The Animals Will Hunt You, Watch You're Next Traier

It's a long time coming but now You're Next is finally getting a cinematic release giving a new twist on the Home invasion and the first trailer has arrived!

After a long run on the festival circuit a span that goes back to Toronto Film Festival 2011 when the film premièred 2 years later Lionsgate Films have finally let the film mature slightly as they know they have struck gold with this beauty.The film promises to take Home Invasion films to another level and on evidence of this trailer as well as reading about the films festival appearances (most recent been SXSW) the film looks to deliver the goods. This isn't really a spoiler but the trailer highlight the energy, brutality the terrifying  presence these masked men have over the family reunion they rudely interrupted. At no point do we find who they are, why this family keeping the mystery to the actually film but the thing is are you ready for the animals that will haunt your dreams?

Directed by a face very familiar to UK horror fans especially if your a Frightfester Adam Wingard (V/H/S, ABCs Of Death) who has got onboard a few other familiar faces from indie horror Ti West, Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen who are joined by Rob Moran, Barbara Crampton, Wendy Glenn,Sharni Vinson, Amy Seimetz and Nicholas Tucci star. You're Next  thankfully has a UK&Irish release date which happens to be same date as USA which is 23rd August.

Synopsis 

One of the smartest and most terrifying films in years, YOU'RE NEXT reinvents the genre by putting a fresh twist on home-invasion horror. When a gang of masked, ax-wielding murderers descend upon the Davison family reunion, the hapless victims seem trapped...until an unlikely guest of the family proves to be the most talented killer of all.

Watch First Trailer To Richard Linklater's Before Midnight

Greece is the word, no not another Grease film but the location of a big reunion as Richard Linklater reunites with Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy for Before Midnight now watch the trailer!

After the success of Before Sunrise, Before Sunset Jesse and Celine return which sees the now married couple head to Greece on holiday 20 years after the first time they met on a train inbound to Vienna. The pair now with children, in their middle age attempting to handle the challenges life throws in front of them whilst struggling to keep the romantic spark between them alive.

I've never seen the first 2 films however you could say jokingly this is could be 'This Is 40' but don't take that as a guide in what this film is all about as this is arthouse not comedy.Before Midnight has plenty of charm, a film that will please fans of Woody Allen, plenty of dialogue, humour, romance.If your worried  about the quality of the film, you just have to look back to this years Sundance Film Festival put your mind at rest as the reviews where nothing but superb, so check out the trailer now!

Synopsis
In Before Midnight, we meet Celine and Jesse 9 years on. Almost 2 decades have passed since that first meeting on a train bound for Vienna, and we now find them in their early 40′s in Greece. Before the clock strikes midnight, we will again become part of their story.

Before Midnight is out in UK&Ireland 20th June (USA 24th May)

Source: Yahoo

Watch UK Trailer For Richard Linklater's Bernie Starring Jack Black

Who said age matters or even the fact the pair in love might be a bit 'odd'? Step forward Jack Black and Shirley Mclaine as they star in Bernie, here's the UK trailer.

Bernie sees Black reunite with his School of Rock director Richard Linklater in a dark comedy based on a 'true life' story printed in the Texas Monthly Magazine. Bernie (Black) a funeral director who forms an unlikely relationship with Majorie (McLaine) a sour faced widower  who becomes dependent, whilst nagging and testing his limits. Majorie mysteriously dies leaving Bernie with a massive windfall, a death that leaves the little town they live in, shocked in disbelief and despite his renowned kindness to the locals the local district attorney (Matthew McConaughey) is determined to get to the bottom of Majorie's death.

Bernie is filmed part documentary part drama and it's refreshing to see Jack Black actually attempt to prove he does have some dramatic chops with in him even if this new film does have comedy elements in it. Want to know what we thought of Bernie? You can asThe Peoples Movies  Sophie Stephenson caught the film last month at Glasgow Film Festival, read our review here.

Bernie will be out in UK&Ireland on 26th April.

Synopsis

In the tiny, rural town of Carthage, TX, assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede was one of the town’s most beloved residents.  He taught Sunday school, sang in the church choir and was always willing to lend a helping hand. Everyone loved and appreciated Bernie, so it came as no surprise when he befriended Marjorie Nugent, an affluent widow who was as well known for her sour attitude as her fortune. Bernie frequently traveled with Marjorie and even managed her banking affairs. Marjorie quickly became fully dependant on Bernie and his generosity and Bernie struggled to meet her increasing demands. Bernie continued to handle her affairs, and the townspeople went months without seeing Marjorie. The people of Carthage were shocked when it was reported that Marjorie Nugent had been dead for some time, and Bernie Tiede was being charged with the murder. source:Empire

BBC To Premiere Ralph Fiennes Coriolanus This April

BBC 2 will premiere Ralph Fiennes’ BAFTA nominated contemporary version of William Shakespeare’s political thriller, CORIOLANUS, on Saturday 6th April at 21:45, which will also be simulcast on BBC HD.

Produced by BBC Films withRalph Fiennes directing and stars alongside Vanessa Redgrave, Gerard Butler, Jessica Chastain, Brian Cox and James Nesbitt. CORIOLANUS is a tense and timeless thriller of power broking, political manipulation and the arguments and prejudices of opposing social extremes, set against a backdrop of a republic caught up in a long and bitter war.

Caius Martius ‘Coriolanus’ (Ralph Fiennes), a revered and feared Roman General is at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. Pushed by his controlling and ambitious mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave) to seek the exalted and powerful position of Consul, he is loath to ingratiate himself with the masses whose votes he needs in order to secure the office. When the public refuse to support him, Coriolanus’s anger prompts a riot which culminates in his expulsion from Rome. The banished hero then allies himself with his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city.

Read our review of the film here after you check out the trailer below

Become A 'Collector' Add The Collection To Yours This April

From the writers of Saw IV, V, VI and 3D comes the thrilling sequel to The Collector that works just as well as a standalone film.  is a  Tense, terrifying and packed full of action The Collection will have you on the edge of your seat - or hiding behind it, it's yours to own when it arrives in UK on DVD This April.

When Elena (Fitzpatrick) is talked into attending an underground warehouse party with her friends, she finds herself caught in a nightmarish trap where the revelers are mowed, sliced and crushed to death by a macabre series of contraptions operated by a masked psychopath. When the grisly massacre is over, Elena is the only survivor. But before she can escape, she is locked in a trunk and transported to an unknown location.

Fortunately for Elena, one man— Arkin (Stewart) —knows exactly where she’s headed, having just escaped from there with his life and sanity barely intact. Going back is the last thing on Arkin’s mind, but Elena’s wealthy father (McDonald) hires a crack team of mercenaries to force Arkin to lead them to the killer’s lair. But even these hardened warriors are not prepared for what they encounter: an abandoned hotel-turned-torture-chamber, rigged with deadly traps and filled with mangled corpses. Can Arkin and the team get to Elena before she too becomes part of his gruesome “collection”?

It's like Aliens to The Collector's Alien with a team of badasses hunting down the mysterious serial killer and a helluva lot more nasties to be found in his lair. Full of action and gore this is a thrill-ride of a horror film that kicks into gear quickly and stays at full throttle right until the end!

Special Features:

Audio Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Marcus Dunstan and Co-Writer Patrick Melton
A Director’s Vision
Make Up and Effects of The Collection
Production Design
Special Effects of The Collection
Stunts of The Collection

Pre-Order/Buy:The Collection On DVD 

The Collection arrives in UK&Ireland on 29th April, courtesy of eOne on DVD and stars stars Josh Stewart (The Collector), Emma Fitzpatrick (The Social Network) and Christopher McDonald.

Monsters: Dark Continent Starts Principal Photography

Vertigo Films have announced the  principal photography of their forthcoming movie Monsters: Dark Continent has officially started.

Monsters: Dark Continent will be the feature debut of Tom Green who has previously directed the E4 cult hit Misfits with the script written by Jay Basu. The film is a coproduction between Vertigo Films and 42.

The movie is a continuation to Gareth Edwards 2010 international hit Monsters that starred Scoot McNairy. Edwards was nominated for a BAFTA and the film has won four British Independent Film Awards along with many international accolades.

It is some years after the events of MONSTERS. There are Infected Zones all over the world. US military forces are fighting Monsters, attempting to wipe them out. They are met with resistance but it’s not just from the Monsters. The cast includes Johnny Harris (London To Brighton, Welcome To The Punch) Sam Keeley (What Richard Did) and Joe Dempsie (Game Of Thrones) with Edwards and McNairy returning as exec producers.

Producer Allan Niblo for Vertigo comments, “Monsters: Dark Continent is a sci-fi action film that remains true to the artistry and intelligence of its prequel Monsters as well as providing the excitement, thrills and set pieces of a genre film. We’re very excited to see Tom Greens vision unfold”.

Producer James Richardson adds "We are delighted to be working with this incredible new team - Ben and Rory are two very talented producers, Jay has written an excellent script, we have a brilliant cast and Tom is one of the most exciting new directors coming out of the UK."

Ben Pugh, co producing states, “Gareth Edwards created a rich and evocative sci-fi world with Monsters and it's a privilege to go deeper into that world for Monsters: Dark Continent with Tom Green, Vertigo and a very exciting cast".

Filming will take place in Jordan for five weeks and a week in Detroit. Vertigo Distribution will release in the UK with Protagonist handling international.

Boxing Day DVD Review

Throughout the years the average working man and woman has been lived, ruled, struggled by the capitalist dream (like now) but as always we fight back. Leo Tolstoy has provided literature world with many fine examples of the dream however there not the easiest to be adapted for film however British director Bernard Rose (Mr Nice) has tried many times with mixed results. For his latest venture he returns to his favourite source Tolstoy with Boxing Day an contemporary adaptation of 'Master And Man' with Danny Huston at his side once more.

Boxing Day tells the story of Basil (Huston) a businessman living out the lower tier end of the capitalist American dream, maxed out credit cards living the lifestyle on a risk. When it comes to business deals he thinks nothing of the date, time in order to seal the deal and decides to leave his family at Christmas time on a day he should be relaxing with his loved ones. Basil heads to a  wintry Denver to snap up repossessed homes on the cheap from the bank refurbish them on the cheap sell for a quick larger profit. Basil hire's Nick (Matthew Jacobs) as a chauffeur to drive him around the snow covered mountain areas but as night sets in  things take a drastic twist for the worst when the pair find themselves trapped leaving them  facng a  uncertain fate.

Huston and Jacobs do deliver strong central performances which help carry the film probably also thanks to the pair been friends off screen too. This gives a natural feel to the film so the dialogue comes across organic, not fake making the improvisation better.

Before the pair meet on screen we do meet the pair on their own a chance for us to try connect with them. Basil is the face of capitalism, he only care about personal wealth and profit. He's a greedy individual who is actually riding on the edge of bankruptcy we get a glimpse on how low he would go to get money he deceives a church to give him a loan, money they would never really see again.As for Nick  he is Basil's complete opposite though both are fathers Nick is more family orientated but when he visits his estranged wife we get a possible glimpse into his past one that looks was violent maybe of alcohol (maybe both). Times are hard for him living out of a case in a cheap motel waiting for his phone to ring for the next job.

As the film progresses your left with no sympathy both guilty of their fate one self centred the other hapless. Its in the car its when the confines start to get close in, Basil attempts to force some line of authority demanding Nick refer to him as sir, graceless Nick attempts to counteract getting knowhere. Eventually the pair eventually find some mutual respect but a very thin line tensions rear and the bickering  starts which actually makes the pair open their eyes and re-evaluate life. It's when the pair bicker actually brings some much needed humour to lighting the tone though it's not mainstream belly laughs more obsidian in nature.

It's the final part of the film is when things go downhill as it looks like the consistent script seems to have been thrown out the window when order is replaced by chaos. Hysteria prevails as the ending we watch feels like its been stolen from another film when the pair are trapped Basil decides to leave the car and do his best Julie Andrews impression ala Sound Of Music as the film abruptly ends the hills are left certainly alive but as for Basil and Nick you'll just have to watch the film.

★★★☆☆

Paul Devine

Rating:15
DVD Release Date: 25th March 2013 (UK)
Director: Bernard Rose
Cast: Danny Huston, Matthew Jacobs
Buy:Boxing Day On DVD
Win: Boxing Day on DVD (The Peoples Movies)

The Cousins (Les Cousins) Blu-Ray Review (Masters Of Cinema)

Making its way to the cinema screens of Paris only a month after Le Beau Serge, Claude Chabrol’s Les Cousins, still preceding François Truffaut’s The Four Hundred Blows by three months, became the first box-office success of the nouvelle vague. Featuring the previous film’s starring pair of Jean-Claude Brialy and Gérard Blain, the film went on to win the Golden Bear at the 1959 Berlin Film Festival.

With the film’s script written around the same time as that of his feature debut, Les Cousins mirrors Le Beau Serge’s story. But, whereas Le Beau Serge revolved around a Parisian student’s return to the village he grew up in, Chabrol’s second feature tells the story of a student from the country who goes to stay with his cousin in Paris.

Not content with mirroring the previous film’s story, Chabrol also reverses his leading actors’ roles: Brialy now takes on the bad-guy role with his portrayal of a decadent bohemian type student while Blain becomes the good-guy with his role as the hesitant provincial type thrust into life in the big city.

In a similar way to Le Beau Serge, Les Cousins tackles those assumptions and judgements held between social classes. It is also similar to Le Beau Serge in the way it contrasts the central characters, with Les Cousins seeing the sophisticated Parisian able to cruise through life with ease while the unfortunate provincial student works hard to no avail. By the films end, the conflicting fortunes of the cousins as become tragic and a dangerous slide ensues with cruel and harsh results.

Not for nothing is Claude Chabrol known for “his sardonic view of life as a matter of the survival of the fittest.”

★★★★☆

Shane James

Rating:12
DVD/BD Release Date: 25th March 2013 (UK)
Director: Claude Chabrol
Cast:  Gérard Blain, Jean-Claude Brialy, Juliette Mayniel
Buy:LES COUSINS [THE COUSINS] (Masters of Cinema) On Blu-ray / DVD

Le Beau Serge Blu-Ray Review (Masters Of Cinema Release)

The first film of the nouvelle vague, or at the very least the first feature directed by a Cahiers du Cinéma critic, Claude Chabrol’s beautifully observed film preceded François Truffaut’s highly acclaimed The Four Hundred Blows by a year. Winning the 1958 Le Prix Jean Vigo award, and receiving praise from friend and colleague Truffaut for being “as masterly as if Chabrol had been directing for ten years,” Le Beau Serge defined the nouvelle vague’s aesthetic with its use of non-professional actors, location shooting, natural black and white photography, and its personal vision.

Opening with the words “this film was shot entirely in the village of Sardent (Creuse). Our warmest thanks to the residents and local authorities there,” Chabrol’s film introduces the audience to François (Jean-Claude Brialy), a Parisian student returning to his home village to recover from a serious illness.

Upon arrival, François seeks out his childhood friend Serge (Gérard Blain), now an unhappily married alcoholic with a baby on the way, and the pair reminisce in an attempt to reconnect. But it isn’t long before the pair become disconnected due to the differences in their circumstances: the superior François is content with his life and his education, whereas Serge has become bitter and discontented at the prospect of a life stuck in a provincial village.

The film ends when François, suffering from some kind of, as the village Doctor jokingly attests, “martyr complex,” tries to ‘save’ his debilitated friend on a snowy night after Serge’s wife goes into a premature labour. A scene wonderfully shot by cinematographer Henri Decaë, chosen because of his expertise in capturing natural light in films such as Jean-Pierre Melville’s Bob le Flambeur.

The film takes a bleak look at the judgements and assumptions held between social classes with a story that could be deemed as being simplistic and somewhat conventional. But what sets it apart, what turns it into something new, is the radical way in which it moves away from that style of filmmaking, much despised by the Cahiers critics, called the Tradition of Quality. With its aforementioned use of natural photography, location shooting, and a personal vision, Le Beau Serge became the standard-bearer for a new generation of filmmakers.

★★★★☆

Shane James

Rating: 12
DVD/BD Release Date: 25th March 2013 (UK)
Director: Claude Chabrol
Cast: Gérard Blain, Jean-Claude Brialy, Michèle Méritz 
Buy: LE BEAU SERGE [HANDSOME SERGE] (Masters of Cinema) (Blu-ray)

Chillerama - Adam Green Interview

Adam ‘Hatchet Man’ Green talks about the future of the genre, why he turned about ABC’s Of Death, his new movie inspired by the artist Alex Pardee and courting controversy as CHILLERAMA gets its Horror Channel UK TV premiere on Sat 30th March at 10.55pm

Q: Your story for Chillerama could be looked at as being controversial by some, how did you pitch it to the other directors?

AG: Actually, Adam Rifkin pitched me the title (The Diary Of Anne Frankenstein) when the four of us first met up to discuss potentially doing this project. He said, “Green, you’re Jewish- you should do Anne Frankenstein.” I said, “But Rifkin, you’re Jewish, too. Why don’t you take that one?” He replied, “Yeah, but what if instead you did it?” And that was sort of it. Though the phrase “the diary of Anne Frankenstein” is a joke that’s been around for decades, I have to admit I was still scared to death of it at first. I mean, who wants to touch that title with a ten-foot pole? Unfortunately, we live in a world full of people who literally seek out reasons to be offended and who love nothing more than to be “outraged” so that they can get attention. Especially coming off of Hatchet 2 and all of the controversy I had just lived through with that film’s public battle with the MPAA and its assassination from cinemas here in the US… the last thing I wanted was to be put in the spotlight for ridiculous negative reasons again. However, I immediately came up with the idea of doing a piece that would be a complete mockery of Hitler and not something that could possibly be taken seriously.

Q: To me its Monty Python at its creative peek meets classic Universal horror, would you agree?

AG: Wow. That’s a very big compliment and yes, that was exactly what I was going for. I walk away from every screening feeling so incredibly proud of the piece. Reviews, awards, and accolades… those are all nice. But as a comedian, there is no feeling of accomplishment greater than hearing an audience howl with laughter to the point that they drown out the film itself. You can’t fake laughter like that. There are no politics or agendas behind that kind of uproarious laughter. It’s the most primal and real reaction you can hope to get and when it happens universally across oceans and language barriers… it’s a wonderful thing.

Q: Do you think the horror genre is in good health at the moment?

AG: I’m excited to see what the next decade will hold. Looking back, filmmakers my age who came onto the scene in the past ten years or so were saddled with some very difficult hurdles. Not only was the “trend” all about remakes over originals (both with the studios who churned the remakes out and the fans who supported them in droves) but we also saw the indie financing industry take a nosedive with budgets and distribution as internet piracy wreaked havoc on us. There was never a harder time than this past decade to get an original (decent budgeted) horror movie made and distributed. But now that remakes have kind of run their course they’re now out of recognizable titles to remake and people are starting to see the light about internet piracy I am optimistic that more and more original horror movies will get a chance to be made and to be seen. As a genre- we’re always alive and well. Horror will never die and we will always survive the passing trends because we’re a “community” unlike fans of other genres. Just walk by the “sleepy queue” for FrightFest later this summer and look at the die hard fans standing in line over-night for tickets (not even knowing 100% what the programming will exactly be yet). Of course we’re fine! We’ve got zombies! The rest of ya’ll are f***** though.

Q: You must be pleased Chillerama is getting its UK premiere on the Horror Channel?

AG: I’ve had a very special connection with the UK audience ever since Hatchet first premiered at UK FrightFest in 2006 and so I’m always especially excited when a new film of mine premieres across the pond. The Horror Channel has been incredibly supportive of my career over the years so this is like a double-win. Who knows? Perhaps Holliston will wind up on the Horror Channel when it arrives in the UK? You never know!

Q: Would you like to be part of another anthology film such as the recent ABCs Of Death?

AG: I was approached for “ABC’s Of Death” when they first started putting the project together but I passed. I was in the middle of post-production on Chillerama when they started assembling their team of directors and the thought of doing another anthology film at that time just wasn’t appealing to me, as fun as the project sounded and as terrific as the people behind it were. While I can never say “never”, right now another anthology just isn’t in the cards for me. Remember, with Chillerama I didn’t just write and direct a segment. My company (ArieScope Pictures) also produced it and put the money and distribution together to make it happen. That’s a hell of a lot of responsibility/heartache and so I couldn’t just make my segment and “let the chips fall where they may”. When you produce a film it is essentially an STD for your company. It never goes away and it is never really over. Wait, did I really just compare Chillerama to syphilis? Yup. Have at it, critics and haters. You’re welcome for that one.

Q: How much involvement have you had with Hatchet III?

AG: I wrote it, I produced it, I’m presenting it, I cast most every actor in it, I was there for every step of pre-production, filming, and post-production, I surrounded our new director with my incredible ArieScope crew, and I had final cut of the film. So let’s just say that it won’t feel like I ever left. If you’re a fan of the first two films I think you’re going to really like what we did with Hatchet III.

Q: So what are you working on at the moment?

AG: Right now I’m finishing up post-production on the second season of my television series Holliston. It’s a massive undertaking each season given that I wear so many hats on the show (writing every episode, being the show runner, directing, and playing one of the main four characters) but it’s far and away my favourite and the most personal project I’ve ever done. Holliston is an absolute joy to work on and I go to work every day surrounded by only my closest of friends. I’m so excited that we’ll soon be starting the process of bringing the series to the rest of the world and we’re all blown away by how quickly and passionately the audience in America embraced this show and this cast. Next week I kick off my tour in support of Hatchet III and the launch of Season 2 of Holliston so I’m basically in a different place every weekend until the end of summer/early Fall. I’m also in the process of shooting Digging Up The Marrow, a “documentary” (kinda) about monsters (sorta) that is inspired by the art of the insanely talented artist, Alex Pardee. We’re keeping the details of that one under wraps for now, but what I can say is that collaborating with a genius like Alex has proved to be a completely soul inspiring and creative re-awakening for not only myself, but for my core crew as well.

Adam Green, thank you very much.

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

The Rise of Scandinavia Cinema

There has been a steady rise over recent years in the popularity of the Scandinavian film industry. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo franchise is widely perceived as being the series that kick-started this interest, in addition to a flurry of exceptional hit TV shows including The Killing and The Bridge to name but a few.

With Hollywood gazing admiringly at Scandi output, what better time to look at the cream of the crop, so here’s our guide to the very best output from our blonde haired friends:

The Hunt

- Gripping, compelling and devastatingly dramatic The Hunt is one of the most searingly intelligent feature releases in recent years. Mads Mikkelson plays lead character Lucas who is just starting to pull his life back together following a divorce. But when a little girl at the nursery where he works tells a random lie that is impossible to ignore, Marcus’ world begins to fall apart. As shock turns to mistrust and then malice, it doesn’t take long before the local community is in a collective state of hysteria, igniting a witch-hunt that threatens to destroy an innocent man’s life.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

– It all started when Stig Larson introduced his hugely popular trilogy of novels a few years ago. One of the most popular series crime books ever written, there was huge expectation and anticipation when the movie adaptation was announced. 2012 saw the first instalment hit cinema screens and fans weren’t left disappointed. Not only a huge critical success, the film became a worldwide phenomenon with Hollywood eventually snapping up the rights to this movie franchise. A visually stunning thriller, this trilogy grabs fans attentions from the moment the opening credits roll with its complex series of twists and turns. The cast help to propel this franchise, most notably lead character Noomi Rapace who took on the role of iconic character Lisbeth Salander.

Headhunters

– Another novel (this time Jo Nesbo), and another hit – Headhunters follows a corporate headhunter and part-time art thief who bites off more than he can chew when his latest mark turns out to be a very different kind of head hunter... One of the highest grossing foreign films of 2012, Headhunters continued Scandinavia’s continuing success at the box office.

Let The Right One In

– Ahead of its time, Let The Right One In is a simply stunning horror movie concerned with examining the vampire myth – Twilight this is not! Following the theme of film adaptations, Let The Right One In started life as a novel by author John Ajvide Lindgvist, and is anything but a slasher fest instead intelligently focusing on friendship, love and loneliness.

King Of Devil’s Island

– Hollywood heavyweight Stellan Skarsgard returns to his Scandinavian roots in this indie flick. King of Devil’s Island is based on a true story telling the unsettling story of young delinquents banished to a remote prison of Bastoy.

Valhalla Rising

– starring The Hunt’s Mads Mikkelson as One Eye, a mute warrior of supernatural strength, who has been held prison by the chieftain Barde. Aided by a boy, Are, he kills his captor and together they escape, beginning a journey into the heart of darkness.

Nightwatch

– Focusing on a young law student, Martin Waldau, who takes a job at the local morgue, this edgy thriller is a gripping tale of mistaken identity. When the victims of a serial killer of prostitutes are deposited at the morgue, scary things begin to happen and before long the police suspect Martin is the killer!

Show Me Love

– Set in small town Sweden, Show Me Love explores the lives of two teenage girls. Elin is beautiful, popular, and bored with life. Agnes is friendless, sad, and secretly in love with Elin. This coming of age movie explores the growing pains of turning from child to young adult

Deliver Us From Evil

- This Danish classic focuses on a father who returns to his old hometown with his young family. Events force him to face the small town's xenophobia.

Jackpot

– This edgy thriller starts with a terrified and bloody man, Oscar Svendsen, who wakes up gripping a shotgun in a strip joint, surrounded by eight dead men and with the police aiming squarely at him. To Oscar it's clear that he is innocent, but how does he prove he is the victim here?!

Manga Entertainment To Release Okami-san And Her Seven Companions In UK On DVD

Manga Entertainment have announced they will be releasing Yoshiaki Iwasaki's Okami-san And Her Seven Companions on DVD in UK&Ireland from 8th April 2013. The series comprises of 12 episodes based around Ryoko (Wolf) and a high school club that helps classmates out of grim situation

Synopsis

Ryoko Okami, the “wolf,” and her BFF Ringo, also known as Little Red Riding Hood, are members of Otogi Bank - a high school club that helps classmates out of grim situations. One day, a meek young man proclaims his love to Ryoko, who does nothing but bite him in return. “You're much too weak for me,” she huffs. So the boy joins Otogi Bank to prove he has the stuff to protect his beloved - even if it means taking a blow to the head with a lead pipe. He's no Prince Charming, but will Ryoko allow herself to have her own happily ever after?

Pre-order/Buy : Okami-san And Her Seven Companions Complete Series Collection [DVD]

The Hunt DVD (Jagten) Review

Thomas Vinterberg returns to the difficult subject of abuse with The Hunt, co-written with Tobias Lindholm it’s a simple story told very well. Vinterberg screened his film at last year’s Cannes Film Festival where leading man Mads Mikkelsen scooped a best actor award, it’s now been handed a wider cinematic release which, given the recent high-profile false accusations of abuse, couldn’t be more timely.

Set in small Danish town, The Hunt is a muted, infuriating and utterly engrossing story of lies, paranoia and untamed mass hysteria.

Mikkelsen is outstanding as Lucas, the modest kindergarten teacher who’s dragged through the emotional and physical ringer after being accused of exposing himself to one of the girls in his class. Lucas of course, did no such thing but the rumour spreads, slowly at first, throughout the town slowly turning colleagues and friends against him. The lie then begins to grow and to evolve, soon Lucas is being accused of more and worse, and little by little he is morphed into an outcast, a hated and hunted pariah.

The key to The Hunt is its lack of ambiguity, the message is clear: Lucas is a wronged man, and wronged in the most heinous way possible. It’s because we feel so sure of his innocence, and because Mikkelsen is so good at portraying a tender man persecuted, we find ourselves hoping and rooting so strenuously for him as the shit inexorably hits the fan.

Vinterberg’s thriller is taut, lean and visually arresting, while Lucas’s descent into emotional hell is heart-breaking and utterly gripping. Vinterberg’s ability to draw the maximum tension from sparse set-pieces and stand-offs is truly astounding. Two moments late in the piece in which Lucas is confronted by the townsfolk in a supermarket, and attends a Christmas Eve church service are both gripping and horribly uncomfortable.

Chris Banks (@Chris_In_2D)

★★★★☆

Rating:15
DVD/BD Release Date: 25th March 2013(UK)
Directed By:Thomas Vinterberg
Cast:  Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen,Annika Wedderkopp
Buy The Hunt :Blu-ray / DVD

Human Centipede helmer Tom Six joins the 666 Short Cuts To Hell judging panel

Tom Six, currently in the States shooting Human Centipede 3, will help select the winner of the 666 Short Cuts to Hell short film competition, fronted by FrightFest and Movie Mogul, in association with Horror Channel.

Six said today that he was 'delighted' and 'flattered' to be invited to join the panel and was looking forward to hopefully meeting the six finalists winner at this year's FrightFest event in August.

Rosie Fletcher, Total Film Magazine’s genre expert, will make up the ‘6 of the best’ panel, which also includes filmmaker/Special Make-up Effects expert Paul Hyett. Horror Channel presenter Emily Booth, FrightFest director Paul McEvoy and Movie Mogul’s John Shackleton.

The hottest short film competition around challenges aspiring filmmakers to make a short horror film - the best six of which will be shown on Horror Channel and at the 2013 Film4 FrightFest event. The overall winner will receive a prize fund of £6,666 and the opportunity to develop a horror short or feature idea under mentorship from Movie Mogul, for a possible 2014 production.

Entrants will have to follow a series of 'killer' restraints such as a maximum of 6 lines of dialogue, a maximum of 6 cast and crew members and a maximum budget of £666.



Entrants must submit their completed film by 6pm on the 6th June 2013.
Submission guidelines and terms and conditions can be found at www.shortcutstohell.com

The overall winner will be announced at FrightFest 2013 after the six films have been screened.

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

NBCQ To Take Flying Blind Starring Helen McCroy on UK Tour April/May

THE PASSIONATE LOVE STORY OF A WOMAN AND A YOUNGER MUSLIM MAN, IN A WORLD WHERE SECURITY IS PARAMOUNT AND NOTHING IS QUITE WHAT IT SEEMS
Frankie is part of the war-machine, a successful aerospace engineer designing drones for the military. Then she meets Kahil, a French-Algerian student. They embark on a passionate affair and for the first time in her life Frankie utterly, thrillingly, loses control. One morning at work, she’s detained by the security services and told that Kahil may not be quite what he seems. She finds that she has crossed a line into a nightmare world of suspicion and accusation. Realising how little she knows of this man, Frankie determines to find out the truth, only to discover to her cost that betrayal always comes from those closest to us.

Flying Blind is the first feature film by young Polish director Katarzyna Klimkiewicz, whose short film, Hanoi-Warsaw, won the 2010 European Film Award for Best Short. A multinational cast includes Helen McCrory (Hugo, Skyfall, Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince), French-Algerian Najib Oudghiri (Rendition, The Wedding Song), Kenneth Cranham (Hot Fuzz, Valkyrie) and Tristan Gemmell (Casualty). The screenplay credit is shared by Naomi Wallace (Lawn Dogs, The War Boys), Bruce McLeod (The War Boys), and Bristol-based writer Caroline Harrington. Behind the camera is Polish Director of Photography Andrzej Wojciechowski, Klimkiewicz’s long time collaborator, and DoP on Hanoi-Warsaw.



FLYING BLIND will tour through key cities in the UK throughout April including London, Bristol, Cardiff, York, Cambridge, Oxford, Nottingham, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Brighton. Each event will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and/or cast TBC.

Regional tour dates:
Thursday 11th April – Barbican, London (Additional screenings 12th – 18th April)
Saturday 13th April - Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff
Sunday 14th April – Watershed, Bristol (Additional screenings 12th – 18th April)
Tuesday 16th April - Greenwich Picturehouse
Wednesday 17th April - York Picturehouse
Saturday 20th April - Cambridge Picturehouse
Monday 22nd April - Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton
Tuesday 23rd April - Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford
Wednesday 24th April, Hackney Picturehouse, London
Thursday 25th April – Nottingham Broadway (Additional screenings 26th April – 2nd May)
Friday 26th April – Sheffield Showroom
Saturday 27th April – Edinburgh Filmhouse
Sunday 28th April – Glasgow Film Theatre
Tuesday 30th April – Manchester Cornerhouse
Thursday 2nd May – Brighton Komedia

For a full list of tour dates and tickets go to http://www.flyingblindfilm.com/

Watch UK Trailer For A Hijacking (Kapringen)

When you look at the Scandinavian market for television and cinema you must look back at it with jealousy at the constant level of  quality along with excitement, tension all in engrossing stuff. The latest film that will hit our shores comes from a former director of Borgen a popular TV series shown on BBC channels Tobias Lindholm  who has already directed The Hunt (Mads Mikklesen),now A Hijacking. Courtesy of the good folks at Arrow Films we now have the new UK trailer and poster for your visual entertainment.

Starring Pilou Asbæk (Borgen), Soren Malling (Borgen) in tense drama of a Danish freight ship that finds itself captured by Somalian pirates everyone onboard is taken hostage. What results is all the hostage caught in the middle of a game of cat & mouse between the hostages and shipping directors as they attempt to negotiate a ransom leaving the hostages no clue when or if they'll ever be set free.

I was fortunate to catch this film at last month's Glasgow Film Festival, it was a film I picked randomly but also on back of its reputation from it's film festival circuit especially from London. Its a slow burning burning film full of tension, it is violent on all levels especially psychically and emotionally becoming one of my favourite films of the festival.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed A Hijacking and you can enjoy it when the film arrives in UK&Ireland 10th May with the American release coming 14th June.

Synopsis

A tense, chilling drama following the emotional journeys of a ship’s crew as they are taken hostage in the Indian Ocean, A HIJACKING was the stand out film at the London, Venice and Toronto Film Festivals 2012.The cargo ship MV Rozen is heading for harbour when it is hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean. Amongst the men on board are the ship’s cook Mikkel (Pilou Asbæk) and the engineer Jan (Roland Møller), who along with the rest of the seamen are taken hostage in a cynical game of life and death. With the demand for a ransom of millions of dollars a psychological drama unfolds between the CEO of the shipping company (Søren Malling) and the Somali pirates

Victor Crowley Is Back Watch Hatchet 3 Teaser Trailer!

Watch your back as Victor Crowley is back!Adam Green's ever popular serial killer returning for a third outing despite his untimely death he's making sure he'll get his Horror icon status returning for another day, but what makes Hatchet so popular? They keep it old school from old school special effects, plenty of gore and keep everything fun!

Hatchet 3 sees Adam Green hand over the directors chair to BJ McDonnell who was in charging of camera for the first two films hence the third been his directoral debut. Danielle Harris returns  along with Kane Hodder (as Victor), they are joined by Zach Galligan (Gremlins), Derek Mears, Caroline Williams, Sean Whalen. No word on a UK release date but the film will get a limited cinema release on 14th June.

Synopsis

The film continues the tale of the now-iconic villain Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder). As a search and recovery team heads into the haunted swamp to pick up the pieces and carnage left behind from the first two films, Marybeth (Danielle Harris) hunts down the true secret to ending the voodoo curse that has left the ghost of Victor Crowley haunting and terrorizing Honey Island Swamp for decades

John Schlesinger’s Billy Liar Restored On Blu-Ray For 50th Anniversary May Release

Tom Courtenay delivers a star-making turn as William Terrence Fisher (‘Billy Liar’) in one of the most memorable and universally acclaimed films of the 60s.

Running from an unsympathetic working-class family, a pair of demanding fiancées and an insecure job at an undertakers, Billy escapes, Walter Mitty-like, into a world of fantasy where he can realize his dream ambitions. As work and family pressures build to new intolerable levels, Liz (an early, charismatic turn from Julie Christie), enters his drab life and offers Billy the one real chance he’ll ever get to leave the past behind.

Scripted by Keith Waterhouse from his own novel, and sensitively directed by John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy), Billy Liar is one of the few comedies of the British ‘New Wave’, marrying visual and verbal wit with a rather poignant rumination on the futility of dreams.

The newly restored version of Billy Liar will also screen as part of this year’s Bradford International Film Festival, hosted by Bradford UNESCO City of Film on Sunday 14 April.

David Wilson, Director of Bradford UNESCO City of Film said, ‘Billy Liar is a key component within Bradford's rich film heritage and formed part of our bid to become the world's first UNESCO City of Film. It is still an important reference within film studies and I am really pleased that the 50th Anniversary edition on DVD/ BLU-RAY will bring the film to whole new audience.'

On Saturday 13 April Tom Courtenay will also be the festival’s guest of honour where he will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. [more details can be found here]

Special Features
• Remembering Billy Liar with Tom Courtenay and Helen Fraser
• Interview with Richard Ayoade
• A look through the Keith Waterhouse Archive with British Library Curator Zoe Wilcox
• Interview with Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley
• Stills Gallery
• Trailer
Pre-order/Buy Billy Liar 50th Anniversary Edition:DVD / Blu-ray

Sightseers Blu-Ray Review

Sightseers is the third film from Ben Wheatley, one of the top British directors working today. It is a dark, twisted comedy about a couple on a caravan holiday who go on a killing spree. Think Badlands but in the Peak District and with far more laughs.

The film is a fantastic advert for Britain, in more ways than one. It shows how we still have the capacity to make great movies and it also shows just how stunning some areas of our country are. Alice Lowe and Steve Oram star as the murderous couple and are simply brilliant. They also wrote the script which, while being bleak, is stunningly funny. I have been a fan of Alice Lowe since seeing her in and I hope that the success of this film will lead to us seeing her more on the big screen and indeed television. Her performance here is quite remarkable as she treads the fine line of looking lost and innocent but being deadly and dangerous at the same time. Oram, as her boyfriend, plays confused and lost to perfection, but when he turns on the menace he is genuinely frightening. Both the leads remind us just how good British comic talent can be, and I do hope that they will continue to write and star in films.

The actors had at one point tried to make the story as a television show and looking at it you could see it working in that format, but with the masterful direction of Wheatley this feels truly cinematic. It's simply gorgeous. There is almost a feeling of Sergio Leone, with intense close-ups mixed with huge landscape shots. As the couple descend more and more into violence and isolation, the locations become more breathtaking. Wheatley directs the comic moments in a wonderfully deadpan way, lingering on the characters and their sad lives; but he is equally adept at directing the violence. It is brutal and shocking but, cleverly, does not show too much.

The editing in Sightseers is very memorable and inventive. Wheatley's use of cutting and his juxtaposing violence with the mundane or odd moments is incredibly successful. His style of editing reminded me of Nicolas Roeg's work, and it is so nice to see someone trying to do something different and unusual and, more impressively, making it work.

Reluctantly, I have to say the film isn't entirely successful, however. While the first two thirds are hilarious and constantly take new turns and developments, the last third is a little more predictable and not quite as funny. Its true though that the story gets darker, therefore the fall in laughs is understandable. It reminded me somewhat of God Bless America, a film about a man and a girl going on a killing rampage in the US. It was directed by Bobcat Goldthwait (in my mind one of the top comedic directors working today) and was quite similar in basic story and structure but while it takes Sightseers a good hour before becoming slightly obvious, God Bless America manages it after about ten minutes. There have been many films about couples going on murder sprees and so to keep us from guessing where it is going to go it really needs to do something remarkably different and in the case of Sightseers this is where it falters.

This is my only problem with the film. Everything else about it is a true delight and I thoroughly recommend seeing it, and on blu ray if possible. It looks great and it is fantastic to see a low budget British film putting its money in all the right places. The blu ray also contains an amusing and informative Making Of, a blooper reel and audio commentaries.

Sightseers is without a doubt one of my favourite films of 2012. Its funny, frightening, and very, very British.

Harry Davenport

★★★★☆

Rating: 15
Release Date: 25th March 2013 (UK)
Directed By: Ben Wheatley
Cast: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Eileen Davies, Jonathan Aris

Buy Sightseers: DVD / Blu-ray


Win Sightseers On DVD: Enter Here (ends 7th April 2013)

Win 21 Days: The Heineken Kidnapping On DVD or Blu-Ray

Part thriller, part procedural legal drama, 21 Days: The Heineken Kidnapping is a fascinating and absorbing crime story, which will appeal to fans of the legendary Rutger Hauer and audiences who have also been gripped by the new wave of gritty, realistic euro–crime dramas from Sweden, Denmark and France.based on the sensational true story of the Netherland’s most notorious abduction of Heineken himself in 1983 and courtesy of Arrow Films we've teamed up to give you a chance to win this film on DVD or BluRay.

Rem (Reinout Scholten van Aschat) is an amateur street thug looking for an easy way out of poverty. When he overhears his brother-in-law Cor (Gijs Naber) and associates plotting criminal schemes, Rem wants in on the action. In an effort to impress the others Rem suggests the job to end all jobs - a daring kidnap. The target is Freddy Heineken, the multi-millionaire brewery president. Heineken’s immense wealth is the key attraction but Rem also blames him for his father's failing health due to alcoholism after long years of service as a Heineken salesman.

The gang successfully execute the kidnapping and demand a large ransom, but when the family refuses to give up any kind of money their plan slowly begins to unravel. Rem is drawn deeper and deeper into the worsening situation and his darker impulses are revealed. When he is tasked with monitoring Freddy's cell, Rem seems to enjoy the power he holds over the rich man and cruelly tests his psychological resolve.

After 21 days the ransom is finally paid but the police are already closing in. Two of the gang are arrested but Rem and Cor manage to flee to France. They are apprehended but legal proceedings and extradition issues may give them a chance to evade Dutch justice. Freddy Heineken then begins his own quest for extrajudicial revenge.

To Win one of 3 copies of 21 Days: The Heineken Kidnapping On DVD or BluRay please Answer the following Question:

Q What famous alcoholic beverage made Rutger Hauer a household name in the 1980's with their 'surreal' Television adverts?

Send your answer, name, address, postcode (No telephone Numbers), email titled '21 Days' to winatthecinehouseuk@gmail.com 

Deadline for Comp is Sunday 7th April 2013 (11:59pm).You must be 15 years or older to enter.

Double your chances follow us at Facebook! (you will get double entry every contest)

Read Our Review after you enter / You Buy on Blu-ray / DVD

In event of the above form not working please refer to Terms&Conditions on how to enter

Terms & Conditions:1.This prize is non transferable.No cash alternatives apply.UK & Irish entries only.2.The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse and  Arrow Films  have the right to alter, delay or cancel this competition without any notice 3.The competition is not opened to employees, family, friends of The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse,  Arrow Films employees 4.This competition is promoted on behalf of  Arrow Films   5. If this prize becomes unavailable we have the right to offer an alternative prize instead 6.To enter this competition you must send in your answer, name, address only, Deadline 7th April 2013 (2359hrs)7.Will only accept entries sent to the correct email (win [at] thepeoplesmovies [dot] com), any other entry via any other email will be void.8.If the above form fails please send the information required from the form email it to win [at] thepeoplesmovies [dot] com (label 21 days) If any info required from the form is not sent in the email your entry will be void 9.automated entries are not allowed and will be disqualified, which could result you been banned.10.If you are friend or like us at facebook for every competition you enter you get double entry, but you must stay stay friend/like us all the time,or future entries maybe considered one entry.11.The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes 12.Prizes may take from days to a few months for delivery which is out of our control13.The competition is opened to Aged 15 and over.14. Majority of the prizes on offer will come from representatives of the distributor, no The People’s Movies &Cinehouse, when we do have the prizes we will inform you.15. Unless Stated Please Do Not Include Telephone Numbers, we don’t need them and if you include your telephone number Cinehouse and The People’s Movies are not responsible for the security of the number 16.The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email or announced via facebook, sometimes we are unable to confirm winners.17.This competition is bound by the rules of Scotland,England & Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland.18.By sending your entry for this competition you are confirming you have read and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.

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Game of Throne's Maisie Williams lands 'monster' role

Production Company Movie Mogul Ltd (PANIC BUTTON), has announced today that actress Maisie Williams has signed up to play the lead role of Lorna Thompson in the sci-fi action film WE ARE MONSTERS.

Williams, who shot to fame as Ayra Stark in the HBO hit series GAME OF THRONES said today: “I am really pleased to be involved in We are Monsters and working with John and I can’t wait to bring Lorna to life'

Writer/Director John Shackleton says "Maisie brings a perfect blend of feistiness and vulnerability to this challenging role and I couldn't be more thrilled at the news of her acceptance of our offer."

Producer Gareth I. Davies added: “Maisie, a star in the making, will bring lots of vitality and excitement to the project, and her existing ‘Game of Thrones’ fan following will be delighted to see Maisie embark on her latest lead role – in what promises to be a very special film to hit our cinema screens in 2014”

Also attached to the film, which goes into pre-production later in the year, is actor Doug Jones best known in the UK for his roles in the HELLBOY films and PAN’S LABYRINTH. He plays Lorna’s nemesis, the evil Sir Daniel Southall.

The crew includes monster effects specialist Neill Gorton ( FROM HELL); Stunt Co-ordinator Andy Bennett (THE WOMAN IN BLACK) and Storyboard artist Ben Oliver (JUDGE DREDD, X-MEN).