True Grit: Yet more proof that the Western genre isn't quite (red) dead just yet

Written by Sam BF Taylor

“Watching True Grit, one thing is clear: It is a no holds barred love letter to the Wild West. The Great West. A story faithfully recounted years down the line by the deceptively innocent Mattie Ross, she tells a story that reminisces about a time when the West still had a romance to it – that whilst it once hustled and bustled with deceit and treachery, Washington’s rule was fast becoming well, the law of the land. Thematically, the film’s very similar to last year’s videogame blockbuster, Red Dead Redemption, and it’s a refreshing reminder in both cases that all it really takes to reignite an ailing genre is genuine enthusiasm in the plot and the characters from those involved in a film or a game’s production. Like Red Dead, True Grit is gripping, sharply scripted, and at times very funny, and subsequently should be regarded as one of the Coen’s best films, easily equal to, if not surpassing Miller’s Crossing, A Serious Man or even Fargo.

Harry Potter Puppet Pals

Written by Emma King

This video is truly brilliant so I thought I'd post it in case somehow you've managed to miss it! Never underestimate the power of puppets and fiction people. True genius!
 

On Stranger Tides - Featurette

 Written by Vicki Thurley

For Nuts About Film

Courtesy of www.shockya.com, I came across this featurette released by Disney with NEW footage from Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (Release date May 20th). It's not great quality, but it's excited me even more none the less!

Mildred Pierce on HBO trailer

Written By Emma King

Kelly recently wrote about the American TV channel HBO. Well here is another gem on the way from them. Click on the link below to see the trailer for Mildred Pierce.

This five part mini series is coming to American TV channel HBO in March 2011. It stars Kate Winslet, Evan Rachel Wood and Guy Pearce.

Breaking Dawn Logo

Written by Emma King

I recently wrote a short piece (link below) about which websites are worth checking out if you're a Twilight fan wanting to know more about the next Twilight movie Breaking Dawn. Well here is a treat for ya, as here is the the new Breaking Dawn logo and the release date! Yay!


Yes I know, I'm a big vampire nerd...


Link: A Film Student's Space: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 

Action Man

Written by Emma King
Originally written for
Nang! magazine & The Mash Up Mix

What makes Bond movies so great? The suits, the girls, the guns... And the stunts! This is a stunt portfolio video of my friend Gavin Gerlach who is training to be a stuntman. So far he has only broken his little toe and burnt his ear so I'm not too worried, although seeing him on fire did make me say 'Be Careful' about a dozen times. 

The name’s Bond… Wannabe Bond…

Ever fancied yourself as a bit of a 007? Then read on...

TV Review - Boardwalk Empire

Written  by Kelly Alyse

HBO, the American TV Channel which broadcasts shows such as True Blood, Entourage, The Wire, and The Sopranos to name a few. If you're minutely interested in these, there's just no doubt in my mind you won't be taken aback by Boardwalk Empire. This fresh tale told in a TV series brings with it incredible cinematography, taboo subjects, impressive acting and pure coolness on screen. 

Film Review - A Serbian Film

Written by David Clarke

This is my first post for the FS space and consequently I thought that it would only be fitting to write a review for a film, which has shaken the very core of my self.


Not in a good way.


This picture is a still from the movie, at one of it's and film in general's most harrowing moments. I specifically chose this shot as I think it is what best serves as an answer to the near impossible question "What did you think of the film?".

DVD Review - The Rebound

Written by Kelly Alyse

For The Film Obsession

It's very rare that within 20 minutes of a film I want to turn it off. The Rebound created one of those moments in which I felt my life would not gain any satisfaction from watching the story. However, I was wrong. I did get some sort of appeal picking out everything that's bad with the story and finding ways to make it better. The boring tale, the unappealing cast and the lack of structure to the narrative made this not only uninteresting but difficult to sit through.  

And the Award for Best Idiot goes to...

Written by Alex McIntyre

It’s that time of the year again, as the 68^th Golden Globe Awards trotted out last night to reward those hard working celebrities for all their acting efforts over the past year.  This ceremony is the Duplo to the Oscar’s Lego; the smaller warm up to the big awards come February.  The nominations have already seen their fair share of raised eyebrows with some questionable choices in the Comedy/Musical Category.  ‘The Tourist’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Red’ may have been fun, but none seemed award worthy.  Regardless it was an enjoyable evening of television that had something for everyone.  Controversy helped too, mind.

Britain Can Do Horror, The Horror Just Seems To Evade The Hype It Deserves

Written by Scott Menzies

Philip Ridley has found success as a writer of children's stories, a master of contemporary playwriting and now as a scriptwriter for, and director of, British horror. Don't ask me how good his film 'Heartless' was though, because I didn't see it! When 'Saw MCCVII' was released its posters adorned the sides of buses, its trailers infected the mass media and its merchandise bled into our mainstream like a severed ankle being dropped into a well of syringes. 'Heartless' seemed to slip through our possessed fingers, though, despite the fact that it's probably tenfold better than many of its horror counterparts.

These Literal Trailers Are Literally Incredible...

Written by Scott Menzies

We probably should be sticking to promoting our own work on this wonderful blog, but these videos are too good to not be promoted:

1) ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One'

 

A Tongue-In-Cheek Look at Film

Written by Scott Menzies

We love sarcasm, so much. Here's an alternative look at films right now:


“That film about the rock climber bored me so much I wanted to chop my own forearm off, but instead I walked out of the cinema after 125 hours...”

Dear Studio, Please Stop Ruining Things...

Written by Scott Menzies

There’s a fine line between producing a film for the sake of your audience, and producing a film for the sake of assuming that your audience will endorse it because...

Well, because they just will.

Three Dimensions, As Seen Through the Eyes of Cinematic Forethought

Written by Scott Menzies

There will come a time in the future when 3-D film serves a purpose beyond emphasising the tiny specks of dirt that litter the cinema screen, but until then we must either suffer wearing glasses that somewhat restrict our view and lighten our pockets or deal with the embarrassment of informing the box office that we wish to see James Cameron’s ‘Titanic: The Same Movie Again, Just A Bit Closer To Your Eyes’ in a dimension that we have been programmed to appreciate.

Trailer Time!

Written by Emma King

Hey people!

Fancy a movie trailer marathon? Click on this link to The Mash Up Mix to see lots of movie trailers from films you might have missed to films coming out on DVD soon and movies heading to a cinema near you this year. Check out the 'Film Trailers' page for a list of all the movies trailers I've
posted so far from 'Water For
Elephants' to 'Paul'.

Enjoy!

Burlesque Baby! (Review)

Written By Emma King

Cert: 12A
Director/Writer: Steve Antin
Genre: Drama/Dance/Musical
Starring: Christina Aguilera (popstar), Cher (diva extroadinaire), Stanley Tucci (Sex & The City), Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars), Cam Gigandet (Twilight), Alan Cumming (The L Word), Peter Gallagher (The OC), Diana Agron (Glee), Julianne Hough (Dancing With The Stars) and Eric Dane (McSteamy from Grey's Anatomy).


So it didn't get the best reviews, it only made number 50 on James King's movies of 2010* and it was almost the same storyline as Coyote Ugly, but screw all that; Burlesque is well worth a viewing!


Firstly, it has the cast de la fabulous with performances from Cher and Aguilera who co-wrote some of the soundtrack. Secondly, there's sweet romance, sexy costumes, an original jazzy soundtrack and lots of half naked women for all you perves out there! This combination makes Burlesque sheer glamour and sparkles baby!

Hugh's Fish Fight - Why I've taken the bait

 Written by Vicki Thurley

 

Tonight I've spent my evening watching a programme on fish. I love my food programmes; Come Dine With Me, Ready Steady Cook, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Jamie At Home, you name it, I've probably watched it. However, tonight I embraced a programme called Hugh's Fish Fight, which you can watch on Channel 4 most nights, and follows the battle Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (From "River Cottage") is going through against the discarding of fish that fishermen on a daily basis have to throw back into the sea, already dead, because they simply can't take it back to shore as they aren't allowed over their quota.

Why Disney Doesn't Care What You Think

Written by Alex McIntyre

You can’t deny that Walt Disney Pictures has been the leader in animated family films, churning out hit after hit – oh wait, this blog isn’t from the ‘90s.  Unfortunately that aint the case anymore as it seems Disney has ran out of steam this past decade, going through a major creative overhaul in the process.  The first half of the 2000s saw some tremendous flops for the studio.  Treasure Planet?  Home on the Range?  Brother Bear?  These films were destined to disappoint after the immense success that the ‘90s brought to Disney, but the numbers for these films were shockingly bad.  Home on the Range didn’t even make back its budget; that NEVER happens to them.  The 2D animation department was sadly shut down in 2004 and Disney tried a new creative direction for their films.  What are all the kids into these days? COMPUTERS!  And so Disney stumbled into the computer animation arena, releasing three mediocre pictures that were neither failures nor successes.  You may have seen Meet the Robinsons, but did you enjoy it? 

Film Review: The Fighter

Written by Barnes Wheeler

            I was lucky enough to attend a pre-screening for the latest outing from the volatile director David O. Russell, charting the rise of boxer Mickey Ward as he deals with a crack addicted ‘could’a been’ brother and controlling mother who dotes on his waste-of-space sibling. An HBO documentary is our way in, as a camera crew follows Dickie around in what he thinks is a movie charting his comeback, but in reality is about the perils of drug addiction. The “Pride of Lowell” who once knocked down (but not out) Sugar Ray Leonard, is delusional in his grasp for the spotlight, a fantasy stoked by his mother’s praise and his position as somewhat of a novelty in his small town.

Mark Wahlberg brings his best to this performance; think his Oscar nominated turn in “The Departed” and try to forget the Razzie laden “The Happening”. He loses out, however, when he squares off against the Batman himself, overshadowed by Bale’s always-impressive method approach to his work as he once again sheds the Dark Knight muscle to play the gaunt, drugged addled Dickie. Credit must be paid too to Melissa Leo, the mother of the pair and would-be manager. Constantly putting Dickie first, willfully ignoring his crack addiction and never realizing that her other son might also need her support. There is not a lot of room for Wahlberg to give a show-stopping performance as much like his character, until the latter part of the film he is constantly in the shadow of Bale and Leo, who deliver such overbearing figures that Wahlberg’s role revels in a subtly that can be lost next to their antics.

The Reef - DVD Review

Written by Kelly Alyse

Also  feature on The Film Obsession

Der dum... Der dum... Der dum, der dum, der dum! Shark? What? Where?! Get out of the water! Ever since Jaws, whenever a shark is mentioned, it's very hard to resist (well, for me anyway) making the noise of the main tune this influential film made famous. And when another sea based horror is created, comparing Jaws to it is inevitable. Sadly, nothing has or probably will ever compare to the original story; much like The Reef...

My Film Inventions

Written by Emma King



The Land Of Imagination


Hey folks! So many great films came out last year and we are lucky to have some exciting releases this year too. However, there are still so many movies that haven't been made yet; so many stories to share with the world, so many special effects we've never experienced and heaps of characters still to meet. So any film producers out there who are stuck for an idea, well I have a few for ya! Here are the movies I would love to see made:

Film Review: Black Swan

Written by Lily Rae for The Badger (http://www.thebadgeronline.co.uk)

Photo Credit: latestissue.blogspot.com

Only Darren Aronofsky could make ballet – pretty, demure, elegant ballet – so terrifying and painful to watch that the joints of your feet start to ache along with Nina’s (Natalie Portman) and you wonder if lessons for your little sister is such a good idea.
The film opens on Nina, in the sparkling tiara and tutu dreamt of by little girls the world over, dancing the transformation scene in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Nina is a dedicated ballet dancer in a company full of young women all desperate to win the role of the Swan Queen. Nina is awarded the role, much to the contempt of her associates, and so she begins the gruelling rehearsals which will see her take on both the role of the White Swan and the Black Swan. Nina is a perfect White Swan, but the company director Thomas (Vincent Cassel with sleaze-dials on full) is concerned that she cannot dance both parts convincingly enough.
Several cracking bones, snapping muscles, violent dream-sequences and a lesbian sex-scene later and Nina is unhinged; her transformation from the pure, innocent ballerina to the psychotic, aggressive black swan is complete.

Film Review - The King's Speech

 Written by Vicki Thurley

Speeches are not The Duke of York’s (Colin Firth) strong point, and when watching Hitler on a projected film giving a confident and flawless one, the prince himself says “He seems to be saying it rather well”. Firth has once again stepped into the period drama limelight, this time with an unpredictable temper and arrogance; unlike his charming and pleasant personality in Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001) and Love Actually (2003), he battles to become a leader and adjust to the world of wireless radio. As the future of a troubled nation lies on the future King George VI’s hesitant tongue, his wife Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) must search for a successful doctor to cure her husband of his problem.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn

Written by Emma King

I am a bit of a vampire nerd. I love The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Being Human, An Interview With A Vampire and of course The Twilight Saga. If you are also a Twilight fan then you will probably have recently watched your Eclipse DVD that you got for Christmas and have just stared getting excited about the next film only to realise it's not out until November! So to keep you going, here are some links with lots of info about Breaking Dawn Parts One and Two. In other words, I've done a bit of stalking so you don't have to!

Tron Legacy, it's pretty good actually

Written by Richard Scott

Obviously the styling had to be 
updated a bit but its still very much a sequel

In 1982 Disney let Steven Lisberger create the Tron world known as the Grid, over the past 28 years it has stayed as something recognizable even to people who haven't seen the movie. The Film itself, lets face it was a bit silly, however it was also somewhat groundbreaking in the way that it brought a new view of technology to the early 80s public. Not to mention the fact it had some pretty badass ‘lightcycle’ battles and impressive effects for it’s days, it has been said that without Tron, there would have been no Toy Story... For these reasons among others it has become somewhat of a cult hit, and in 2005 the idea for Tron Legacy, a sequel, was hatched. Tron Legacy has all in all not had the greatest of reviews, some people have viewed it as cashing in on a cult classic, other have slated it for being more effects than anything else. They were wrong, partially. 

The UK Movie Money Guide

Written by Emma King

The joy of cinema

I love movies. I love going to the cinema; sitting in those cosy furnished seats, popcorn on my lap, friends either side and somebody gorgeous like Gerard Butler on a giant screen in front of me acting his cute little bum off. However, I don’t know about you, maybe I’m just a bit poor, but I think charging £8.40 for this experience is extortionate. For that same amount I could get eight items in Poundland, two DVDs in the HMV January sale, a main and dessert in Weatherspoons or a bundle of classic movies to rent from Blockbuster. Yet at my local cinema, £8.40 will get you just one movie and then you’ll have to pay another extortionate amount for your drink and popcorn. God forbid you want a bag of Minstrels as well. So the way I see it, I have a few options left and I thought I might share them in case you too need eight things in Poundland.

Film Review - The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Written by Alex McIntyre

Critics may be jamming their quotes down your throat that this third entry in the Narnia franchise is restored to its former glory, but is the magic really back?

In all honesty, no.

You can’t help but feel sorry for this film.  The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe is easily the most famous of the books, and would therefore be the most popular.  But alas, Disney got cocky and green lit Prince Caspian with an enormous budget, only to gross less than half of Wardrobe’s earnings.  The rights were ceremoniously dumped by the studio, but shortly picked up by 20^th Century Fox.  So here we have Dawn Treader, complete with a new director and a severe budget trimming.  Sadly, all these faults during production have made their way onto the screen.  A terrible thing to say it may be, but Treader just looks cheaper than its predecessors.  Maybe it’s the on-location shooting as opposed to the lavish sets aided by green screen, but it’s certainly lacking some blockbuster polish. 

Film Review: Legend of the Guardians

Written by Lily Rae for The Badger (thebadgeronline.co.uk)

I straight up love owls. They’ve got everyone fooled. Mortarboard-wearing, book-reading cartoon owls aside, they’re actually one of the thickest organisms on the planet. Everything they do is based on murderous intent.

They only have two expressions: surprise and disapproval. They’re fast, silent and deadly – the ultimate killer – but don’t you just want one to sit on your shoulder and deliver your post? I do.

Please understand, therefore, that I went into Legend of the Guardians with my owly bias already established. In print, it sounds ridiculous – some cute owls get kidnapped by the Pure Ones (slightly fascistic owls) and escape becoming ‘moonblinked’ owl-zombies by flying across the sea to find the Guardians, a legendary parliament (fun fact: that’s the collective noun for owls) sworn to protect the owl kingdoms from the threat of Bad Owls.

Kick-Ass becomes reality!

Written by Kelly Alyse

Piece written for Blogomatic3000 and The Film Obsession

One of the most popular films of 2010 seems to have taken over 10 people's lives quite literally. CNN reported that in Seattle, there is a real life Kick-Ass type character fighting crime that usually passers by would just ignore. Phoenix Jones is apparently the name you call when in trouble.

Film Review - Love and Other Drugs

Written by Vicki Thurley

Reprinted with kind permission, the original post can be found here: The Ooh Tray

[Warning: I have mentioned a few spoilers concerning the plot]

The biggest element that seems to be apparently absent in modern day romantic comedies is the chemistry between the two main leads, who are more often than not the wrong couple to combine. However, Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal create remarkable passion and a soothing overdose of pleasure as we watch two beautiful actors working together well, particularly since their tense and unsuccessful relationship in their previous film together, Brokeback Mountain (2005). Gyllenhaal’s role in this film appears to be taken more seriously; regardless of his egotistical personality as Jamie Randall, a pharmaceutical salesman for “Pfizer” whose charm woos the ladies, the adult content being dealt with here makes this romantic comedy more of a drama. Nevertheless, Love and Other Drugs still accommodates the real issues that strike home, such as a relationship that has no serious potential for the couple involved, yet the film’s deeper themes surround Maggie (Anne Hathaway), who is desperately battling the first stage of Parkinson’s disease, whilst in contrast of her declining health the film emphasises the deterioration of the American medical world.

Is 2011 going to be exciting?

Written by Kelly Alyse

You might think because we've had Inception, Avatar, Scott Pilgrim and Toy Story 3 that 2011 will bring us nowhere near as much joy. But don't be put down, there's lots of exciting possibilities which may bring tears of joy to our eyes. Then again, there have been quite a few let downs (The Last Airbender, Let Me In, Tron Legacy...) so these tears could soon be those of disappointment. Only time will tell!