Shooting Wraps On Mark Harris The Broken

After a 6-week shoot in London and the USA Mark Harris scripted The Broken has now official finished  filming and principal photogaphy. The Broken is a thriller of international variety with locations varying from the sun drenched Sunset Boulevard, slums of Los Angeles to the streets of Lambeth in London. The international  label isn't just with the films locations The Broken stars a host of international acting talent including Mark Harris (Outside Bet, Offender), Felix Ryan (NCIS), Kyle Summercorn (Misfits), Rhea Bailey (The Mentalist)and Deji Laray (CSI: NY).

Synopsis :After the loss of his beloved son and a traumatic term in prison, all Matt Hollis wants is to be reunited with his estranged wife, Alison and daughter Lara. Certain that a break is all that they need to get back on track, Matt scrapes together enough money to take the family to America.

In LA, the Hollis’ find themselves in a palatial holiday home that seems too good to be true. Everything is perfect until, one night Alison is savagely beaten and Lara taken from her bed.

Terrified that he is about to lose his family all over again, Matt is desperate to find his daughter and makes contact with his old friend Syan who suggests that Lara may be the victim of an illegal child adoption ring. With the police on their tail, the two men embark in pursuit of Lara’s kidnappers and uncover a prolific ring of traffickers who sell innocent children to the highest bidder, servicing even the highest echelons of society’s elite.

Already sold to a childless couple, Lara will soon be lost and Matt and Syan must reach her before she becomes another victim of the trafficking trade.

The Broken is set for a August release in UK&Ireland ,The film is written by Marc Small and Davie Fairbanks and is based on an original story by Mark Harris. The feature will be directed by Simon Phillips (GBH). The Broken also stars Anna Nightingale, Honor Kneafsey and Rita Ramnani

Looper DVD Review

When Looper was released in 2012 it made my top ten of the year. Directed by Rian Johnson (Brick) Looper is a smart science fiction movie with a high concept premise that does an about turn half way through its running time and heads off in an unexpected direction.

Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a mid 21st century assassin with a difference, a Looper. Working for an organised crime syndicate, he kills targets sent back from the future where time travel has been invented and is in the hands of criminals. All is running smoothly until he is called upon to ‘close his loop’ and assassinate his future self (Bruce Willis). When he fails to pull the trigger future Joe goes on the run.

Looper deftly avoids the raft of exposition and time travel paradox dialogue that bogs down many time travel adventures (and episodes of Star Trek). In a rather disturbing scene, a Looper’s younger self is tortured, and we see his present self change before our eyes into a disturbed, shell of a man. However this universe is strikingly close to our own. It’s recognisable and it’s close. No overindulgence by the director in recreating an alien future with all its shiny new technology. The differences are subtle, like viewing our own world through a cracked mirror.

The heart of the film is Emily Blunt, a tough as nails single mother who allows young Joe to hide out on her farm. Through her we get to explore the questions surrounding destiny, moral ambiguity and the nature vs. nurture debate.

Let’s not forget the action in Looper. Bruce Willis more than holds his own in the slick action sequences. In your mind’s eye you can almost see him in his white vest from Die Hard. But it is Joseph Gordon-Levitt who is the real stand out in this film. With the disconcerting prosthetics to make him appear like a plausible young version of Willis, he looks oddly askew from the actor we’re familiar with. Instead, the makeup actually masks his ordinarily boyish looks which would have made him a far less convincing character. He’s also racking up one of the best CVs in film.

Looper then is a worthy addition to the time travel genre, with shades of Blade Runner, Terminator 2 and Twelve Monkeys running through it – even if it does ask more questions than it eventually answers.

Vikki Mysercough

★★★★☆

Rating: 15
DVD/BD Release Date:28th January 2013 (UK)
Directd By: Rian Johnson
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis , Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels
Buy Looper:Blu-ray / DVD / Steelbook (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray]

Nakata Hideo Returns To J-Horror With The Complex

He is one of J-Horror's most iconic director Nakata Hideo and is probably responsible for most of famous J-Horrors such as Ringu (Ring)known to Western cinephiles.

Nakata Hideo returns to horror with The Complex (Kuroyuri danchi)and tonight we have our hands on the first teaser trailer.

Starring Atsuko Maeda formerly of J-Pop supergroup AKB48 as a nursing student Asuka who moves into a an apartment block plagued with strange mysterious deaths thanks to what to a death that happened 13 years previously. When she further investigates the strange noises from adjacent flat she learns the old man who lived there died trying to claw himself out of a wall but who is responsible for the deaths?

Films such as Sinister have a lot to thank Nakata for introducing the watch the video and you'll die a concept that can be seen in many western based horrors too. Tonight at Rotterdam International film festival The Complex will make its world premier then on 18th May Toei will release the in Japan. No UK date has been set but expect the film to arrive later in the year/2014.


sourceNipponcinema

Holy Motors Blu-Ray Review

Holy Motors is the first full length film by Leos Carax since his previous film Pola X which came out all the way back in 1999! Holy Motors was the sensation of last year at Cannes and at it's initial screening it was widely tipped at the prime contender of the Palme d'Or. It eventually lost out to the most more predictable pick of let another Haneke film (who just has to show up at Cannes and his wins it) but it did win the “award of the youth” award at the festival.

Holy Motors in a nutshell about Mr. Oscar (played by always wonderful Denis Lavant) during the time frame of one day who is has appointments to do and he driven in a limo by Celine (played by Edith Scob). These appointments get increasingly more and more surreal and the first one has him dress up as an old lady and beg.  The film is part about cinema it's littered with references to such great French directors such as Franju and Cocteau but the other hand is certainly can be interrupted as a film about what it means to be performer.

Denis Lavant was Leos Carax's one and only choice was the main character he said “If Denis had said no, I would have offered the part to Lon Chaney or to Chaplin. Or to Peter Lorre or Michel Simon, all of whom are dead.” He is obviously perfect he is like a fucked up French Fred Astaire cause is known for dancing abilities from Leos' previous film The Night is Young and Beau Travail but he is also just a great actor. The film also has bit roles by Kylie Minogue and Eva Mendes, which just add to the surreal quality of the film especially Kylie's cameo especially since they played one of her songs in a scene earlier in the film.

The film is truly unique it's utterly bonkers and makes no logical sense but it's truly a masterpiece that should be seen over and over and interrupted in any which way you like.

Ian Schultz

★★★★★

Rating:18
DVD/BD Release Date: 28 January 2013 (UK)
Director: Leos Carax
Cast: Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Jeanne Disson, Elise Lhomeau, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue
Buy Holy Motors:Blu-ray / DVD

Fear Of Desire Blu-Ray Review

Fear and Desire is one of the most notorious films in the entire history of cinema. It’s known for two things 1. Stanley Kubrick’s first feature 2. Stanley Kubrick blocked it’s re-release till the day he died, it had a very limited release in 1953. It was recently unearthed by the US library of congress and restored into high-definition and released over there by KINO and over here by Eureka under their Masters of Cinema range.

Fear and Desire is firstly an extremely short film it has a running time of only slightly over an hour but damn it seems like forever…. Barry Lyndon is a much more exciting film. The plot is basically in an unknown land there is some war going on and there are a group of soldiers in enemy lines and they face their “fears and desires”. They try to build a raft to get the enemies’ base, they meet a peasant girl and one of the soldiers is mentally disturbed.

The film is only a curious side note in film history. Kubrick released a press statement to discourage people going to a screening at the Film forum in NYC calling it “a bumbling amateur film exercise”. The film has absolutely dreadful pseudo poetic dialogue that comes off as the type of shit a 15 year old would write. It does however has the first over the top Kubrick performance by Paul Mazursky which is certainly a predecessor to Jack Nicholson’s wonderfully over the top performance in The Shining. It’s a film that fails on almost every level but it does have some decent shots and a interesting idea but very poorly executed, it’s worth watching once but never again.

The blu-ray or dvd does however have 3 early documentaries by Kubrick which are extremely well made and certainly show Kubrick did have IT that early (which the feature presentation certainly doesn’t). The Seafarers is one of the docs and it has extraordinary use of colour, which is almost Technicolor, the subject matter isn’t particularly interesting but the colour is something to marvel at. Day of The Fight predates bits of Kubrick’s first real feature The Killer’s Kiss. The other Flying Padre is a fascinating a somewhat bizarre short doc about a flying priest. Overall the package is worth seeing but don’t expect some lost masterpiece because it is that’s bad.

Ian Schultz

★★★1/2☆

Fear And Desire:★★☆☆☆
The Seafarers:★★★★☆
Flying Padre: ★★★★☆
Day of the Fight:★★★★☆
Rating:12
DVD/BD Release Date:28th January 2013(UK)
Director:Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Frank Silvera, Kenneth Harp,Paul Mazursky
Buy Fear Of Desire:Blu-ray / DVD

Watch False Trail (Jägarna 2 ) Trailer, Win Film On DVD

From Director Kjell Sundvall and the producer of The Hypnotist Peter Possne, with the star of Wallander, Rolf Lassgård, False Trail is the latest Nordic Noir thriller to hit the big screen in the UK. Set in an isolated town in the frozen wastelands of northern Sweden, False Trail is a dark, twisted murder investigation that devastates a local community.

It’s been fifteen years since Erik (LASSGÅRD) was forced to leave the Norrland Police Department. Since then he has become the National Murder Commission’s best interrogator. When Erik’s boss orders him back to his home town to solve a brutal murder, he hesitantly returns as the thought of going back stirs up unpleasant memories. What at first appears to be a simple murder soon proves to be something much more complicated, as Erik finds himself with a new nemesis, Torsten (STORMARE), to contend with and events take a very sinister turn.

False Trail, (original title Jägarna 2), sequel to Tthe Hunters (Jägarna), stars Rolf Lassgård (WALLANDER) as Erik Bäckström, Peter Stormare (FARGO, THE BIG LEBOWSKI) as Torsten, Annika Nordin as Karin and Kim Tjernstrom as Peter. Directed by Kjell Sundvall (Jägarna), written by Björn Carlström and Stefan Thunberg and produced by Björn Carlström, Per Janérus and Peter Possne (The Hypnotist).


So did you enter The Hunters (Jagarna) contest recently? fancy winning False Trail on DVD the sequel to The Hunters? Our Big brother site The People's Movies has just launched a competition and to enter  enter via this link (goes to competition post).

Studiocanal announce Rust And Bone UK February Home Release

StudioCanal have informed us the award winning and 2 time BAFTA nominated film, Rust And Bone the follow up film to Jacques Audiard's arthouse classic A Prophet. Rust And Bone stars Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts and will be yours to own this February.

Following a theatrical opening to tremendous national and international acclaim, and a Best Film Award at the London Film Festival in October, Jacques Audiard, acclaimed director of A Prophet and The Beat That My Heart Skipped, returns with this powerful drama about two people from very different worlds, seeking redemption in each other.
Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts - Bullhead) dreams of becoming a professional boxer. When he is suddenly put in charge of his five year old son, he moves in with his sister for support. While at his new job as a nightclub bouncer, he meets the beautiful and confident orca trainer, Stephanie (Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard - The Dark Knight Rises, La Vie en Rose). He gives her his number, not expecting that she will ever call. However, after becoming the victim of a tragic and life changing accident, Stephanie surprisingly turns to Ali for support. These lost souls discover new meaning in life together when Ali enters the dangerous world of underground boxing.

Winner of several international awards, Rust And Bone is one of the best and most talked about films of 2012. you can read our cinema review here. With 2 BAFTA nominations, Rust And Bone is up for Best Leading Actress (Marion Cotillard) and Best Film not in the English Language.

DVD & Blu-ray Extras:

- Audio Commentary with Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain and Arnaud Calistri

- Making of Rust and Bone

- The Special Effects of Rust and Bone

- Deleted Scenes

- Trailer

DVD & Blu-ray HMV Exclusive Extras:

- Audio Commentary with Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain and Arnaud Calistri

- Making of Rust and Bone

- The Special Effects of Rust and Bone

- Deleted Scenes

- Trailer

- Exclusive UK Interviews with Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain

- Exclusive BAFTA Q&A with Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts and Jacques Audiard

Pre-order Rust And Bone: DVD / Blu-ray

Monster Pictures Bringing Us Irish Horror The Inside This March

Press Release:

MONSTER PICTURES present THE INSIDE, a hard, violent, visceral psychological horror featuring award winning Hollyoaks star Emmett Scanlan as you’ve never seen him before in Eoin Macken’s (BBC TV’s Merlin) most accomplished feature to date, released on DVD on 25 March 2013.

You’ve seen him as Sir Gwaine in the BBC’s TV series Merlin, now Eoin Macken steps behind the camera to direct The Inside, featuring Czech starlet Tereza Srbova (Sirens, Eastern Promises) alongside the cream of Irish acting talent that includes Emmett J. Scanlan(fan favourite Brendan Brady in Hollyoaks, Charlie Casanova), Sean Stewart (Occi, Coward), Natalia Kostrzewa (The Clinic) & Brian Fortune (Game of Thrones). 

While in a pawnshop a young man comes into possession of a second hand video camera; discovering a tape still inside he plays backthe footage and witnesses a horrific series of events involving a group of teens in an undisclosed location. Using the footage as a guide he retraces the steps to where the events seemingly occurred. Deciding to investigate he discovers to his horror not only the truth of theevents on the tape but comes face to face with a supernatural terror from which he may not escape....

The Inside is a hard, violent, visceral psychological horror, which gets into your belly, and leaves an unnerving disturbed feeling after watching it.  Shot mostly in alarming first person perspective this evocatively realistic story of five girls breaking into an abandoned warehouse for excitement -  then finding themselves subject to a terrifying human attack before succumbing to a supernatural terror -  will leave you shaking with fear!  The film shows the worst side of humanity and contrasts it with the horror of the supernatural, which has no compunction between good and evil.  But what is worse - the fear of the unknown, or the known fear of man?  Shot and directed by Eoin C Macken, with additional cinematography by David Laird, and also featuring Eoin Macken, with sound by Greg French of Irish band TheBrilliant Things and a chilling score from Kevin Whyms of Whymsonics, The Inside will re-invigorate the Irish horror genre.

Monster Pictures presents...The Inside, available on DVD from 25 March 2013

EXTRAS

· Exclusive feature length picture in picture commentary with Director Eoin Macken

· Trailers 

· ‘Making of’ Documentary

Pre-Order: INSIDE, THE (Monster Pictures) (DVD)

"Like [REC], The Inside is one of the most terrifying reality footage films ever" - Scream: The Horror Magazine

"Visceral and violent... impressively disturbing" - Screen International

"Will leave you shaking with fear" - Horrorbug

Watch The Adorable Trailer For Michel Gondry's Mood Indigo

Feeling a little woozy maybe a little whimsical? It's probably because your about to watch the first trailer for Michel Gondry's Mood Indigo (L’écume des jours).

Based on a 1947 Boris Vian's novel L'ecume des jours about a wealthy young inventor Nicholas(Romain Duris) who falls in love Chloe (Audrey Tatou)they marry.Unfortunately during their honeymoon Chloe takes seriously ill thanks to a water lilly sprouts in her lung and the only way to help is to surround her with fresh flowers but as time goes by the funds start to dry up.

Mood Indigo is like that Michel Gondry film made into one big  film, this is the French trailer however there's very little dialogue as the strength of the trailer is in  it's visual quality which simply gorgeous. Many Gondry fans, film critics have been waiting nearly 10 years for that film that can match what we loved in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Mood Indigo might just be that film they have been waiting for. What can say without doubt this is uniquely a Michel Gondry film which is sure to be a hit in arthouse cinemas around the world.

Mood Indigo doesn't have a  release date confirmed however Studiocanal are handling the UK&Irish release , French cinephiles can see this 24th April. Mood Indigo also stars Omar Sy, Gad Elmaleh, Lea Seydoux.



Michel Gondry's last film The We & The I will be closing gala at next Month on 13th February at Glasgow Youth Film Festival and the following night you can see Romain Duris starring in the Opening Gala for Glasgow Film Festival starring in Populaire.

Network Releasing Partner Amnesty International For Oscar Nominated NO

UK film distributor Network Releasing have announced an  unique partnership with the human rights organisation Amnesty International centred around the Oscar-nominated drama NO, starring Gael Garcia Bernal, which opens in UK cinemas on 8 February 2013. The partnership will see former Chilean prisoners of conscience or human rights experts presenting the film at screenings at Picturehouse Cinemas across the UK on 12 February 2013.

The arrangement will last for the duration of the cinema and DVD releases of the award-winning film about the true story of bringing democracy to Chile in 1988 after Pinochet’s dictatorial rule, which stars critically-acclaimed Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal.

The resulting 'No' campaign succeeded in ending over 16 years of military dictatorship, and is a powerful representation of the change that can be achieved when people come together to stand against oppression. As well as joint editorial activity to spread the message of the film via traditional and digital media, an Amnesty expert or a former Chilean prisoner of conscience will be present at every screening of the film at Picturehouse Cinemas on 12 February 2013. Most of the cinemas have also arranged a post-film discussion to answer questions and discuss the situation in Chile both now and at the time of Pinochet’s rule.

Participating cinemas are listed below:


· The Gate, Notting Hill
· Ritzy Brixton
· Hackney Picturehouse
· Clapham Picturehouse
· Greenwich Picturehouse
· Stratford East
· Belmont Aberdeen
· Duke of York’s Brighton
· Abbeygate, Bury St Edmunds
· Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge
· Cameo Edinburgh
· Exeter Picturehouse
· Regal, Henley
· FACT, Liverpool
· Norwich Picturehouse
· Bath, Little Theatre
· Phoenix, Oxford
· York
· Harbour Lights, Southampton
· Stratford-Upon Avon

Synopsis: Garcia Bernal plays cynical young advertising executive, Rene Saavedra, who is asked to spearhead the “No” campaign for those opposing the Pinochet regime to bring democracy to Chile. With scant resources, constant scrutiny from individuals sympathetic to Pinochet’s totalitarian regime including ad agency colleagues and the secret police, this bold, enthralling film looks at how a team of Chile’s “Mad Men” and opponents of the dictatorial regime instigated change. Seamlessly blending scripted scenes with archive footage, NO is a compelling period piece making it the first essential film to see in 2013.

Tim Beddows, Network Releasing Managing Director commented, “We are delighted to be working with Amnesty International on the release of NO and fully support the values they stand for. They are the perfect cause-related partner for the film.”



NO opens at UK cinemas on 8 February 2013 courtesy of Network Releasing