A balanced view isn’t possible here. A person of more conservative and/or religious nature may possibly not ‘get’ this film. That is the only thing I will say. Apart from them, the lefty masses will, I’m sure, love this film. Especially as this is based on a true story.

It is a story of a period of British political history that we should all be aware of, although most of us aren’t; but the makers of this flick don’t spend time detailing political theory or who thought and said what. Instead we jump into the lives of a some LGBT folk and see their adventure from the perspective of Joe (George MacKay) a not-quite-out-to-his-family-yet 20 year old lad who meets civil rights activists on a march in London.

He witnesses their formation into a group that will support the Mineworkers Union and slowly becomes one of a group of game-changers in LGBT civil rights history. There is little grandstanding however; change and progress is marked through the development of relationships, as the group travel to South Wales and meets a community of mineworkers. What follows is a clash of cultures and an exploration of the societal change that occurred at the time.

I can’t fault this production technically or structurally. It’s just great film-making. Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton are UK Legends and they provide concrete support without stealing the limelight. The core group LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) are cast and directed with skill. Even without the ‘True Story’ foundation, this would be a landmark film.

Director Matthew Warchus seems to revel in the moments-after-moments and allows his actors space to be. He captures the intimacy of friendship and the discomfort of bigotry with a light, firm hand, and without overt drama.

There is a lot to say about this film – I haven’t yet mentioned that this is British cinema. I don’t need to. “Supporting British Film” seems like a pale agenda next to “Go and see this, you’ll have a great time”. There are far more important reasons the youth of today should watch this.

Pride is a great film and an important one. It contains some well overdue heart-warming joy and sharp, LOL comedy. A breath of fresh air from the “Computer Graphics and Melancholy Drama” menu that Hollywood has been serving recently.

Hitting your screens 12th September, 2014

9/10

– Kushal

The post Review: Pride (2014) appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

The post Review: Before I Go To Sleep (2014) appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

The Transformers films aren’t the worst bunch of flicks in the world, but damn do they suck hard. The issue is that as long as there’s someone who wants to watch one of these films, they’re going to keep getting made. As long as a studio has rights over a property, they’d be stupid not to continue making films, milking everything they possibly could out of said property (see: the Marc Webb Spider-Man trilogy).

That’s enough education for today, let’s get into Transformers: Age of Extinction. 

The film picks up 4 years after the events of Revenge of The Fallen and the city of Chicago are in the process of rebuilding.  We’re introduced to Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) and his daughter, Tessa (Nicola Peltz),  who live on a farm in the middle of nowhere with strangely absent farm animals.

Cade is a struggling inventor who spends his days in the barn, fixing up junk to make a little money. It becomes apparent that this isn’t helping when Tessa mentions she needs the money for college. Cade winds up finding Optimus Prime, at a time where the Autobots are being captured and destroyed.

Optimus has lost faith in humanity, and Cade changes all of this.

Age of Extinction contained a couple of solid, pretty amazing WOW moments, specifically when Optimus is rejuvenated and transformed following their escape, but beyond this AoE was really just a bunch of low-bass noises, explosions and metal crashing into each other.

To its credit, AoE was a fair step up from Revenge of The Fallen. The beginning provided a fair amount of exposition, but it just didn’t provide enough explanation as to who was who. Here’s yet another problem that these films suffer; introducing characters which fans of the original series or expanded universe just won’t know. There’s little or no explanation as to who these new characters are, but it’s easier to differentiate between who the good/bad guys unlike RoTF. 

Having clichés in films is just one of those elements that just HAVE to be present in these popcorn flicks, and it’s understandable. It’s when these clichés completely destroy the scenes and make you question why you paid £10 to watch monstrosities like this.

That aside, AoE is another entry in the Transformers franchise that will inevitably generate a highly respectable gross at the box office, and with a fifth and sixth instalment planned, who knows where Optimus will end up next. Well, if you’ve seen the film you know where he’s headed; to a place where audiences will be treated to more unknown beings.

4.5/10

The post Review: Transformers: Age of Extinction – Bay Once Again Shows Us Money Can’t Buy Happiness – Even When There Are Robots Involved. appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Favreau once again pulls quadruple duty in the form of Director, Co-Producer, Writer and Actor in this fantastic cinematic culinary pleasure.

Jon Favreau had been trained by professional chef, Roy Choi in order to prepare for this role which made his role as Carl Casper was a remarkably convincing chef, and gave the film legitimacy and made the audience invest in the character.

Favreau plays Carl Casper, a head chef in a restaurant under the management of Riva, played by Dustin Hoffman. Casper is a famous chef who has an opportunity to prove his talents as a chef when a famous food critic, Ramsey Michel (played by Oliver Platt) makes an appearance at his restaurant.

Casper decides he wants to produce a special menu; a menu that is very different to the traditional food that is otherwise served at this establishment- but Riva, much to Carl’s chagrin, cockblocks his innovative idea which causes Casper to quit his job.

The opening scenes which take place in the restaurant are a wonderful, yet hilarious reflection on todays older generation and their inept ability to use technology. Favreau, understands how to communicate this through his amusing performance during the scenes where he’s attempting to use Twitter during his flame-war with Michel. The irony here is that Favreau, in reality, is actually quite in tune with the social media of the interwebs.

It’s when Favreau and Co. Begin their journey on the El Jefe food truck, that the film begins to pick up.

The occasional pop-up by Sofia Vergara gave the film the needed female presence it was lacking amongst the kielbasa, though ultimately, her presence wasn’t the most powerful as all she provided was a subtle comic relief along with that infamous voice of hers.

Emjay Anthony, playing Percy, Casper’s son, was a truly wonderful sight to see. His oft-neglected disposition injected some depth into the young star’s character, strengthening the chemistry Favreau and Anthony had.

If food, culture, Robert Downey Jr and Jon Favreau are your things, then take a look at this film. Relish every moment. The clichéd “Dad’s never there” and the “You should spend more time with you son” moments aside, Chef is still a hearty film providing 115 minutes of laughs and warm hearted scenes.

6.5/10

The post Review: Chef – A Tasty Narrative That Contain The Perfect Ingredients For a Well Seasoned Food Porn Flick appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Easily one of the most anticipated films of 2014, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 continues the rebooted trilogy with this pretty amazing entry into the franchise. No pun intended, really.

Let’s do a quick recap. If you consider these spoilers, I apologise, because you really should have seen this by now. So Peter Parker’s been bitten by a radioactive Spider, he’s discovered he has abilities such as super-strength, enhanced senses, and sticky appendages which allow him to crawl on walls.

Uncle Ben was shot, pretty much because of Peter, Peter took the responsibility of his Uncle’s death on himself, tried to find his uncle’s killer and in doing so became Spider-Man.

Elsewhere, Dr. Curt Connors, Richard Parker’s (Peter’s Father) old colleague is developing a serum which enables him to grow another limb. He’s missing half of his right arm, by the way. Dr Connors develops said serum, grows a limb, but with disastrous consequences. He becomes The Lizard, wreaks havoc on New York City.

Spidey saves the day, but it comes with a cost; Captain Stacy’s (Gwen’s Father) life.

Which brings us to The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Revenge of The Spidey.

This time around, the film focuses more on the lore and history of the character of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and the universe in which he is. Without trying to ruin anything (although, at this point, if you’re remotely aware of the history of Spider-Man, you know what happens to certain people in this story), as in its predecessor, Peter was motivated to become Spider-Man due to the death of his Uncle Ben. Events occur in the film that cause Peter to make decisions that will change his life.

The film picks up with Spider-Man swinging around New York City chasing after petty thugs who are conducting a heist to get their hands on plutonium or some other generic biohazardous substance which will inevitably enable them to cause widespread panic on NYC.

The first scene we see of Spidey is among one of the most incredible visually spectacular scenes you’ll see this year, which is accompanied by a breathtaking score (composed by Hans Zimmer and “The Magnificent Six”) that arguably tops James Horner’s wonderfully composed piece for the previous outing.

Andrew Garfield does a fantastic job of representing the Webhead, using his performance from the previous film as a foundation and building upwards. It’s no question that Garfield is a far more credible Spidey than any other incarnation; he understands the character, what he represents: a beacon of hope for kids, the kids who thought being skinny and small was the end of everything. Nah, Spidey got rid of that, and Garfield backs this up with his naturalistic performance.

It’s no surprise that the biggest standout scene in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was the infamous scene that many were expecting (including us, check out the first mention HERE), but, easily the most riveting was most definitely the final scene, where we saw Spider-Man’s ‘rebirth’, if you will. A beautiful segue into the final instalment, at least with Marc Webb’s involvement.

Although the film could have been shorter by about 20 minutes or so, it was during this period of time that we were able to see characters established, setting them up for the next film.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 delivers a story that, yes, is very focused on the relationships of the characters, make no mistake, however – there are a hell of a lot of action scenes; and enough easter eggs to make you want to invest in the entire back catalogue of TASM.

8/10

The post Review: Amazing Spider-Man 2 – An Exploration Into The Character And Universe of Spider-Man appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Off the heels of a pretty awesome Thor flick, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the next entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It’s a pretty big year for Marvel, with Guardians of The Galaxy coming to theatres in August, Amazing Spider-Man 2 tomorrow (May 2nd for the US! – What!?),  X-Men: Days of Future Past around the corner with a May 22 release date, there’s so much to look forward to.

With the exception of Spider-Man (at least until Sony stops hogging the property), and the X-Men, who don’t really have any involvement within this particular universe.

The Guardians of The Galaxy film seems to have a small role in the Avengers/MCU, but really, its The Age of Ultron where things are REALLY gonna heat up. 

Right now though, The Winter Soldier.

The film takes place two years after The Battle of New York, and Captain Steve Rogers is beginning to (only just) settle in to modern day America.

Things are generally going well for Rogers, until S.H.I.E.L.D. and America are threatened by an individual named The Winter Soldier.

Turns out this very skilled and badass gentleman has been present throughout history for some time, but our hero Captain America has been absent for most of his diabolical exploits.

We discover some shocking truths about this Winter fellow, and the threat becomes very real.

As a standalone film in the MCU, Captain America delivers some cool action scenes, beautifully choreographed combat/stunt work, respectable dialogue and some sweet references to the rest of the Avengers; though often times you may find yourself questioning where the hell they actually are when things are going down. Seriously.

Some minor incoherencies aside, it really is cool how the events occurring in history are linked to the events in the Marvel Universe.

In terms of ranking it amongst the other standalone Marvel flicks, this would most definitely be at the top, with Iron Man following closely behind and Thor below that.

The Winter Soldier delves further into the Captain America lore that average moviegoers may not be aware of, and reintroduces those familiar with the franchise with faces from the past.

By the end of the film, we have a good idea as to where we are in the grand scheme of things, and the post-credit sequences(there are two, one mid-credits, one post- be sure to stay for both) open the door to the future of Marvel.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a very welcome entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and only adds fuel to the already mammoth franchise that is The Avengers.

7.5/10

The post Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Does it fare well against the other standalone Marvel films? Where does it fit in the Marvel universe? appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

As would be expected following the Disney purchase of Marvel Entertainment in 2009 and Lucasfilm in 2012, Star Wars comics publishing will move to Marvel. There is no further news except the classic, movie-only-characters will feature but we can still hope that expanded universe characters will start popping up. Especially considering the expected movie tie-ins and pre-written adventures in the never ending Star Wars novels.

Press Release

The post Stars Wars comics publishing moves to Marvel appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

That should open this up nicely.

If you’ve seen 2010’s Tangled, you have a nice idea of what to expect, both musically and in terms of humour (if you haven’t seen it yet, you REALLY need to).

Frozen almost takes inspiration from Tangled and takes it up a few steps. Granted, the composers are both very different (Christophe Beck for Frozen, Alan Menkin for Tangled), and in Frozen the performers are primarily experienced actors/singers from Broadway/stage performances. This makes the music so much more larger than life than what we’re used to. Then again, everything in Frozen is, to a great extent much bigger, both vocally and the elaborate, beautifully created environments.

Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Snow Queen’, Frozen centres around a young princess, Anna, and her older sister Elsa who was born with mystical ‘cryokenisis’ powers (yeah, that’s a thing, Wikipedia says so.) which enable her to manipulate and generate ice/frost/snow at her will.

The opening minutes of the film focuses more on the older sibling, Elsa (played by Broadway singer Idina Menzel) and her struggles with trying to protect those around her and controlling her powers. It’s after this the film turns its focus to Anna (Kristen Bell) and her journey.

Though Frozen is a principally a Family film, make no mistake; this film is one for EVERYONE. I couldn’t count how many times I laughed out loud at this. It’s been a while since I’ve laughed so much at a film, especially a Disney flick. Most definitely (and oddly, surprisingly) one of the funniest films of 2013. Specifically look out for the hilarious exchanges between Kristoff and his Reindeer, Sven. Some of the biggest laughs came from these scenes.

If there’s one film you need to watch this Christmas, it’s Frozen. Funny, heartwarming, charming, though the obligatory cheesiness may get on older viewers’ nerves, it’s expected of a film in this category.

8.5/10

The post ‘Frozen’ (2013) – Heartwarming, Wonderfully Written, Catchy-As-Hell Soundtrack With The Mandatory Clichéd Moments appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

What was meant to be a journey to discover what happened to The American Dream turned out to be something much more; an exploration of the people and the country. It was this that made the film so much more meaningful than it set out to be.

What we get to see is not the stereotypical USA that’s portrayed in Films and TV, but something that goes beyond the superficiality we’ve been accustomed to. Sure, there’s some of the classic Americana we know (and love?), and it’s the way it’s presented to us that makes us want to continue the journey with the two.

Though their visit to certain states doesn’t quite paint the most appealing picture, it still provided an insightful perspective to the way some people in the country think. The most insightful and unexpected moment was the gentleman at the rodeo. His views and opinions were truly remarkable, just something that the stereotypes we’re used to wouldn’t show us.

The film is full of deep and meaningful moments, one that particularly stood out was this, where the two recall the first time they fell in love with the country. It takes place in the opening moments of the film which, in turn starts This American Journey.

The post ‘This American Journey’ (2013) – Insightful, Eye Opening Journey Across Modern Day America. appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

For a remake to be different, but still the same, and yet better, requires some finesse. Stiller appears to have successfully developed this delicate touch during his years of acting and directing.

For me The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is his best creation to date. No buffoonery or (a regular in some of his other work) breaking of the contract with the audience; no industry ‘in’ jokes or references to unnecessary out-of-the-movie contexts for the sake of punchlines. This is a real movie. I would go a step further an say that this is a professional movie – Stiller takes us by the hand and lightly steers us through a water-colour milieu that could be any one of a thousand workplaces in the current economy. Mitty’s workplace is being taken over, hit by disruptive technology, and most of the staff will be fired, despite having dedicated decades to their employer.

Stiller builds on the subtext that Walter is more a conduit for all of us than an individual. Mitty’s journey thus becomes a mirror for all our inadequacies and regrets, but also dreams and aspirations. The threads that draw Mitty into our hearts are not due to him having these fears and hopes but in how he demonstrates their extent, again reflecting our deepest passions and our strength of resolve in moments of alacrity.

Technically, the picture was a Sony 4K production and is worth a viewing for a demonstration of the gorgeous panoramas that 4K cameras can produce. Cinematographers will certainly enjoy the effort and consideration of lens use alone. The movie may be slightly stretched out compared to the ‘MTV-edited’ generation of movies we are still recovering from. It’s personal choice but the slower beat of this film was fine for me (I’m an Eighties kid). At times scenes could have benefitted from cleaner editing and certain story points felt belaboured (I guess the producers were considering certain audience’s spoon-feeding requirements). These niggles aside, it was a great movie experience.

This is not a love story, although there is one. It is not an adventure story, although there is adventure. It is not an action film, although is some action. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a perfectly timed moment of reflection for the end of the year before we start anew. Finish a glass of your preferred beverage before you go and enjoy this touching, relaxing, family-oriented fable that will make a pleasurable holiday treat.

General Release : From Boxing Day, 2013 (26/12/2013)

8.5/10

The post The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013) Review appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Here it is, ladies and gentlegeeks, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 trailer. Let’s take a look.

Pretty awesome, let’s take a look at some of the things in this trailer. Some of the stuff mentioned in this article will be speculation, but it’ll be fun to speculate nonetheless.

So you’ve been warned in advance, THERE MAY BE POTENTIAL SPOILERS IN THIS ARTICLE.

– Peter Parker at a cemetery

This could mean a number of things, the easiest and most simplistic guess would be that Peter is visiting Uncle Ben’s grave, but given the direction Marc Webb has chosen to go in, things could change completely. Could it be someone closer? At this point of course it’s just speculation.

– Daily Bugle on Tumblr

This is a brilliant marketing tactic they managed to put into the film. To memory, it’s the first instance of using the reference of social media both in and out of a (comic book) film to promote the franchise. If you’ve managed to take a read of the posts you’ll notice a lot of the pieces fill in gaps between the first and upcoming movies. There’s an explanation for the absence of Dr. Rajit Ratha among other things. It’s pretty cool. http://thedailybugle.tumblr.com/

– Super strength Spidey

We didn’t get to see a whole lot of Spidey’s strength capabilities in the first film, but this is great. Really shows us the progression of his abilities, and a little look at what we can expect to see in the film.

– Richard Parker?

This is cool. So we know that Richard Parker obviously has a relatively significant part in the past of Oscorp, and looks like we’ll get to see a little more of the story unfold, as well as the events leading up to his demise, as seen in this shot. It certainly looks like him, his sweater, shirt, hair and glasses seem to match what we’ve been shown thus far.

- Sinister Six

This one is pretty exciting for fans of the Comics and new fans of the franchise.

The Sinister Six, for those who aren’t familiar, are a group of supervillains who are Spidey’s most famous adversaries. It’s unknown at this time which incarnation of the Sinister Six will be used, but based on the trailer we know that The Vulture, Electro, Doctor Octopus, Harry Osborn’s Goblin and Rhino are gonna be involved. Mysterio has been heavily speculated by fans as the mysterious figure who appears in the credit sequence in the first film. It’s possible that he could be part of the Sinister Six as he is part of the group in the comics.

– The Vulture and Dr Octupus references 

This one’s really awesome, but much of the same stuff from above. While the above shows us 6 (7 from the wide shot) doors opening with what we can assume to be related to the Sinister Six somehow. In this show, however, Vulture’s wings and Dr Octopus’ arms are side by side. Walking by these containment tanks is the figure who appeared in the cell with Curt Connors.

– Rhino

This is probably the most awesome part of the trailer, Rhino, played by Paul Giamatti.

The suit resembles the Ultimate Universe’s incarnation, but as Marc Webb said, he wanted something that would work in a realistic setting, and this version definitely works pretty well. Refer to the Tech Beat: Exploring The Mobility post on The Daily Bugle Tumblr.

There are a few other cool moments in the trailer, but it’s best to not ruin the WHOLE thing. At this point all we can do is hope and speculate. Could it be another Spider-man 3 situation? Will this film be too crowded? Hopefully this’ll be handled better than the previous franchise. It certainly is in good hands.

Check out this cool trailer with commentary by the cast of the film as well as Marc Webb.

Your thoughts? Leave a comment below or join me at @Movievillekazed on Twitter.

The post Cool Things We Noticed In The ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2′ (2014) Trailer appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Paul Blackthorne recently travelled across the United States to find out how much the country has changed over the years. From New York to Los Angeles, Paul and Mister Basquali travel to discover how the economy’s collapse and how different people’s vision of the country are. 

1.       Let’s start with an easy one; This American Journey – How did that come about?

Shortly after the economic downturn, I became curious about what the people of America were thinking about the country. At the time, the American Dream was in a troubled state, and though I’ve loved America since I was a kid I wasn’t sure how I was feeling about it myself . However I decided the best way for me to form an opinion on how I felt about America was to go out and speak to the people of America. So that’s what I did. I got on the road with a friend of mine and drove from New York to Los Angeles.

The great American road trip!! From the ghetto to the gun show, the courthouse to the cattle auction its amazing what we learned out there!

2.     It seemed initially you had a goal in mind to set out and find out why/how America has changed, but by the end it seemed it became much more than that. It became more about the people than it did about the Country – which was great. How do you feel now, having made the journey; how much has your opinion changed of the country you fell in love with?

What started off looking into the state of America turned more into looking into the state of our minds. . People seemed to be taking a long hard look at what makes us truly happy in life – is it the big house the big car and pots of money or is it something else ?The people we spoke to taught us a lot. After this experience I can’t help but feel very positive about the country!

Leaving NY after 2 weeks preparation with a guy I barely knew and not much idea of where we were heading except west, was an interesting moment. But along the way a number of interviews really stopped us in our tracks: the NRA member at the gun show was one of the most surprising people we met – never judge a book by its cover!

4.   Was there any one location that you particularly felt resonated with you more than any other?

There’s something in the air in New Mexico for sure – it’s hard to put your finger on it but watching the sun rise and fall in that state definitely lifts the spirit! Also Montgomery, the way in which a small town like that shaped modern day America was pretty inspiring!

As a kid I fell in love with America. All these years later of course it’s changed enormously but that’s the beauty of America, it is still young and still malleable, it changes, adapts, and improves itself on a daily basis.

Maybe in the past America has been a little enthusiastic making its mark on the world stage, like the young kid in the room trying to prove itself around the older kids, but now it seems to be getting over the idea of having to prove itself to the rest of the world. Our Imam in Little rock speaks beautifully of America’s growing maturity.

6.     You brought up an interesting point about religion with Basquali in the bathroom, do you think that’s played a big part in some of the changes in the US today?

I think amongst the different theological schools there is awareness that different religions have more in common than they have different and that perhaps we may just have different names for many of the same ideas. In the film differerent people of different religions discuss this idea too and its nice to see people thinking more about what we might have in common rather than what makes us different. When we dwell on our commonality i think we have more chance of working together to get out of difficult times…

Credit Jennifer Cawley

7.     You play Detective Lance on CW’s Arrow and voiced Metallo in Justice League: Doom.  Did you/do you now have an interest in the Green Arrow/DC Comics before you did the show? What kind of research did you do for the character?

I have never read the comic books, but I get to enjoy the screen version of the DC world that the Arrow writers so brilliantly create.

Lance is a cop so I research the world of being a cop, however for me, the most interesting part of creating a character is creating his psychology

The experiences we have in life and how we react to them make us who we are.

I enjoy creating the life experiences of a character that create the person that’s ended up on the page.

8.     Do you visit the UK at all?

When i can’t stand another moment without warm flat beer, terrible weather, great football and old school mates and family I get on the plane for my yearly dose of what it means to be British – i love England and i miss it very much, America makes up for it though…

As the legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once said: Football is not a matter of life and death  – it’s more important than that.

Football is the stuff of dreams, nightmares, passion and character.

I love football  – I have been going to watch Arsenal play since I was a teenager  – they are the greatest team in the world whether they win trophies or not – they tend not to – but this season  – THIS is the season!!

10. Do you have any upcoming feature film projects that you can talk about?  

I just had one of the best experiences of my working life in the company of Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels and Kathleen Turner.

Yes indeed  – Dumb and Dumber To  – coming soon!

Look out for Doctor Kipper

Thanks for taking the time out to answer the questions for us, you do an amazing job in Arrow, we here at Movieville and our many readers agree, keep up the good work! (We also think you should make more documentaries!)

Thank you for the questions and the interest in This American journey and Arrow – it is much appreciated !

Please tell the folks out there that arrow is on CW and that This American Journey  is available on Hulu and Amazon  – go to thisamericanjourney.com  to learn more – I’d appreciate it!

And that we can continue the conversation on twitter @paulblackthorne  – thank you!

TAJ HULU http://bit.ly/1aPGlIa  – watch the film for free here

TAJ website: http://bit.ly/1cfuJ0B  – watch it on Hulu or buy the dvd

TAJ FB  http://bit.ly/1jwXB6K  – like the page

The post Interview: This American Journey & Arrow’s Paul Blackthorne Talks About TAJ, Arrow, Football And Upcoming Projects. appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Underneath it’s glamour, elaborate costumes and set pieces, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a metaphor for today’s world. It’s a poignant take on how certain figures (or ‘celebrities’) in the industry are put on a pedestal and celebrated as gods and idols. It’s a brilliant comparison to our modern day culture.

On the surface, however, Catching Fire contains nicely choreographed action scenes, the occasional funny, and a fair

bit of emotion in the form of one Jennifer Lawrence. Lawrence did not disappoint in her reprisal as Katniss Everdeen, the victor from the 74th Hunger Games, which took place in the first film. A little less than 30 minutes into the film she displayed some of the most powerful emotionally-driven performance that’s to be seen by Lawrence in recent memory. It’s not just within the first act, but throughout the film that she delivers a beautiful performance becoming of an Oscar winner.

Katniss and Peeta(Seriously, what?!) are last year’s victors and are now sent on a tour through the Districts of their fallen comrades/opponents from the previous Hunger Games. The 75th Hunger Games are around the corner and President Snow makes a decision that impacts the future of Katniss and other victors forever. That’s the basic premise of the film.

Elizabeth Banks stole the show with her outrageously fabulous performance as Effy, Katniss’ and Peeta’s Escort. Her scenes were somewhat minimal, but they were in short, sharp, effective bursts. One scene that particularly stood out was her escorting the two to the Presidential Palace; 1) it was a significant turning point in the film, and 2) the way she delivered those few lines she said to prepare Katniss and Peeta were brilliant. Perfectly defined her character.

The ending is what you’d call a classic cliffhanger. Annoying it might have been, but the situation felt right.

A huge gripe with the film; Lenny Kravitz. Sure, his contribution to the music industry is respectable, but maybe it’s best if he stays away from ‘performing’. While given some confusingly relevant screentime, very little was done on his part to fully utlise it. The last time we see Kravitz’ character was satisfying, to say the least. No spoilers here. It was this, along with some of the generic dialogue and somewhat wooden performance of Josh Hutcherson(admittedly an improvement from The Hunger Games), that added frustration to an otherwise tremendous entry into The Hunger Games franchise.

If Catching Fire doesn’t get you invested in the franchise, wait until Mockingjay Pt. 1. Or you could wait for the boxset.

8.5/10

The post ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ (2013) – Emotionally Charging, Beautifully Shot, A Surprisingly Huge Step Up From The First appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

The premise is simple; Skylar Astin, who plays ‘Brody’, a successful banker working in the upper echelons of the Finance sector in San Francisco, and he comes across a beautiful girl who works on- you got it, the Ground Floor. The first episode establishes Brody’s intentions pretty early on, which are pretty obvious if you’ve seen even a few seconds of the show’s promos.

Astin’s character is loveable, but he might the the first protagonist of a show who is actually quite detestable. Initially, his character is this pompous, holier-than-thou douchebag who believes he’s above(Figuratively and literally) the girl he hooked up with the night before(Briga Heelan, who plays Jennifer, Astin’s co-star), who works on the Ground Floor.

Of course this changes afterwards, McGinley’s character, Mr. Mansfield, Brody’s boss, figures she’s a distraction, that Brody should be focused on his career. It’s the way the story unfolds from here that had me invested in the show.

Astin’s charming, likeable presence on screen pulls you in, though his performance is reminiscent of that in Pitch Perfect. Some variety could be introduced, though it’s not detrimental to his character.

Ground Floor doesn’t seem to be airing in the UK anytime soon, but if you’re able to “visit the US and take a watch” you’re likely not to be disappointed.

Though it’s not the best show on TV right now, it’s great for an easy watch.

The post Ground Floor: Skylar Astin Introduces Us To A Charming, Lighthearted New Workplace Comedy With Loads Of Potential appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

In the UK, Sky 1 airs a US series called Arrow, based on the Green Arrow D.C. comic character. An initial look at this suggests it is yet another retelling/reboot of a comic character’s story. Further, Billionaire Oliver Queen (who becomes the Green Arrow) builds a basement ‘cave’ and utilises technology, science and martial arts – elements that seem to scream ‘Wannabe Batman!’

This is far from the reality of Arrow. Batman is the creative creation of Bruce Wayne, possibly influenced by the symbolic memes of the League of Assassins. Bruce is a traditional romantic hero with a dark past, societal detachment, and, as usual, no parents, further detaching him from the world around him.

Oliver Queen is is the antithesis of this romantic hero. He had a fabulous upbringing, always had his parents, still has his mother and sister, and great friends, and becomes the Green Arrow through involuntary trials that take place in the thematic crucible of a deadly island. He arrives on The Island after a storm capsizes his father’s yacht and he is the only survivor. On The Island he meets ‘rulers’ that contest the island – who are all relate back to rulers in his home city in one way or another.

Sound familiar? It should do to anyone with even a mild interest in Shakespeare; This story outline resembles The Tempest. In fact an organisation related to the capsizing of Queen’s yacht is later named ‘Tempest’. I say resembles as this while The Tempest themes are apparent, they appear to have been squeezed through a masticating juicer and come out the other side in delicious new unions that are the delight of Arrow’s stories.

Where Shakespeare wrote for a society still discovering the ‘New World’ and coming to terms with foreign cultures, Arrow considers a society on the verge of socio-economic breakdown (both ours and Starling City’s!), and reverses the roles of Prospero and Caliban, and fuses them together, with elements of Gonzalo and Alonso, to create a new creature that is sent back to a different island: Queen’s home of Starling City. From another perspective, Arrow is an evolved Tempest sequel that takes the adventure back to the city-state of the rulers in the story.

Oliver Queen still has family and friends and needs to balance this with the ‘Caliban-monster’ he has become. Only this monster has direction and is bring the Island culture and ethics, and the brutality of Island justice, to Starling City. Whereas The Tempest’s Caliban became a slave, Arrow looks to being the just ruler of the city-state. This brings him into confrontation with the existing ‘Antonio’-ruler and his ‘dark magic’, and also his ‘Sycorax’ mother and her questionable actions.

Currently airing Season 2 with Season 1 available On Demand, Arrow is a feast of dark romantic themes, violence, societal revolution and ethical debate. Most of this is handled in subtext though, so if you just want to chill with a nachos and beer and watch and a great action series, Arrow’s presentation won’t challenge the cerebellum any more than you want it to.

The post An Alternative Look at Arrow appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Thor 2: The Dark World is the next entry in Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The allusions to the other films in the universe really does get you pumped up for what’s set to come.

The involvement of Christopher Yost as a screenwriter and Alan Taylor at the helm just made the film that much better; with Yost’s background already in the Marvel Universe and Taylor with a significant amount of experience Directing some notable works, including a number of Mad Men, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, to name a few.

Watching The Dark World, the first 30 minutes or so do not feel like a Marvel film. Sure, there are the little nods to the Universe, but it felt more like Game of Thrones (Which isn’t a bad thing), minus the Dragons. This time around, we get to see a lot more of Asgard, and it really is beautiful. It’s not just the view of the organ pipes. No no. We’re talking people, fauna, other locations and vehicles, too. This is a lot more than just a Marvel film. This was exploring the character of Thor as well as the relationship between himself and Loki. We also got to see a couple of the other Nine Realms; Svartalfheim and Vanaheim.

It’s after this initial half hour that things really start to kick off.

Once we leave Asgard we get to see a  get back to Earth we see the second part of the action begin. What follows is some of the best action we get to see in a Marvel film since, I guess The Avengers. Which is only two films ago. Okay, still, the point remains.

Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are on top form here, Hiddleston certainly took the spotlight though, his timing and delivery made his scenes hilarious and memorable. Hemsworth, naturally, did fantastic as The God of Thunder.

As far as humour goes, The Dark World contained far more than the first, and allowed for a better watch. There’s a special cameo that was unexpected, but it was sheer brilliance. Kat Dennings had a lot more room to shine, the first film she existed merely to provide a small amount of comic relief, but this time around, the balance of the characters’ humour allowed Dennings to be more than just comic relief.

The development and involvement of some of the minor characters from the first was a nice touch, notably Idris Elba as Heimdall, who was given a tad more screen time and dialogue. It was especially interesting to seem him sit at a table having a ‘normal’ conversation with another character. Heimdall almost ‘loosened up'; and it was fun to see.

Towards the end we see Thor make certain decisions that will directly impact the future. Take note, there are TWO post-credit sequences. The second is more significant than the first. It’s this one that leads straight into Guardians of The Galaxy, which is the next film after The Winter Soldier, Captain America’s next outing on the big screen. Hopefully it’ll provide more than the first flick did.

Thor: The Dark World is an awesome entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it’s only the second film in Phase Two. It’s about to get better.

8.5/10

The post ‘Thor: The Dark World’ (2013) – A Thrilling, Hilarious Step Up From It’s Predecessor appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Credit Marc Cartwright 2013.

By Karan Dholakia

Earlier this evening I had the absolute pleasure of having a chat with Kaitlyn Dever, who is one of Hollywood’s fastest rising young movie stars today.

Dever starred as Jayden, a troubled teenager alongside Brie Larson (United States of Tara, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) and John Gallgher Jr. (The Newsroom) in Short Term 12 which is causing quite a buzz on the festival circuit. Currently, she plays Eve Baxter on ABC’s Last Man Standing, starring opposite Tim Allen, who plays her father on the show, Mike.

Check out my interview with Kaitlyn below, and you can listen to it after the jump. 

 – You played Jayden in Short Term 12 alongside Brie Larson & John Gallagher Jr. What attracted you to the role? Was it the script? The cast?

I didn’t know who was in the cast other than Brie Larson, I was excited at first to be able to work with her and see her again because I worked with her on The Spectacular Now, but I feel like it was mainly the script that attracted me the first time. 

 – You mentioned The Spectacular Now, Shailene Woodley played a pretty big part, what was it like working with her?

She’s great, she’s awesome, she’s a very very sweet, down to earth girl, she’s just the coolest person to work with.

 – What did you do to prepare for a role like Jayden’s?

Yeah, I mean it’s really just – I go over the script a lot, and sometimes when I read the script a lot I find new things about the character everytime I read it, and also I try to create something that’s not on the page, and that sort of makes the character more like a real person. That’s what I always try to do when I’m getting into character; trying to make it as real as possible, and knowing the character so well that it’s like, playing me.

  – So right now you’re working on Last Man Standing, which is a different sort of thing altogether, you’re working in front of a live audience, how do you find working like that?

It keeps you on your toes, it’s a different sort of genre, it’s almost like theatre, and it’s theatre in front of the audience, you have high energy, you know, writers always coming up to me with line changes, and you have to be ready. It’s really helped me as an actor to be on a sitcom .

 – If something goes wrong in front of the audience, how do you deal with it?

How- oh, when we like mess up a line, or something?

 – (laughs) Yeah!

Well, we’re just used to it now, cause we do it all the time, we’re constantly laughing, yeah, we’re breaking character and the audience loves it. They love it when people start laughing. Like I watch SNL, and I love it when you watch it and they do the characters and it’s live, so yeah, we’re constantly messing up, so you know, the audience and the cast just having a good time.

- Has Tim Allen or anyone else on the cast given you a piece of advice that’s really resonated with you?

Hector [Elizondo] gave me great advice. He told me I have to be my own director, and protect myself. I didn’t really know what he meant when he said it, and after thinking about it afterwards I’m like, ‘wait a second he means not to be the director of the show, but to be your own director and to direct the way you want your character to be, and protect yourself meaning, create your own character.’ I thought that was a really cool piece of advice.

- Right, like what you alluded to earlier about your character for Short Term 12?

Yeah, I mean I think it’s awesome when there a collab between the director and the actor I think that’s really cool, it’s not just the Director saying ‘okay, you’re gonna say this line, and you’re gonna go here’ it’s sort of, like when I did Short Term 12, it was a collaboration between Destin [Daniel Cretton, Director of ST12] me, and all the actors. It was really cool- he let us get into our characters, do what we wanted with our characters freely.

Kaitlyn Dever and Brie Larson in Short Term 12

 – You’ve worked on a film, Laggies, comes out early next year where you star alongside Keira Knightly, Sam Rockwell and Chloe Moretz. You and Chloe are the same age, so was there any advice that either of you gave to each other? Has there been something one of you have experienced that the other hadn’t?

It was really cool getting to work with another girl my age on the set, it was really cool, I guess, we’re both just trying to be 16 year olds by not getting caught up in the work we’re doing. We just had a good time, because it was really fun having another 16 year old on set, and not working with a bunch of adults all the time. It was kinda nice (laughs)

- Do you find it gets too much sometimes? How do you manage to keep yourself below all of the excitement?

I don’t- I mean, I get excited all the time, because I love it so much and I love what I do, it’s hard not to get too excited about things, but, you know I stay close with my family, I always hang out with them, and always hang out with my friends.

  – I’d imagine between Last Man Standing and other opportunities you’d be pretty busy, what would you do if you ever got any downtime?

I’ve been really lucky to have done four films these past two years on my hiatuses, which is really awesome, and I’m very thankful, but on hiatus week, like between while we’re shooting, I’ll do homework, and hang out with my friends, try to just chill out as much as possible.

– You’ve just shot Grass Stains with Tye Sheridan, that’s something different, what’s that like? Because that’s something different between the characters you played in Short Term 12 and Last Man Standing, but in Grass Stains it’s a lot more serious. Did you do anything different for this particular character? 

Between Last Man and Grass Stains or Short Term 12 and Grass Stains?

– Short Term 12 and Grass Stains

They’re both going through a struggle, in Grass Stains my character is trying to go through the struggle of trying to forget about her Brother’s death and she’s falling in love at the same time with The Sheridan’s character. In both movies the characters are going through heavy internal stuff, and it was just a matter of realising who Grace [Dever's character in Grass Stains] was before her Brother’s death and then adding on that struggle after the death.

- One last question, what’s the biggest project you’re working on right now? 

Well I think I’m doing the show right now, I have some exciting things that i can’t talk about yet, but there’s definitely some really cool things coming up, so yeah. I can’t say much.

– No that’s cool, you’ve been awesome, I hope I’ve been a good interviewer (laughs)

Oh yeah, you were great, this was fun!

- Alright, well I’ll let you get back to it, I’ve been Kazed, and thank you!

Oh, thank you so much!

Thanks again to Kaitlyn for being such a cool interviewee.

The post Kaitlyn Dever Talks To Movieville About ‘Short Term 12′ (2013), ‘Last Man Standing’, And All The Other Stuff On Her Plate appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

By Karan Dholakia

Not since the days of Ripley have we seen a decent strong female lead, one that is capable of doing something without being given orders from a male character. Now Bullock in Gravity isn’t the best example of this, because ultimately her actions at the turning point were a result of Clooney providing a confidence boost that her character so aptly needed.

It was her unanticipated quick thinking that allowed her character to stand out, though it still wasn’t enough to make her the strongest female lead in recent times. 

The problem is – and this isn’t just applicable for Gravity, this applies to many of the films with female leads – the females are portrayed as these figures who aren’t able to carry out basic or complex activities without a male’s assistance. Knocked Up was a perfect example of this. Katherine Heigl has gone on record saying that the film was, “a little sexist. It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight, and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys.” Now, okay, that’s totally understandable, but that’s what the film was. It’s not exactly a prime example of female empowerment, it’s a lighthearted, fun film.

Kinda strayed from the topic there. Just making a point!

Bullock in Gravity is initially this broken-down woman who’s lost a huge part of herself, and it’s why she’s reserved, anxious. She needed Clooney to give her the push so her character was able to evolve and push past her limits to enable the story to progress.

You’ll notice her foetal position when she arrives at her first stop as an almost metaphorical re-emergence. This was a lovely touch, a nod to Odyssey, even. It was an almost literal/metaphorical transformation. Just lovely.

It’s not until a little after halfway do we see her character, Dr Stone, fully ultilise her capabilities after her ‘second wind’, if you will.

Gravity is a beautifully shot film, with some of the most incredibly intense CG scenes you’ll see in a film this year. The sound, ironic as it may be, was a huge part of the film, employing dramatically lifting scores and subtle sounds within a vacuum to highlight scenes. Wonderfully done.

Though visibly absent for a large portion of time, Clooney provided a presence that reverberated throughout the length of the film.

Sandra Bullock was a smart choice for this role, time after time she’s played the kind of woman who comes out on top in the face of adversity, and this was no exception.

The payoff is certainly worth it, despite a few dull, cheesy lines, it didn’t detract from the overall polished-ness of the film.

8.5/10

The post ‘Gravity’ (2013) & Women In Film: A Strong Female Presence Amongst The Debris Of Cuarón’s Beautiful Vision appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Recently, the online community was treated to the official trailer for the upcoming reboot for RoboCop.

Again, this was met by a mixed response. Understandably so. Let’s take a look at this trailer.

Sweet.

All over my Facebook feed all I could see was something along the lines of “WTF is this shit!?” First off, the film hasn’t even RELEASED yet, and people already have gripes with it? Come on.

This kinda relates to the Affleck as Batman post I did not long ago. People are gonna hate on something at first glance; even before it’s released.

To this I say, STOP. Embrace it. Embrace the change.

Let’s look at history.

The Amazing Spider-Man. Many thought it was too soon for a Spider-Man reboot, myself included, but Andrew Garfield’s charm and incredible performance as Spidey blew me away. Sure, there were a select few who still didn’t appreciate the translation of our Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man, and that’s fair enough, everyone has a right to an opinion, of course. But opinions should really come into play once the individual has something to judge, no?

Back to RoboCop.

Look at the trailer again. Just watch. Now, let’s forget for the moment that growing up, for many of us RoboCop was many of our idols. He was the freaking MAN. Well, kind of. The point I’m trying to make here is if we went into this thinking that this is a standalone entry into the RoboCop universe, then it might be more digestible.

Think of it as a sequel. Don’t think of it as a replacement, because reboots hardly ever REPLACE the originals. Merely overshadow, in some cases.

Some examples:

• The Incredible Hulk over Ang Lee’s 2003 ‘Hulk’. The Incredible Hulk was a fantastic response to Ang Lee’s entry, which was more of a story rather than an all out slugfest.
• Man of Steel over the ‘Superman’ franchise. Snyder’s recent awesomefest is a reboot of the franchise, but at the same time respects what came before it. It doesn’t step all over it’s predecessors, but instead gives subtle nods to the past. Again, not a replacement, but more of an extension of the lore.
• The Amazing Spider-Man over Raimi’s well-done franchise. Though towards the end Raimi’s Spider-Man took a huge nose dive into Sandman’s ass crack, the first two were splendid pieces of film which served as almost a benchmark for those that followed.
  

  THAT face.

  The Amazing Spider-Man, much like Man of Steel, still respected it’s roots, and didn’t completely make us forget about Sam Raimi’s webhead extravaganza. No one can forget this face.

The point is, don’t completely shit over a piece of work you haven’t seen. Everyone’s done it; hell, I’ve even done it. It’s just a case a waiting it out and seeing what the end result is.

You can follow me on Twitter: @MovievilleKazed

The post Change: Embrace it. appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

The issue with coming of age dramas is we all know the stories and can usually predict the ending. The Way, Way Back subtly acknowledges this by not changing a thing in the story and instead setting out to explore the nature of interactions – or lack of them, in many cases.

Liam James plays Duncan, a quirky 14 year old, on summer vacation with with mum, mum’s boyfriend Trent, and mom’s boyfriend’s daughter, Steph. Duncan’s ventures out to get away from the increasing tedious activities and conversations of this mum’s boyfriend’s friends and also to avoid confrontations with the overbearing brute himself (subtly played by Steve Carell). He meets Owen (Sam Rockwell) who takes him under his wing at the water park he manages. Duncan experiences the ups and downs of blooming teenage, leading to a the usual increases in confidence and confrontations.

The joy of The Way, Way Back is not the story or production or directing. This film’s genius comes from it’s dialogue and well crafted interplay of characters. It doesn’t sell out to cheese and ham; it doesn’t pander to a specific audience. It stays with Duncan and keeps him real, from beginning to end. Liam James deserves a big-up for being able to hold that incredulous, confused teenage look in scene after scene without it becoming repetitive.

There is an burgeoning romance with a neighbour’s daughter, Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb; Bridge to Terabithia, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Jumper) but the central theme here is the poignant interplay of interactions between Duncan and Trent, and the through-line of Owen.

I want to finish by saying nothing more than I would have been happy to watch the whole thing over again as soon as it finished!

8.5/10

Kushal

The post The Way Way Back (2013) Review appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

VERY loosely based on the events that occurred in Miami during the mid nineties, Pain & Gain centres around ‘The Sun Gym Gang’ and their crime rampage during this time.

Starring Mark Wahlberg as Daniel Lugo, a hardcore gym nut/entrepreneur, alongside Anthony Mackie as Adrian “Noel” Doorbal, his ‘sidekick’ of sorts, with Dwayne Johnson playing Paul Doyle, the heavy.

Doing a quick Google search on this story will amass a number of articles, some will even point out that Pain & Gain is nothing more than a glorified, comedic, ‘Hollywood’ version of the events that took place in the mid-nineties. The murders that take place in the film are somewhat accurate to the ones that occurred in real life, but take it all with a pinch of salt; this IS Entertainment, after all. 

So the film follows a basic premise. Daniel Lugo wants to be rich. He wants to be ‘big’. Big in the proportionate sense, I suppose, and in terms of success too. He runs the Sun Gym, a suburban Miami gym alongside his friend and right hand man Noel. Paul Doyle enters the picture when looking for a job after doing some time in prison after petty crimes. Little did they know they were all about to have their lives changed drastically when wealthy entrepreneur Victor Kershaw (played by Tony Shalhoub), enters their lives and Lugo gets an idea. He wants what Kershaw has, and he’s prepared to do anything to get it.

Thanks, Michael. As if it wasn’t plastered on the Film’s marketing materials enough.

This is where the film takes a number of weird directions. Every so often, the shot will freeze, overlaying a caption alluding to the story’s direction or current place. Take this shot, for example. Johnson’s semi-fictional character Paul Doyle is seen here grilling body parts. At this point the film deems it fit to tell us that it’s still a true story. Okay. This kind of ruined the flow of film, albeit in a humorous fashion; this was done far too often, and at times seemed unnecessary.

The conclusion of Pain & Gain shows Lugo in his most deluded state; almost accepting of his ultimate judgement. It’s at this point the film truly got entertaining. This, of course is in the closing minutes of the film, but it was here where we’re fully able to see Lugo at his absolute height of delusion. Why is this entertaining? Throughout the whole film Lugo is this go-getter, has high hopes and big dreams… then we see he was deluded from the start.

6.5/10

The post Pain & Gain (2013) Review: Michael Bay Tackles Steroids. And Murder. And Some Explosions. appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Elysium is painted with Blomkamp’s gritty, pastel brush (as debuted in District 9) and dialogued in the same manner. Max (Damon) gets ill and needs to get to Elysium for healing – a huge space colony in orbit around Earth, for rich people only, run by President Patel (!?), played by Faran Tahir (who played the terrorist in ‘x’ – insert any US TV Drama… 24, Blue Bloods).

Sharlto Copley from District 9 appears as a hulking antagonist to Max’s plans and is, once again, and absolute joy to watch, injecting dark humour into the most gratuitous of scenes.

I have a personal niggle that ruined what was otherwise a great sci-fi romp – people in Blomkamp’s world seem to read code faster than regular people can read English. There were several ridiculous scene where code was displayed flying up the screens and everyone (everyone!) that saw it magically knew what it was – total bollocks and ruined every scene it happened in (je suis un software engineer aussi, so I claim the right to criticise)

There was a pointless, but hot, latin lady in the film, attempting to add a deeper dimension to what was otherwise just a terrorist campaign on Max’s part. All in all it added up to a reasonable excuse to invade the rich people’s area and blow/beat the shit out of them – an overriding theme in some of Blomkamp’s work.

Striding in to balance this rapid-coding-reading malarkey is an unexpected and striking performance from Jodie Foster – playing a staunch right wing political battle-axe that seems to be a caricature of the SAG’s impression of a staunch right wing political battle-axe.

Subtext and underlying-messages aside, Foster is another delicious, menacing tornado in this film, adding to Copley’s psychotic pantomiming.

For concept and visual effects, this would receive a 9/10 – I even commented to my cousin that Blomkamp’s skills would be great if directed towards a project such as Star Wars. However, his leaning towards blowing up bodies on screen may count against him with Disney.

Unfortunately, rapid-code-reading, pointless extra story-lines, and a weak central storyline, chip away at Elysium’s polish. Still, an essential viewing for sci-fi fans and a league ahead of Oblivion and After Earth.

7.5/10

Kushal

The post Elysium (2013) Review appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Okay, so by now you’ve seen/heard that the Ben Affleck will be cast as Batman in the Man of Steel sequel. (Un)Surprisingly, there’s been a huge uproar at casting Mr. Affleck as Master Wayne.

I refer to this ‘monstrosity’

Why? Well it seems that many people are basing this off the monstrosity that was Daredevil. Are people forgetting about Hollywoodland? The Town? Good Will Hunting? Hell, Dogma!?

Affleck has made some bad films, admittedly, but some would say that he’s more than redeemed himself as a performer with his most recent works?

Or maybe it’s about more than just performance? Maybe it’s about fitting the character? Did anybody think Heath Ledger was going to play a good Joker? What about when people were skeptical about Andrew Garfield as arguably the best incarnation of Spider-Man? Cavill as Supes?

I look over at my news feed and all I’m seeing is people complaining about Ben Affleck.

Nolan’s Batman had without a doubt raised the bar on ‘Superhero’ films. The character of Bruce Wayne had almost been redefined. He was already a dark, brooding, emotionally damaged individual, but Nolan took it a step further. He extrapolated traits from the source material and had made him into an emotionally broken man with nothing to lose.

Both Superman and Batman in their respective films were, to an extent, ‘reinvented’ to be adapted for the big screen. Not a huge deal, but reinvented nonetheless. (Check out THIS article for major differences between the various Batman incarnations, and THIS lengthy column on Man of Steel/Superman Unchained comic.)

Why is it so farfetched to accept that Ben Affleck is the next Batman? That he’s able to show some range as a performer? Daredevil aside, for a moment, because THAT argument has already become stale and this story isn’t even 24 hours old. Yes, it’s true, in Daredevil, Affleck portrayed the Man Without Fear with the utmost cheesiness and clichéd mannerisms, but this is a different ballgame. We’re talking about the post-Daredevil Affleck. We’re talking about the Affleck in Argo. In The Town.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re talking about The World’s Finest.

K.

The post Ben Affleck. Batman. Why not!? appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

So maybe it doesn’t sound as appetising after that opener. But consider this. There was really only one way to recreate the magical land of OZ. And that is through superfluous amounts of CG. Admittedly it’s horrible at the best of times, but one can’t deny it does wonders on the eyes.

So the premise of OZ is relatively straightforward. James Franco is a small-time magician who dreams of bigger things, and is whisked away to the magical land of OZ.

He sees that amidst all of the magic and beauty there’s a dose of evil, darkness and shit. We’re talking real, SINISTER shit.

When you have a cast like OZ has, the performances aren’t a huge concern because you know there’s a sense of reliability on the shoulders of these names.

Surprisingly, it was the visuals that really required some scrutiny.

See the issue with the CG here wasn’t that it was excessive and overly vivid, but more that it was used to unnecessarily at the most puzzling times. It was an annoyingly attractive piece that could’ve done without showing us an over-rendered backdrop or an exaggerated set piece which would possibly resemble the inside of a damn Unicorn.

Shit, what happened to the days of using a toy you could blow up and shit? F**k this, OZ gets a 5/10. 

I’m off to make some magic.

The post Review: ‘Oz The Great and Powerful’ (2013) – Unnecessary, Annoyingly Attractive Magic? appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

So I was talking with our M.D. Kazed about a film project and happened to mention Orson Scott Card’s excellent work on creating characters and viewpoints. I went into a monologue about how great OSC’s character interaction planning was and how he was way ahead of his time blah blah blah… Next thing I remember, I was sitting in the cinema and saw this trailer.

If you haven’t read Ender’s Game, read it. I very much doubt the film will contain the entire story but will probably be an expression of the ethos of OSC’s semi-dystopian future.

If you don’t want to read it, read on (no spoilers though): Ender is a kid, a ‘extra’ child in a future that limits all families to 2 kids. But he’s special: sharp, gifted, endlessly tenacious, yet deeply compassionate. The military picks him up and trains him to the furthest extremes they can imagine. Within a few years he is legendary strategist while still a child. But the enemy is an insectoid hive mind that has shredded every earth fleet sent in defence. And Ender, haunted by the darkness of childhood torture at the hands of his brother, is pushed beyond his limits but a Colonel who believes he is the only hope left to fight a galaxy bent on eradicating the human race.

Look around and you won’t find a sci-fi top ten list that doesn’t note Ender’s Game in the top five. This is a big deal. Harrison Ford as Colonel Graff and Ben Kingsley as Mazer Rackham should bring eye-watering happiness to fans of the book. Gavin Hood (Director: Startgate SG-1) has adapted a screenplay and is directing. Presuming all cards are played right, Hood has an entire library of Ender books to make sequels with. Fingers and toes crossed. This is set to be a classic.

The post Ender’s Game: An Introduction appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

The post Video Reviews: ‘What To Expect When You’re Expecting’ (2013) appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

I went into this film with extremely high expectations, I loved the previous two films although I felt they were both slightly lacking in their final fight scenes, but they were excellent movies nonetheless. So on Wednesday the 17th I hopped on a coach to London where I met up with my pal Jonah. We made our way to Leicester Square’s Odeon Cinema and showed our (very fancy) tickets and took our seats. Just before they dimmed the lights we were given a wicked surprise and was introduced to director Shane Black (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) and co writer Drew Pearce (who were both very apologetic for not being RDJ). These two seemed to truly have enjoyed the experience of making this film, which is always wonderful.

They do their little bit and the lights dim, I prepare myself for a tech filled CGI orgy, and Tony doesn’t disappoint. He’s been very busy since the Avengers adventures in NYC and has a whole bunch of fun new toys to show us. We are also introduced to a new menace thats fucking shit up – the Mandarin. For those who have not read the Iron Man comics the Mandarin is one of Iron Man’s arch enemies who is supposed to have ten magic rings that give him various powers to wreak his particular brand of carnage. However, this is not the case in the film. He has developed a penchant for bombs it seems (I wont give anything more away with this storyline but huge Mandarin fans MIGHT be disappointed).

I like the Mandarin in this (Ben Kingsley is awesome, as usual) as a standalone character, but he is hardly comparable to the comic book version, However, he is a great counterpart to Guy Pearce’s character, Aldrich Killian, who is relentless. The film gets off to a flying start and does not really let up pace at all, which at points proves to be a slight issue (e.g. when Tony totally thinks Pepper has died and does not seem to have time to feel it, making his character lose a bit of the human touch they had been building up throughout the rest of the film.)

I don’t want to give too much of the plot away because they deliberately made the trailers vague to keep the mystery and the last thing they need is me to spoil it for everyone, so all I will say is that with this film they hit all of the right notes even if they accidentally knocked some wrong ones at the same time. They delivered on techno magnificence, a final fight scene really worthy of the man in the iron suit and a great ending to Iron Man’s solo adventures. It fell down for me in a couple of very minor ways, mainly I felt like it was too heavy on the comedy and the quick quips. I know it’s a comic movie but this goes past the usual narcissistic dry wit we expect from Stark.

Overall I personally think it’s the best Iron Man film and it really bodes well for the future of Marvel on the big screen.

8.5/10

Thanks Movieville for this wicked opportunity!

The post ‘Iron Man 3′ (2013) Review appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Love Is All You Need starts as a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy, albeit in Danish rather than English. I did find myself wondering why Brosnan would be involved in a non-english project like this. That was just me being ignorant as it turns out… As the story develops, neglected cancer survivor Ida (Trine Dyrholm) is estranged from her husband and meets Philip, widower father of her daughter’s fiancee. A fairly predictable setup? Yes. Does what you think will happen, happen? Yes. But also a lot more.

There is far more here an the usual Hollywood serving of this genre. Deeper, richer, conflicted characters, darker humour, exceptional performances from everyone and a light, even pace that keeps the pressure off, to prevent the story from entering the ‘heavy drama’ zone. Ida (Dyrholm) is enchanting to Philip (Brosnan), and Brosnan plays Philip as a template Bronte/du Maurier dark gothic style romantic hero. It is really captivating to watch Brosnan in this role, away from the shadow of Bond and away from the flippant humour of some other performances. The not-so-usual ending and gradual focus on Ida and Philip, away from the event of their children’s wedding make this a very watchable film, with a heart warming story that doesn’t pander or behave overly predictably. This respect for the audience is very probably a large part of the appeal of Love Is All You Need. I would highly recommend taking a partner if possible. As does my wife.

8.5/10

Kushal

The post Love Is All You Need (2013) Review appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Check out our latest Video Review, this time for TNT’s TV spectacular Southland.

The post TV Video Review: Southland appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Writer and Director Cate Shortland harnesses the character of the novel with visual mastery that continuously pushes and pulls us from a the romance of childhood and emergence of teenage attraction, to the deadly miliue and the gamble of trust that Lore and her bothers and sisters take with each encounter on the journey. This is magnified when they meet Thomas, a Jewish boy that, for what seem initially selfish motives, assists their journey.

The tensions and implications of history would of course be too much to be explored factually or directly (with dialogue), so Shortland instead crafts a poetic, ambiguous tension around Lore, the main protagonist, that leaves us reflecting on her interpretations of the war, her family, and attitudes towards the persecuted Jews, until the very end.

Summarising an emotional piece like Lore is difficult. This is a work of technical excellence but with an overriding sense of doom. The choice to leave certain revelations until the end weighs heavily on the viewer and we left the screening needing a stiff drinking and some considerable cheering up. But of course, good feelings and painting the ‘Hero’s journey’ are not Shortlands intention. She instead places us at a viewpoint, just above Lore’s heart. Lore’s confusion, contempt, disgust and rage are felt far more than observed; Lore is truly an experience worth watching and remembering, especially for an emerging generation for which WWII may be an increasingly distant and obtuse event.

8/10

Kushal

The post Lore (2013) Review appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Movieville’s Video Review for Warm Bodies:

The post Video Reviews: ‘Warm Bodies’ (2013) appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Want it in writing? Check out the written review here.

The post Video Review: ‘A Good Day To Die Hard’ (2013) appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Die Hard. We all know the drill. John McClane is the epitome of an “Action Hero’. He has inspired an entire generation of Action flicks.

Die Hard 1-3 were good, solid Action films. 4.0 was a toned-down, filtered version of it’s predecessors, though it still contained a semblance of Die Hard, and was an enjoyable, PG Action film.

Die Hard 5, or, ‘A Good Day To Die Hard’, was a good example of why a franchise should stop after it’s third.

A Good Day To Die Hard sees the return of Bruce Willis reprising his role as John McClane, and the introduction of his estranged son, Jack McClane, played by Jai Courtney.

John goes in search of his son after hearing about some mischief he gotten himself into. Chaos, a little action and moderate use of one liners ensues.

There was very little happening in Die Hard 5, too little to even give it the Die Hard label. Sure, there were a very small handful of scenes that were worthy of a good laugh, most notably the scene when our hero was flipping the bird while falling out of a burning building. That was good.

Jai Courtney had very little charisma, and it was frustrating watching this guy do whatever he was doing, it was an annoyance. A large one, at that.

To his credit, he showed a glimmer of hope when he shared scenes with Willis, but ultimately didn’t do much for his appearances. Willis, however either switched it up a notch, or just didn’t give a shit. Almost as though he was “getting to old for this shit”. We just didn’t see enough of John McClane. It was almost a proverbial ‘passing of the torch’ to this Jai Courtney. Sigh.

While A Good Day To Die Hard offered casual entertainment, it probably doesn’t deserve a spot in your DVD collection unless you feel it’s absolutely imperative to complete your Die Hard collection.

Dialogue: 5.5/10

Visuals: 6/10

Plot: 4.5/10

Performances: 5/10

Overall: 5/10

The post ‘A Good Day To Die Hard’ (2013) Review: Yippee- whaaaa? appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

If you’ve ever seen a flick with a bunch of people dressed up in clothes stained with blood and really bad skin hobbling around feeding on the people with good skin with equally bad clothing, you’re looking at the Zombie. There are several incarnations of the ‘traditional’ zombie; there’s the Romero zombie, the slow, less reactive type, then there’s the Boyle ’28 Days Later’ type, the ones who could have easily been marathon runners in their pre-exhumed state.

The dead walkers in Warm Bodies have behavioural traits somewhere between the two mentioned above. Though it wasn’t exactly detrimental to the film, it got confusing when we were presented with half slow/half speedy walkers. What was the deal?! Stick with one or the other!

Though admittedly, from a logical standpoint it made sense. They’re slow when they’re malnourished, at their weakest. They speed up when they see meat. So… it’s kinda normal.

Warm Bodies is about a recently turned Zombie, ‘R’, who’s looking for love and seemingly longs for the life of the living.

Nicholas Hoult does a tremendous job of, well, playing dead. The tumultuous character ‘R’ had Hoult’s name all over him; excited, at times shy, with a dash of confusion all made for a very enjoyable watch.

Though Warm Bodies may suffer from occasional moderate plot-holes, there wasn’t a lot that could ruin an otherwise polished flick. A wonderful take on the ‘Romcom’, Warm Bodies delivers a heartwarming tale of the dead looking for love.

Dialogue: 7/10

Plot: 6.5/10

Performances: 7.5/10

Visuals: 6.5/10

Overall: 7/10

The post ‘Warm Bodies’ (2013) Review: Wonderful Take On A RomCom, Though Suffers From Occasional Plot Holes appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

May is fast approaching, and we’re finally getting more Star Trek Into Darkness content.

We’ve seen a couple of new trailers, we’ve seen news bits speculating who Benedict Cumberbatch may be playing, and many rumours point to Khan. None of this is confirmed.

Nonetheless, here’s a first look featurette for Star Trek Into Darkness.

First Look Featurette:

And the awesome motion poster:

The post ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ (2013) First Look Featurette + Motion Poster Hits appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Wreck it Ralph is the Toy Story for today’s generation. The characters are beyond lovable, the storyline is heartwarming yet hilarious, and the movie is an absolute visual feast for the eyes. I couldn’t have been more thrilled, unless I was a ten year old girl again.

I am genuinely jealous of the kids that get to go see this movie and have it as one of their childhood classics, because that is what this film will become.
By now everyone gets the gist of what this film is about; a video game ‘bad guy’ who doesn’t want to be a bad guy anymore. Set in an arcade with all of the classics, Ralph sets out to become a good guy which is achieved only when you win yourself a gold medal and thus the story unfolds.

With the help of an adorable young ‘glitch’ Venelope, Ralph realises that being true to yourself is the most important thing of all. How charming.

The concepts in this movie are genius, including my favourite, ‘Game Central Station’, which is absolutely brilliant!

This nostalgia inducing movie will have your boyfriend sobbing before you know it, and that is just excellent. Go and see it ASAP.

10/10. There, I did it.

The post ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ (2013) Review: Heartwarming, Hilarious, Visual Feast For The Eyes appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

First things first, lets discuss the name Hugh Howey. He was destined to become a writer with that name, wasn’t he? Good one Hugh’s parents. What a great name choice.

Now to the important bit, the review.

Wool began as a very excellent novella that left people not only wanting more, but demanding it. After a short time their demands were met, Wool was subsequently expanded into four more volumes. These stories have now been put together to create this fantastic novel.

The first part of this novel is pretty bleak, exceptionally haunting and devastatingly heartbreaking. The latter parts are a lot more fast paced, centering around the new main character Jules, who is awesome. She’s tough and rational, hardworking and outspoken, a that-watch-on-her-wrist-she-bought-it kind of girl. She’s not afraid, in a world where fear is used to exert control, which can only mean one thing…she’s going to kick some ass.

Set in an underground silo in a post-apocalyptic world, Wool touches upon this world’s politics, in a well constructed and utterly compelling storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and devoured it in a matter of days. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves thought provoking books, end of the world books, and books about kick ass women. Beyonce would love this book, I’m sure of it.

8/10

The post Teri ‘The Book Lady’ Reviews: ‘WOOL’ by Hugh Howey appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: A look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at the University of Fear — when they weren’t necessarily the best of friends.

Monsters Inc was a brilliant film which delved into the hearts of the younger viewer and made us feel like we were once young again. This trailer shows us how Mike and Sully became the Monsters they are in Inc.

Monsters University is set to hit theatres June this year.

The post Full UK Trailer For ‘Monsters Inc’ Sequel, ‘Monsters University’ (2013) appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: I GIVE IT A YEAR is the hilarious new comedy from Working Title Films and the writer of Borat.

Starting where other romantic comedies finish, I GIVE IT A YEAR lifts the veil on the realities of the first year of marriage and stars Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids), Rafe Spall (One Day), Anna Faris (The Dictator) Simon Baker (The Mentalist) and Stephen Merchant (The Office).

Since they met at a party, ambitious high-flyer Nat (Byrne) and struggling novelist Josh (Spall) have been deliriously happy despite their differences. Josh is a thinker, Nat’s a doer..but the spark between them is undeniable.

Their wedding is a dream come true, but family, friends and even the minister who marries them aren’t convinced that they can last. Josh’s ex-girlfriend, Chloe (Faris), and Nat’s handsome American client Guy (Baker), could offer attractive alternatives.

With their first anniversary approaching, neither wants to be the first to give up, but will they make it?

“Photo Frame”

“I’d Ruin Bieber”

I Give It A Year releases February 8th

The post New ‘I Give It A Year’ (2013) RED BAND Clips – “Photo Frame”, “I’d Ruin Bieber” *Mature Audiences* appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: Native American spirit warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice.

Here’s a cool look at Johnny Depp’s latest outing, also starring Armie Hammer, who you may remember from The Social Network.

The post Superbowl TV Spot: Extended ‘Lone Ranger’ (2013) Spot With Guns, Dust And Kimosabe appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: Since Dom (Diesel) and Brian’s (Walker) Rio heist toppled a kingpin’s empire and left their crew with $100 million, our heroes have scattered across the globe.

Here’s yet another Superbowl spot, though this one isn’t extended, but more of a highlight reel containing plenty of fast-paced action, explosions, tanks, and cars driving out of big-ass exploding planes.

The post Superbowl TV Spot: ‘Fast & Furious 6′ (2013) Provides More Than Enough Gasoline To Fuel Your Excitement appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: Marvel’s “Iron Man 3″ pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds (Mandarin). When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Oh, Mr Downey. Here’s an awesome extended look at the TV spot that aired during the Superbowl last night, this one was posted online a short time following the 30-second one that aired. Looks like Stark is in a bit of trouble. We’ll see if he can get out of it this May.

The post Superbowl TV Spot: Extended (Extensive?) ‘Iron Man 3′ (2013) Teaser appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

It’s still all a little hush hush as to who Cumberbatch is playing, but one thing’s for sure – He’s gonna be damn good at it. Those few words in this trailer are chilling. Not long left to go for the release, which is set for May later this year. Check out the 30 second Superbowl spot below.

The post Superbowl TV Spot: New ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ (2013) Tells Us Mr Cumberbatch Is Better… At Everything appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: A father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son who was imprisoned after being set up in drug deal.

Dwayne Johnson be killin’ it this year. First he wrongly captures the WWE Championship from CM Punk, then he’s starring in not one, not two, but THREE films this year. Wow, well done Rocky. Well done. Anyway, here’s the trailer for Snitch.

The post Superbowl: Trailer For ‘Snitch’ (2013) Starring Dwayne Johnson appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: Marvel’s “Iron Man 3″ pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds (Mandarin). When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Yet another film to make the Superbowl rounds, expect to see a TV spot for Iron Man 3 tonight. This one’s the one that everyone’s waiting for. Check out the awesome yet horrific teaser poster below.

The post Superbowl: ‘Iron Man 3′ Official Teaser Poster Revealed appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: Unknown at this time.

Here’s the new teaser poster for the ‘Fast Five’ follow-up, ‘Fast & Furious 6′. We’ll get to see a 60-second clip from the upcoming film during the Superbowl. Here’s the official teaser poster:

The post Superbowl: First Official Teaser Poster For ‘Fast & Furious 6′ (2013) appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: A U.N. employee is racing against time and fate, as he travels the world trying to stop the outbreak of a deadly Zombie pandemic.

So now the Superbowl is upon us, we can expect a load of new TV spots for this year’s amazing line up of Films. G.I. Joe 2, Iron Man 3, Fast & Furious 6, maybe some Man of Steel footage? We have a lot to look forward to. Here’s an Exclusive one though, a clip from World War Z.

The post Superbowl TV Spot: ‘World War Z’ (2013) appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: An ancient war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom and its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend… and gets the chance to become a legend himself.

It’s a shame the name was changed from Jack The Giant Killer to Jack The Giant Slayer, because now it’s just a film about Jack and The Beanstalk. Before it would’ve been some kid killing a Giant. Darn.

Jack The Giant Slayer has an official release date of 22 March 2013.

The post New Poster For Jack And The Beanstalk Film Adaptation ‘Jack The Giant Slayer’ (2013) appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: The costumed high-school hero Kick-Ass joins with a group of normal citizens who have been inspired to fight crime in costume. Meanwhile, the Red Mist plots an act of revenge that will affect everyone Kick-Ass knows.

These are from the latest issue of Empire Magazine, and it’s great to see Carrey in something since Mr. Popper’s Penguins. We don’t even know what that was, either. Behold, new images from Kick-Ass 2, courtesy of Empire.

Kick-Ass 2 is set to release July of this year.

The post New Images From ‘Kick-Ass 2′ (2013) Of Hit-Girl, Colonel Stars and Kick-Ass appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: In this action-packed mystery thriller, Academy Award winner, Denzel Washington stars as Whip Whitaker, a seasoned airline pilot, who miraculously crash lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving nearly every soul on board. After the crash, Whip is hailed as a hero, but as more is learned, more questions than answers arise as to who or what was really at fault and what really happened on that plane?

‘Life In Prison’

Zemeckis In The Pilot Seat

The post ‘Flight’ (2013) Clip/Featurette “Life In Prison”, Zemeckis In The Pilot Seat appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Kevin James isn’t usually known for his stellar role choices or even performances, but in Here Comes The Boom, he has proved that he’s capable to provide the much needed depth to his characters, and that he’s not just a clichéd performer.

HCTB centres around a school teacher, Scott Voss, who doesn’t have much direction in his life, until the school decides to cut the music program, which is run by old Marty Streb(Henry Winkler), a friend who Voss made a mere hours prior to the program being pulled.

Naturally, Kevin James’ character felt the need to defend the weak, and it’s here where the fun begins. Voss now needs to raise near $50,000 in order for the school to fund the music program, and he attempts to do so through a variety of ways. Voss comes across an MMA instructor in his citenship class, and it’s through this instructor he decides to partake in a series of Mixed Martial Arts matches to raise the funds.

For those who have seen the trailer(you can watch it HERE), you know it that this wasn’t a film to be taken too seriously. You know it’s meant for fun, for some entertainment, as most of Kevin James’ exploits are.

Though he may not churn out the most satisfying flicks, Here Comes The Boom is somewhat different, all the while retaining it’s classic Happy Madison-esque qualities.

The conclusion to HCTB is thoroughly satisfying, as it delivers a punch and will no doubt keep viewers invested in Voss’ journey right until the end, because it is actually the first time James has created a character that all viewers will want to root for, not just laugh and point at. It’s also worth noting James underwent a long, no doubt difficult training regime, and this alone makes it worthwhile.

Plot: 7/10

Performances: 7/10

Visuals: 5/10

Dialogue: 5.5/10

Overall: 6/10

The post ‘Here Comes The Boom’ (2012) Reviewed: Was It Just Another Kevin James Cliché Or Does It Offer Something Different? appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.

The following comes from Paramount International:

THE 4-MINUTE PREVIEW WILL BEGIN PLAYING JANUARY 24TH IN
IMAX 3D, REALD 3D AND DIGITAL 3D LOCATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

HOLLYWOOD, CA (January 23, 2013) – Paramount Pictures, MGM and Skydance Productions, in association with Hasbro, will release a 4-minute preview of the highly anticipated “G.I. JOE: RETALIATION” in IMAX 3D, RealD 3D and digital 3D theaters in advance of Paramount and MGM’s “HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS.”

This first-look at the film will play across the globe beginning January 24th and run throughout “HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTER’S” theatrical engagement.

In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra, they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.

“G.I. JOE: RETALIATION” is in theaters everywhere in the UK and Ireland on March 27th, 2013.

“HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS” opens in the UK and Ireland on the 27th of February.

Well considering the film was pushed back 9 months, the 3D had better be good. Check out the preview of the four minute clip below:

The post EXCLUSIVE: ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ (2013) Online Preview Of 3D Clip To Be Shown In Theatres appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

From the subtle details like the movements of the figures down to the sync of the dialogue, this is a delight to watch, and the two guys who carried out this no doubt arduous task need some recognition- More than they’re currently receiving.

The post Shot-For-Shot Real-Life Remake Of Toy Story By Jesse Perrotta And Jonason Pauley appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: Four college girls who land in jail after robbing a restaurant in order to fund their spring break vacation find themselves bailed out by a drug and arms dealer who wants them to do some dirty work.

Finally, something different. James Franco is all chameleon in this film, and Selena Gomez seems to have gone for a more edgy role than she’s used to which is a refreshing change.

Check out the trailer below.

The post New Sizzling Poster/Trailer For ‘Spring Breakers’ (2013) Starring James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Stacey Budd

With this year’s Oscar nominations having finally been revealed, we over at Fwd/Film have been taking a look back over the best that cinema had to offer over the last year. So join us, in no particular order, in our recap of the Top 10 Films of 2012..

The Life of Pi

Ang Lee’s ground-breaking adaptation of the Man Booker Prize winning novel, about a boy stranded in a lifeboat, blasted onto our screens last December. Dubbed an ‘unfilmable adaptation’ by Lee himself, the breath-taking use of 3D and digital technology has earned the film 11 Oscar nominations, and has been an overwhelming success with critics and film-goers alike. The film is a moving tale of faith and determination, and the magnificent Bengal tiger Richard Parker, is fast becoming one of the most infamous names in cinematic history.

The Impossible

This true story of the Spanish family who survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand caused some controversy when plans for the film were first revealed back in 2010. Many survivors of the disaster, which claimed the lives of over 230,000 victims, were outraged by plans to bring the story to the big screen. However, this sensitive and moving portrayal of one family’s struggle to be reunited in the aftermath of the tsunami, has earned the film widespread praise. Naomi Watts and Ewan McGreggor deliver flawless performances, and the ultimately uplifting premise of the film explores the unfaltering strength of the human spirit.

Skyfall

Possibly one of the most anticipated films of 2012, the most recent instalment in the legendary Bond series was a huge Box Office success. Starring Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem and BAFTA nominee Judy Dench, Skyfall was one of the highest grossing films of the last 12 months, and was an astounding hit with audiences across the globe. Hailed the best Bond yet, Sam Mendes offered up a stripped-back 007, with less gadgets and less bling than previous films. Not that this hindered the film’s success, with critics praising the bold decision to open up the character of Bond, and cinema goers flocking in their droves to see Craig reprise his role as Britain’s best loved spy.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower

This quirky coming-of-age film saw Emma Watson stepping out of her role as Hermione Granger, and tackling the sassy and exciting character of Sam, in this thoughtful adaptation of Stephen Chbosky’s novel. Set against the backdrop of a fantastic 80s soundtrack, this film offers a moving and raw exploration of adolescent relationships, and problems faced with battling mental health issues. Ezra Miller is captivating in his role as Patrick, and Logan Lerman portrays the character of Charlie with heart-wrenching awkwardness and unease. The Perks of Being A Wallflower was definitely one of the most surprising films of 2012, and undoubtedly one of the best.

The Amazing Spider-Man

When Marc Webb announced plans to release The Amazing Spider-Man, the sceptics among us struggled to grasp the necessity for another Spidey film, so shortly after Tobey Maguire had taken to the screen back in 2007. And yet, this revamped adaptation of the Marvel comics favourite, offered up a fresh new plotline and some of the most stunning movie visuals of 2012. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone offer impeccable on-screen chemistry, and the jaw-dropping CGI of Spidey soaring across the New York skyline has to be one of the most spine-tingling moments of modern cinema.

The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan’s final chapter of The Dark Knight trilogy came thundering onto our screens last summer, shrouded in tragedy following the Colorado cinema shooting. Yet, despite the controversy surrounding the film, TDKR still managed to be one of the most successful movies of 2012. Christian Bale delivers a captivating performance as the stern and brooding Bruce Wayne, forced into exile following the death of Gotham’s district attorney ‘white knight’ Harvey Dent. Starring Tom Hardy as terrorist nut Bane, and Anne Hathaway proving to be surprisingly charismatic as Catwoman, TDKR was a roaring crescendo to the Dark Knight trilogy.

Silver Linings Playbook

Yet another great novel adaptation makes it onto our list, following David O’Russell’s well-received adaptation of Silver Linings Playbook. Starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, the film tells the story of Pat, a recovering manic depressive who finds comfort and consolation in the arms of fellow-oddball Tiffany. The movie was a refreshing and edgy romantic-comedy, which offered an uplifting look at humanity and all its intricacies.

Looper

Blazing onto cinema screens across the UK last October, Rian Johnson’s Looper brought with it high expectations. And luckily for Johnson, they did not fail to be met, as Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt starred in the sci-fi mobster thriller, which became a huge Box Office success. Gordon-Levitt’s infamous prosthetic make-over, to transform into a young Bruce Willis, earned him widespread praise as a rising action star. The rip-roaring ‘shoot ‘em up’ Looper was nothing short of brilliance, and earns this futuristic thriller a well-deserved spot in our Top 10 Films of 2012.

Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson had been absent from our screens for 3 years when Moonrise Kingdom was released last May. The kooky film, set in 1965 New England, tells the adorable tale of two love-struck teens, who run away from home to embark upon the adventure of a lifetime. Boasting an all-star cast to include Tilda Swinton, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, and Bill Murray, the film was a funny and alternative look at adolescent yearning.

Anna Karenina

Tom Stoppard’s glorious adaptation of Tolstoy’s infamous novel about the Karenins, and the disgrace brought on their name following Anna’s affair with the magnetic Count Vronsky, hit cinemas last Winter. And the icy performance of Keira Knightly left audiences in rapturous applause of her portrayal of the Russian aristocrat. Also starring Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the film received widespread praise for its theatrical visuals, and its exquisitely choreographed cinematography. Not only was this film a moving and heart-wrenching love story, Anna Karenina was also a beautifully executed cinematic jewel.

The post Stacey Budd’s Top 10 Of 2012 appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

DISNEY TRANSFORMS LONDON STREET INTO 80’S COMPUTER GAME TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF WRECK-IT RALPH

UNIQUE STREET ART INCLUDES PIXELATED LONDON TAXI, POSTBOX, TREE AND DIGITAL PIGEONS!

London, Friday January 11 2013 – Head to East London this weekend and you’re in for an arcade inspired treat. Disney has transformed one iconic street into an 80’s video game. “8 Bit Lane” in London’s Brick Lane has been created to celebrate the release of Disney’s Wreck-it Ralph, a hilarious new arcade-game-hopping animated adventure in UK cinemas from February 8th. The public will experience an 8 bit London taxi, postbox, pigeon, tree, clouds, CCTV camera, and leaking water pipe.

8 Bit Lane will also showcase the world’s first blipp-able building using Blippar’s visual discovery app. When Wreck-It Ralph fans ‘blipp’ The Nicelanders house on the wall, the house will emerge in 3D and they will be invited to play a game featuring Ralph himself.

8 Bit Lane is open to the public from today until Sunday night. Find 8 Bit Lane at The Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL. Visiting 8 Bit Lane this weekend? Tweet your pictures including #8BITLANE See more below

Disney engaged renowned film production sculptor Aden Hynes to create the bespoke pieces of art. “My whole life has become somewhat pixilated over the last month, I played 8 bit games as a teenager, so it was great to realise that vision in three dimensions.” Says Aden, “In many ways the retro styling has much more charm than the hyper reality of today, I’ve never been asked to make an 8 Bit taxi before!”

The post London’s Brick Lane Transformed Into 8-Bit Paradise, ‘8-Bit Lane’ In Honour Of ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ (2013) appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

The story follows a charming man names Pat Peoples, a man who currently resides in a psychiatric hospital, for a reason we do not yet know.

The book is written in the form of his inner monologue, and emphasises (sometimes painfully) his honesty, dedication and passion. Not only to reconcile with his wife, Nikki, but to be an overall better human being. Pat can sometimes comes across as quite childish, his wording and thought processes are similar to that of a child, but every now and then he’ll blind you with something so brilliant that you are reminded that this is actually a grown man, who has lead a normal, happy life until recently, and that is really heartbreaking.

I don’t want to give anything away, but the ending is beautiful. It slightly what you expect but it is beautiful nonetheless. I am not to proud to admit that I had a little weep.

A solid

7/10

The post Teri ‘The Book’ Lady Reviews: ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ – Charming, Painfully Beautiful appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Whilst promoting Django here in the UK, Quentin stops by the Channel 4 studios and sits down with an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy leading to some pretty heated stuff about the link between violence in film and real life. Check it out below.

The post Quentin Tarantino Gets Into Heated Discussion When Discussing ‘Django Unchained’ appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Writer: “But no room for doubt?”

Adult Pi: “Oh plenty, on every floor. Doubt is useful, it keeps faith a living thing. After all, you cannot know the strength of your faith until it is tested.”

Life of Pi is based on the bestselling book of the same name and follows a young man, Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, whose parents own a Zoo and one day decide to move it to Canada.

On their way to Canada on a Japanese freighter, Pi decides to go up to the ships surface during a rainstorm, to which he is greeted by an almost Titanic-esque disaster.

Following these events, he finds himself stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger, Richard Parker.

It is here we fully begin to experience the film as Pi.

3D these days has been overused to the point of futility. it’s thrown around like a cheap gimmick(which, it ultimately is. Gimmick, that is), but the 3D in Life of Pi was used well, and not just put in for the sake of it.

Using it to highlight depth of field is one thing, and it’s what’s expected. But the use between the cross-cuts and transitions really helped accentuate the 3D.

Performances were something that really needed to be spot on here, as they needed to translate emotion as well as the native tongue.

Newcomer Suraj Sharma had his shining moments on the lifeboat throughout the whole ordeal, and his interactions with Richard Parker were so beautifully scripted and designed by the team at R&H.

The design in Life of Pi was beyond comprehension, it’s the intricacies such as the montage in the sea or even the field with hordes of Meerkat scurrying around were all subtle but beautiful details that all equaled a wonderful film.

Despite a small number of performance issues, the visuals and emotion injected to each scene more than made up for the little negatives.

Plot: 7.5

Visuals: 9.5

Dialogue: 7

Performances: 6.5

Overall: 8/10

The post ‘Life of Pi’ (2012) Review: Were The 3D & Visuals Good Enough To Heighten The Experience? appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.

Synopsis: After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

No words required, really. Just bask in the eternal greatness of these sweet hi-res images.

The post New ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ (2013) Stills Are Hi Res And Awesome appeared first on Movieville.org | Film Reviews | Film Analysis | Film News.