Ever wondered what all the fuss was about with foreign cinema?
Perhaps you want to check some foreign films out but you don’t know
quite where to start? Should you go to Eastern Europe? France? Japan?
Wonder no more as the Filmoria team take you on a guide through their
picks of the best films foreign cinema has to offer.
In the first part of a new series, Pete Turner brings you details of the best new British films hitting cinemas next month…
October is always an exciting time for British cinema with the
blockbuster season over, Halloween approaching and the London Film
Festival bringing world cinema to the capital, as well as shining a much
needed light on Britain’s talent.
Of course October 2012 also sees the return of a certain very
British, very popular icon to cinema screens. You know the name. You
know the number. More on him later…
But first let’s take a look at some of the other British films
fighting for your hard earned pounds this month. Speaking of a certain
super spy, first up is a documentary released to help commemorate the
50th anniversary of his cinematic outings. Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007
charts the 50 years since Mr Bond first hit screens in Dr No in 1962.
Odeon cinemas will be giving the film a limited release on October
5th and fans will no doubt be desperate to catch the nostalgic trip
through one of the most successful film franchises (and longest running)
ever made...
Thanks to this post from Scott at Front Room Cinema, I got to take part in the From The Red Carpet film club a couple of weekends ago. Everyone that took part got two free tickets to see Premium Rush and then we all met up on Facebook on the Sunday evening to discuss the film.
It was an awesome experience for me as I'm no good at talking out loud and getting my opinions across to people when I'm having a normal conversation so getting to have a chat with others about the film through social networking was perfect. I hope to get the opportunity to take part again some day.
From the Red Carpet have published their review of the film and there are lots of quotes from all us film clubbers in it so please have a look at the review and leave them a comment telling them to make sure they keep inviting me back. The From the Red Carpet review is here.
I leave you with some sample quotes from the film clubbers:
‘I love Koepp’s scripts, where he takes a simple set up and milks it for
all that it’s worth. Panic Room is the perfect example!’
‘Well, my first thought after watching the film was – ‘what on earth was
Joseph Gordon-Levitt thinking?!’ He’s pretty much A-list these days –
but this film screamed B MOVIE.’
‘I quite enjoyed this; it surprised me with its slightly skewed take on
the chase movie. Shannon and Levitt were eminently watchable and
although it’s not going to win any awards it was a fun way to spend an
afternoon.’
Exciting news brewing with casting rumours of Anne Hathaway and Chris Hemsworth sniffing around Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Daniel H. Wilson’s 2011 book Robopocalypse.
The Hollywood Reporter states that not only are Hathaway and Hemsworth negotiating to take leading roles, but also the film is set to be produced by Tom Rothman, the outgoing chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment. Rothman has been confirmed by DreamWorks in a statement yesterday and casting confirmations should follow soon.
Freddy Mercury is a shooting star; glorious for the short
time you get to witness him in motion, but gone too soon, disappearing
into darkness. Queen fans are already aware of the majesty of
their leading man but newcomers will find this cinematic outing just as
dazzling as the 80,000 strong crowd did in Budapest back in 1986.
Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live In Budapest
begins with a short documentary that details the lead up to the
Budapest concert. It features archive footage of rehearsals and
recording, interviews with the band and behind the scenes access as they
hit the road on tour. It is interesting stuff, though nothing new to
Queen fans who know the history of the rock legends.
Feel pity for the low budget horror comedy. Not only does it have to
be scary, but it also has to make you laugh and let’s face it, it’s not
easy to do either. Evil Dead 2 nailed it where many others have failed. Shaun of the Dead hits the funny bone and has a nice bit of gore but doesn’t try to scare you. An American Werewolf in London
balances mirth with mayhem like a professional but in general, horror
comedies tread a too thin line between making us feel fear and making us
chuckle; one is just bound to cancel the other out.
Following successful efforts of the last few years such as Tucker & Dale vs Evil, Rubber and TheCabin in the Woods, comes a Spanish entry into the comedy horror hybrid genre. Re-titled from the original Lobos de Arga into Game of Werewolves (why?) and then finally to Attack of the Werewolves (does what is says on the tin), this film is almost as confused as the people tasked with giving it an English title.
British films can be grim. We Brits are known for adding a spot of
realism, a dash of depression, and a healthy pouring of poverty to our
films. But Britain is also known for horror, not Hollywood glossy horror
but gritty, disturbing, dirty horror. Think The Wicker Man and 28 Days Later.
Closing this year’s celebration of horror, the London FrightFest, was James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson’s dark and grisly sniper thriller Tower Block. Following the likes of Britain’s own sci-fi-horror-comedy mash-up Attack the Block and Indonesia’s The Raid, not to mention Dredd 3D’s similar setting, it might seem Tower Block will be a hard sell for audiences who are potentially tiring of tower blocks and in search of more blocks being busted.
Untouchabledirectors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano have a lot to smile about. Their little French film about an aristocrat quadriplegic (François Cluzet) and his caretaker from the projects (Omar Sy)
has had international success at countless awards ceremonies and film
festivals; it’s also blown all box office expectations out of the water.
Nominated for nine Cesar awards (the French Oscars) but winning only
won for Best Actor (the irresistible Omar Sy), the directors are now in
London ahead of the UK release of the film this Friday.
The Weinstein Company are distributing Untouchable
and after such incredible success across the globe, Nakache and Toledano
are hoping the film will be as warmly embraced in the UK as it has been
in the rest of the world.
I was lucky enough to catch up with directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledanoto
talk to them about their brilliant success. Head on over to Filmoria to read the full interview and to find out what
the pair had to say about tackling a comedy drama dealing with the
thorny issues of race and disability, how they feel about a US remake of
the film that has brought them such huge international success and why
they say the UK is a big influence on their style of comedy.
After The Raid, Dredd 3D and less recently Attack the Block, you'd think the tower block would be ready to be retired as a location for an action thriller. But British director James Nunn has come up with another promising take on tower block terror, filling one with the likes of Sheridan Smith (lots of British TV) and Jack O' Connell (more British TV, a few films) and the legend that is Ralph (Camberwell Carrot) Brown. Then a sniper is unleashed, taking potshots at this unsuspecting bunch and chaos ensues.
Tower Block closed this year's FrightFest and has a promising score of 7.3 over at IMDb from the 47 people who have rated it so far. With Cockneys Vs Zombies getting good reviews (also written by James Moran) and Ben Wheatley's Sightseers being one of the must-see films at this year's London Film Festival, it looks like the British horror film is in rude health.
Tower Block is out tomorrow in the UK and below you can watch the suspenseful trailer:
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. A black guy and a quadriplegic walk
into a bar… Doesn’t sound the like the most funny, sensitive or
heart-warming joke you’ve heard this year right? Well lucky for this
little French film, its script is packed with more than cheap punch
lines about race and disability.
Based on the book You Changed My Life by Abdel Sellou, Untouchable, originally titled Intouchables
in France has already become a massive word-of-mouth box office
sensation in its native land. The Weinstein Company have snapped up the
rights for worldwide distribution and a US remake but they’ll be hard
pushed to beat the magic of the original pairing of stars Omar Sy and Francois Cluzet in this touching dramedy...
Six years after 9/11, a mysterious teaser trailer appeared in cinemas before screenings of Michael Bay’s explosive but empty Transformers
(2007) film. With no title, just a release date and the name of
producer J.J. Abrams, the teaser showed a party full of young
professionals being disrupted by huge roars and a distant explosion.
The trailer culminated with the head of the Statue of Liberty flying
through the air and bouncing down a street full of terrified people.
Backed up by a viral marketing campaign that leaked limited information
about the monster featured in the film, Cloverfield built up a strong following before it was released in January 2008...
Forget Heat’s
Pacino and De Niro face to face over a coffee.Could there be a more
exciting prospect than Al Pacino VS Christopher Walken?This should be one of the best shouting
matches you’ve ever seen.Unfortunately
there looks to be less shouting and more talking, driving and a bit of shooting
from what we can see so far of Stand Up Guys in the brand
new trailer.
Still, it looks promising with Pacino and
Walken as a couple of aging con-men who look set to square off after
getting their old pals together for the ever-so-reliable ‘one last job’.
But just imagine the fireworks that would
have ensued if Pacino and Walken had a face-off in their prime.The King of New York Vs Michael Corleone.If only these two had got together before
they got, let’s face it, a bit old.
As it is, the pair look a little passed it
but thanks to the fast cars, a slick bit of humour and the very welcome Alan Arkin, this could potentially
still be one to stand up and shout about.The trio of elderly Oscar winners are directed by Fisher Stevens (Ben from Short
Circuit 1 and 2!) and joined by Julianna
Margulies (TV’s ER and The Good Wife) and Vanessa Ferlito (Death Proof)
in supporting roles.
The trailer comes courtesy of Yahoo Movies but
there is no word as yet on a UK
release date.
How do you feel about precocious little kids that talk like wise old
adults? If you can’t stand them, then stay well clear of this comedy
drama featuring a little ginger charmer who enters the lives of grieving
parents to help them move on with their lives. On the other hand, if
that kid from Jerry Maguire made your heart melt, then Fostermight also make you smile.
The usually reliable Toni Colette and Ioan Gruffudd
play Zooey and Alec, soul mates since school but now stuck in a rut as
they find they can’t conceive a child after the death of their only son
in a tragic accident. When they decide that fostering might be an
option, they meet Eli (Maurice Cole), a suited and bespectacled child who turns up on their doorstep the day after they visit his foster home.
Fed up of found footage films? Wish they would just stay lost in the woods? Well this British Blair Witch from director Richard Parry
isn’t going to do much to get you back on board; it’s more likely to
leave your stomach churning from another shaky-cam extravaganza.
That said, if you enjoyed the last couple of Paranormal Activity films
or any other number of lazily shot and scripted found footage horrors
from this year’s atrocious The Devil Inside to 2010’s marginally better
The Last Exorcism, you could do worse than this well-acted little
shocker.
Here's a new picture straight from the set of the just wrapped trilogy closer Before Midnight, courtesy of Total Film. Ever since Before Sunset left fans dribbling for more in 2004, people have speculated about whether we would ever get to see Jesse and Celine back together again.
Then today comes the news that not only is the film definitely going to happen, it's already wrapped in Greece and will be hopefully sold to buyers at the Toronto Film Festival which starts today!
Anyway here's the picture. Look forward to more on this soon.
Can't get this trailer out of my head so I must share it with you all now. It's for Ben Wheatley's new genre mash-up Sightseers, coming to UK screens on 30 November 2012.
Wheatley's last film Kill List was praised by critics but left me pretty baffled. A strange mix of crime film and occult horror, it was certainly original if not wholly satisfying. This, on the other hand, looks absolutely brilliant. A delightful mash up of laugh out loud funny with disturbing killer lovers on the loose, I can't think of a film I'm more excited about now this year.
Check out the trailer below if you haven't watched this yet already and make sure that if you like this sort of thing you make a trip to the cinema to see it and support British film!
Watch out for the ginger faced man and the angry woman from 30 November and if you're not from round these parts, just hope and pray it gets an international release!
