My Best Films

This week the final cast list was confirmed for Martin Scorcese’s upcoming film, Hugo Cabret, with production also starting in London.

The film is based on Brian Selznick’s 2007 novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and will focus on the adventures of a boy living within the walls of a Parisian train station.

Ben Kingsley and Jude Law lead a predominantly British cast, with Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee and Richard Griffiths also starring. Chloe Moretz, of Kick-Ass fame, will also feature.

Asa Butterfield, who starred in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, has already been confirmed as protagonist Hugo.

Hugo Cabret will mark Scorcese’s first foray into 3D territory, and is scheduled for a December 2011 release - perfectly positioned for a late Oscar run.

And with a host of Academy Award winners on board, both in front of and behind the camera, this adventure already looks a good bet for awards.

Will Scorcese triumph in 3D? You tell us…
 

This week the final cast list was confirmed for Martin Scorcese’s upcoming film, Hugo Cabret, with production also starting in London.

The film is based on Brian Selznick’s 2007 novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and will focus on the adventures of a boy living within the walls of a Parisian train station.

Ben Kingsley and Jude Law lead a predominantly British cast, with Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee and Richard Griffiths also starring. Chloe Moretz, of Kick-Ass fame, will also feature.

Asa Butterfield, who starred in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, has already been confirmed as protagonist Hugo.

Hugo Cabret will mark Scorcese’s first foray into 3D territory, and is scheduled for a December 2011 release - perfectly positioned for a late Oscar run.

And with a host of Academy Award winners on board, both in front of and behind the camera, this adventure already looks a good bet for awards.

Will Scorcese triumph in 3D? You tell us…
 

Nick Frost and Bill Nighy have taken their smile-inducing talents to Kenya, in order to visit some projects that Comic Relief supports.

They visited KICOSHEP - a community self-help project supporting orphaned children affected by HIV and AIDS, Pendekezo Letu - an organisation that assists street children escape poverty, and Pamoja Trust - which helps poor urban slum dwellers in Kenya.

Nighy said: “Meeting some of the most impoverished and vulnerable children in the world has been a humbling experience. Yet, despite the adversity these children face, optimism and hope is strong.

"Just seeing how Comic Relief has already made a difference has been incredibly inspiring and with the support from Flying Start, we can enrich the lives of even more children.”

‘Flying Start’ was launched today by British Airways, a new global charity partnership with Comic Relief that aims to raise up to £8 million by 2013 for vulnerable and disadvantaged children in the UK and around the world.

You can see a video Nick and Bill hard at work spreading a little cheer and charity in Kenya below;

Comic Relief was launched in 1985 and has raised over £620million to help change lives. Last year the British Airways gave over £5 million to charitable causes, through customer and other donations.

By launching the Flying Start partnership, British Airways and Comic Relief hope to secure a happy and safe childhood for children everywhere - that’s why every penny, cent or Euro raised through the programme will go to help turn children’s lives around.

For more information on Flying Start or to make a donation, please visit; ba.com/communityrelations

Proud of Nick and Bill for their efforts? Let us know!

Nick Frost and Bill Nighy have taken their smile-inducing talents to Kenya, in order to visit some projects that Comic Relief supports.

They visited KICOSHEP - a community self-help project supporting orphaned children affected by HIV and AIDS, Pendekezo Letu - an organisation that assists street children escape poverty, and Pamoja Trust - which helps poor urban slum dwellers in Kenya.

Nighy said: “Meeting some of the most impoverished and vulnerable children in the world has been a humbling experience. Yet, despite the adversity these children face, optimism and hope is strong.

"Just seeing how Comic Relief has already made a difference has been incredibly inspiring and with the support from Flying Start, we can enrich the lives of even more children.”

‘Flying Start’ was launched today by British Airways, a new global charity partnership with Comic Relief that aims to raise up to £8 million by 2013 for vulnerable and disadvantaged children in the UK and around the world.

You can see a video Nick and Bill hard at work spreading a little cheer and charity in Kenya below;

Comic Relief was launched in 1985 and has raised over £620million to help change lives. Last year the British Airways gave over £5 million to charitable causes, through customer and other donations.

By launching the Flying Start partnership, British Airways and Comic Relief hope to secure a happy and safe childhood for children everywhere - that’s why every penny, cent or Euro raised through the programme will go to help turn children’s lives around.

For more information on Flying Start or to make a donation, please visit; ba.com/communityrelations

Proud of Nick and Bill for their efforts? Let us know!

Paranormal Activity 2, the follow-up to last year’s sleeper horror hit, has received its first trailer.

Aside from spoiling the ending of the first flick for those who haven’t already seen it (beware, folks), it’s a no-frills affair that relies on jumpy image and sound editing and attempts to weave an atmosphere of unease.

There’s also zero information about the plot (assuming it has one), though it hints that Katie (Katie Featherston) from the original film will be making a return. Also, there’s a distinct Poltergeist feel to it thanks to that baby’s crib and the dog.

Whether you loved Paranormal Activity, wet yourself laughing, or genuinely didn’t get what the fuss was all about, there’s no denying it made a lot of money ($200m).

And Paramount look like they want to repeat that model with another quick-shot, small budget sequel that they’ll be hoping rakes in the cash again.

Check out the new trailer below…

Paranormal Activity 2 opens on 22 October.

Scared? Or bored? Give us your reaction…

Johnny Depp’s CGI animated comedy Rango has released its first full trailer online – and it’s something pretty special.

Revealing the film as an all-out, banjo-twangin’ Western, it’s overflowing with rapturous imagery (just check out that blazing sun), gorgeous detail (lizard skin!) and oddball characters.

Pixar have never had to worry that another studio could steal their CG crown, but Rango (courtesy of Paramount Pictures) should have them perspiring at least a little under their collars.

In the visual department, at least; the jury’s still out on if the script can deliver.

Rango follows Depp’s titular lizard, a sheltered household pet who undergoes a journey of self discovery after suffering an identity crisis.

Check out the trailer below…

Rango is out due out Stateside on 4 March, 2011. No UK release date yet.

Thoughts? Comments? Sun cream? Talk to us…

Andy Serkis has joined James Franco’s Planet Of The Apes prequel as the film’s lead monkey.

In Rise Of The Apes, Serkis will play Caesar, an animal upon whom Franco’s scientist is testing in search for a cure for Alzheimer’s.

But when Caesar suddenly begins to evolve rapidly, the scientist takes the chimp into his own home and away from the prying eyes of the laboratory.

20th Century Fox revealed the casting through a Tweet (what else?), posting:

“This is cool. Gollum reteams with Weta. Andy Serkis to star as Ceaser in Rise of the Apes portraying chimp who leads the simian revolt.”

Which in about the space of 140 characters suddenly shot our interest in this project up into the stratosphere.

Tim Burton’s stab at the Apes franchise left us cold and a little annoyed. But this new concept, with Serkis’ monkey seeming set to bring about the end of humanity as we know it, has all kinds of promise.

Still, it’s a shame that the production is relying on CGI, rather than popping the Gollum actor in a suit and letting him actually monkey about on-screen for once. The original (and still best) flick did as much, and is all the better for it.

But we know Weta and Serkis are a winning combination, the latter proving adept at body language, the former at imbuing CGI with emotion and subtlety.

Other cast members already onboard include Freida Pinto and John Lithgow as Franco’s colleague and father respectively, with Rupert Wyatt directing.

Rise Of The Apes opens on 24 June, 2011.

Has Serkis’ involvement restored your faith? Talk to us…

Final Destination 5, the latest in the ongoing slasher series in which teens face bizarre and unexpected deaths, has been given the official title of 5nal Destination.

Which brings back frankly terrifying memories of some ‘90s boy band called 5ive, as well as chilling our inner grammatical pixie to its absolute core.

Why didn’t they just go the whole hog and call it 5n4l D3st1n4t10n? Perhaps it was too difficult to copyright…

The opening scene of destruction sounds fittingly catastrophic, though, set on a suspension bridge that collapses (for some reason) and inevitably kills a handful of people in creatively goreiffic ways.

Avatar’s second unit director Steven Quale is in the director’s chair this time, and the flick will once again be in 3D, meaning we can appreciate the full-blooded horror of our characters’ icky demises.

5nal Destination opens on 26 August, 2011.

Source: [Bloody Disgusting]

Is Final Destination the new Friday The 13th of horror franchises, with its endless sequels? Discuss…

Ant-Man, one of Marvel’s lesser-known but dearly loved superheroes, has long been attempting to make his way to the big screen (those tiny legs probably don’t help).

And director/writer Edgar Wright has long been attempting to help him get there. But various other commitments have always gotten in the way.

Now Wright brings us an update on where the Ant-Man project stands, and how the teeny superhero might be translated to the cinema.

Talking to Box Office Magazine, Wright revealed:

“I haven’t actually started the second draft yet – I’m not going to be able to until this film [Scott Pilgrim] is out – but what we wrote for the first draft, and what Marvel really liked, is that it’s funny, but it’s a genre film.

“It’s about the level of comedy that Iron Man has. The idea is to make a high-concept genre film where it’s within another genre. His suit and its power is the big gadget and it takes place in the real world.

“I just wanted to do something that was slightly different than the superhero origin film. I felt that between that and the various mad scientist, crazy doctor films that we’ve all seen, this would be a way into an origin that was slightly different. I’m not really a multi-tasker–I haven’t done anything since Marvel liked our first draft.”

Which all sounds massively promising, even if a shoot date still appears to be a long way off.

Seems that a lot of directors of new super-flicks are attempting to play with the formula, with both Joe Johnston (Captain America) and Kenneth Branagh (Thor) talking about how they’re trying to push the boundaries of what a superhero flick can be.

We can’t wait to see what Wright ends up doing with Ant-Man, even if we’re going to have to be patient for just a little bit longer…

Source: [Box Office Magazine]

Feeling a tiny bit excited about this? Drop us a line…

Andy Serkis has joined James Franco’s Planet Of The Apes prequel as the film’s lead monkey.

In Rise Of The Apes, Serkis will play Caesar, an animal upon whom Franco’s scientist is testing in search for a cure for Alzheimer’s.

But when Caesar suddenly begins to evolve rapidly, the scientist takes the chimp into his own home and away from the prying eyes of the laboratory.

20th Century Fox revealed the casting through a Tweet (what else?), posting:

“This is cool. Gollum reteams with Weta. Andy Serkis to star as Ceaser in Rise of the Apes portraying chimp who leads the simian revolt.”

Which in about the space of 140 characters suddenly shot our interest in this project up into the stratosphere.

Tim Burton’s stab at the Apes franchise left us cold and a little annoyed. But this new concept, with Serkis’ monkey seeming set to bring about the end of humanity as we know it, has all kinds of promise.

Still, it’s a shame that the production is relying on CGI, rather than popping the Gollum actor in a suit and letting him actually monkey about on-screen for once. The original (and still best) flick did as much, and is all the better for it.

But we know Weta and Serkis are a winning combination, the latter proving adept at body language, the former at imbuing CGI with emotion and subtlety.

Other cast members already onboard include Freida Pinto and John Lithgow as Franco’s colleague and father respectively, with Rupert Wyatt directing.

Rise Of The Apes opens on 24 June, 2011.

Has Serkis’ involvement restored your faith? Talk to us…