Hola...First Trailer For [REC]4: Apocalypse Is A Bloody Reminder

It's time to get out.....Hola, it's the first English language trailer for [REC]4: Apocalypse a stark reminder of how bloody but most all how great this franchise is!

After been accordingly invited to the wedding in [REC]3:Genesis the prequel and how the whole shebang started it's time to fast forward and see how it'll all end. After his compadre Paco Plaza did the honours with Genesis Jaume Balaguero  returns to the directors chair after a spell  scaring the heevie jeevies out us all with his fantastic Hitchcockian chiller Sleep Tight. The film returns to our young roving TV news  reporter we met in the first film Angel Vidal and after revelation end of  film two that she's effected the blood will spill and the infection spreads as she makes it outside!

We believe this is the final film but like any popular franchise never say never especially if the money is stilling rolling in we may get another film. The other question  is in [REC]3: Genesis they dumped the found /first person footage style for the straight film, will they return to the old format? That maybe revealed later this month as the film is been promoted at Cannes marketplace, whose in it and exactly when [REC]4: Apocalypse will be out we don't know at this stage expect late 2013 at least we can say this is a good bet to appear at Film 4 frightfest  in August?

source:Bloodydisgusting

Billy Liar Blu-Ray Review (50th Anniversary Edition)

Billy Liar is Bradford’s one and only claim to fame. It was shot there and is set in an unnamed Yorkshire village. It’s so much a part of “Bradford’s culture heritage” there is a mosaic in the subway near it’s world renowned media museum.

As the title suggests it’s about a young man called Billy Fisher (Tom Courtenay) and liars his way though out the film especially to his many girlfriends (he is engaged to 2 of them). He is working for a morticians but he stole all these calendars and some money. He seems to be hopeless but he has his imagination to keep him company, he dreams of the mythical land “Ambrosia” which is king, general, don juan figure etc. A lass called Liz (Julie Christie) comes back from London who he has known before and she tells him to come to London with her and the last act is how he reacts to that and other events.

The film was directed by John Schlesinger who would later make such bonafide classics such as Midnight Cowboy and Marathon Man and other important films like Sunday Bloody Sunday. The first surprising thing about Billy Liar is it’s a totally heterosexual film; many of his films dealt with homosexuality or had homoerotic subtext (like in Marathon Man) but I know he was still “in the closet” at this time. It’s probably his first classic film and he did get his start in Kitchen sink dramas.

Billy is a bit of a shit to be honest but he is a terribly in mature lad whose head is in the stars even he is looking at the gutter. Tom Courtenay is a bit to old for the role to be honest. People claim it’s a comedy and it’s not really, it’s a film about a boy trying to grow up but isn’t quite there yet (which is evident in the film’s last few moments) and you feel sorry for his mum especially at the end.

The film belongs to the British New Wave movement, which for the most part were kitchen sink dramas. I’ve never been a fan of them and tend to prefer the more surreal side of 60s British cinema like If…, Performance and Blow-Up. I do however quite like Billy Liar but it does have scenes of fantasy quite famously. The film is probably as good as the genre ever got and the film will make you fall madly in love with a young Julie Christie which isn’t a bad thing.

★★★★½

Ian Schultz

Release Date: 6th May 2013 (UK)
Rating: PG
Director:John Schlesinger
Cast: Tom Courtenay, Wilfred Pickles, Mona Washbourne
Buy Billy Liar: 50th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray] [1963] / DVD

Win The Facility On DVD

To celebrate the arrival of the utterly tense, claustrophobic and overwhelmingly effective chiller ‘The Facility’ - out on DVD and Download 6th May 2013 through eOne Momentum - we have a copy to give away to two lucky winners!

Cronenbergian body-horror runs rampant in debut feature director Ian Clark’s taut, anxiety-inducing British indie shocker.

Seven volunteers – students Carmen, Arif and Adam, office temp Joni, journalist Katie, estate agent Jerome and unemployed Derek – arrive at the remote Limebrook Medical Clinic to take part in a clinical trial run by ProSyntrex Pharmaceuticals. In exchange for a fee of £2,000 these human “guinea pigs” have agreed to spend two weeks in isolation testing an experimental new drug known only as Pro9. After settling into the facility, each participant is given a first injection and, following a group dinner, sent to bed. But shortly after dark, the group is woken by the harrowing screams of one of their number. Soon, each volunteer begins to succumb to the terrifying and previously unknown effects of Pro9 during a never-ending night fraught with horror, madness, violence and death.

Courtesy of our friends at Momentum Pictures We have a couple of copies of The Facility to give away on DVD and to be in with a chance to win a copy please answer the following question:

Q.We reviewed this film in 2012 can you tell us the name of the festival it made its UK Premiere and the films original name?

You can read our review here

send your answer, name, address, postcode only to winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com (label email 'the facility')
Deadline to enter is 26th May 2013 (11.59pm) You Must be 18 years or older to enter

Double your chances follow us at Facebook! (you will get double entry every counts, if your already following us please share the post on facebook)

Please read the 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 Momentum Pictures 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, Momentum Pictures employees 4.This competition is promoted on behalf of Momentum Pictures 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 26th May 2013 (2359hrs)7.Will only accept entries sent to the correct email (winatcinehouseuk@gmail.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 winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com  (label the facility ) 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.Failure to include details  required to qaulify for entry (i.e full name or address) will result your entry been void 11.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 if you are liking us share the post on facebook and re-tweet the post.12.The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes 13.Prizes may take from days to a few months for delivery which is out of our control14.The competition is opened to Aged 12 and over.15. 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.16. 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 this could result in your entry been deleted for security 17.The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email or announced via facebook, sometimes we are unable to confirm winners.18.This competition i bound by the rules of Scotland,England & Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland.19.By sending your entry for this competition you are confirming you have read and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.

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Watch The Dramatic Trailer for Shanidar no Hana (The Flower of Shanidar)

If it's not Manga/Anime related or  horror the Japanese do love their romance and if you like romance films you'll want to check the official trailer for Garkuryu Ishii's Shanidar no Hana (The Flower of Shanidar).

Shanidar no Hana is described as an original  fantasy romance drama the tale of Otaki (Go Ayano) a researcher at an facility that cultivates a flower that grows on the bodies of certain women. The Flower of Shanidar is an highly sought after flower which help in scientific and Medical purposes so as the flowers grow so does Otaki's love for his assistant Kyoko (Haru Kuroki).

As the flowers grow they discover the women begin experiencing odd physical abnormalities which concerns Otaki who questions his faith in the project but Kyoko is the opposite she becomes more fascinated in the flowers. Shanidar no Hana opens in Japan on 20th July 2013.

Synopsis

A strange phenomenon takes place. A beautiful flower blooms on a selected woman's body and that flower is called the "Shanidar". When the Shanidar is in full bloom, the flower produces a substance which is then sold at a high cost to develop new drugs. Kenji Otaki (Gou Ayano) works as a researcher at the facility where the Shanidar is grown.

Horror Channel To Celebrate Centenary of Peter Cushing With Season

On Sunday May 26th Horror Channel celebrates 100 years of the birth of one of the country’s most beloved actors - Peter Cushing (OBE).

PETER CUSHING CENTENARY DAY will be devoted to some of the legendary actor’s finest work, picked from a film & TV career which spanned 50 years and over 80 films.

Born on 26 May 1913, Cushing’s career took off in the 50s and he is probably best known for his roles for Hammer Films – in particular the sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing. But to younger generations he is also fondly remembered for his portrayal of Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars and for his many appearances as Sherlock Holmes.

The line-up:

10:00. FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN (1967)

Hammer Horror’s Frankenstein Created Woman sees Cushing in one of his most famous roles, that of Baron Frankenstein. Here the sinister scientist embarks upon his most ambitious work - bringing a young maiden back to life using the twisted soul of an executed man. Directed by Terence Fisher, this is the fourth film in Hammer's Frankenstein series and seen as the most ambitious dealing, not with the physical aspects of the Baron's work, but with questions of the soul, and its relationship to the body.

12:00 THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR (1968)

Relishing his role as a Victorian super-sleuth, Peter Cushing stars as Inspector Quennell, a Scotland Yard detective sent to a small town in the English countryside to investigate a series of suspicious deaths. Clues led him to renowned entomology professor Dr. Carl Mallinger (Robert Flemying). Through his beautiful daughter Clare, Mallinger has created a ‘were-moth’, a she-creature capable of transforming into a murderous Death Head moth.

13:30 I, MONSTER (1971)

In this loose adaption of the Dr. Jekyll, Mr Hyde story, Cushing teams up with horror-thesp regular Christopher Lee. Lee plays Charles Marlowe, a psychologist who invents a drug which will release his patients' inhibitions. But when Marlowe tests it on himself he becomes the cruel, murderous Edward Blake. It’s up to Marlowe's lawyer, Utterson (Cushing), to discover the truth. The film was intended to be in 3-D, but that was aborted mid-production.

15:00 THE BEAST MUST DIE (1974)

In this ‘beastly’ whodunit, Cushing shines as archaeologist and lycanthropy enthusiast Dr. Lundgre – one of a number of invited guests of wealthy sportsman (Calvin Lockhart) to a big-game hunt. He's sure that one of them is a werewolf and he intends to stalk and kill it. Near the conclusion, the audience have a 30-second interlude during which they can decide, who the hunted beast is. Due to the small production budget, the "werewolf" was played by a German shepherd dog

16:50 HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR: ‘The Silent Scream’ (1980)

Cushing gives a finely-tuned performance of benign menace as Martin Blueck, a seemingly kindly pet shopkeeper who befriends a released convict, Chuck Spillers, (Brian Cox) As the trust between them grows, Blueck asks Spillers to look after the shop whilst he goes away. But Spillers and his wife find that they are trapped by the deviant mind of an ex-Nazi doctor and Blueck’s experiments live on. Directed by Alan Gibson, this episode from the first series was considered the best.


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

The Facility DVD Review

Ian Clark's much anticipated first feature, The Facility finally receives its home-video release almost a year after debuting at 2012’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. Despite delivering some sharp moments of tension and a realistic style, The Facility unfortunately lacks any lasting impact.

Eight volunteers are sent to a remote medical facility to begin clinical trials on a new drug, tentatively titled Pro-9. It soon becomes apparent that this is no ordinary drug as extreme side affects begin to appear - you know, like turning into a raging psychopath.

Although the subject of clinical trials has been tackled in the horror genre before, it still remains a chilling concept. Ian Clark furthers these chills by instilling a strong sense of realism throughout The Faculty, most notably through his almost documentary style direction. From the onset descriptions appear on screen, mixed with unfocussed close ups and establishing shots of the eerie clinical settings which gives Clark's film an unsettling familiarity.

After a rather long but well crafted build up, we get a strong sense of the foreboding horror that is expected to ensue. This is followed by several well executed moments of tension, which fortunately never unveil too much, normally a good tactic in the genre, leaving the viewers' imagination to the work. Unfortunately these tense build up gets wasted with The Facility lacking in a real scares, jumps or chilling imagery.

Most of the characters are interesting and reasonably well developed, despite all fitting into traditional archetypal genre roles. Leading character, Adam (Aneurin Barnard) although well acted, proves too nice for his own good by making some dodgy decisions - like not leaving the compound when he has the chance. A scene stealing turn from Looking For Eric's Steve Evets, as a clinical test "veteran" adds some wry humour to the proceedings. Other small joys include Chris Larkin's appearance as a wise-cracking Doctor in charge of the proceedings.

The Facility is a reasonably entertaining watch with director Ian Clark creating a solid, realistic atmosphere and strong sense of tension, as well as some welcome moments of humour. Unfortunately, The Facility is lacking in any genuine scares and ultimately proves a bit unmemorable.

★★★☆☆

Andrew McArthur

Rating:15
DVD Release Date: 6th May 2013 (UK)
Stars: Aneurin Barnard, Alex Reid, Oliver Coleman
Director: Ian Clark
Buy:The Facility On DVD

Quartet DVD Review

Quartet is a film which requires little effort, either on the part of the cast or the viewer.  That’s not intended disparagingly, indeed quite the opposite, as everything about Hollywood icon Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, starring Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins, is sheer bliss - you just sit back, relax and let it wash over you.

Fading opera stars, Wilf (Connolly), Reginald (Courtenay) and Cissy (Collins), live in the rural splendor of a country retirement home, where they wile away the days reminiscing about their past triumphs.  Each year they celebrate the birthday of the composer Verdi with a concert, and in the process raise funds for the upkeep of the home.  This year however things don’t quite go to plan after the arrival of new resident.  The presence of Jean (Smith), an opera diva with thoughts above her station, not only resurrects painful memories for the trio, but doesn’t exactly prove conducive to harmony amongst the other residents either.

What a relief that Hoffman, unlike so many actors who try their hand at directing, was not tempted into a cameo appearance in Quartet.  Instead he remains, like all good directors should, out-of-sight, though not out of mind, as his touch is crystal clear on screen.  Everything, from the ensemble cast to the pastoral settings, meld seamlessly under the expert guidance of a man who is so much a part of modern cinema in front of the camera, that looking at the action from the other side will probably have felt like second nature.

The wider cast hit all the right notes as the group of aging operatic and musical stars, unwilling to accept that, for the most, their moment in the limelight is long past.  Indeed the only aspect of the film which appears slightly off-key is watching Connolly and Smith vie for prime spot.  When they appear these two old troupers banish everyone else to the wings, no mean feat when you consider the calibre of the those they’re working with.  However they’re such a delight to watch that you feel more than happy to indulge their quirks and idiosyncrasies.

This is really is the only quibble though in an otherwise perfect blend of dry wit and acid sharp timing which makes for a delightful cocktail of lasting friendships and the acceptance of the passing of time.

Quartet provides a marvelously feel good way with which to see in the new year.  Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait too long for Hoffman to flex his directorial muscle again.  Oh, and wait until the end as there is a marvelous treat during the final credits which is guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye.

★★★★☆

Cleaver Patterson

Rating: 12
DVD/BD Release Date: 6th May 2013 (UK)
Director: Dustin Hoffman
Cast: Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, Sheridan Smith

Buy Quartet: DVD / Blu-ray

BFI To Release Jean Rouch's Chronicle Of A Summer This Month on Dual Play

On 27 May 2013 the BFI releases the hugely influential French documentary Chronicle of a Summer, newly restored, on Blu-ray and DVD (in a Dual Format Edition) for the first time in the UK.

Shot in Paris during the summer of 1960 and released the following year, Chronicle of a Summer is the compelling result of a collaboration between anthropologist filmmaker Jean Rouch and sociologist Edgar Morin.

Jean Rouch (Moi, un noir, Les maîtres fous) and Edgar Morin set out to chronicle the everyday lives of Parisians using a mixture of intimate interviews, debates and observation. Artists, factory workers, office employees, students and others open up to the camera to share their experiences, fears and aspirations. The film became one of the most influential of the sixties, and redefined the documentary form with its use of handheld cameras and observational techniques.

Rouch, whose work inspired the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Rivette and Roberto Rossellini, trained his ethnographic lens on the metropolis, recording a series of extraordinary sequences, including a French survivor’s Holocaust testimony, to reveal the political underlying the personal in a society struggling into the post-colonial era.

The film questions the level of reality and truth in documentary filmmaking, and offers a fascinating insight into 1960’s Parisian society.



Special Features:
• Presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
• Brand new restoration
• Un été + 50 (Florence Daumon, 2011, 75 mins): documentary on the making of Chronicle of a Summer featuring new interviews with the participants including Edgar Morin and Régis Debray
• Jean Rouch at the NFT (1978, 55 mins): audio recording of a lecture delivered by Jean Rouch on Dziga Vertov and Robert Flaherty's influence on his work and that of his peers
• Illustrated booklet with newly commissioned essays by Professor Ginette Vincendeau

Pre-order /Buy: Chronicle of a Summer (DVD + Blu-ray)

Fasten Seat Belts Almodovar's I'm So Excited Has 'Exciting' Important Message For You

In preparation of the release of Perdo Almodovar's I'm So Excited, out in cinemas on 3rd May, we have a fantastic comical info graphic celebrating some of the cheekier elements of the film.

I'm So Excited is set upon a doomed flight heading to Mexico City. The flight attendants and the chief steward are atypical, baroque charactes whom 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 summarised in two: sex and death.

Follow the @PeninsulaCrew on Twitter and check out this great little in-flight-style guide to celebrate the release! The question should you be excited? Read our review here and go check out I'm So Excited when it's released in UK&Ireland 3rd May.

SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED DVD

Rome, as they say, wasn't built in a day, and neither was the epic television drama series Spartacus which reaches its climax with the third season Spartacus: War of the Damned, newly released on DVD and Blu-ray this week. The series which has won legions of fans since it premiered with Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010) and continued with Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) and Spartacus: Vengeance (2012), is a show which is definitely not for the faint hearted. It will take those with nerves of steel to endure both the length and sheer violence of a show which brings graphic onscreen brutality and sex to a whole new level.

The fight against Rome and her oppressive regime, headed by rebel leader Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) and his bloodthirsty generals, reaches a bloody climax when he leads his army into a final battle against the empire in the form of Roman military officer Marcus Crassus (Simon Merrells) and his men. In the ensuing confrontation there can only be one victor in a battle of epic proportions.

It's always hard to be subjective if you are coming to an established television series fresh. Many shows take time to grow on you, with the characters becoming as familiar to fans as their own family and friends, with the story-lines progressing over weeks and years. Which might explain why, if this is the first time you will have seen (or in my case) heard of the Spartacus television series, you may not really get it. Having now watched the show, I have to say that I can't work out for the life of me who it's aimed at.

The show's advertising and promotional campaign makes no bones about the fact that it isn't selling itself as anything other than a drama focusing around war and sex - on which basis it is probably a pretty accurate portrayal of the pass-times of much of the Roman Empire at the time. Following the lives and intertwined relationships of Spartacus and his arch enemy Marcus Crassus, the show is a modern, high-tech take on the old Hollywood sword and sandal epic, albeit with a much grittier edge.

However, authenticity (which the show admittedly has in spades) aside, it's not long before each hour long episode starts feeling like a battle to get through. Full-frontal, man on woman, man on man and woman on woman sex which leaves very little to the imagination, as well as gory, visceral violence (including beheadings, disembowelment and crucifixion) that you wouldn't expect to see outside a video nasty, makes for tough viewing, unless you're a prepubescent teenage schoolboy who gets kicks from watching something he knows he shouldn't. The dialogue by Steven S. DeKnight also grates with a stiltedness which is clearly meant to invoke a period feel, but quickly becomes arduous for the viewer to decipher or comprehend. As for the overuse of the 'f' word which litters the character's vocabulary at every opportunity - one is simply left weary by the end.

I genuinely wish I'd got the show, as it clearly has something of interest for a lot of people. However for this critic it was a particularly unpleasant experience of epic proportions and, like the period of time it depicts, better consigned to the annals of ancient history.

★★☆☆☆

Cleaver Patterson

Rating:18
DVD/BD Release Date: 29th April 2013 (UK)
Director:Steven S. DeKnight
Cast: Manu Bennett, Daniel Feuerriegel, Lucy Lawless, Peter Mensah, Liam McIntyre
Buy Spartacus : War Of Damned:Blu-ray / DVD
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