Love is Bittersweet In Slamdance Turtles Short

Love is a bittersweet affair but in Ian Wittenber's Turtles Short it's also an funny absurd might just make a heart broken person smile. Back in January the short film played in front of Grand Dury Prize Winner The Dirties, a story delivered in the style of a mock documentary which you could say love works in mysterious ways most of all absurd ways. Its a charming little film which will only take up 8 minutes of your life, not much to say about it apart from watch and enjoy!


source:Twitch

From Stage To Screen And Back Again (Broken Feature)

This Friday will see the release of Rufus Norris Award winning British Independent drama Broken will hit the UK Cinemas.the UK indie which boasts a strong cast of Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy as well a fantastic debut performance from Eloise Laurence in a film thats looks like it’ll deliver on the dramatics with hints of something very dark lurking under the serene face British suburbia.To celebrate the release of Broken we have a feature called From Stage To Screen (And Back Again) which sees some great directors who have started their careers on the stage went to direct and went back to the stage once again.

Rufus Norris

Rufus Norris, whose film debut Broken hits cinemas on the 8th March, trained as an actor before turning his attentions to directing. Winning the Evening Standard award for Most Promising Newcomer in 2001 led to future success in productions such as Festen and Death and the King’s Horseman, which played in the Olivier theatre. The soundtrack of Broken is composed by Electric Wave Bureau, which features Blur front-man Damon Albarn, who collaborated with Norris on his production of Doctor Dee in 2011.

Orson Welles

Before the illustrious film career began, Orson Welles directed a number of high-profile productions; these included an innovative take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1936) - which became known as Voodoo Macbeth due to setting the play in Haiti (the Three Sisters became the Three Voodoo Witch Doctors.) He went on to co-found the Mercury Theatre, regularly casting actor Joseph Cotton in productions – Welles went on to cast Cotton in his film debut, Citizen Kane (1941,) deemed to be the greatest film ever made.

Laurence Olivier

Arguably one of the most famous actors of all time, Laurence Olivier was the first artistic director of the National Theatre (the main stage is now named in his honour,) and went on to the Old Vic in 1963 where he oversaw a production of Hamlet. He directed nine productions in total, appearing in most of them, and making names out of John Gielgud, Maggie Smith, Derek Jacobi and Anthony Hopkins to name a few. Previous to this, Olivierhad carved himself out as the leading purveyor of Shakespeare in film. Star and director of Hamlet (1944), Othello (1948) and Richard III (1955,) Olivier was a screen legend. In September 2007, the National Theatre marked the centenary of his birth.

Bob Fosse

Bob Fosse was a director of musical theatre, who moved to New York with the aspirations of becoming the next Fred Astaire. Choreographing several productions, including How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961,) Fosse began directing theatre with notable productions including Sweet Charity (1966) – a film version of which he directed three years later - and Chicago (1975.) Fosse won an Oscar for directing Cabaret in 1972, famously beating Francis Ford Coppola’s work on The Godfather in the process.

Mike Nichols German-born American director Mike Nichols found his way to directing stage through his comedy duo routines with director and actress Elaine May (Nichols and May,) overseeing – and winning numerous Tony awards for – Broadway productions of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple (1965) and Plaza Suite (1968.) 1966 saw his film directorial debut in the form of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and in 1968, he won an Oscar for directing The Graduate. He has remained a film and theatre director ever since, winning another Tony in 2012 for his production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.

Julie Taymor

American film and theatre director Julie Taymor is most renowned for becoming the first woman to win a Best Director Tony award for her production of stage musical The Lion King (1997.) She had formally proved her talent by directing Shakespeare plays, including The Tempest and The Taming of the Shrew in 1984. She has also received acclaim for her directing career, her debut of which was Titus in 1999 (she produced a stage version in 1994,) and includes Frida (2002,) Across the Universe (2007,) a love story set to the music of The Beatles, and a screen-version of The Tempest in 2010. Her last stage production was a broadway musical version of Spider-Man in 2007, which broke records – but caused controversy when she departed the production over creative differences.

Mike Leigh

British filmmaker Mike Leigh studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art kick-starting his career in the mid-60s. He worked as assistant director at the Royal Shakespeare Company alongside director’s Peter Hall and Trevor Nunn. After directing some small-scale improvised plays, heturned his attention to playwriting for television – his most famous of which, Abigail’s Party, has been devised on-stage several times. He soon moved to theatrical ‘kitchen-sink’ filmmaking, with High Hopes (1988) and Life Is Sweet (1990.) He has directed three plays since his film career began, and regularly receives praise for every new film – the last of which was 2010’s Another Year.

Sam Mendes

Sam Mendes began theatre directing during his years at Cambridge - and by 24 had directed a version of Chekhov’s The Cherry Tree starring Judi Dench. 1990 saw Mendes appointed artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse (situated in Covent Garden,) which is now deemed a notable theatre venue. Countless talent has appeared in acclaimed productions ever since. In 1994, he staged a production of Oliver! and made his film directorial debut with 1999’s Oscar-winning American Beauty. Road to Perdition (2002) followed, and most recently, Mendes was the man responsible for directing what has become one of the most popular Bond films ever, Skyfall (2012.) In 2003, he established film, television and theatre production company Neal Street Productions, most recently responsible for the funding of BBC1’s Call the Midwife.

Danny Boyle

Upon leaving school, Danny Boyle joined the Joint Stock Theatre Company in London, before moving to the Royal Court in 1982. Five productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company later, and Boyle turned his attentions to filmmaking; 1995 saw his debut Shallow Grave, and countless other hits have followed: Trainspotting (1996,) 28 Days Later... (2002,) the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and 127 Hours (2010.) He returned to theatre in 2011, directing a version of Frankenstein for the National Theatre which was broadcast to cinemas live. He received unanimous praise recently for his artisitic directing duties on the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. His new film Trance is set for release this month.

Joe Wright

Joe Wright began his career working at his parents’ puppet theatre, and attended the Anna Scher Theatre School. He made the move to directing television and film after receiving a scholarship to make an award-winning short film for the BBC, sparking off a film career that has included Atonement (2007,) Hanna (2010) and most recently Anna Karenina (2012.) This year has seen him make his West End stage directorial debut, comedy Trelawny of the Wells at the Donmar Warehouse; it opened to positive reviews.

Broken will be released in UK Cinemas from Friday (8th March)

Stitches DVD Review

Though Stitches (2012) may not be to everyone's taste, director / writer Conor McMahon's new horror comedy is the perfect film debut for edgy comedian Ross Noble making a pleasant surprise in a gross-out schoolboy fashion. The similarities between it and that other anarchic jester jape Funny Man (1994) are clear. However, where that slice of infantile hokum was nauseating pure and simple, Stitches will leave you doubled up with laughter.

'Stitches' (Noble) is a down on his luck clown, making a living performing magic tricks at rich kid's birthday parties. Unfortunately at one such shindig 'Stitches' meets a gruesome end, after his show is literally cut short by the spoilt brats he has been paid to entertain.

Several years pass. The same kids - now all responsible teenagers (yeah, right) - are celebrating the birthday of one of their number with a typically raucous get-together. With the party in full swing they don't notice it has been gatecrashed by an old 'friend' with some particularly nasty tricks up his sleeve, and who is determined to make this a night to dismember for the birthday boy and his hapless guests.

Forget subtlety. The in-your-face, over-the-top crassness of Stitches doesn't even bother attempting anything remotely sophisticated. It is because of this approach however that it works. Where some modern horrors try to hide their schlocky viscerals behind a social message and deeper meaning, those like Stitches and the other recent gorefest Cockneys Vs Zombies (2011), wallow in their un pc'ness and full-on comedy carnage. The tone the film is aiming for is clear from the start as, before the opening credits have even begun, Noble's character in full clown mode is seen 'entertaining' a lady friend in his caravan. It's downhill from then on with virtually no one escaping 'Stitches' brand of cutting edge humour, though few live to hear the punchline as he makes short work of the sex mad, drugged up teens.

The roles of party-loving teenagers come naturally to the cast led by Tommy Knight and Gemma-Leagh Devereux - though this admittedly wouldn't be a push for most young people - whilst Noble seems born to play the potty-mouthed, wisecracking freak, a part again unlikely to stretch his abilities as an actor. It's the inventive murders however which really are the stars of the show, from ice-cream scooped brains to a guy having his intestines manipulated like a modelling balloon.

After watching this film you may understand why so many people suffer from coulrophobia, whilst clowns leave the rest of us in stitches!

Cleaver Patterson

★★★★☆

Rating:18
DVD/BD Release Date:4th March 2013 (UK)
Director: Conor McMahon
Cast: Ross Noble, Tommy Knight, Eoghan McQuinn, Gemma-Leah Devereux
Buy Stitches On: Blu-Ray / DVD
Win Stitches On DVD: Enter Here

GFF 2013 - Sleep Tight (Mientras Duermes) DVD Review

Fully Restored Army Of Shadows To Make Blu-Ray Premier This April

StudioCanal have announced that Jean Pierre Melville's critically acclaimed classic, ARMY OF SHADOWS will make its digitally restored blu-ray debut on, 8th April 2013.

The controversial French resistance epic originally released in 1969, was heavily criticised upon its release in France for its particular form of glorification of the Resistance. At the time, it appeared to be running against the tide of history, as attitudes to the war were about to take a U-turn, with a nation split between collaborationists and resisters.

American film-programmers took their cue from the French critics and on this basis, decided not to give it a US release. It was not until over 35 years later in 2006, that it was finally released in the US and was granted its due acclaim, including winning the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Starring Jean-Pierre Cassell, Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse and Simone Signoret, the blu-ray premiere also includes a brand new one hour documentary extra 'Army of Shadows – The Hidden Side of the Story.'

Pre-order/Buy: Army of Shadows [Blu-ray] [1969]

Watch Trailer For Murder Comedy Kankin Tantei

The official trailer for Japanese Murder Comedy Kankin Tantei has been released online. The movie is based on an adaptation of the Manga by mystery writer Takemaru Abiko  tells the story of Ryota (Muira) who stumbles across a mysterious girl Akane (Natsuna) in an apartment of a who was stabbed to death. Unsure who she is or why she is doing here Ryota handcuffs the girl to the bed until he can solve the murder but Akane says she can solve it. Cane Ryota trust her? Why was Ryota on the murder scene? Can They trust each other to solve the murder?

I think since I watch 44inch Chest  a few years back I've noticed an increase of films set mostly in one location (in an apartment) like here in Kankin Tantei which suggests the faith that the film's story is strong and entertaining enough to merit the film. The film looks to emphasise the power of the internet as we get glimpses of the pair investigating via internet, social media, images, etc....

Kankin Tantei stars Takahiro Miura , Natsuna directed by Takuro Oikawa with the film arriving in Japan on 1st June 2013.


source:Nipponcinema

Horror Channel To Premier Chillerama & Penumbra On UK Television

Adrian Garcia Bogliano’s creepy thriller PENUMBRA and the US horror fantasy anthology CHILLERAMA will receive their UK TV premieres on Horror Channel - which is a treat for genre fans as the films are not currently available on DVD in the UK.

Here are the transmission details:

PENUMBRA (2011) - Sat Mar 23 @ 22:55

From Adrián García Bogliano, director of unique chiller COLD SWEAT, comes a bold experiment into creeping paranoia with a nasty twist. Marga, an arrogant businesswoman from Spain is on a business assignment in Buenos Aires - she must find a new tenant for her family’s decrepit apartment. But what’s behind the décor signals a startling fate worse than death. PENUMBRA is a superbly realized horror entry from the Argentine talent rapidly becoming a genre powerhouse all to himself.


CHILLERAMA (2011) – Sat Mar 30 @ 22.55 (UK Premiere)

From the depraved minds of US directors Adam Rifkin, Tim Sullivan, Adam Green, and Joe Lynch, a horror fantasy anthology which is a celebration of the golden age of B movies. There’s something for everyone’s bad taste in this quartet of schlock featuring the monster mania rampage WADZILLA, the gay Beach Party musical I WAS A TEENAGE WEREBEAR, the black-and-white insanity THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANKENSTEIN and the creeping fleshy ZOM-B-MOVIE.


Plus…there is a season of crazy-creature double-bills...

MONSTER MASH! -Fridays from March 8 @ 21:00

This fun season of double-billers celebrating Monster Mayhem kicks off with a desert dwelling shapeshifter THE BONE SNATCHER versus a three headed ravenous alien in the 80’s classic THE DEADLY SPAWN.

Then on Mar 15 get ready to quake in your boots as a prehistoric crocodile is resurrected in DINOCROC. This is billed with an 80’s classic as we go back into deep space for the alien possession movie INSEMINOID.

On Mar 22, things start to get slippery when a creature made of plant and flesh devours anyone who dares dip a toe in his beloved swamp in the comic book creature feature MAN-THING! And who could forget the godfather of gothic horror and monstrous mayhem – it’s THE LAST LOVECRAFT.

The final fear fiesta on Mar 29 boasts a beast of Olympic proportions - the OGRE. and a supernatural demon as Lance Henriksen invokes the unstoppable rage of PUMPKINHEAD to avenge his son’s death.

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138

 www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

GFF 2013 Review: Stoker

If you can avoid the trailer, then for God’s sake do because here’s a film that benefits from going in blind. Park Chan Wook’s Stoker is a thing of undeniable beauty; a carefully crafted piece of art, and there’s a word I don’t go throwing around too often. Essentially it’s a story about sexual awakening against a backdrop of dysfunctional family politics, but as with most great films, it’s not in the idea: it’s the execution.

The first half hour may strain patience, but it’s worth it. Wook takes time to set up his near epic tales, but after that slow start the film starts winding tighter and tighter, releasing brief flurries of energy whilst maintaining the illusion of a melodrama.  Here is a film horrific and deeply unsettling, without giving itself over to the horror genre.  Early scenes of India in the basement are thick with suspense, and moments of mystery call up Hitchcockian influences.You’ll spend a lot of time wondering just what in buggery is going on until finally Wook delivers a fantastic phone-box realisation scene and the film, rather than falling into place, lifts.

Important to the horror aspect is Mathew Goode’s electrifying performance as India’s estranged uncle, a man who appears just after her father’s death and upsets the balance of the household. To be fair I had expected Goode would be on top form, but this is something different.  There’s so much going on under the surface, so many silent and manipulative glances that you need a second viewing to catch the subtlety, Goode’s performance is the prize of the piece. Wasikowska’s India is something of gothic beauty also, shifting from what could have been a tired Burton character to a solid Angela Carter heroine.  We should be hearing a lot more from her in the future if this is anything to go by.

As with every Clint Mansell soundtrack Stoker is a thing to behold, furthering those Hitchcock influences with epic strings whilst digging deeper into India’s slowly dawning mind state with heartfelt piano.

Wook’s keen sense of style and image are fantastic , perhaps even a career best. The Gothic grandeur of the colonial house is captured with apparent ease, every frame looks like a painting, every image is a goldmine, there’s enough symbolism here to fill a hundred books. Repetition and explanation of certain details allows Wook’s film to achieve a bizarre nostalgic quality. This works hand-in-hand with the vicious and cold quality of the night time sequences allowing the horror to take shape.

Kidman’s performance fits in somewhere here; as a detail. And a fine one.  Just as important as India or Charlie, Kidman’s performance is seductive, pathetic, and heart-breaking: her’s is the damaged thread that winds throughout, adding the most pure strain of heart-ache to Stoker.

Macabre, erotic, visually seductive, perfectly cast and performed, and flaunting a plot so thick with mystery and meaning you’ll feel your brain swell. Stoker may just be a genuine masterpiece from a genuine master.

Scott Clark

★★★★★

Rating:18
Release Date: 1st March 2013
Director: Chan-wook Park
Cast:  Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Alden Ehrenreich

Pedro Almodóvar Invites You On board To Watch First uk Trailer I'm So Excited

 If someone was to describe to you Pedro Almodovar's unique style Woody Allen meets John Waters you probably disagree until you see the UK Trailer For I'm So Excited, it's camp all the way!

The Skin I Live In  director goes all camp for his follow up film with a colourful over the top comedy about a  a group of travellers onboard a flight towards Mexico City who find themselves in a life threatening situation. So what's the best remedy to save everyone? Get the all singing, dancing male attendants to belt out an disco classic pointer sisters 'it's so excited' which ironically is the film's name!

There was another trailer just before christmas but this new trailer has some funny new footage and explains the actually plot a little better. If you are a fan of Almodovar  you know expect the unexpected and It's so excited will have a ray of unexpectedness about it but that's why we love the Spanish Auteur so much!

I'm so excited will be released in UK on 3rd May and stars Javier Cámara, Pepa Charro, Cecilia Roth with cameo appearances from Almodovar regulars  Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, paz vega.

Synopsis

A technical failure has endangered the lives of the people on board Peninsula Flight 2549. The pilots are striving, along with their colleagues in the Control Center, to find a solution. The flight attendants and the chief steward are atypical, baroque characters who, in the face of danger, try to forget their own personal problems and devote themselves body and soul to the task of making the flight as enjoyable as possible for the passengers, while they wait for a solution. Life in the clouds is as complicated as it is at ground level, and for the same reasons, which could be summarized in two: sex and death.

source: Total Film

UK Trailer, TV Spots And Featurette For Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers

If there's one perfect way to lose your squeaky Clean Disney image star in Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers will do the trick. Skimpy, sexualised, drug fuelled, all out batshit crazy, Don't knock the hustle and watch Spring Breakers UK Trailer.

Spring Breakers  stars Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, and Rachel Korine 4 college girl friends  who'll do anything to extended their Spring Break. After been arrested the girls get their wish when they encounter  Alien (James Franco)a local drug dealer who bails them out of trouble. The new trailer does provide some new snippets as do the 2 TV Spots and featurettes giving us a  a good sense of the debauchery that curtails in the film along with an interesting look at the making of it too.

Spring Breakers is a coming of age story for its one time Disney stars Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens even Ashley Benson from her Nickelodeon days. These girls are certainly grown up now they want to party if you love those programmes that follow holiday reps in clubbing hotspots around Mediterranean tenfold that throw in some guns , James Franco been gangsta you'll have an idea what you can expect when this one arrives. Spring Breakers is certainly going to keep cinephiles talking, some walking out of screens, others loving the controversial film when  last week the film made it's UK premier at Glasgow Film Festival. If you where eagled eyed following my Tweets when I shared my after thoughts and all I say is I described the film as 'Like been locked in a room forced to watch Jack & Jill on a 24 hour loop....painful'. In the film's defence the demographic of the film the visual feel the score will go down a treat.

You can read my  Spring Breakers review closer to the film's UK release on 5th April, USA 22nd March (limited release) 29 March (full release).

Brit, Candy, Cotty, and Faith have been best friends since grade school. They live together in a boring college dorm and are hungry for adventure. All they have to do is save enough money for spring break to get their shot at having some real fun. A serendipitous encounter with rapper “Alien” promises to provide the girls with all the thrill and excitement they could hope for. With the encouragement of their new friend, it soon becomes unclear how far the girls are willing to go to experience a spring break they will never forget.

source:MSNUK

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