies like Super 8 and Cowboys & Aliens have been marketed to a massive degree on his name, riding his coattails to solid opening weekends. To the average moviegoer, his name holds weight. At the same time, the casual movie fan has little ability to discern between “From Steven Spielberg” and “A film by Steven Spielberg.” This kind of marketing muddying has left us with a cinematic landscape where movies like Tintin and War Horse are lost among the dozen projects a year he puts his name on.

It seems like the saturation point has been reached. The answer to whether or not he remains viable will be answered at the end of December when both The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse are released here in the U.S.. Will audiences turn out for the films or has Spielberg marketed himself into mediocrity? The performance of both films at the box office and during awards season may very well answer that question.

Anghus Houvouras

Michael Mann Retrospective - Heat (1995)

Heat, 1995.

Directed by Michael Mann.
Starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, Ted Levine, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner, Natalie Portman, Danny Trejo and Jeremy Piven.


SYNOPSIS:

A professional thief is hunted by an unrelenting detective in the streets of Los Angeles.


“The central event occurred from a friend of mine who was a sergeant in the Chicago PD,” explained filmmaker Michael Mann as to the origins of Heat. The police officer told a story about two charismatic and respectful adversaries engaged in a fatal conflict with each other. The relationship served as the nucleus for the screenplay. “The very first time I wrote it was in the late 1970s. I wrote it again after I did Thief [1981]. I didn’t want to go back into the same arena.” The native of Chicago approached his friend and colleague Walter Hill (The Driver) to direct the crime action drama; however, Hill turned down the offer. The big screen project became a small screen one. “When I shot L.A. Takedown [1989] I bridged it severely.” After shooting The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Mann revisited his original script. “I read it and suddenly I wanted to do it. I liked the form and structure.” The cat and mouse game between the heist crew and the law enforcement offices was crosscut with their domestic travails. The narrative technique allowed for a deeper exploration of the various characters which appealed to writer-director.

“The preparation for the bank heist was in two parts,” remarked Andy McNab who provided the technical weapons training with Mick Gould. “Obviously, there was the getting into the bank and the second was the gunfight outside.” Authenticity was extremely important for Michael Mann who had his cast given different curriculums depending on whether they playing the criminals or the police officers. “I wanted everybody well trained so that they felt they could actually do what the characters in this film do. The actors responded in a very good way.” Al Pacino (The Godfather), who portrays Lt. Vincent Hanna of the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division, stated, “I’ve never experienced something like this. He had us out on a range to shoot guns. I’ve done it before. You practice and learn. People teach you how to do it and where it goes. Only I’ve never done it with real bullets.” The performers playing the heist crew got to participate in a mock robbery in preparation for their roles. “They went in and carried out their tasks, got into the vehicles and we drove off,” said McNab. “When we got the tapes back from the bank, nobody had been seen.” The exercise made the actors feel more comfortable. “Everybody took this movie really seriously,” observed Danny Trejo (Machete). “When we were in the planning stages of the robberies you really got that feeling this is the way it is. This is way you do it.” Val Kilmer (Tombstone) chuckled, “I heard something that was very flattering. There is a shot where I run out of bullets; I change a magazine, and go back to firing. The Marines show the clip telling those maggots, ‘That if you can’t change a clip as fast as this actor then get out of my army!’”

“The main heist was a big challenge,” stated First Assistant Director Michael Waxman. “We were only allowed to shoot on Saturdays and Sundays. Every weekend we would have to pull in there, get everything setup and pull out of that sequence on Sunday.” The sound of blanks being fired was overpowering. “We used 800 to 1000 rounds per take when we had our cops and criminals going at each other,” recalled Gould. “It was quite an amazing sound.” Sound Mixer Chris Jenkins was intrigued by the noise. “The gunfire downtown was truly a horrifying sound and because of the skyscrapers everywhere; it was just deafening,” said Jenkins. “It would hang in the sky for maybe eight or ten seconds.” The gunfire could not be replicated in post-production. “Nothing artificial could come close delivering the fear of the sound that the full load made moving through those automatic weapons,” revealed Michael Mann. “The way the sound ricocheted off the walls of the buildings of an empty downtown. You couldn’t manufacture the actual sound. It was quite extraordinary.”

It was a coup to get the both of them to do this together but it was ready to happen,” stated Producer Art Linson on the casting of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver) who would star in a scene together for the first time. “It was the kind of material that called for those actors.” Commenting on the adversarial characters of Vincent Hanna and Neil McCauley (De Niro), Michael Mann said, “I never ever viewed them as being the flipside of the same coin. I viewed them as being as antithetical to each other.” The director explained, “One of the things that are different is that Neil McCauley is a sociopath and Hanna is not.” Jon Voight (Midnight Cowboy) makes use of a sports metaphor to describe the relationship between Hanna and McCauley. “Those two characters are very charismatic and they sense each other throughout,” remarked Voight. “There is some respect. It’s like two boxers in a ring who are great boxers. They know something between themselves that no one else knows.” Film critic James Wolcott was impressed by a creative choice made by the originator of the tale. “Everybody expected that they would be butting heads scene after scene,” said Wolcott. “What Mann does is very ingenious; he delays the scene where they show up together in the same physical space. And then when he does he sets it into a very non-confrontational setting. It’s not a big showdown; they’re sitting over coffee.”

The $60 million production grossed $174 million worldwide and was nominated by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films for Best Action/Adventure Film and Best Supporting Actor (Val Kilmer); it also competed for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress (Diane Venora) at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards. Natalie Portman (Black Swan) contended for Best Performance for a Young Actress in Drama Film at the YoungStar Awards. “I only do films that I truly believe in,” readily admits Michael Mann who served as an major inspiration for filmmaker Christopher Nolan and his blockbuster hit The Dark Knight (2008). “I always felt,” enthused Nolan, “Heat to be a remarkable demonstration of how you can create a vast universe within one city, and balance a very large number of characters and their emotional journeys in an effective manner.”

Heat trailer:


Mann Handled: A Michael Mann Profile

A Michael Mann Retrospective

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada.

And the nominees for the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards are...

Monday night brought the first ceremony of awards season as the Gotham Independent Film Awards took place in New York City, and the dust barely had time to settle before the nominations for indie cinema's most pretigious accolades - Film Independent's Spirit Awards - were announced on Tuesday evening.

Despite sharing Best Feature with Max Mills Beginners at the Gotham Awards, there was no place for Terrence Malick's divisive drama The Tree of Life (nor acclaimed efforts Like Crazy and We Need to Talk About Kevin) among the nominees, with Beginners set to contest Best Film - won last year by Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller Black Swan - with Jonathan Levine's 50/50, Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, Jeff Nichols' Take Shelter, Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist and Alexander Payne's The Descendants.

Mills, Winding Refn, Nichols, Michel Hazanavicius and Payne also received nods for Best Director, while the likes of Ryan Gosling (Drive), Woody Harrelson (Rampart), Michael Shannon (Take Shelter), Albert Brooks (Drive), Christopher Plummer (Beginners), John C. Reilly (Cedar Rapids), Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn), Jessica Chastain (Take Shelter) and Anjelica Huston (50/50) are among the names vying for the acting honours. Take Shelter and The Artist lead the field with five nominations apiece, and you can take a look at the full list of nominees right here...

Best Film
50/50
Beginners
Drive
Take Shelter
The Artist
The Descendants

Best Director
Mike Mills (Beginners)
Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive)
Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter)
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Alexander Payne (The Descendants)

Best First Feature
Another Earth
In The Family
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Natural Selection

Best Male Lead
Demian Bichir (A Better Life)
Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Ryan Gosling (Drive)
Woody Harrelson (Rampart)
Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)

Best Female Lead
Lauren Ambrose (Think of Me)
Rachel Harris (Natural Selection)
Adepero Oduye (Pariah)
Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)

Best Supporting Male
Albert Brooks (Drive)
John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
John C. Reilly (Cedar Rapids)
Corey Stoll (Midnight in Paris)

Best Supporting Female
Jessica Chastain (Take Shelter)
Anjelica Huston (50/50)
Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
Harmony Santana (Gun Hill Road)
Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

John Cassavetes Award (for best film made for under $500,000)
Bellflower
Circumstance
Hello Lonesome
Pariah
The Dynamiter

Best Documentary
An African Selection
Bill Cunningham New York
The Interrupters
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
We Were Here

Best Cinematography
Joel Hodge (Bellflower)
Benjamin Kasulke (The Off Hours)
Darius Khondji (Midnight in Paris)
Guillaume Shiffman (The Artist)
Jeffrey Waldron (The Dynamiter)

Best Screenplay
Joseph Cedar (Footnote)
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Tom McCarthy (Win Win)
Mike Mills (Beginners)
Alexander Payne (The Descendants)

Best First Screenplay
Mike Cahill and Brit Marling (Another Earth)
J.C. Chandor (Margin Call)
Patrick DeWitt (Terri)
Phil Johnston (Cedar Rapids)
Will Reiser (50/50)

Best Foreign Film
A Separation
Melancholia
Shame
The Kid With a Bike
Tyrannosaur

Robert Altman Award
Margin Call

Piaget Producers Award
Chad Burris (Mosquita)
Y Mari Sophia Lin (Take Shelter)
Josh Mond (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

Someone to Watch Award
Simon Arthur (Silver Tongues)
Mark Jackson (Without)
Nicholas Ozeki (Mamitas)

Truer Than Fiction Award
Heather Courtney (Where Soldiers Come From)
Danfung Dennis (Hell and Back Again)
Alma Har'el (Bombay Beach)

The Independent Spirit Awards will be presented on February 25th, one day prior to the 84th Academy Awards.

Films To Watch Before You Die #13 - He Got Game (1998)

D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die...

He Got Game, 1998.

Directed by Spike Lee.
Starring Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Milla Jovovich, Rosario Dawson, Jim Brown and John Turturro.

He Got Game is a sports film with a difference! The story follows Jesus Shuttlesworth (Allen), the top rated prospect in US high school basketball. As Jesus is trying to work out whether he should go straight to the NBA or to choose a college to play ball at whilst he gets an education everyone is throwing things at him to get him go with them. Money, women and gifts are all offered in return for his signature, but Jesus must think about himself and his younger daughter who he cares for.

Jesus’ father, Jake (Washington), tracks his son’s every move from his prison cell via newspaper clippings. Despite currently serving time for the manslaughter of his wife and Jesus’ mother Jake is allowed out of prison for one week to try and convince Jesus to attend the Sate Governor’s college of choice, Big State. Jake’s attempts to talk to Jesus bring about animosity and resentment as he tries cut off his father.

The relationship between Jake and Jesus seems irreparable as their story is told in a series of flashbacks in which Jake pushes a teenage Jesus in order to prepare him to become a better basketball player. Jesus struggles with his father’s cold and calculated approach to fatherhood as a wedge is driven between them. When Jake does eventually get a chance to talk to his son and explain his situation Jesus and him have a brief moment, but still no reconciliation and Jake makes his way back to his cell.

Ray Allen was a young basketball player himself in the NBA at the time and his performance has been commended by many critics. Through the film both Jake and Jesus learn their own lessons in life and the pair work well together on screen with Allen playing an energetic young man full of angst and Washington an older man who has spent plenty of time reflecting on himself. The two varied performances work incredibly well together in one of Spike Lee’s best films to date.

Another major bonus for He Got Game is its unbelievable soundtrack with Public Enemy creating an original soundtrack for the film. The title track He Got Game is a classic piece of hip-hop that will have you tapping your toes and the rest of the soundtrack adds to a very clear hip-hop influence throughout the film.

He Got Game is a stunning film that you must see before you die as it uses basketball as a vehicle in which to tell a story of fatherhood, family and parenting. Although the basketball doesn’t feature much through the film it is constantly referenced and used as a tool to teach Jesus the morals and ethics that would make him a great basketball player and a good man.


D.J. Haza

Follow my blog at http://djhaza.blogspot.com/
Follow me at http://www.facebook.com/djhaza

Channel 4 release a trailer for This Is England '88

British filmmaker Shane Meadows' hard-hitting four-part television series This Is England '86 was certainly one the TV highlights of 2010 and now the gang heading back to the small screen once again for a new three-part festive follow-up entitled This Is England '88, which has just received its first trailer courtesy of Channel 4.

As with its predecessor, This Is England '88 is scripted by Meadows and Jack Thorne (Skins) and sees the return of Thomas Turgoose, Joseph Gilgun and Vicky McClure as Shaun, Woody and Lol - roles they originated in Meadows' acclaimed 2006 feature This Is England. The three hour-long episodes are set to air on Channel 4 over consecutive nights starting December 13th, and the series will serve as a lead-in to Meadows' next TV project, This Is England '90, which is set to focus on the ecstasy-fuelled rave scene of the era and is expected to arrive some time in the New Year.

Take a look at the trailer for This Is England '88 here...


Visit the official site for more information, including cast interviews and all four episodes of This Is England '86 on 4oD.

Second Opinion - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, 2011.

Directed by Bill Condon.
Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Julia Jones, Billy Burke, Maggie Grace and Michael Sheen.


SYNOPSIS:

The newly-wed Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen find themselves contending with a threat that could destroy their world.


After just over a year, the Twi-nomenon has returned in all of its twi-glory. Twi-hards can be heard rejoicing all over the en-twire world. The twi-series is back to earning to some major twi-bucks. Okay, that’s enough of that. Love it, hate it or just not really caring much about it at all (I place myself in the latter), Twilight is guaranteed for at least one thing; complete box office dominance. It did not disappoint earning itself a spot behind the very epic Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 that premiered back in July for the second highest grossing opening weekend this year. Not bad, but there is a line to be drawn between quantity (ticket sales) and film quality. For those of you who follow my writing you might remember my mini-adventure involving Eclipse If not, you can read it here. Those of you who don’t should hang your head in utter shame. Since I put time and effort into that film, I figured I might as well attempt to do the same for this one. Only I didn’t, I was simply invited and figured ‘why not?’, if anything I’ll earn myself a free 2 hours of sleep. But while I actually felt that Breaking Dawn’s predecessor was a semi-decent film, I don’t really feel like I can say the same for the latest chapter however.

This one wastes absolutely no time getting right to the wedding of the year. An event that possibly rivaled Kim Kardashian’s in anticipation as well as price, it took up probably the first 15 minutes of the movie. With a mixture of living and un-dead guests on either side of her, the bride, Bella (Kristen Stewart), looked all kinds of nervous being escorted by her dad, Charlie (Billy Burke), down the aisle. Her groom, a pale white Edward (Robert Pattison) stood waiting for her. After the super drawn-out intricacies that were the ceremony and reception were finally over, the even more drawn-out honeymoon was somewhat painful to watch. Bella takes on the persona of a frightened mouse once they get to their hidden honeymoon destination. Absolutely terrified over finally “doing the act” with her newly acquired husband. An act that leaves her in an unexplainable physical state and forces the two of them to return home.

The third corner in the storied love triangle, Jacob (Taylor Lautner), still wasn’t very accepting to the fact that the love of his life was getting married to a member of his packs’ mortal enemy. Although struggling with all of this, this film seems to try to push his maturity level up a bit. He grows up and even plays around with the idea of being on his own, away from his brothers and sisters of the Quileute wolves. Upon learning of Bella’s “condition” after her and Edward return abruptly from their time away, he, without hesitation, springs to her side. He slowly but surely begins to realize that he must indeed put his feelings towards Edward and his coven of vampires aside and agree to do whatever he again to help her.

Breaking Dawn - Part 1 progresses at an almost nodding off to sleep pace. It has its moments of action and mildly interesting drama but they are very brief and far in between. Speaking more on Bella’s fright, Stewart’s portrayal of her virgin character was quite amusing truthfully. I don’t know if she was more afraid of not being able to please her new husband or if she was frightened for what a vampire might do to her during sex but it seemed impossible for her to hide it. The sex scene itself wasn’t really all that special in my opinion although the bed did become a casualty. The constant kissing and touching between the two of them throughout the entire film was a little unbearable. I know you guys are newlyweds but sheesh, get a damn room.

The majority of the movie revolved around that: the wedding and the honeymoon. By the time the plot finally really got going, it was about time for the credits to begin rolling. Even when the story hit its’ “high points”, they were followed by more slowness. It kind of felt like the characters were talking an awful lot but not really saying much. Possibly the most exciting part of the movie was the wolf showdown between Jacob and the alpha pack leader Sam (Chaske Spencer). Although the special effects somewhat took a back seat to the overall drama within this film, the resolution on the wolves themselves were again done pretty well. I personally would have liked to see more of my girl, Anna Kendrick, but I would have to make due.

One part of the story itself that I’m still pretty hazy on is the whole imprinting concept. In one of the previous films, Jacob tries to explain to Bella that it “isn’t exactly love at first sight”. But isn’t that what seeing someone and instantly wanting to be their absolute everything is? Someone please ask Stephanie Meyer to further clarify. After doing some research and realizing that Jacob imprints on an infant child, it all has a sort of pedophilic feel to me. Plus the term “imprint” sounds kind of dirty. “Hey dude, I think Naomi is mad at me. I tried aiming for the sheets last night but acidentally imprinted on her stomach instead.”

I was astonished that there were only a few shirtless scenes, with only one from Taylor “Abduction” Lautner. They’re probably just saving all of that skin to pack into next November’s finale. Kind of fitting, that this supernatural and rather unhealthy obsession finally comes to an end the month before the world is expected to cease to exist according to our good friends the Mayans. Coincidence? I’ll let you be the judge. Overall, I feel like Twilight possibly may have had something to do with our economy’s state but if I had to pick one film out of all of them, I’d have to stick with Eclipse being the “best” one. It had the most combination of plot happenings going on at once and even contained some funny parts. This one might as well ought to be called ‘Breaking Yawn’. I see why those couple of guys had seizures. Guess they couldn’t take anymore. I give The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 “3.5 bruising sessions of vampire sex out of 10”.

“It’s better to imprint on someone and be some kind of happy than to be completely alone and miserable.”

Sean Guard
Follow me on Twitter @Sean_Guard

Beginners and The Tree of Life tie for Best Feature at the Gotham Independent Film Awards 2011

Awards season got underway on Monday night as the stars gathered in New York City for the 21st Annual Gotham Awards, with Mike Mills' comedy drama Beginners sharing the top honour - Best Feature - with Terrence Malick's Palme d'Or winner The Tree of Life, after fending off competition from The Descendants, Meek's Cutoff and Take Shelter. The award for Best Breakthrough Actor / Actress went to rising English actress Felicity Jones for Like Crazy, while Dee Rees was named Best Breakthrough Director for her debut feature Pariah.

Along with Best Feature, Beginners took home a second award as the likes of Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer Ewan McGregor and Mélanie Laurent were honoured with Best Ensemble Performance, while special tribute awards were also given to Charlize Theron, Gary Oldman, David Cronenberg and Tom Rothman, CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment. Take a look at the full list of winners (and nominees) right here...

Best Feature
Beginners (dir. Mike Mills)
The Tree of Life (dir. Mike Mills)
The Descendants (dir. Alexander Payne)
Meek's Cutoff (dir. Kelly Reichardt)
Take Shelter (dir. Jeff Nichols)

Best Breakthrough Actor/Actress
Felicity Jones (Like Crazy)
Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Harmony Santana (Gun Hill Road)
Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)
Jacob Wysocki (Terri)

Best Breakthrough Director
Dee Rees (Pariah)
Mike Cahill (Another Earth)
Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene)
Vera Farmiga (Higher Ground)
Evan Glodell (Bellflower)

Best Documentary
Better This World (dir. Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega)
Bill Cunningham New York (dir. Richard Press)
Hell and Back Again (dir. Danfung Dennis)
The Interrupters (dir. Steve James)
The Woodmans (dir. C. Scott Willis)

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You
Scenes of a Crime (dir. Blue Hadaegh and Grover Babcock)
Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same (dir. Madeleine Olnek)
Green (dir. Sophia Takal)
The Redemption of General Butt Naked (dir. Eric Strauss and Daniele Anastasion)
Without (dir. Mark Jackson)

Audience Award
Girlfriend (dir. Justin Lerner)
Being Elmo: A Puppeteers Journey (dir. Constance Marks)
Buck (dir. Cindy Meehl)
The First Grader (dir. Justin Chadwick)
Wild Horse, Wild Ride (dir. Alex Dawson and Greg Gricus)

Best Ensemble Performance
Beginners - (Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox, Mary Page Keller, Keegan Boos)
The Descendants - (George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause, Amara Miller, Mary Birdsong, Rob Huebel)
Margin Call - (Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Aasif Mandvi)
Martha Marcy May Marlene - (Elizabeth Olsen, Christopher Abbott, Brady Corbet, Hugh Dancy, Maria Dizzia, Julia Garner, John Hawkes, Louisa Krause, Sarah Paulson)
Take Shelter - (Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Kathy Baker, Ray McKinnon, Lisagay Hamilton, Robert Longstreet)

Spotlight on Women Filmmakers: Live the Dream Grant
Lucy Mulloy (Una Noche)
Jenny Deller (Future Weather)
Rola Nashef (Detroit Unleaded)

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 retains the UK box office crown

UK box office top ten and analysis for the weekend of Friday 25th - Sunday 27th November 2011...

There was little surprise at the UK box office this past weekend as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 pulled in another £4.6m in receipts, with the fourth entry in the hugely popular vampire romance series pushing its grand total to £23.3m after just 10 days on screens. It's certainly been a good start for the penultimate installment and although its hardly pushing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - which had amassed a hefty £44.3m at the same stage of release - it's already the sixth biggest film of the year on these shores.

After a somewhat disappointing opening, Aardman Animations' Arthur Christmas retains second place for the third week consecutive week (and also manages to increase its haul for the third week in a row), while £749,819 is enough to place My Week with Marilyn in third, making it the highest of six new entries in the chart and pushing The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn and Immortals down one place apiece to fourth and fifth respectively.

Moving on and it's nearly all change in the bottom half of the chart, with the only familiar face being the Justin Timberlake sci-fi thriller In Time, which falls three spots from last week to finish up in eighth. Placing above that is 50/50, with the Seth Rogen / Joseph Gordon-Levitt cancer comedy taking in £410k to claim sixth, while the Daniel Craig / Rachel Weisz thriller Dream House opens in seventh with £304k. Bollywood comedy Desi Boyz enjoys a solid debut in ninth with £243k, leaving baseball drama Moneyball to pick up the wooden spoon in tenth with £230k.

Number one this time last year: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Pos.	Film	Weekend Gross	Week	Total UK Gross
1	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1	£4,574,978	2	£23,310,686
2	Arthur Christmas	£2,526,285	3	£8,048,183
3	My Week with Marilyn	£749,819	1	£749,819
4	The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn	£712,398	5	£15,063,616
5	Immortals	£534,163	3	£5,404,986
6	50/50	£410,251	1	£410,251
7	Dream House	£304,239	1	£304,239
8	In Time	£258,840	4	£5,026,901
9	Desi Boyz	£243,792	1	£243,792
10	Moneyball	£230,848	1	£230,848

Incoming...

As December approaches, two 3D family films will look to challenge for the UK box office crown with Martin Scorsese's Hugo (cert. TBC) and George Miller's animated sequel Happy Feet Two (cert. U), while other new releases include the Jack Black / Owen Wilson / Steve Martin comedy The Big Year (cert. PG) and horror 'premake' The Thing (cert. 15) [read our review here].

U.K. Box Office Archive

DVD Giveaway - Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale - NOW CLOSED

The lights are up in the shopping centres! The ads are on the telly! The Christmas gift guides are out! And it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas… But if you’re looking for an alternative to the traditional Christmas films then take a look at the wonderfully off-beat Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (out now on DVD and Blu-ray), the REAL story of Santa Claus that will have everyone believing again…. whether you’ve been naughty or nice!


On the eve of Christmas a young boy sets out to discover the truth behind several strange goings on in his small isolated village. Why have all the reindeer been slaughtered? Who took all the hairdryers and radiators? And where have all the children gone? Seal the chimney, lock the doors, hide your children because the real Santa is coming to town.

So forget about the Christmas shopping and have a go at winning a copy of Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale on DVD along with some chocolate treats to enjoy while you watch, courtesy of Icon Home Entertainment.

Check out our review along with the original shorts Rare Exports Inc. and The Official Rare Exports Inc. Safety Instructions, and read on for details of how to enter this fabulous festive giveaway...

To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is make sure you like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, then send a quick email with your contact details (be sure to include your postal address and Facebook or Twitter username), along with the subject heading "EXPORTS" and an answer to the following question...

Your favourite Christmas movie is..?

The competition closes at 5pm on Friday, December 9th and is open to UK entrants only.

The Prize Finder - UK Competitions
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Visit the Rare Exports fan-hub here.

By entering this competition you agree to our terms and conditions, which you can read here.

Films To Watch Before You Die #12 - In America (2002)

D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die...

In America, 2002.

Directed by Jim Sheridan.
Starring Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton and Djimon Hounsou.

In America is the beautiful story of an Irish family who enter America on a tourist visa, but plan to settle and make New York City their home as they search for a new life and try to overcome their grief of losing their son, Frankie. Johnny Sullivan (Considine) is a struggling actor looking for work, but unable to show emotion after the death of Frankie. His wife Sarah (Morton) takes a job in the local ice cream parlor to support the family and along with their two daughters Ariel (Emma Bolger) and Christy (Sarah Bolger) they move into a run down apartment in Hell’s Kitchen.

As the family experience life in New York they all carry the loss of Frankie as a burden and when accompanied with poverty and searing summer heat tensions build and the family struggles. Sarah and the girls befriend a reclusive African artist named Mateo (Hounsou) who lives in their building, despite Johnny’s reservations. As the family build a bond with Mateo they become aware that he is HIV positive and his health is deteriorating. When Mateo falls down the stairs and is knocked unconscious Sarah gives him mouth to mouth in an effort to save him despite the other tenants advising her otherwise.

Tension between Johnny and Sarah is heightened by Sarah becoming pregnant. When the baby is born prematurely and needs a blood transfusion the hospital bills sky rocket and the family fear for the worst. Unwilling to give the baby a hospital blood transfusion, as that was the cause of Mateo’s illness, the baby struggles until it’s realised that Christy is compatible and donates her blood. Whilst the family struggle with their new born baby Mateo takes a turn for the worst and doesn’t have long left. Unknown to them Mateo pays their hospital bills before he passes and the family names the baby after Mateo’s middle name. When the family gets the baby home they celebrate and come together as one with Johnny finally being able to come to terms with the death of Frankie.

In America is such a beautiful and touching story of life, loss and grief. The semi-autobiographical film echoes director Jim Sheridan’s life after losing his brother Frankie at aged 10. Christy and Ariel are based on his own daughters also and they assisted in the writing of the Oscar nominated screenplay. Paddy Considine is at his very best, but Samantha Morton and Djimon Hounsou are even better with their own Oscar nominated performances. Every person in this film is perfect for their role and will touch your heart from start to finish.

In America has so many sweet, heart wrenching and teary moments and is a film you must see before you die because of that. I have seen this film about ten times and every single time I have to struggle to choke back tears. For anyone who has lost someone close they will empathise with the Sullivan family and have their heartstrings pulled over and over again. In America is one of the most beautiful stories ever told on film.


D.J. Haza

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365 Days, 100 Films #76 - The Odd Couple (1968)

The Odd Couple, 1968.

Directed by Gene Saks.
Starring Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Fiedler, Herb Edelman, David Sheiner and Larry Haines.


SYNOPSIS:

One untidy, unorganised divorcee moves in with a tidy, organised divorcee.


“307,” the hotel clerk tells Felix Ungar (Jack Lemmon) as he passes him the room key. “Have you got anything a little higher?” replies Felix. The hotel clerk shares a bemused look with the other person on the front desk. Felix cuts a pretty dejected figure, his face hanging like a wet, sagging towel on a washing line. “914?” the hotel clerk suggests. Felix takes the key and wonders to the elevator. It’s out of service.

Felix’s wife has just broken up with him. His children, apartment and her were his entire life. A photo of each is kept in his wallet. Know anyone else who has a photo of their front room in his wallet? That’s the sort of guy Felix is – unbearably house proud.

A jaunty musical score accompanies Felix’s climb to room 914. It brings humour to what is a very sad situation, climaxing when Felix attempts to jump to the street below, but finds the window jammed shut. A few pathetic attempts to dislodge it gives him a terrible back spasm. That’s the other thing about Felix – his body is incredibly fragile.

He’s allergic to almost everything, even women’s perfume. Francis, his wife, had to wear his men’s aftershave for the twelve years they were together. She hated that.

And so unable to commit suicide, because of a sealed window and a weak stomach for pills, he ventures to his weekly Friday night poker game over at Oscar’s (Walter Matthau) apartment.

Oscar is the opposite. “I got brown sandwiches and green sandwiches. Which one do you want?” presents Oscar, the ever-thoughtful host, to his guests. “What’s the green?” “It’s either very new cheese or very old meat.” His fridge has been broken for the last two weeks. He’s terrible with money, recently divorced and four weeks behind on his alimony payments. The flat is disgustingly messy, smoky and hot. The five friends around the poker table are profusely sweating from their visibly damp armpits and foreheads. The place only has a single window.

There is great care taken in showing precisely how hot and messy the apartment is. Oscar’s guests constantly complain about not having another window. The majority of the film takes place in this flat, so setting it up is as important as establishing the characters. The apartment’s state undergoes its own character development as the film progresses.

The film occasionally ventures out of the flat, but never for anything important. Outside by the lift, maybe, or at a diner down the road to get some fresh air. Having the action leave the apartment is more to give the viewer a break rather than any narrative need.

It’s obvious that The Odd Couple is adapted from a play. The way the action is limited to a singular room, the streamlined precision in the dialogue and how the relationship dynamics between characters is constantly shifting all strongly echo the theatre. As the five men complain of the room’s heat, it’s hard not to be reminded of the opening awkwardness of 12 Angry Men – it too adapted from the stage.

The poker players hear about Felix’s suicidal intentions after a phone call from his ex-wife (he had sent a telegram instead of a note – “Can you imagine a thing like that? She even had to tip the kid a quarter”). When he arrives for the game, and despite the heat, they quickly shut the only window in that 12th story apartment.

Oscar demands Felix move in with him. The rest is the plot for almost every sitcom you attempted to write when you were a twenty-something: Messy, unorganised, but fun and easy-going person shares a flat with uptight, clean-freak hypochondriac. They disagree and they make-up. They try and get girls, and help each other out in life. At one point, their arguments get so bad that Oscar opens that only window in the apartment wide open, hoping that Felix will fling himself from it.

Although it’s an exhausted formula these days, The Odd Couple comes across as effortlessly fresh. The comic timing is perfect, in both the actors and the direction. Pauses are held for exactly the right length before replying to express frustration or disbelief. The close-ups, too, are used sparingly and to great comic effect. Theatre can’t do that.

“Funny, I haven’t thought of women in weeks,” Felix remarks at a bowling alley on the pair’s first attempt to pick up girls. “I fail to see the humour,” replies Oscar, staring straight ahead down their lane, in the drollest of deadpan retorts.

Exchanges like those will store themselves in a special place in your brain, alongside all the Groucho Marx and Woody Allen jokes you ever heard, in the hope that one day, when the planets align and you’re in the Gods’ favour, a perfect situation will arise to use them. And use them you shall. And you’ll be the coolest person ever for a minute or two.

RATING ****

Oli Davis

365 Days, 100 Films

Ten Films To Possibly Maybe Get Excited About In 2012

Simon Moore explores ten of 2012's potential cinematic highlights...

2011 is almost over. This is a fact. Calendars will back me up on this. So sooner or later you will have to deal with this. Films for the rest of this year look to be the sticky, syrupy Christmassy sort. We are now scraping the bottom of the barrel. Unless of course Happy Feet Two happens to change the face of cinema forever with its gritty reboot of penguin dance crazes.

Not holding my breath.

So, 2012 is where we look to now; where the promise of new films that may or may not sound credibly entertaining still holds true. Behold, I offer you some films to possibly maybe get excited about in the year ahead...

The Pirates! In an Adventure With Scientists (a.k.a The Pirates! Band of Misfits)
Released 28th March
Directed by Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt

Probably the most fun anyone will have with their trousers on in the new year. The trailer that isn’t a charming little song tells us there’s a band of misfit pirates trying to win the coveted Pirate of the Year award. Queen Victoria hates pirates. Charles Darwin is fascinated with the Pirate Captain’s ‘parrot’. There’s a monkey butler with his own cue cards, and a Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate.

It is, of course, Aardman animation behind it all, the creators of Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run. An all-star cast (which usually spells trouble) look very promising, as even Hugh Grant plays against fumbly rom-com type for once to shiver his timbers as the Pirate Captain.


Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie (Kurenai no buta 2)
Released 2012 Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Not a lot known about this one, save the phenomenon of its existence. Studio Ghibli aren’t really much for sequels, but Hayao Miyazaki has mentioned in interview that he wants to return to animating everyone’s favourite flying pig. Porco is much older now, somehow caught up in the Spanish Civil War. Now we hope against hope that Miyazaki isn’t just having us on.

The Dictator
Released 18th May Directed by Larry Charles

Again, no trailer yet, only the promise of the funny to come. Sacha Baron Cohen teams up once more with his Borat director Larry Charles to tell ‘the heroic story of a dictator who risk his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.’ With a logline like that, and a picture of Cohen in costume that makes him look like a cross between Colonel Gaddafi and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, this looks to be a welcome return to form after the disappointment of Brüno.


John Carter
Released 9th March Directed by Andrew Stanton

Okay, it’s a Disney film. That is something that may count against it, but it is also Pixar’s first venture into live action. What’s more, on the strength of the latest trailer, this adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Princess of Mars novel looks nothing short of powerful. They haven’t slipped into the usual trailer trap of agitated choirs and orchestral stabs; we’ve got a classy Peter Gabriel song that builds just the right kind of mystic Martian atmosphere this material needs.

Quick story sum-up: Taylor Kitsch plays an American Civil War veteran somehow transported to Mars, held prisoner by giants and roped into fighting another senseless war. As a bonus, nobody as yet has told him he’s their ‘only hope’ or the ‘chosen one’. If this is a trap, the cheese is looking pretty tasty right now.


The Iron Lady
Released 6th January Directed by Phyllida Lloyd

An odd one here. Not sure whether we’re supposed to sympathise with Margaret Thatcher’s struggle to be taken seriously in the male-dominated world of politics, or with Meryl Streep’s struggle to keep up that horrific accent. Thatcher’s a big ask for a British audience’s sympathy, so it’s hard to tell if Phyllida Lloyd is aiming for an Elizabeth-type biography of a strong woman or a Nixon-type tragedy of power in the wrong hands. Either one is still going to feature Meryl ‘Mamma Mia’ Streep, so proceed with caution.


The Woman in Black
Released 10th February Directed by James Watkins

More huge expectations, given this is based on the supremely terrifying book by Susan Hill. It’s about a young lawyer, haunted by a strange woman as he tries to put a dead client’s estate in order. Some impressive cinematography and a seasoned horror director inspire confidence, but it’s the surprise lead who must prove himself here.

This is Daniel Radcliffe’s first role for some years away from his Harry Potter comfort zone. Whether he nails it or not, we’ll have to wait and see. We can but hope he doesn’t drift back into Exploring Yet Another Secret Part of Hogwarts autopilot. You’re a lawyer, Harry...


Brave
Released 17th August Directed by Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman

Technically, there should be three or four ‘r’s in that title, in keeping with the gloriously Scottish setting. Pixar’s first female-led feature sees the tomboyish Princess Merida (Kelly MacDonald) defying custom and her humongous father in a bid to make her own way in the world.

We can count on seeing bears of all sizes, ominous monoliths and kilts flapping in the wind, and, given Pixar’s track record, some sights to stick in your mind for years to come. Count in Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson and Robbie Coltrane, and you have spring and summer 2012 belonging to one Pixar Incorporated.


The Avengers
Released 27th April Directed by Joss Whedon

“If we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it.” Yeah, thanks Iron Man. Inspiring words there. So what does the trailer tell us those half a dozen Marvel films have thus far only hinted and winked at? The Avengers desperately wants to be sharp and witty, we know this much. Heroic writer/director/comics fan Joss Whedon has risen to the challenge by....referencing what each character does. Thor is grumpy. Captain America is also grumpy. Iron Man says things quickly and that makes them funny. Black Widow wears a catsuit. Hulk is big and green. Nick Fury has an eyepatch. Hawkeye...fires arrows? Expect gushing reviews about the special effects, is what I’m saying.


Snow White and the Huntsman
Released 1st June Directed by Rupert Sanders

Next up for the Gritty Reboot treatment is the centuries-old fairytale of Snow White, passing over other ripe Disney candidates like Flubber and Mary Poppins. Never mind, this looks gorgeous, if pushing their limits a bit with Charlize Theron’s questionable Historical Accent.

Kristen Stewart proved she can act outside of Twilight office hours with 2010’s The Runaways, so there’s every chance this could be a credible, thrilling new take on a classic story. If nothing else, it’ll have Mirror Mirror to make it look good by comparison.

P.S. If you are even vaguely tempted to check out the Mirror Mirror trailer, be warned: Julia Roberts. That is all I will say.


The Dark Knight Rises
Released 20th July Directed by Christopher Nolan

In the immortal words of the Bisto advert, one must always save the best to last. In fact, do I even need to say anything about this one? You already know you’re going to see this. I know it, you know it, Batman knows it. He knows everything. Come on, keep up.

Despite this, Batfans seem fraught with panic that somehow Nolan will fuck up a franchise he saved from a decade of rubber-nippled purgatory. You know what, I think he’ll manage. Scratch that, he’ll more than manage, he’ll ace it. Given the incredible job he’s done re-establishing Ra’s Al Ghul and Joker as plausible, threatening villains, I can’t see him slipping up with Catwoman and Bane, can you?

What films are you most looking forward to in 2012? Let us know in the comments below...

Simon Moore is a budding screenwriter, passionate about films both current and classic. He has a strong comedy leaning with an inexplicable affection for 80s montages and movies that you can’t quite work out on the first viewing.

DVD Review - TT3D: Closer to the Edge (2011)

TT3D: Closer to the Edge, 2011.

Directed by Richard De Aragues.
Narrated by Jared Leto.


SYNOPSIS:

A documentary covering the fast-paced action of the world famous Isle of Man TT.


The Isle of Man... a small island in the Irish sea, birthplace of the Bee Gees and home to the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy - the celebrated international motorcycle road race better known as the TT. For two weeks every year, legions of racing fans descend upon the Isle to watch as the world's best motorcycle racers chase their dream of becoming 'King of the Mountain' by gaining victory in what is regarded as one of the most prestigious - and dangerous - races in the sport, and its this quest for glory which is the subject of acclaimed commercials director Richard De Aragues' first feature - the documentary TT3D: Closer to the Edge.

As you’d expect from such a film, TT3D is packed to the brim with plenty of frenetic rubber-burning two-wheel racing action, which is bound to please fans of the sport. The viewer is thrown straight into the saddle as the competitors surge around the narrow, winding public roads with scant regard for their own safety, reaching breakneck speeds in excess of 200mph, each corner potentially being their last; prior to filming, no less than 231 riders had fallen victim to the TT since its inception in 1907 (which surely makes it one of the most sporting events since Roman times), while Paul Dobbs became the latest casualty during the 2010 meeting, with his widow providing one of the most touching aspects of the film as she reflects on the tragedy.

Along with plenty of wonderfully-captured racing footage, bike fans will also enjoy the wealth of archive footage from past events, along with input from professional riders such as Guy Martin, Ian Hutchinson, John McGuinness and Conor Cummins, and it’s this human aspect of the documentary that opens it up to a much wider audience. I’m not a particular fan of racing myself, but I was fascinated by the motivations of these daredevils and their carefree attitude towards an event that’s claimed the lives of so many of their friends and fellow competitors. The star of the show is undoubtedly Guy Martin, a charismatic, likeable and outspoken individual who adds a great deal of humour to proceedings and should go on to enjoy a much safer career as a television presenter, having already served as host of the BBC's The Boat That Guy Built and E4's awesome 2011 World Sheep Dog Trials.

Although TT3D was released in cinemas in 3D, only the Blu-ray release retains this format, with the DVD coming in the traditional 2D format (hence the new name TT: Closer to the Edge). Given that I'm not overly keen on 3D (nor do I have a 3D television), this wasn't too much of an issue for me, but naturally I can't comment on what the extra-dimension adds to the film (although D.J. Haza's review of the theatrical release indicates it was very little). Still, the DVD version delivers a strong package, with a wealth of extra features including several interviews and the additional feature documentary, Charge - The Electric TT, which explores the first ever zero-emissions road races on the Isle of Man in 2009 and 2010 and features narration from Ewan McGregor.

Overall, TT3D: Closer to the Edge is the ideal stocking filler for racing fans, and a compelling watch for everyone else.

Gary Collinson

Holy Franchise, Batman! - Coming 2012.

R.I.P. Ken Russell (1927-2011)

Flamboyant British filmmaker Ken Russell has passed away in his sleep on Sunday evening, aged 84. Born in Southampton in 1927, Russell started his career in the industry as a photographer and independent documentary filmmaker after spells in the Merchant Navy and Royal Air Force. His attention turned to the small screen in 1959 when he secured a job at the BBC, where he produced a number of successful documentaries including Elgar (1962), Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World (1967) and Song of Summer (1968), which he later described as the best film of his career. He also began to try his hand at feature films, making his debut in 1963 with the comedy French Dressing and directing Billion Dollar Brain (1967) before his major breakthrough, the D.H. Lawrence adaptation Women in Love (1969). The film proved revolutionary due to a nude wrestling scene featuring stars Oliver Reed and Alan Bates, and it also earned a host of accolades, including a Best Actress Oscar for Glenda Jackson and an Academy Award nomination for Best Director for Russell.

Following the success of Women in Love, Russell went on to direct the Tchaikovsky biopic The Music Lovers (1970) before reteaming with Oliver Reed for his most controversial effort, The Devils (1971), which was heavily cut by Warner Bros. and to this day remains unreleased in its original form. Russell scored another success in 1975 with his adaptation of The Who's rock opera Tommy but after a number of American productions such as Altered States (1980) and Crimes of Passion (1984), Russell found his Hollywood star fading and returned to Britain, directing small scale films such as Gothic (1986), The Lair of the White Worm (1988), The Rainbow (1989) and Whore (1991). He spent much of the following two decades working in television and by the 2000s, Russell found himself serving as a visiting professor at the University of Wales, Newport Film School and the University of Southampton, while his final directing effort was a segment of the horror anthology Trapped Ashes (2006) entitled The Girl with the Golden Breasts.

DVD Review - Magic Trip (2011)

Magic Trip, 2011.

Directed by Alex Gibney and Alison Ellwood.


SYNOPSIS:

A documentary following famed author Ken Kesey and 'The Merry Band of Pranksters' on their acid-fuelled cross-country road trip across America to the 1964 New York World's Fair.


This documentary of novelist Ken Kesey (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest) and his band of ‘Merry Pranksters’ could not have been titled anything else other than what it is; ‘Magic Trip’. A trip across the United States in a multicoloured bus whilst tripping LSD. And it must have been, er, ‘magic’ for those involved.

But what about us, the viewer? Is this documentary insightful, intelligent, and educating? The answer is yes, if you’re a fan of the era and the rise of the drug-fuelled creativity of the early 1960s. Thankfully, I am, so I can recommend this for DVD consumption; yet unlike the recent When You’re Strange, the The Doors documentary, this doesn’t have the same cinematic quality, but remains a good way to spend 100 minutes.

As a film lover, what I found most striking was the 16mm colour film footage which the various members of Kesey’s gang shot on their travels. The footage has been restored by the directors Alex Gibney and Alison Ellwood, and this is obviously a work of personal importance to them both, and they have done their very best to synch the dialogue to the footage which has perished over time. Where perhaps visuals and audio were not available to show as a whole, actors provide voiceovers reading the original transcripts of the Merry Pranksters, which is presented as an interview with Stanley Tucci asking the ‘questions’. Again, this is an interesting way to get the most out of the footage available.

The scene I found the most entertaining, and also slightly odd to watch, was the audio recorded when Kesey took part in LSD experiments at his University. He describes the tape recorder as a frog and sees blinding lights in the ceiling, whilst we watch some very creative visual images depicting the mind-bending words he uses to describe his trip. Moreover, one line which stood out was on his defence of taking LSD; he describes the landscape in his mind as one untouched by humans and without any footprints. Poetic stuff from the man who wrote one of America’s greatest literary works of the modern era.

As the film draws to a close, there is a poignant scene showing the once lively bus now abandoned and covered in moss and rust. Those days could never last forever.

VERDICT: 7 OUT OF 10. A trip worth taking.

Rohan Morbey - follow me on Twitter.