Check out the cover and blurb for Holy Franchise, Batman!

Earlier this week, Robert Hale released their catalogue of upcoming releases for January to June, which just happens to include a little book of mine called Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen. Read on for the blurb and be sure to check out the catalogue below for more details on the book, including a look at the cover...

Since the Caped Crusader first made the leap from comics to silver screen in the 1940s, generations of audiences have been captivated by the screen adventures of Batman, establishing the celebrated comic book hero as a true icon of popular cultre. Now, Gary Collinson traces the entire screen history of Bob Kane's Dark Knight Detective, providing a fascinating insight into one of the most successful media franchises of all time.

Beginning with the early movie serials of the 1940s, Holy Francise, Batman! charts the development of Batman's many exploits across both live-action and animation, presenting a comprehensive overview of his entire screen career. From the classic 1960s television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward to the hugely successful blockbuster feature films from directors Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher and Christopher Nolan, as well as early Saturday morning cartoon outings through to the acclaimed 'DC Animated Universe', this book explores the evolution of Batman - a journey that has taken him from 'camp' crime-fighter to Dark Knight.

For more info, head on over to page six...


Holy Franchise, Batman! is due out this coming June, so if you're looking to get your Batman fix in the weeks leading up to the release of The Dark Knight Rises, you may want to grab yourself a copy!

Coming soon... Holy Franchise, Batman!

Regular readers of this site may be aware that last year I sold my first book, a non-fiction title charting the entire screen history of Bob Kane's Dark Knight Detective. Entitled Holy Franchise, Batman! and based upon this three-part article from way back in 2010, the book was picked up by Robert Hale Publishing in May 2011 and the manuscript was finally completed some four months later.

Well, just last week I received the final proofs and I must say I'm absolutely delighted with the (almost) final layout of the book. As for the content itself, that will be for you to decide, should you opt to stump up your hard-earned cash to purchase a copy, but if you do then you'll certainly find a wealth of information on every live-action and animated incarnation of the Caped Crusader, from the early silver screen movie serials of the 1940s through to Christopher Nolan's latest feature film trilogy and beyond.

Holy Franchise, Batman! is currently set to arrive in stores in June 2012, so if you're looking to get your Batman fix in the run up to The Dark Knight Rises, do keep it in mind. I shall no doubt remind you closer to the release date, but for the time being you can keep up to date with its progress via Twitter, and you can also take a look at the final cover here.

Now, to get cracking on that outline for the next book...

Gary Collinson

David Lynch in Four Movements - A Video Tribute

Way back in February we posted a video tribute to Stanley Kubrick that had been created by Richard Vezina and now Richard is back with his latest offering, which celebrates the work of David Lynch, the visionary filmmaker behind the likes of Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Dune, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Twin Peaks, Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive. Take a look...

"After my popular tribute video to Stanley Kubrick (A Stanley Kubrick Odyssey), here's a new video about David Lynch. It was done during the same period as the Kubrick tribute, back in 2004/2005, and this is why the image isn't in HD. I added scenes from the movie Inland Empire, which didn't exist at the time.

My video is a symphony in 4 movements, using 4 musical pieces from Angelo Badalamenti / David Lynch. Each movement is about certain themes or visual trends in Lynch's work. Since the tribute lasts 20 minutes, it may be a bit long for people who are not familiar with his films."

David Lynch in Four Movements...

Season's Greetings and a look ahead to the films of 2012

Just a brief note to wish all of our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone here at Flickering Myth, and to say thank you for supporting the site over the past year.

We'll be revealing our "Top 10 Movies of 2011" on New Year's Eve, but like us you'll likely be casting your eye towards 2012's cinematic slate by now, so to help you plan your viewing here's a selection of potential highlights to look out for in the coming year (sorted roughly by order of arrival)...

Beauty and the Beast 3D (dir. Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise)
Contraband (dir. Baltasar Kormákur)
Haywire (dir. Steven Soderbergh)
Red Tails (dir. Anthony Hemingway)
W.E. (dir. Madonna)
Underworld Awakening (dir. Mans Marlind, Bjorn Stein)
The Grey (dir. Joe Carnahan)
Man on a Ledge (dir. Asger Leth)
Chronicle (dir. Josh Trank)
The Woman in Black (dir. James Watkins)
Safe House (dir. Daniel Espinosa)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D (dir. George Lucas)
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (dir. Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor)
This Means War (dir. McG)
Wanderlust (dir. David Wain)
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (Tommy Wirkola)
Jeff Who Lives at Home (dir. Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass)
Dr. Suess' The Lorax (dir. Chris Renaud)
Project X (dir. Nima Nourizadeh)
John Carter (dir. Andrew Stanton)
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (dir. Lasse Hallstrom)
The Raven (dir. James McTeigue)
21 Jump Street (dir. Phil Lord, Chris Miller)
Casa de mi Padre (dir. Matt Piedmont)
Mirror Mirror (dir. Tarsem Singh)
The Hunger Games (dir. Gary Ross)
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists (dir. Peter Lord)
Wrath of the Titans (dir. Jonathan Liebesman)
American Reunion (dir. Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg)
The Cold Light of Day (dir. Mabrouk El Mechri)
Titanic 3D (dir. James Cameron)
Bullet to the Head (dir. Walter Hill)
The Three Stooges (dir. Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly)
The Cabin in the Woods (dir. Drew Goddard)
Movie 43 (dir. by way too many to mention)
House at the End of the Street (dir. Mark Tonderai)
The Lucky One (dir. Scott Hicks)
MS One: Maximum Security (dir. James Mather, Stephen St. Leger)
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (dir. Lorene Scafaria)
Wettest County (dir. John Hillcoat)
Safe (dir. Boaz Yakin)
The Avengers (dir. Joss Whedon)
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (dir. John Madden)
Dark Shadows (dir. Tim Burton)
The Dictator (dir. Larry Charles)
Battleship (dir. Peter Berg)
Men in Black III (dir. Barry Sonnenfeld)
Moonrise Kingdom (dir. Wes Anderson)
Rock of Ages (dir. Adam Shankman)
Snow White and the Huntsman (dir. Rupert Sanders)
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (dir. Eric Darnell, Conrad Vernon)
Prometheus (dir. Ridley Scott)
Jack the Giant Killer (dir. Bryan Singer)
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (dir. Timur Bekmambetov)
Brave (dir. Mark Andrews)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (dir. Jon Chu)
Magic Mike (dir. Steven Soderbergh)
The Amazing Spider-Man (dir. Marc Webb)
Ice Age: Continental Drift (dir. Steve Martino, Mike Thurmeier)
Ted (dir. Seth MacFarlane)
The Dark Knight Rises (dir. Christopher Nolan)
Neighborhood Watch (dir. Akiva Schaffer)
The Bourne Legacy (dir. Tony Gilroy)
Total Recall (dir. Len Wiseman)
Dog Fight (dir. Jay Roach)
Warm Bodies (dir. Jonathan Levine)
The Odd Life of Timothy Green (dir. Peter Hedges)
ParaNorman (dir. Chris Butler)
The Expendables 2 (dir. Simon West)
The Apparition (dir. Todd Lincoln)
Premium Rush (dir. David Koepp)
Finding Nemo 3D (dir. Andrew Stanton)
Resident Evil: Retribution (dir. Paul W.S. Anderson)
Dredd (dir. Pete Travis)
Hotel Transylvania (dir. Genndy Tartakovsky)
Looper (dir. Rian Johnson)
Savages (dir. Oliver Stone)
Frankenweenie (dir. Tim Burton)
Taken 2 (dir. Olivier Megaton)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D (dir. John Luessenhop)
Halloween III (dir. Patrick Lussier)
Gangster Squad (dir. Ruben Fleischer)
Red Dawn (dir. Dan Bradley)
Skyfall (dir. Sam Mendes)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (dir. Bill Condon)
47 Ronin (dir. Carl Eric Rinsch)
Gravity (dir. Alfonso Cuaron)
Rise of the Guardians (dir. Peter Ramsay, William Joyce)
The Silver Linings Playbook (dir. David O. Russell)
Les Misérables (dir. Tom Hooper)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (dir. Peter Jackson)
Hunter Killer (dir. Antoine Fuqua)
The Untitled Osama bin Laden Film (dir. Kathryn Bigelow)
Life of Pi (dir. Ang Lee)
This Is 40 (dir. Judd Apatow)
World War Z (dir. Marc Forster)
Django Unchained (dir. Quentin Tarantino)
The Great Gatsby (dir. Baz Luhrmann)
Seven Psychopaths (dir. Martin McDonagh)
On the Road (dir. Walter Salles)
Missing Pieces (dir. Kenton Bartlett)

Looks like it's shaping up to be a great year! Be sure to let us know what film you're most looking forward to in 2012, or let us know if something's slipped under our radar.

Flickering Myth

Hammer's supernatural sirens heading to the Horror Channel

The Horror Channel isn't exactly renowned for offering quality viewing entertainment, but among the mountains of pap they do present the occasional treat and this festive season they're serving up a menu of blood and barely restrained cleavage for a celebration of Hammer's glorious 70s supernatural sirens as they present a crop of Hammer favourites including Ingrid Pitt, Yutte Stensgaard, Martine Beswick and real-life twins and former Playboy Playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson. Take a look at the line-up, which is gaurenteed to get you warmed up during the dark nights...

Saturday December 24th @ 23:10 - Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde - Orignally from Jamaica, Martine Beswick, who plays Sister Hyde, was a favourite of the film director Terence Young who cast her in two Bond films. Nicknamed ‘Battling Beswick’, due to her provocative ‘onscreen catfights, Hammer cast her as the ferocious Nupundi in One Million Years BC opposite Rachel Welsh, and spin-off film Slave Girls. She is now retired from acting.

Saturday December 31st @ 23:10 - Lust for a Vampire - Yutte Stensgaard only appeared in one Hammer film but made quite an impression with male viewers as the predatory Mircalla who bites her way through the pupils of a ladies finishing school. She then accepted an offer to become the hostess of ATV’s game show The Golden Shot but the British press shot her down and she went to live in the USA, where she now works for a Radio Network.

Saturday January 7th @ 23:10 - Countess Dracula - Polish-born Ingrid Pitt is perhaps the most iconic of the Hammer leading ladies and when the company was re-instated in 2007 it was Ingrid they chose to represent the old guard in Beyond The Rave. The Hammer Films’ “Queen of Horror” had a successful acting career beyond playing insidious vampires, starring in The Wicker Man, Who Dares Wins and Smiley’s People. She died in 2010, aged 73.

Saturday January 14th @ 23:10 - Twins of Evil - Born in Malta, Mary and Madeleine Collinson have the distinction of being the only Hammer debutants to appear on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show – this after Hugh Hefner chose them as Playboy’s 1970s ‘Misses October’. Although the film remains one of the most popular amongst fans and the twins give highly credible performances their on-screen careers shuddered to a halt and they retired from acting in 1978.

The Horror Channel can be found on Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138.

Want to write for Flickering Myth?

It's certainly been an exicitng year for us here at Flickering Myth, with highlights including a nomination for Best Overall Blog at the Total Film Movie Blog Awards and a recent top five placing in Wikio UK's cinema rankings. We've also enjoyed a rapid growth in readership over the past twelve months and now we're aiming to make 2012 another year to remember, hopefully with your help!

We are currently seeking up-and-coming writers and film journalists to join our team of contributors and hopefully help us to push on and establish Flickering Myth as one of the country's premiere movie blogs. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, then read on for more details...

No experience is necessary (although if you have examples of previous work, please do send them along) and it doesn't matter whether your idea of a perfect movie is Citizen Kane or The Dark Knight, as long as you have a passion for film - and a decent grasp of the English language - then we want to hear from you.

We're particularly keen to expand on our special features, movie news and movie trailers sections, along with London-based writers who may be able to cover press events, screenings and so on. However, if there is a particular area you'd be interested in covering then do let us know.

We do accept contributions on a casual basis, but we'd prefer to hear from people who are interested in joining our team on a regular basis. And please only apply if you are serious about your application.

And that's about it! If you'd like to get in touch, then drop us an email.

Join Danny Boyle for a special charity screening of Millions

To coincide with World AIDS Day this December, the community-based HIV charity Positive East has teamed up with the Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) for a special London screening of his celebrated movie Millions, which will be followed by a fabulous drinks reception and a special Q&A with the acclaimed filmmaker.

If you'd like a chance to get up close and personal with the 2012 Olympics Artistic Director, tickets can be purchased online for £35, with a small number of V.I.P. tickets available for £100. All funds raised will go directly to Positive East, who aim to support persons living with an affected by HIV in East London.

The event takes place on Sunday, December 4th at Stratford Picture House, London, and you can purchase tickets for the event here.

Holy Franchise, Batman - A Progress Update

If you’re a regular on this site you may remember I posted an article here on Flickering Myth back in May shamelessly promoting my book, Holy Franchise, Batman!, which was picked up for publication by the lovely people at Robert Hale Publishing. Well some three months and 100,000 words later and the book is almost finished, save for a few finishing touches on a couple of chapters, so what better time to give a brief update for anyone who might be interested…



Holy Franchise, Batman! aims to chart the complete film and television history of the Dark Knight Detective, taking in both live-action and animation, along with notable projects that ultimately failed to make it to the screen. The book is set to arrive next summer (just in time for The Dark Knight Rises) and at the moment the contents looks a little something like this…



The Movie Serials of the 1940s

Batman: The TV Series and Theatrical Movie

The Tim Burton / Joel Schumacher Era (1989-1997)

Batman on Hiatus (1997-2003)

The Christopher Nolan Era (2003-Present)

Live Action Spin-offs

Aborted Spin-offs

The Early Adventures of the Animated Batman (1960s-1980s)

The Dark Knight in the DC Animated Universe (1992-2006)

The Further Animated Adventures of the Caped Crusader (2004-Present)

DC Universe Animated Original Movies

Miscellaneous Animated Appearances

Batman of the Future (2012 and Beyond)



A few acknowledgements are also due, particularly the fine folk at Batman-on-Film, LegionsofGotham and WorldsFinestOnline, who have been an invaluable help during the writing of the book. Similarly to Empire Magazine, who were kind enough to let me use quotes from their various Batman reviews (whereas a respected American critic who shall remain nameless was looking at a hefty $50 PER WORD), along with other sites such as AintItCool, AVClub and DenofGeek, and of course to all of the contributors here at Flickering Myth who've kept the content coming on the site while I've been lost in Gotham City these past few months.



Now time to get these last few thousand words done so I can breathe easy after the most hectic four months of my life!



Gary Collinson



Holy Franchise, Batman! - Coming 2012.

King of the Park: Memorable Movie-Based Theme Park Attractions

As Fanta launch their brand new King of the Park social game application on Facebook, we look at five memorable movie-based theme park attractions…


Back to the Future: The Ride

Opening in Universal Studios Florida back in 1991, Back to the Future: The Ride was a motion simulator that served as a mini-sequel to Back to the Future Part III and saw Steven Spielberg serve as creative consultant with Christopher Lloyd reprising his role as Doc Brown. Now located at Universal Studios Japan.

Jaws

Another Steven Spielberg related spin-off, Universal Studios Florida spent $65m on its Jaws attraction, which takes guests on a tour around Amity Harbor only for their boat to come under attack by the fearsome great white. A near identical version opened at Universal Studios Japan in 2001.

Jurassic Park: The Ride

The final Spielberg-inspired attraction to make our list (nope, no place for E.T. Adventure here I'm afraid) is Jurassic Park: The Ride, which opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in 1996 and culminates with a near-vertical 85 feet drop as guests plunge into a tropical lagoon to escape the dreaded Tyrannosaurus Rex.

T2 3-D: Battle Across Time

A mini-sequel to Terminator 2: Judgement Day, T2 3D: Battle Across Time includes a twelve minute short directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong and Robert Patrick. Costing $60m to produce, T2 3D originally opened at Universal Studios Florida and has since spread to Universal's Hollywood and Japan parks.

Star Tours

Originally launched at Disneyland in 1987, the $32m Star Tours motion simulator takes its guests on a space tour to the forest moon of Endor, only to come under attack by an Imperial Star Destroyer ultimately find themselves involved in the attack on the Death Star. Star Tours closed in 2010 and was replaced earlier this year by Star Tours: The Adventure Continues, while the original still operates at Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland.

This post has been sponsored by Fanta’s ‘King of the Park’, a brand new Facebook game where you can create your own theme park, battle your mates in classic arcade games, sit back and have a chat and – best of all – be in with a chance of winning some brilliant prizes including a VIP trip to Gardaland Resort, Italy for you and three friends, along with one of fifty pairs of entry tickets to Alton Towers each week for eight weeks.


King of the Park…


Visit the site for more information here.

Holy Franchise, Batman... coming to a bookstore near you!

Firstly, an apology. It's not very often that I use Flickering Myth for the purposes of self-promotion and in fact, this could be the very first time, but darn it I'm excited and I just can't contain myself any longer!

Long time readers of this site may remember a three part article I put together last year entitled Holy Franchise, Batman!, and now I'm delighted to announce that I've just signed a deal with Robert Hale Publishing to produce a full-length book charting the complete screen history of the Dark Knight Detective, which is set to arrive in the summer of 2012.

It's been an ambition of mine to write a book for as long as I can remember and to actually get the opportunity to do so - coupled with the fact that it's about Batman, my absolute all-time favourite comic-book character - really is a fantastic feeling. In fact, the only downside is that I've had to sit through Batman & Robin again, and yes, it is as bad as I remember (if not worse).

For those of you who may be interested, the book will cover every screen incarnation of the Bat from the movie serials of the 1940s through to The Dark Knight Rises, including his small screen appearances on the 60s Adam West series, the absolutely wonderful Batman: The Animated Series of the 90s and recent efforts such as The Batman and The Brave and the Bold, along with the line of DC Original Animated Movies and spin-offs such as Birds of Prey and Catwoman (shudder).

Hopefully I can do it justice. Now to get writing...

Gary Collinson

Your favourite Martin Scorsese movie is...

To coincide with Trevor Hogg's latest filmmaker profile Understanding Scorsese, we've been running a poll here at Flickering Myth to determine your favourite movie from the illustrious back catalogue of legendary director Martin Scorsese. Well, after five weeks of voting (and 738 responses), the results are finally in and it should come as no surprise that his classic 1990 gangster epic Goodfellas is the clear winner with over a quarter of the entire vote...

Goodfellas (1990) - 205 (27%)
The Departed (2006) - 122 (16%)
Taxi Driver (1976) - 110 (14%)
Shutter Island (2010) - 64 (8%)
Raging Bull (1980) - 57 (7%)
Gangs of New York (2002) - 45 (6%)
Casino (1995) - 35 (4%)
The Aviator (2004) - 23 (3%)
Cape Fear (1991) - 12 (1%)
The King of Comedy (1983) - 12 (1%)
Mean Streets (1973) - 12 (1%)
The Age of Innocence (1993) - 8 (1%)
After Hours (1985) - 7 (0%)
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) - 6 (0%)
The Color of Money (1986) - 6 (0%)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) - 5 (0%)
Bringing Out the Dead (1999) - 4 (0%)
Kundun (1997) - 3 (0%)
Boxcar Bertha (1972) - 1 (0%)
New York, New York (1977) - 1 (0%)
Who's That Knocking at My Door (1968) - 0 (0%)

For more on Martin Scorsese be sure to check out the filmmaker profile, while we've also posted a selection of short films from the director, which you can view here...

Short Film Showcase - What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?
Short Film Showcase - The Big Shave
Short Film Showcase - The Key to Reserva

Stella Artois want to take you to Cannes to star in a movie...

To promote their sponsorship of the 64th annual Cannes Film Festival, beer company Stella Artois have launched an exciting new competition offering film fans and would-be stars the chance to see themselves up on the big-screen as the lead in a biopic of 'Jacques d’Azur', the legendary ‘King Of Cannes’.

In addition to playing the lead in the short film, the winner will receive movie star treatment throughout their trip as they are flown to Cannes, put up in a suite at the Carlton Hotel and receive red-carpet treatment at the festival, including a star-studded after party at Chez Jacques', Stella Artois' luxury, invitation-only lounge at an exclusive beachfront property in Cannes.

To enter, budding movie stars should head over to www.stellaartois.com where you can film your scenes alongside your beautiful leading lady using the latest in webcam and video editing techniques (and ladies, fear not - the online casting call also offers the opportunity to audition for a starring role playing opposite Jacques d’Azur). The footage will then be seamlessly morphed together to produce an audition tape that can be shared with friends and family online, before a panel of judges announce the lucky winner on April 5th.

Vision Quest: The Tree of Life & The Big Lie

On February 20th I sent emails to media outlets asking if they were interested in an exclusive interview I had had with Visual Effects Supervisor Dan Glass, regarding his work on The Tree of Life by Terrence Malick. The email stated that the studio “is more than willing to provide pictures as long as the feature appears after the movie comes out on May 27th.”

One of the media organizations expressing an interest in the piece was the UK film magazine and website Little White Lies; Adam Woodward the editor of the website in his email of February 21st stated, “Would be great to see the 1st draft when you have one.” With the approval of Dan Glass and his promise to secure the necessary pictures over the incoming weeks, I forwarded the completed article. My accompanying email stated, “Let me know if you are interested.”

A media outlet expressed a desire in buying the feature on March 8th via an email; I forwarded the request to the studio and waited to see how the negotiations would develop. Half an hour later my contact at the Hollywood studio called to inform me that Little White Lies had posted The Tree of Life: Vision Quest; the website had put my article online without my knowledge and permission and in complete disregard of all those associated with the film. My emails and phone call for Vision Quest to be pulled IMMEDIATELY went unanswered. It was not until the studio intervened that Little White Lies finally removed the piece, having allowed other sites time to pick it up.

Little White Lies declares that “If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that we have high standards here at LWLies.” I find the line rather disconcerting considering their so called “exclusive” article was posted without word or payment to its unsuspecting author.

With my permission and knowledge, Flickering Myth will be posting Vision Quest: The Making of The Tree of Life after May 27th in respect of the wishes of the studio.

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

Innocent puts out the call to budding filmmakers for their Mini Movies Competition

Fancy yourself as the next Christopher Nolan, Zack Snyder or Joss Whedon? Think you have what it takes to tackle the superhero genre? Well, you mightn't get your hands on the Batman franchise just yet but everyone has to start somewhere, so why not check out the latest competition from innocent drinks, who have been running a new marketing campaign here in the UK featuring a superhero smoothie who 'saves the peckish', and now they want you to helm the sequel!

If you're a budding filmmaker and want to be in with a chance of bagging a rather fantastic prize of £5000 cash, two tickets to the London Film Festival and your own film broadcast on prime-time television, the Innocent Mini Movies Competition could be your ticket to success. Check out the details...

Shoot a 30 second mini movie where our innocent caped superhero saves the day. It could be anything from rescuing someone from a boring meeting to saving a kitten from a burning tree - the more imaginative the better. To help you on your way to a mini masterpiece, we’ve created some downloadable film kits and ‘how to’ guides, which are available on the website.

Upload your mini superhero sequel to Youtube by 17th April. Our panel of expert judges - including Ben Wheatley (our ad director), Dan Germain (creative director at innocent) and Uri Fruchtman (owner and executive producer of Ealing Studios) and Tim O'Kennedy (Chief Exec of the D&AD)– will then narrow down all the videos to the top 5. The good 'ol public will then vote for their winner, who will get their film screened on prime-time TV, £5000 in cash and 2 tickets to the London Film Festival.

To help you get on your way, innocent have kindly supplied us with ten 'mini film kits', which include a smoothie bottle, superhero cape and random selection of props to get you on your way. If you'd like to grab one of the kits, well you're too late I'm afraid as the giveaway closed on Monday 14th March ay 6pm.


Visit the innocent Youtube channel for more information and guidelines for your mini masterpiece.


The Prize Finder - UK Competitions
Loquax Competitions
Competitions Today

Flickering Myth's second birthday extravaganza!

February 2009... the 3D craze was still in its infancy, James Cameron's Titanic remained untouchable at the all-time box office, The Hobbit was gearing up for production under director Guillermo del Toro and M. Night Shyamalan’s career lay in tatters following the release of The Happening. Fast-forward 24 months and almost every film now comes with that added dimension (and subsequent surcharge), James Cameron’s Avatar sits proudly atop the global box office, The Hobbit is gearing up for production under director Peter Jackson and M. Night Shyamalan’s career lies in tatters following the release of The Last Airbender.

My, how time flies. It really doesn’t seem like two years ago that Flickering Myth first made its way onto the World Wide Web but today marks our second anniversary. We've come a long way since that first posting (a review of Easy Rider, if you’re interested); in July 2009 were we joined by Trevor Hogg, who brought with him fantastic series of filmmaker profiles and interviews, and as the site has grown we’ve continued to expand our writing team in the hope of giving you quality content on a regular basis. With that in mind, here are some of the most popular posts from our archive...

Most popular reviews…

Inception (2010, dir. Christopher Nolan)
Diagnosis Death (2009, dir. Jason Stutter)
Baise-moi (2000, dir. Virginie Despentes and Coralie)
A Clockwork Orange (1971, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
F (2010, dir. Johannes Roberts)

Most popular filmmaker profiles…

Drawn to Anime: A Hayao Miyazaki Profile
Animated Storytellers: A Pixar Animation Studios Profile
Resurfacing: A James Cameron Profile
Theatre of the Mind: A Christopher Nolan Profile
Freakishly Clever: A Tim Burton Profile

Most popular essentials…

Five Essential Films of Alfred Hitchcock
Ten Essential Movie Superheroes
Five Essential Films of Takashi Miike
Five Essential Movie Supervillains
Five Essential Films of Ridley Scott

Most popular special features...

Where Did All the Good Spoofs Go?
Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen
What’s next for Batman after The Dark Knight has risen?
Empire Building: The Making of The Empire Strikes Back
Story Upgrade: Expanding the world of Tron

2011 has been a pretty good year so far here at Flickering Myth; along with our nomination for Best Overall Blog in the Total Film Movie Blog Awards but we've climbed to the dizzying heights of tenth in Wikio's cinema rankings and cracked the top 20 of Technorati's Top 100 Film. Meanwhile the fine folks at MadeMan were nice enough to select us in their 10 Best Free Film Sites and we also appeared on Cision's list of the Top 10 UK Film Blogs of 2010.

So, this would be a perfect time for me to take the opportunity to thank all of our readers, along with everyone who has taken the time to comment on the posts, our contributors past and present (see here) and all of the fabulous sites that have supported us (check out their links in the sidebar, you won’t regret it!). Here's to the next two years!

Gary Collinson

A Stanley Kubrick Odyssey - A Video Tribute

We received an email earlier this week from Richard Vezina to let us know about a rather impressive homage he's put together celebrating the work of the late, great Stanley Kubrick. Described as a "visual-analysis", the 13-minute video juxtaposes imagery from all of the director's films (barring Spartacus, which Richard doesn't consider to be an original Kubrick movie), and really is an exceptional tribute to the legendary filmmaker and his unique visual talents.

"I spent hundreds of hours to achieve it; the result is quite professionnal and expose all the aspects and themes brought up by Kubrick. Dead Can Dance's music has been use for the first part 'Symmetry and Chaos'; Lisa Gerrard's music can be heard in the second part 'Love and Memory'. I'm sure all movie fans and Kubrick's fans will be delighted by this homage."

For more on Stanley Kubrick, be sure to check out our filmmaker profile Capturing Kubrick, along with his 1951 documentary short Day of the Fight.

Vote Flickering Myth for Best Overall Blog in the Total Film Movie Blog Awards 2011

We are absolutely delighted to announce that Flickering Myth has been nominated for Best Overall Blog in the Total Film Movie Blog Awards 2011! It really is an honour to make the shortlist so we'd just like to take this opportunity to thank our lovely readers for putting us forward, and of course Total Film for deeming us worthy of making it through to the final stage of the awards.

Now of course we're under no illusions and fully expect to get slaughtered in the voting so we really, really, really need your help. If you'd like to show your support for Flickering Myth, then please head on over to the Total Film site (either via the link or by clicking the image on the right) where you can register your vote and earn our eternal gratitude in the process.

Voting runs until the 27th January, with the lucky winners announced the following day. Once again, thank you for getting us this far and good luck to all the blogs that have received nominations.

Season's Greetings and a look ahead to 2011's big releases...

Just a quick note to wish our readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from everyone here at Flickering Myth, and to say thank you for your support during this past year.

We'll be posting our 'Top 10 Movies of 2010' on New Year's Eve, but for the moment here's a selection of films to look out for in the coming year...

The Green Hornet (dir. Michel Gondry)
The Way Back (dir. Peter Weir)
The Mechanic (dir. Simon West)
Sanctum (dir. Alister Grierson)
The Eagle (dir. Kevin Macdonald)
Gnomeo and Juliet (dir. Kelly Asbury)
I Am Number Four (dir. D. J. Caruso)
Unknown (dir. Jaume Collet-Serra)
Drive Angry (dir. Patrick Lussier)
Hall Pass (dir. Farrelly Brothers)
The Adjustment Bureau (dir. George Nolfi)
Rango (dir. Gore Verbinski)
Battle: Los Angeles (dir. Jonathan Liebesman)
Red Riding Hood (dir. Catherine Hardwicke)
Paul (dir. Greg Mottola)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules (dir. David Bowers)
Sucker Punch (dir. Zack Snyder)
Win Win (dir. Thomas McCarthy)
Hop (dir. Tim Hill)
Source Code (dir. Duncan Jones)
Hanna (dir. Joe Wright)
Rio (dir. Carlos Saldanha)
Your Highness (dir. David Gordon Green)
Scream 4 (dir. Wes Craven)
Fast Five (dir. Justin Lin)
Thor (dir. Kenneth Branagh)
Priest (dir. Scott Stewart)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (dir. Rob Marshall)
The Hangover: Part II (dir. Todd Phillips)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (dir. Jennifer Yuh Nelson)
The Tree of Life (dir. Terrence Malick)
X-Men: First Class (dir. Matthew Vaughn)
Super 8 (dir. J.J. Abrams)
Green Lantern (dir. Martin Campbell)
Cars 2 (dir. John Lasseter and Brad Lewis)
Rise of the Apes (dir. Rupert Wyatt)
Larry Crowne (dir. Tom Hanks)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (dir. Michael Bay)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (dir. David Yates)
Winnie the Pooh (dir. Stephen Anderson and Don Hall)
Captain America: The First Avenger (dir. Joe Johnston)
Cowboys & Aliens (dir. Jon Favreau)
The Smurfs (dir. Raja Gosnell)
The Darkest Hour (dir. Chris Gorak)
Conan the Barbarian (dir. Marcus Nispel)
Fright Night (dir. Craig Gillespie)
Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (dir. Robert Rodriguez)
Final Destination 5 (dir. Stephen Quale)
Colombiana (dir. Oliver Megaton)
Warrior (dir. Gavin O'Connor)
Drive (dir. Nicolas Winding Refn)
Johnny English Reborn (dir. Oliver Parker)
Pirahna 3DD (dir. John Gulager)
Straw Dogs (dir. Rod Lurie)
Abduction (dir. John Singleton)
Moneyball (dir. Bennett Miller)
Dream House (dir. Jim Sheridan)
Anonymous (dir. Roland Emmerich)
Real Steel (dir. Shawn Levy)
Footloose (dir. Craig Brewer)
The Thing (dir. Matthijs van Heijningen)
The Three Musketeers (dir. Paul W.S. Anderson)
Contagion (dir. Stever Soderbergh)
Paranormal Activity 3 (dir. Tod Williams)
Tower Heist (dir. Brett Ratner)
Puss in Boots (dir. Chris Miller)
Immortals (dir. Tarsem Singh)
Happy Feet 2 (dir. George Miller)
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (dir. Bill Condon)
Arthur Christmas (dir. Sarah Smith and Barry Cook)
The Muppets (dir. James Bobin)
Hugo Cabaret (dir. Martin Scorsese)
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (dir. Brad Bird)
Sherlock Holmes 2 (dir. Guy Ritchie)
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (dir. David Fincher)
The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn (dir. Steven Spielberg)
We Bought a Zoo (dir. Cameron Crowe)
War Horse (dir. Steven Spielberg)

Looks like it could be a very busy year indeed! Feel free to tell us what film you're most looking forward to in 2011 and please, if there's anything that's slipped under our radar do let us know.

Ash vs Freddy vs Jason vs Michael Myers... who wins in a fight?

With Halloween just around the corner we run down the contenders in the ultimate dream match - a four-way-dance between a quartet of horror icons...

Name: Ashley J. "Ash" Williams
Hometown: Dearborn, Michigan
Appearances: 3
Weapon of choice: Chainsaw, boomstick

The hero of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series, S-MART employee Ash (Bruce Campbell) has to contend with unimaginable terror, accidentally unleashing demonic forces when stumbling across the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis in a secluded cabin in the woods. After beheading his possessed girlfriend Linda and squaring off against his own hand (which he amputates and replaces with a prosthetic chainsaw), Ash is thrown back in time at the conclusion of Evil Dead II and finds himself forced to defend Medieval England from a legion of deadites in Army of Darkness.


Name: Freddy Krueger
Hometown: Springwood
Appearances: 9
Weapon of choice: Razor-blade glove

Dream demon Freddy Krueger terrorises the teenage population of Springwood in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as he looks to gain revenge against the parents who delivered their own brand of justice on the twisted child killer. Slashing his way through seven more movies in the guise of Robert Englund, the bastard son of a thousand maniacs recently returned to the screen courtesy of Jackie Earle Haley in Platinum Dunes' 're-imagining' of the horror classic.



Name: Jason Voorhees
Hometown: Crystal Lake
Appearances: 11
Weapon of choice: Machete

After witnessing the decapitation of his mother in Friday the 13th, Jason Voorhees went on a one-man killing spree, butchering the inhabitants of Camp Crystal Lake until coming a cropper against Corey Feldman in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. Only this fourth movie wasn't the final chapter at all and a resurrected Jason returned as an unstoppable monster for a further seven films, including a battle with his Springwood rival in Freddy vs. Jason and a 2009 remake from Platinum Dunes.



Name: Michael Myers
Hometown: Haddonfield
Appearances: 9
Weapon of choice: Machete

A killer without reason, conscience, understanding, and even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong, Michael Myers became the original slasher icon when he returned to his hometown to stalk teenage scream-queen Jamie Lee Curtis in John Carpenter's Halloween. Myers continued his rampage for six sequels (with most reconning the events of previous films) before Rob Zombie's 2007 reboot, which was followed by its own critically derided follow-up in 2009.



So, who wins in a fight? Cast your vote now in our Halloween poll to help determine the winner of this epic confrontation...

Your favourite David Fincher movie is...

Results of our latest poll here at Flickering Myth...

To coincide with the release of David Fincher's latest movie The Social Network (not to mention Trevor Hogg's in-depth three-part career profile Killer Talent), we've been running a poll here at Flickering Myth to find your favourite movie from the director's impressive body of work. So, without further ado, let's take a look at the results...

Fight Club (1999) - 116 (40%)
Se7en (1995) - 75 (26%)
Zodiac (2007) - 31 (10%)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) - 18 (6%)
Alien3 (1992) - 15 (5%)
The Social Network (2010) - 13 (4%)
The Game (1997) - 10 (3%)
Panic Room (2002) - 8 (2%)

Of course The Social Network had a disadvantage in that it's only just hit cinemas this month and had it been on release for longer it would surely have managed to overtake Alien3 and Benjamin Button, while possibly pushing Zodiac for a spot in the top three. Nevertheless, it's a decisive victory for Fight Club and although I'd have to go for Se7en myself, it's hard to argue with those kinds of numbers.

All that remains is to thank everyone who took the time to vote, and be sure to check back soon for our next poll!