Feature - Money’s Too Tight To Mention

Jo Nesbo’s Jackpot tells the story of a bunch of criminals who go four ways on a winning lottery ticket, leaving them to share 1,739,361 kroner that they struggle to divide into four equal pay-outs. When we say 'struggle', it’s not just that they can’t do the maths, but rather that Jackpot unravels into a crime caper that divides more body parts than it does winnings.

What happens is  Oscar Svendsen wakes up, terrified and bloodied; a shotgun in his hands, in what was once a respectable strip joint near Svinesund, Sweden. He is surrounded by eight bodies, and police detective Solør has a gun aimed at his chest. Solør is convinced of his guilt, but Oscar persistently denies any wrongdoing.

Reluctantly Oscar starts relating the incredible story of four men who won top prize in a soccer pool and suddenly found themselves 1,739,361 kroner richer. But it turned out to be difficult to divide the money by four.

Jackpot is an exciting, playful and bloody comedy from the producer of Cold Prey. It is based on a story by Norway's leading crime writer, Jo Nesbø. We meet a group of scruffy young men, all of them with a criminal background. Oscar (Kyrre Hellum), Thor (Mads Ousdal), Billy (Arthur Berning) and Tresko (Andreas Cappelen). They work at a factory in the middle of nowhere that makes plastic Christmas trees. And they bet on soccer…

To celebrate the film’s release in cinemas across the UK on friday. August 10th, we’re looking back at five other movies where the principal protagonists come into a princely sum of money overnight...

It Could Happen To You
There’s a theory on the internet that Nicholas Cage has never starred in a bad movie, and It Could Happen To You is no exception to that rule. Also featuring Rosie Perez and Bridget Fonda on top form, the movie tells the story of a cop who gives his lottery ticket to a waitress as her tip, promising half if it turns out to be a winning ticket (which, of course, it does). In a stranger than fiction twist, the plot is actually based on real-life events, making for a heart-warming tale of money’s trappings, its pitfalls, and how it really can’t buy you love.
Lucky Numbers
Lucky Numbers is another true story inspired lottery flick, but this one’s certainly not of the heart-warming variety. John Travolta plays the role of a weatherman with money troubles who attempts to rig the lottery with his wife (played by Lisa Kudrow), who’s the beautiful assistant on the state lottery draw. Both possess somewhat psychopathic personality traits – a complete lack of empathy or guilt alongside their superficial charm – and this kind of character-play is where much of the film’s comedy emerges from. Lucky Numbers is also noteworthy for featuring Michael Moore in one of his rare acting appearances on film.
Waking Ned
When Ned Devine dies of shock after winning the lottery, his fellow inhabitants of a tiny Irish village do their best to fool a lottery representative that Ned is still alive and well, and therefore the lottery money can be paid in full. The Tullymore villagers manage to convince themselves that this plan of action is for the greater good – as Tullymore is in dire need of a bob or two anyway – and what ensues from here on out is a warm and life-affirming comedy. Writer and Director, Kirk Jones received a BAFTA nomination for his work on the film, and widespread favourable reviews to boot.
Shallow Grave
Before the London Olympic Games opening ceremony, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, and Trainspotting came the first theatrical movie that Danny Boyle directed back in 1994, Shallow Grave. Also starring Ewan McGregor, who would accompany Boyle on his first three directorial ventures, the movie spins a yarn about a group of housemates who take on a new tenant that promptly dies of a drug overdose. When a huge stash of money is discovered in the departed’s suitcase, and the housemates decide whether to inform the authorities or conceal the death (and keep the money), the film’s ominous title comes into play.
Mr Deeds
He’s been an unlikely golfing talent, a water boy turned linebacker, the son of Beelzebub, an Israeli counter-terrorist agent turned hairdresser, and a reluctant father figure. In most of his movies, however, Adam Sandler seems to maintain a lot of himself in a character, and that’s never been truer than of Mr Deeds. When Longfellow Deeds (Sandler) comes into a fortune, he buys Corvettes for the inhabitants of his small-town American home; when Sandler finished production of Grown-Ups in 2010, he bought $250,000 Maserattis for the rest of the cast. And that’s really the point of Mr Deeds: regardless of the fortune you find yourself to be the unlikely heir of overnight, the money by itself doesn’t mean a thing.
Jackpot is in cinemas, Friday August 10th.

Le Havre DVD Review

★★★★1/2

Le Havre is the latest film by prolific Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki and was a big success at Cannes (winning 2 awards). It is also one of only 3 films of 2011 to be inducted into the Criterion collection so far.

Le Havre tells the story of Marcel Marx (André Wilms), an old shoe shiner in the title’s town who finds a young black boy Idrissa who is an illegal immigrate. He is hiding form the cops and takes him in. His wife is terminally ill but she won’t admit it to Marcel. They cops are after the boy to deport him and the rest of the film consists of Marcel trying to sort out a boat to get him to London.

The film is a really lovely low-key film. The film is called a “comedy-drama” but it’s not particularly laugh out funny but just gives you a smile throughout the film. The performances are all really wonderful all done very deadpan as expected in Kaurismäki’s films. The film’s look is very influenced of many French filmmakers such as Robert Bresson, Marcel Carné, Jean Pierre-Melville which is expected because of it’s setting and also in Bresson’s minimalism which is evident in many of Kaurismäki’s films.

The film overall is a wonderfully offbeat as expected with Kaurismäki and it interesting themed dramedy. It’s also to see a film that is deliciously old fashioned it’s a film that could have easily been made over 50 years ago and wouldn’t be much different. It’s highly recommended 90 minutes.

Ian Schultz

Rating: PG
DVD/BD Release Date: 06 August 2012
Director: Aki Kaurismäki
Cast: André Wilms, Blondin Miguel , Jean-Pierre Darroussin

The Octagon Blu-Ray Review

★★★☆☆

Chuck Norris can do anything: he's been a Texas Ranger, a Delta Force Major, an Expendable, a New York Cop - but now it is time to see him as a ninja warrior in the remastered edition of 1980 martial arts thriller, The Octagon.

Norris plays Scott James (often pronounced so fast it sounds like Scotch Eggs), a man plagued by nightmares of a mysterious and intense combat training routine that he and his best friend received as youths. Scott is dragged back into this former life when a terrorist organisation (known as The Octagon) lead by deadly ninjas, starts making strikes towards him and those he cares for.

The Octagon is filled with kitsch appeal - for example, for the most part of the film we are given an insight into Scott James' thoughts, which consists of a whispering Chuck Norris voice-over, whilst the star stares intently on into the distance. This hilarious/creepy/wonderful technique also helps fill in the patchy plot holes that tend to appear, whilst also furthering Chuck's persona as a ninja master. Very clever. Chuck's moustache, which we all remember and love from A Force Of One is back, alongside some cringe-worthy dialogue, which adds to the camp charm of The Octagon.

Despite this, The Octagon is a thoroughly watchable film, never becoming tiresome or dull. There may be some questionable elements in Leigh Chapman's script (see above), but it's a strong, original concept which hits a perfect balance between espionage-infused thrills and bare-bones martial arts. Eric Karson's feature does not particularly depend on special effects, but rather on the martial arts skill and precision of leading man, Norris. Like A Force Of One, Chuck's young brother, Aaron choreographs these brutal fight sequences with a sense of precision and realism. Norris once again proves to be a highly capable leading actor, excelling in the combat-heavy sequences as well more emotionally based material. Whether he is kicking hissing ninjas in the face or mourning the loss of his best friend, Chuck is a pro. Although, I'm not sure whether even Chuck could convincingly handle the voicing over of his "inner-thoughts".

Chapman's script features some entertaining, well-produced action set-pieces from Chuck taking down an entire ninja camp whilst it is in flames to the epic sword fights in The Octagon's conclusion. A particular favourite scene of mine involved a poisoned Chuck kicking a ninja into a wall of fire. In addition to these action packed spectaculars, The Octagon features well-cast supporting turns from Lee Van Cleef, Art Hindle and Karen Carlson.

Whilst it may appear slightly dated and it does feature some questionable plot devices, The Octagon is a thoroughly entertaining watch. It has been remastered to visual perfection - which exemplifies the well-crafted action sequences and impressive martial arts. Chuck proves that he is the master of the cult action film in this original and likeable combat-thriller.

Andrew McArthur

Stars: Chuck Norris, Lee Van Cleef ,Karen Carlson
Director: Eric Karson
Release: 6th August (UK)
Certificate: 15 (UK)

Himizu DVD Review

A Force Of One Blu-Ray Review

★★★ 1/2☆

Anchor Bay take us back to the genesis of an icon, in A Force Of One, one of Chuck Norris' first major starring roles. Now remastered on Blu-Ray for the first time, alongside The Octagon, get ready for your very own Chuckfest.

So there's a little problem. During a routine investigation, a crack narcotics team (excuse the pun) is taken down one by one by a karate chopping serial killer. Like all reasonable minded people, the police chief decides that all officers should be fully trained in martial arts. But who could train them? Oh, only Chuck Norris. That's right, Chuck Norris, in the form of karate expert Matt Logan.

Unfortunately, Matt's reluctance to get involved is finally broken, when his adopted son becomes the karate killers latest victim. Soon Matt driven by vengeance is thrust into an epic battle of good, evil and face-kicking.

Regardless of how dated the film may appear - courtesy of Chuck's huge moustache (which dates back to the early 1800s) and surfer hair style, it is hard to deny that it looks good on Blu-Ray. You haven't seen Chuck Norris kicking someone until you have seen it in high definition. Norris, who choreographs the film does a stellar job arranging the fight scenes with a sense of realism and precision, never looking contrived.

A Force Of One is an interesting hybrid of the martial arts feature with the police thriller, which proves to be a refreshing alternative to a simple cop drama or martial arts movie. The concept is silly, police officers being trained in martial arts? Why aren't they just given bigger guns? But that is all part of A Force Of One's seventies charm. Part of the joy of watching a film like this is that it does not take itself too seriously, with everything simply aimed to entertain the viewer.

Part of A Force Of One's pulpy charm comes from Ernest Tidyman's (Shaft, The French Connection) gritty screenplay. Whilst fun for the most part, Tidyman also captures the sense of tension and foreboding that every good crime thriller should come equip with. This paired with Paul Aaron's surprisingly violent direction - especially in the film's final showdown between Chuck and the karate killer, creates a highly memorable watch.

Praise must also go to Chuck's competent acting ability as well as his expert choreography. We feel that Logan is a man driven by revenge and hurt, with Norris also managing to have some fun with the role - particularly through the relationship between him and his colleagues.

A Force Of One is a surprising entry in Chuck's back catalogue. A somewhat silly concept proves to be a bloodthirsty, well executed fusion of the martial arts feature and a gritty cop drama. Norris choreographs with a strong sense of realism and manages to both convince and entertain in the role.

Andrew McArthur

Stars: Chuck Norris, Jennifer O'Neill , Clu Gulager
Director: Paul Aaron
Release: 6th August (UK)
Certificate: 15 (UK)

The Pact Will Invade UK Homes This October

The break-out horror movie smash of the year that has been electrifying hardened genre fans, The Pact combines the supernatural terrors of Paranormal Activity with the tense atmospherics of a serial killer thriller to create a unique, modern-day take on the classic ghost story. This October You will be able to own the film on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Following the death of her mother, Annie receives a phone call from her former drug addict sister, Nicole, imploring her to come back to visit their family home and to attend their mother’s funeral. Still tortured by memories of a troubled childhood, Annie is reluctant to revisit the past, but eventually agrees to Nicole’s request. However, on arrival at the house she finds no trace of her sister and, when Nicole fails to turn up at the funeral, Annie simply assumes she has relapsed into drug use as a way of dealing with her loss. Not wishing to spend the night alone in her mother’s house, Annie invites her cousin, Liz, and Nicole’s estranged young daughter to stay over.

But it’s not long before Annie begins to sense another, unseen presence in their midst. Household objects are inexplicably moved around, strange noise are heard during the night and a broken picture frame reveals a photo of a sinister figure. Then all hell breaks loose. Annie finds herself physically threatened by this malign supernatural force residing within the house and, following a particularly terrifying assault, discovers that Liz, too, has disappeared. With her life now seriously at risk, and time running out, Annie is forced to confront her worst fears and solve the mystery surrounding her family’s history before it is too late.

When it comes to real scares, you can’t beat a really good ghost story and this one ranks right up there with the best of them. Very much in the tradition of “Insidious”, “Stir Of Echoes”, “The Entity” and “The Haunting”, this is a highly atmospheric and genuinely frightening supernatural shocker that had us completely on edge throughout, elicited screams and built to a climax that had us peering through our fingers. It also features a stand-out lead performance by Caity Lotz as Annie, a strong and sexy biker chick who really isn’t one to be messed with.

First-time feature director Nicholas McCarthy, with up-and-coming female lead Caity Lotz (Death Valley; Mad Men), Casper Van Dien (Sleepy Hollow; Starship Troopers), Agnes Bruckner (Kill Theory; Vacancy 2: The First Cut; Blood And Chocolate), Haley Hudson (Killer By Nature; Freaky Friday) and Kathleen Rose Perkins (Episodes). The Pact will be arriving in UK&Ireland on DVD, Blu-ray courtesy of eOne Entertainment on October 1st.

Fernando Meirelles' 360 Review

★★☆☆☆

Fernando Meirelles’ thoroughly impressed with his features City Of God, The Constant Gardner and the underrated horror gem, Blindness, however the director’s latest release – ensemble drama, 360, proves to be a far patchier affair than his previous work.

This drama centres on the lives of an array of interconnected people all of whom are at turning points in their lives. Based on a screenplay by Peter Morgan (Hereafter, Frost/Nixon), 360 takes us to several different countries and introduces us to an eclectic mix of characters from businessman, Michael (Jude Law), his wife (Rachel Weisz), a recovering sex offender (Ben Foster) and an older man searching for his missing daughter (Anthony Hopkins).

Meirelles’ feature should be an intimate and personal affair, after all we are shown these characters at crossroads in their lives. There are several fleeting moments when the director captures this perfectly (such as Hopkins’s turn as a father unsure whether to continue his search for his missing daughter) but for the most part, too little time is spent with each character to fully sympathise with their journey. This is partly due to an excessive amount of characters and trying to connect them often results in a clunky and uneven, patchwork-style narrative.

Had 360 devoted more time to less characters then it may have proved a more coherent and powerful piece. The opening promotes the theme that sex influences many of our decisions, which can be seen through Jude Law’s married businessman attempting to meet an escort, when on a business trip in Bratislava whilst his wife (Rachel Weisz) continues an affair with a young photographer. This segment also allows for some solid performances from Law and Weisz. However, as the connections become more and more contrived this message begins to lose impact bringing 360 to a standstill. Fortunately the appearance of Anthony Hopkins midway through the feature sparks some life into the tired, 360. The Welsh star features as a John, a man travelling to Arizona to identify the body of a young girl, who may be his missing daughter. On his flight John meets a young Brazilian girl, who reminds him of daughter and helps him decide whether or not to continue to his search. Hopkins truly dominates the screen with his heartfelt performance, particularly when his character delivers a touching monologue about his search. Meirelles’ handles the scene beautifully and this is without doubt, the highlight of a disorganised film. Sadly, 360 faces a rapid decline after this promising sequence with a formulaic and unconvincing pitfall featuring Russian gangsters bringing the film to a hault.

The conclusion of 360 tells us that we have come full circle, however, it is hard to agree with this as it seems the film stalled at 180 degrees. Despite a promising opening, 360 is a lifeless and tired film lacking in any distinct physical style or charm. The loose thread of human relations that connects it feels bogged down by too many characters and an unfocussed, clunky narrative. The performances prove to be the main highlight, most notably Hopkins’ thoroughly watchable turn.

Andrew McArthur

Stars: Jude Law, Rachel Weisz,Anthony Hopkins, Ben Foster
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Release: August 10th (UK)
Rating: 15 (UK)

Bloodstorm DVD Review

★★☆☆☆

Oh dear me.  I had such high hopes for Bloodstorm (2012), the new horror release from director Joseph J Lawrence starring Dominique Swain, Jake Busey, Josh Allen and Christopher Karl Johnson .  How could you go wrong with a heady, politically incorrect concoction of zombies and Nazis? Well, very, if this woeful outing is anything to go by.

In the wastes of Antarctica a group of scientists make an alarming discovery, deep beneath the ice and snow of this frozen landmass. Sixty seven years ago World War II did not end as the world was led to believe. Instead of the Nazi defeat, a platoon of storm troopers led by the infamous Dr Josef Mengele (Johnson) escaped with a prized cargo. In the interceding years Mengele has been abducting anyone with the misfortune to stumble across the Nazi's underground stronghold, and use them to continue his obscene human experiments.

With the bodies of various members of the latest unfortunates Mengele hopes to complete his ultimate experiment which, along with the army of zombie soldiers, will take him one step closer to realising his lifelong dream of establishing a Fourth Reich and his ultimate goal of world domination.

Can the young scientists stop the evil doctor and find their way back to civilisation? Will Mengele and his rotting troops be able to succeed where so many zombie Natzis have failed before? Does anyone really care?

Zombies and Nazis go together like Dr Frankenstein and his monster. Over the years in horror cinema the two have been brought together in unholy union on countless occasions - from the Peter Cushing chiller Shockwaves (1977) to the recent Norwegian comedy / horror Dead Snow (2009) - with varying degrees of success.

However Bloodstorm really does plumb new depths of tastelessness, both in subject matter and in your face gore. There is still something offensive when Nazis are used as a subject of entertainment like they are here - whether they should be seen in this context is still a contentious issue for many. However here it's even worse as one of the subjects used in the storyline are the infamous experiments carried out by Mengele. You then have the no holds barred gore which includes an abrupt take on a face lift where a man's old skin is literally peeled away, whilst one of the female scientists is subjected to a toe-curling abortion which makes the viewer wince for all the wrong reasons.

On the plus side the young cast enter into the proceedings with gusto, and their enthusiasm helps go some way to dispelling the utter preposterousness of the film as a whole. The production values, from a snow bound Antarctica and the shadowy Nazi lair beneath to the sinister gas-masked zombies and Mengele's gory amateur experiments, are all surprisingly well done, though they do little to soften the film's underlying air of grubbiness.

Alarm bells should have sounded when I discovered that the film had previously been marketed under the much catchier (ok, I'm kidding here) title of Nazis at the Centre of the Earth. There's always something suspect when a distributor suddenly changes a film's title at the last moment - what are they trying to hide? Well watch this and you'll soon see - I guess I really have no-one to blame but myself for agreeing to view it in the first place.

Cleaver Patterson

Rating: 18
Release Date: 06 August 2012 (UK)
Directed By: Joseph J. Lawson
Cast: Dominique Swain, Jake Busey , Josh Allen

Win Monster Brawl UK Premiere Tickets

Witness the ultimate “smackdown” event of all time as eight of the world’s most feared and famous monsters enter the ring to go head-to-head in a grotesque and hilarious fight to the death (or, in several cases, the “un-death”). It can only be the Monster Brawl (Momentum Pictures)…blasting onto DVD 20th August 2012.
On offer to some insanely lucky winners is a pair of tickets (per winner) to the premiere, yes PREMIERE, of Monster Brawl at the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square on Wednesday 15th August introduced by the legendary horror writer Kim Newman. Fancy dress encouraged…but not mandatory! Doors open at 6pm with the film starting at 7pm.

We have 2 pairs of tickets for this event up for grabs and to win those tickets is to email us your name, address and in the email subject mater type "Monster Brawl". The email to send your entry is cinehouseuk@gmail.com Deadline for this comp is August 8th, 2012 (12noon).

Terms and Conditions

• This prize is non-transferable.
• No cash alternatives apply.
• UK  entries only, who can travel to and from London easily.
• No accommodation or transport are included, tickets only
  The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse and Momentum Pictures have the right to alter, delay or cancel this competition without any notice
• The competition is not opened to employees, family, friends of The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse,Momentum Pictures employees
• This competition is promoted on behalf of Momentum Pictures
• The Prize is to win tickets for London Monster Brawl premiere, 2 pairs
• To enter this competition you must send in your answer, name, address only, Deadline August 8th, 2012 (1200hrs)
• Will only accept entries sent to the correct email cinehouseuk@gmail.com, any other entry via any other email will be void.
• automated entries are not allowed and will be disqualified, which could result you been banned.
• The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes
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• The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email
• By sending your entry for this competition you are confirming you have read and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.

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A Simple Life (Tao Jie) Review

★★★☆☆

For me, realism is an ugly word.

Mostly, this is because commenting on a lack of ‘realism’ is like a get-out clause for people who want to slam fantastical fiction, but are unable to think of a more valid criticism. Instead of commenting on narrative flow, story structure or character development, they choose to poo-poo aspects of a story that actually reveal creative ambition. Unreality is not a negative trait. Hell, it’s almost the opposite. I know about reality. I have to live here. In fact so do you, so tell me: is it really all that fun?

For those of you shaking your heads right now, prepare to be vindicated, because A Simple Life, today’s review topic, is a very realistic movie. It is also decidedly not fun.

A Simple Life is a film about a relationship. Roger (Andy Lau) is a film producer, living in Hong Kong while working in mainland China. Ah Tao (Deannie Yip) is Roger’s family’s maid. The family itself has emigrated to the USA, leaving Ah Tao only Roger to care for. Until, that is, one night, when Roger returns to his house to find Ah Tao unconscious, having suffered a stroke. She recovers, but is severely weakened, so Roger takes it on himself to look after her for a change.

This might at first sound like a bonding-through-adversity tale, but that’s not it at all. Ah Tao and Roger are already bonded before the film starts, after a long lifetime shared. Ah Tao apparently spoiled the young Roger rotten, going behind his parents’ back to get him film magazines and soft drinks, and their mutual affection has endured since then. They aren’t bosom buddies exactly. The difference in their lifestyles and social status makes some awkwardness inevitable. But nevertheless, these two are family, and at its core, A Simple Life is about watching that familial bond in action.

Admittedly, this does make for a vaguely compelling experience. Sometimes the film is a hair’s breadth from dullness, and I found myself staring at the DVD player timer, wondering how much more to go. But at other times, the film proves charming, and even funny. Lau is good with deadpan comedy, and the affection on display in some of his interactions with Ah Tao might win a smile from a stone.

However it is Yip’s performance that is more noticeably impressive. Her role calls, not only for emotional flexibility, but for physical artifice as well. It is a challenge, but one Yip proves well able to meet. Emotionally, I felt she was at her best acting against Fuli Wang as Roger’s mother. The awkwardness of their encounters, as Ah Tao’s illness brings down the social barriers between them, was palpable. Yip also achieves much on the physical side. In particular, the degeneration of her walk into a terrible, paralytic shuffle, really drives home the impact of Ah Tao’s stroke.

But despite all this, once the credits rolled, I found A Simple Life left little impression on me. The sheer lack of drama leaves it an annoyingly weightless film.

This is not to say I wish, oh, that about halfway through A Simple Life, Ah Tao suddenly has to fight ninjas or something (though that would have been interesting). Many films have a similar structure to A Simple Life, eschewing the straightforward conflicts of the average yarn. Rampart, that cop movie with Woody Harrelson in it, is a good, earlier-this-year example. What set that apart from A Simple Life though, was its sense of purpose. Rampart may not have had a plot per-se, but David Brown’s headlong dive towards self-destruction gives the film dramatic propulsion, something A Simple Life lacks.

See, Ah Tao may be well-acted, but as a character, she has no purpose. She is at the centre of the film, but she is never moving towards anything. Her life, in essence, is waiting: waiting to have that inevitable second stroke, and eventually, to die. And because this is what she is doing, the audience is stuck waiting too. Waiting and waiting for these miserable things to happen to her.

Not fun right?

Well yes, and yet it also happens to be depressingly accurate. At Ah Tao’s stage of health, life tends to become just one jerky, downward slide towards death. That’s not to say it’s devoid of fun or interesting things, or that it’s impossible to have goals at that stage. It’s just a conclusion once ignorable, is now plainly visible. And Ah Tao, in the face of that conclusion, and her physical fragility, essentially just gives up. The result is A Simple Life presents the experience of extreme old age as nothing more than a wait for the reaper.

This is realistic. But it makes for an experience I cannot recommend.

Adam Brodie

Rating:12A
UK Release Date: 3rd August 2012
Directed By:Ann Hui
Cast: Andy Lau, Deannie Yip , Lawrence Ah Mon

Delicacy (La délicatesse) DVD Review

★★★☆☆

Quality romantic comedies (French or otherwise), are an elusive beast. The phrase ‘chick flick’ is now synonymous with poor quality filmmaking. Often trite, sickly and poorly written the romantic comedy is a genre that has suffered from some of the laziest efforts of recent years. The majority of the energy is put into casting big names in an ‘if you build it they will come’ method of attracting audiences. Adapted from his own award winning novel, David Foenkino and his brother Stephane direct.

Nathalie (Audrey Tatou - Amelie, The Da Vinci Code) finds her idyllic life shattered when her husband is killed in a traffic accident. Following the loss of her soul mate she cuts herself off emotionally and channels all of her energy into her career. She spends a good deal of time fending off the advances of her boss while forming an attraction to Swedish colleague Markus (Francois Damien – Heartbreaker). He’s certainly not the typical love interest; gap toothed, ungainly, shy and socially awkward. Those closest to Nathalie make it clear that she could do much better.

Tatou has made a career out of romantic comedies, with extremely varied results. Delicacy keeps you off balance by switching between genuinely funny and touching moments to those of loss and despondency. Though very well acted by both Tatou and Damien, the lack of genuine chemistry between the two characters is evident. There is no real sense that Nathalie needs Markus to fulfill her and complete her recovery from losing her husband.

Delicacy is charming love story that benefits from the lack of Hollywood-style gloss and two engaging lead performances.

Vikki Myerscough

Rating: 15
Release Date: 6th August, 2012 (UK&Ireland)
Director: David Foenkinos, Stéphane Foenkinos
Cast: Audrey Tautou, François Damiens and Bruno Todeschini

Fancy winning this film on DVD? We have 5 copies of the film up for grabs at The People's Movies, enter here!

Hawks And Sparrows (Uccellacci e uccellini) - Masters Of Cinema Review

★★★★☆

Hawks and Sparrows is another in Masters of Cinema’s continuing series of Pasolini re-issues with more to come later in the year. The film stars Toto who not know to most people outside of Italy know who he is but he was the huge star in Italy and was sort of the Italian Chaplin. The fim co-stars Pasolini’s collaborator and lover Ninetto Davoli.

The film’s story is a rather strange crossbred of a fairy tale and mid 60s leftist filmmaking. It’s about these 2 characters who meet a talking Marxist crow. The crow tells them the story of these 2 old Franciscan Monks (naturally played by Ninetto and Toto) and they preach to the Hawks and Sparrows and try to convert them to Christianity. They rest of the film consist of them wandering having episodic adventures includes meeting beautiful girls, they get chased away by angry farmers and dancing teenagers.

The film touches on Life, Religion, Birth, Sex, Aging and Death. It’s all done with humour and a touch of almost Monty Python silliness. The talking crow talks almost like thrift store Godard revolutionary speak but The Crow symbolize death eventually. The film features a wonderful Ennio Morricone score, which features Domenico Modugno singing the opening credits in an ironic fashion. The score itself is almost a Leone score which is unsurprising cause it was done around the same time as his scores for Leone.

The film is an extremely enjoyable if very strange piece of Bunuelian esq comedy even though the humour at time is very broad. The film seems to be considered a lesser work of Pasolini’s even though he considered it the only film of his that he wasn’t disappointed with. A knowledge of mid 60s Italian politics may help for some but for a person like me who has no knowledge it stills works as a very enjoyable film.

Ian Schultz

Rating: PG
UK Re-release Date: July 2012
Directed By: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Cast: Totò, Ninetto Davoli , Femi Benussi
Buy:Hawks and Sparrows [Masters of Cinema] On DVD [1966]

'The Paranormal Incident' DVD Review

★☆☆☆☆

The problem with the spate of handheld, found-footage ghost films that have arrived post Paranormal Activity is that they are hounded by the success and pitch-perfect horror of that film.  Still a bad film is a bad film, and unfortunately that’s what The Paranormal Incident is. Since Paranormal Activity has already nailed the format, films centred on hauntings and found footage have to do something different or they just fade into monotony, The Paranormal Incident doesn’t even try.

                The film follows a group of students, half who believe in the paranormal, half who don’t, as they spend a night at the apparently haunted Odenbrook Sanatorium.  Armed with motion sensors, high frequency sound equipment, and plenty of cameras, the team are out to prove or disprove the existence of ghosts. The story is relayed post-events with the one survivor being shown the footage by a police officer who suspects he murdered his friends.

                Initially the set-up intrigues, swapping from hospital room to four days prior builds a certain interest, but the flatness of the characters, who we don’t get any time to know, and the stunted nature of the dialogue slowly pulls the viewer past interested and straight into disappointed. Once inside the sanatorium events trundle along at a predictable pace, and the cuts back to the hospital actually fracture the mood, halting any sustained scare. Another major issue with the film that keeps it trapped under mediocre is its complete reliance on jump-scares and sudden noises, rather than making the effort to construct any sort of sustained menace or apprehension. What the audience needs is more reason to be scared of the Odenbrook rather than a brief intro, some kid’s drawings, and found footage of the cheesy variety. Eventually the film spirals into a murky mess of disappearances and manic camera shaking which leaves the viewer completely nonplussed as to the fate of the characters. The final ten minutes reaches for something more, alluding to a story beyond the film, but it seems like a childish copy of the X-Files and it’s this that leaves the viewer with a bad taste.

                The Paranormal Incident relies on recycled uninspired horror stock, features some truly woeful plot devices, and the acting of its entire cast is not overly convincing. If more time had been spent letting us get to know the characters then we would have cared for their strife, likewise if more subtle and original scare-tactics had been employed from the start of the film then we might have actually hid behind our hands.

Scott  Clark

Rating:15
UK Release Date:23 July 2012
Directed by: Matthew Bolton
Cast: Amanda Barton, Keith Compton , Thomas Downey
Buy:Paranormal Incident On DVD

               

                

New Trailer for A Night in the Woods

For those who enjoy a slice of paranoia horror, Vertigo films (that's the folks that brought us 2010’s epic handheld creature feature: Monsters) have just released a creepy new trailer for their upcoming flick ANight in the Woods. The film looks to set to be the British Blair Witch: a creepy legend in an isolated wilderness, a triad of people keeping secrets from each other, and a lot of screaming in the dark. Hopefully this minimalist piece will pack the same punch Monsters did, working with a smaller more intimate number of characters and revealing little of the threat.  But there’s always the risk that the hand-held sub-genre will overload itself with too many like-minded works, and burn out its appeal. Still, A Night in the Woods promises scares aplenty and hopefully a stand-out addition to the collection.


A Night In The Woods will be released in UK cinemas September 7th.

Watch the trailer here:

On what is intended to be a fun camping trip to investigate and to chill in the atmosphere of the legendary haunted past of Dartmoor’s Wistman’s Woods, Brody, his girlfriend Kerry and her cousin Leo very soon find themselves mysteriously ill at ease both with their surroundings and their companions. Bad moods and minor disagreements rapidly lead to feelings of severe paranoia, sexual tension, fear and, eventually, violence between the three friends, a situation that worsens as the evening draws in. At first, they suspect the conflicts are simply the result of being thrown together in the ancient, eerie surroundings, but as night closes upon them each begins to wonder if darker forces are at work.

The Land That Time Forgot DVD Review

★★★1/2☆

The Land That Time Forgot (TLTTF) is a movie I wish I had seen 14 years ago.

It is my belief that the dinosaur phase is an essential part of the lifecycle of the human male. All boys need a point in their life where dinosaurs are not just cool, but the be all and end all of existence. If you have not at one point run around a playground, pretending to jump on your prey and stab them with your giant sickle-clawed feet, well you have missed out. It’s awesome.

And the kid who did that would have gone mad for TLTTF.

TLTTF takes place in the year 1915 and begins (brilliantly enough) with the sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-Boat. There are few survivors: amongst the passengers only Bowen Tyler (Doug McClure) and Lisa Clayton (Susan Penhaligon) escape death. They soon rendezvous with the remnants of the crew, led by Captain Bradley (Keith Barron). When the U-Boat surfaces to take on air, these few lead an assault on it, and manage to commandeer it. Unfortunately, the chaos caused by a battle of wits with the German Captain Von Schoenvorts (John McEnery), casts them adrift. But then they make a momentous discovery: Caprona, a mysterious continent dismissed by the world at large as a myth.

And that’s enough chatter. Back to the dinosaurs.

I have yet to decide whether the special effects of TLTTF are brilliantly awful, or just awful, but they are definitely the most distinctive thing about the film. Static model pterodactyls on strings let the side down and Tyler’s fight against a plesiosaur descends into insane self-parody, when the actor starts fighting what seems to be a sock puppet with teeth. However these are the low points: most of the actual models aren’t necessarily great, but they aren’t bad either.

Honestly, I would take iffy practical effects over bad CGI anyday. See, in theatre, props are often used to represent reality, rather than mimic it. We recognise what is being represented, and in response, our minds fill in the realism. I believe I had a similar response to TLTTF’s practical effects. The upshot is that, even though the effects of TLTTF are dodgy even at their best, I still found suspension of disbelief possible, and so remained engaged.

In fact, I found the whole film quite engaging. Edgar Rice Burroughs (on whose source material the film is based) knows how to write a ripping yarn, and the film expertly captures that pre-War/age of exploration sensibility. It’s all about honourable men being all chivalrous and whatnot, struggling manfully to survive in an alien land, while behaving in an (admittedly) uncomfortably imperialist manner. The whole scenario has this optimistic self-confidence to it, sweeping you up in its willingness to explore, understand and tackle this wilderness head on by Jove!

It helps of course that the main characters are likeable. Both Tyler and Von Schoenvorts are chivalrous men, principled without being fanatics. Tyler is also a caring fellow: he is violent when he has to be, but his dislike of violence is plain to see. McClure proves very capable in playing such a straightforwardly good man. McEnery too gives a good showing, crafting a surface of military discipline, which on occasion recedes, to reveal a companionable knight with an inquiring mind.

The action is also well done. Though the spectacle of the dinosaurs is, as mentioned, not without its flaws, the occasional man-on-man brawls are executed with energy, though not much style. Better are the sequences shot from within the submarine, where the unsure lighting and cramped conditions helps to manufacture some truly nailbiting tension.

The film is not flawless. None of the supporting cast gets anywhere near the development of Tyler and Von Schoenvorts, which is particularly problematic in the case of Clayton. She basically becomes the love interest, by virtue of being the only woman in the film. Though the scientific mystery of the island is solved, the idea is not particularly well explored, and the simplicity of the narrative prevents it from having true dramatic impact. But the film is nonetheless enjoyable. And frankly, young me probably wouldn’t have cared much about any of those things. TLTTF is a solid story, with dinosaurs. That’s all he would have needed to hear.

Adam Brodie

Rating:PG
UK DVD Release: 30th July 2012
Directed by: Kevin Connor
Cast: Doug McClure, John McEnery , Susan Penhaligon
Buy:The Land That Time Forgot On DVD [1975]

Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Oedipus Rex To Get UK Masters Of Cinema September Release

Pier Paolo Pasolini’s OEDIPUS REX [EDIPO RE] is to be released in the UK in a Dual Format (DVD & Blu-ray) edition as part of Eureka Entertainment’s MASTERS OF CINEMA Series on 24 September 2012. DVD edition also available! The release on Blu-Ray will mark the film's debut on the format anywhere is the world and the long successful relationship Eureka Entertainment has with the director's popular filmography with the Golden Lion nominated film (1967 Venice Film Festival) joining Accatone, Hawks And Sparrows, Pigsty, Gospel According To Matthew, RoGoPag.

Three years after The Gospel According to Matthew, Pier Paolo Pasolini resumed his series of classical adaptations with a savage, highly personal take on Sophocles' ancient Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex [Edipo Re]. As his first colour feature, Oedipus Rex makes brilliant use of wildly alternating Moroccan landscapes to transpose collective myth into a particular vision that is at once tender, sensual, and wholly unsparing.

The film is divided into three sections set in different eras. The opening takes place in 1920s Italy, and recounts a birth that echoes that of the director himself, the product of a beautiful bourgeoise's affair with a military officer. The mid section depicts a time "outside of history" – it is here that the myth of Oedipus (portrayed by Franco Citti of Accattone and Coppola's The Godfather), one of patricide and incest, plays out opposite the young man's mother/lover (Silvana Mangano). An epilogue shot on the streets of present-day Bologna finds Oedipus playing his flute for a bustling citizenry.

With its kinetic handheld camerawork and strikingly primeval costumes, Pasolini's film rattles its art-genre framework in the enduring quest to exorcise repressive emotional forces. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Pier Paolo Pasolini's Oedipus Rex for the very first time on Blu-ray, in a Dual Format (Blu-ray + DVD) edition, released on 24 September 2012. DVD edition also available!

SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:

• Gorgeous new HD restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, in 1080p on the Blu-ray

• Newly translated optional English subtitles

• Original Italian theatrical trailer

• 28-page booklet featuring vintage writing by Pasolini, excerpts from an interview with the director by Oswald Stack about the film, and rare archival imagery

Available to pre-order from:

Amazon (Dual Format Edition) http://amzn.to/IOW9OL (DVD Edition) http://amzn.to/N6xZhA

HMV (Dual Format Edition) http://tidd.ly/488c9e4b

Play (Dual Format Edition) http://tidd.ly/ab22de13

The Hut (Dual Format Edition) http://tidd.ly/7975983a  


 

Warlords Of The Atlantis DVD Review

★★☆☆☆

“Warlords of Atlantis” is a pre-Star Wars Z sci-fi/fantasy film from the most famous director/actor collaborators of the genre Doug McClure and Kevin Connor and it’s there 3rd and last. It was also called “Warlords of the Deep” in some territories. You may recognize the name Doug McClure, Matt Groening was inspired by Doug for “The Simpsons” character Troy McClure.

“Warlords of Atlantis” is a bad 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea rip-off, which consists of a rag tag team of scientists/explorers who discover an ancient world under the sea. They meet these MARTIANS who live under the sea and also upsetting them they are taken capture and must find a way out of their predicament. They obviously escape somehow even though the diving bell they came down with has a hollow bottom. It magically doesn’t flood with water, explain that. Oh and the cat somehow lives…

The film is a truly awful but amusing piece of pre-Star Wars sci-fi/fantasy filmmaking with awful performances from everyone. However it does feature John Ratzenberger (known for his role on “Cheers”) who looks suspiciously like the actor who played the Replicant at the beginning of “Blade Runner” who says “I’ll Tell you about my mother” and until I checked IMDb I though it was that actor. It’s nice to see a film, which cheesy matte paintings that I wish more films now would use instead of CGI. The film’s lack of any sensible science really screws it up but it’s mildly entertainment for the film’s brisk running time.

Ian Schultz

Rating:PG
UK DVD Release: 30th July 2012
Directed By: Kevin Connor
Cast: Doug McClure, Peter Gilmore , Shane Rimmer
Buy:Warlords of Atlantis On DVD [1978]

The Night Porter Review

★★★1/2☆

The Night Porter is a very notorious cult classic that came out in 1974 directed by Liliana Cavani (Ripley’s Game). It’s a film that hasn’t age well in the proceeding years and tries to be a art film when it’s just a piece of exploitation cinema.

The story is about a Night Porter called Maxamilian (Dirk Bogarde) at a Vienna hotel, he has a dark secret he was a SS officer. He had a sadomasochistic relationship with a girl Lucia at a concentration camp, it’s suggested that she was Jewish but it’s never mentioned. Their history is all told in flashback though out the film. They rekindle their relationship many years later against a backdrop of a trial Max is about to face about his war crimes. However he has been meeting with old Nazi chums who are destroying evidence to get away clean. They eventually find out about the girl and want her dead so they hid away in a hotel room.

The film much of it’s time, it’s one of those 70s “art” films that on the edge of being a sex film or a serious art film for example I am Curious series. The film fails are both however it’s a rather interesting film about a woman despite what Max did to her still feels connected to him. Which is a rather daring story to tell. However it’s overly long would have worked a lot better a 90-minute thriller than it’s slightly less than 2 hour running time. Way many long shots of them stuck in this bedroom.

The acting by the 2 leads are quite good especially Dirk Bogarde pull off the complex role of a man who hates his past but also wants parts of it back. Charlotte Rampling’s performance as the girl Lucia is despite her great acting in flashback sequences is pretty bland, she just lying around a hotel room not doing a whole lot. The supporting cast of his Nazi chums are quite effective as well.

Overall it’s a fascinating if somewhat pretentious attempt to tell a fascinating serious story. However the Dirk Bogarde really saves it from being a bad film. It’s overly long and I rarely say that about a film. I could trim at least 20 minutes out and it would work better. It’s worth checking out but it’s not very shocking as some people may suggest.

Ian Schultz

Rating: 18
UK Re-release: 30th July 2012
Directed By:Liliana Cavani
Cast:Dirk Bogarde, Charlotte Rampling. Philippe Leroy
Buy: The Night PorterOn Blu-ray [1974]

Win The Night Porter On Blu-Ray

One of the most shocking and controversial movies ever made, The Night Porter (Anchor Bay) is a courageous and uncompromising piece of filmmaking that has come to be regarded as a classic of European cinema. This scintillatingly sexy story of forbidden love and the aphrodisiacal effects of decadence and cruelty comes to Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.

Available to buy on DVD and Blu-Ray on 30th July.  

Vienna, 1957. Max (Dirk Bogarde), a former Nazi concentration camp officer, is now employed as a respectable night porter at one of the city's most luxurious hotels. Still anguished by the guilt of his actions during the war, he attempts to relieve his conscience by devoting himself to his work while awaiting the upcoming trial of himself and his fellow Nazi officers. But one fateful evening Max's disturbing past catches up with him in the form of the beautiful and alluring Lucia (Charlotte Rampling). Now the wife of a respected American classical composer, almost 15 years earlier Lucia was a teenage concentration camp inmate and Max's lover in an aberrant sado-masochistic relationship. Bound by their memories and uncontrollably drawn to each other, Max and Lucia rekindle their bizarre love affair. But their future together becomes threatened by other ghosts from the past…

To celebrate today's release of The Night Porter on Blu-Ray courtesy of Anchor Bay we have 3 copies of the film to give away, to enter  we're not going to ask you a question just follow us at Twitter  and like us at Facebook (if you haven't done it already), Send us a quick email with your name, address with your twitter name and facebook name. E-mail them to cinehouseuk@gmail.com,deadline For The Competition is August 19th, 2012 (2359hrs).

 Terms and Conditions

• This prize is non-transferable.
• No cash alternatives apply.
• UK & Irish entries only  Cinehouse and Anchor Bay Entertainment have the right to alter, delay or cancel this competition without any notice
• The competition is not opened to employees, family, friends of  Cinehouse,Anchor Bay Entertainment employees
• This competition is promoted on behalf of Anchor Bay Entertainment
• The Prize is to win The Night Porter on Blu-Ray
• To enter this competition you must send in your answer, name, address only, like us at facebook, follow us at twitter (include twitter/facebook in email) Deadline August 19th, 2012 (2359hrs)
• Will only accept entries sent to the correct email (cinehouseuk@gmail.com), any other entry via any other email will be void.
• automated entries are not allowed and will be disqualified, which could result you been banned.
• The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes
• The competition is opened to Aged 18 and over
• Unless Stated Please Do Not Include Telephone Numbers, we don’t need them
• The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email
• By sending your entry for this competition you are confirming you have read and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.

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'The Victim' DVD Review

★★★☆☆

Although Thai director Monthon Arayangkoon’s The Victim isn’t exactly a pitch perfect horror-thriller, it’s still a bit criminal that the film was made back in 2006 and is only now getting a release in the UK.  The Victim’s strength pulls mostly from the basic and striking nature of its premise: a young actress is haunted by the souls of the victims she portrays in police reconstructions, and after taking on the role of Meen she is slowly pulled into a mess of supernatural terror. A good mix of thriller, horror, plot twists, and a dollop of black comedy make this feature a lot more accomplished as a whole than your average bog-standard ghost story.

                Arayangkoon’s understanding of the composition of horrifying images is obvious throughout The Victim and even when the second half starts to wobble on plot twists, the visual impact is in no way lessened. Images of terror here are eerie and startling: faces summoned out of shadow, long tracking shots through deserted space, the muddling of past and present, imagined and real. All of these help to push the viewer down a rabbit hole with the fantastic Pitchanart Sakakorn who’s wrought twisted lead performance stands out as key to the success of the story.  On the other hand, some of the supporting cast can be less striking; fading into wooden monotony, but the success of the director’s control over the involving nature of fear squashes any problems here.

                Over-reliance on CGI in some make-up effects tarnishes an otherwise accomplished understanding of the subtleties required in striking fear into an audience. The director’s keen eye is most arresting when he constructs scares comprised solely of glimpses and shadows and it’s this that is most infuriating when compared with the TV-movie feel of the more blasé CG scare-tactics.

                Problems kick-in from the big twist that strives for the Shyamalan-effect but squanders itself somewhere around his later, less striking, work. From the first unveiling the film slowly threatens to pop its own bubble, the excellent mix of moods and that wonderful control of visually perfect haunting sequences is somewhat tarnished by a complicated and rushed last half hour that strives to do too much with too little and leaves the film unfulfilled.  Still, a good strong lead, consistent visual smarts, and more than enough well-devised scares help leapfrog any lulls in the plot and mark the feature out as impressive.

Scott Clark

Rating: 15
UK Release Date: 6 August 2012
Directed By: Monthon Arayangkoon
Cast: Pitchanart Sakakorn, Apasiri Nitibhon, Penpak Sirikul
Pre-Order/Buy:The Victim On DVD

R.I.P Chris Marker

One of cinema's true originals Chris Marker has just died at the age of 91. Chris as most well known for "La jetée" in 1962, which served the inspiration for Terry Gilliam's "Twelve Monkeys" in 1995. Chris Marker was also known for his documentary which pushed the boundaries of the medium "Sans Soleil" and for his writings on film. Watch La Jetee

Ian Schultz

Win Zombie 108 On DVD

Billed as Taiwan's first ever Zombie film in history ZOMBIE 108 which has generated a nice buzz within the Horror community worldwide. Courtesy of our friends at Showbox Entertainment we have 3 copies of Zombie 108 to give away on DVD.

After a catastrophic accident at a top secret research lab, a deadly virus is released into the city and all hell breaks loose.

Controlled by a local crime lord, District 108 is the one place in the city the police don't want to go on a normal day. But today is not a normal day, and the crack SWAT team ordered to help evacuate the uninfected must do just that. Met with fierce resistance by the local gangs, both sides suffer heavy casualties before realising that the guys with the guns aren't the real enemy: the zombies are!

With ammunition running low, the two sides join forces to fight for the only thing worth fighting for: a chance to escape from the city and the zombies currently running loose in it!

To win Zombie 108 please answer the following easy question:

Q.Who is regarded as the Godfather of the Zombie genre?

Title Email 'zombie 108' Deadline:August 19th, 2012 (2359hrs) . Follow us at our Facebook Page if you haven’t done it already, double entry!send your name, address, answer only to cinehouseuk@gmail.com




Terms and Conditions

• This prize is non-transferable.
• No cash alternatives apply.
• UK & Irish entries only The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse and showbox Media have the right to alter, delay or cancel this competition without any notice
• The competition is not opened to employees, family, friends of The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse,showbox media employees
• This competition is promoted on behalf of showbox  Media
• The Prize is to win zombie 108 on DVD
• To enter this competition you must send in your answer, name, address only, Deadline August 19th, 2012 (2359hrs)
• Will only accept entries sent to the correct email (cinehouseuk@gmail.com), any other entry via any other email will be void.
• automated entries are not allowed and will be disqualified, which could result you been banned.
• The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes
• The competition is opened to Aged 18 and over
• The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email
• By sending your entry for this competition you are confirming you have read and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.

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Win Pentathlon and Hijacked On Blu Ray

To celebrate the release of Pentathlon and Hijacked (Anchor Bay) on Blu-Ray and DVD on 30th July, we have Blu-Ray copies of each film to give away!

Two fantastic action thrillers, with some stellar talent in the form of Dolph Lundgren (Pentathlon) and Randy Couture (Hijacked).- certainly not to be missed for all action film lovers.

In Hijacked,Need an Expendables style fix right now? Former UFC Champion and “Expendables” star Randy Couture teams up with Brit hard men Vinnie Jones and Craig Fairbrass to take on a team of terrorists in this “Executive Decision” meets James Bond-style high altitude action thriller. In Penthathlon, Dolph “The Expendables” Lundgren goes to the Olympics and kicks plenty of neo-Nazi butt along the way in this sport-themed action-thriller.

To win 1 of 3 sets of these films on Blu-Ray courtesy of Anchor Bay  please answer the following  question:

Q.What city& Country will the 2016 Olympic Games Be Held?

Title Email 'Pentathlon' Deadline:August 19th, 2012 (2359hrs) . Follow us at our Facebook Page if you haven’t done it already, double entry!(if your already following us include you FB Name with email).

Terms and Conditions

• This prize is non-transferable.
• No cash alternatives apply.
• UK & Irish entries only The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse and Anchor Bay  Entertainment have the right to alter, delay or cancel this competition without any notice
• The competition is not opened to employees, family, friends of The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse,Anchor Bay Entertainment employees
• This competition is promoted on behalf of Anchor Bay Entertainment
• The Prize is to win  pentathlon & Hijacked on blu ray, 3 winners
• To enter this competition you must send in your answer, name, address only, Deadline August 19th, 2012 (2359hrs)
• Will only accept entries sent to the correct email (cinehouseuk@gmail.com), any other entry via any other email will be void.
• automated entries are not allowed and will be disqualified, which could result you been banned.
• The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes
• The competition is opened to Aged 16 and over
• Unless Stated Please Do Not Include Telephone Numbers, we don’t need them
• The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email
• By sending your entry for this competition you are confirming you have read and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. UK Competitions and Prize Draws at UKwins
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Destructive Teaser Trailer For Studio Ghibli's Live Action Short 'God Warrior'

Studio Ghibli probably the most recognisable Japanese Animation studio in the world, they need no introduction their films are adored worldwide. The studio have joined forces with the creators of Evagelion to create God Warrior Appears In Tokyo (Kyoshinhei Tokyo ni Arawaru), the iconic studio's first foray into live action and a trailer has appeared online , we have to say we're impressed!

Evangelion director Hideko Anno is directing with Studio Ghibli producing the short film (running just under 10 minutes mark) has been created for an animation exhibition focussing on special effects at  the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. The design of the Warrior is inspired by Nausicaa The Valley of The Wind (Anno was a key animator)with the film created using no CGI which is unusual in this day and age especially considering the film's genre usually known for its heavy usage of CGI. They have used a technique called Tokusatsu which basically means they used miniature models in the way they used to do in the old school creature feature/sci-fi films like Godzilla.

No word if the film will be shown online,but if your fortunate to be able to visit Tokyo the film will be playing at the exhibition it was created for. Enjoy the impressive trailer and tell me wouldn't it be great if this became a feature live or animated?

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 source: Anime News Network