Jude Law And Michael Gambon To Be Honored At British Independent Film Awards

Recipients of both The Richard Harris Award and The Variety Award were announced today by Johanna von Fischer and Tessa Collinson, joint Directors, The Moët British Independent Film Awards.

Sir Michael Gambon will receive the Richard Harris Award and Jude Law The Variety Award at the awards ceremony on Sunday 9^thDecember at Old Billingsgate.

The Richard Harris Award was introduced in 2002 in honour of Richard Harris and recognises outstanding contribution to British film by an actor.  Previous winners have included John Hurt, David Thewlis, Bob Hoskins, Jim Broadbent, Daniel Day-Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter and most recently Ralph Fiennes in 2011.

The honour this year is a poignant one, given that it was Richard Harris’s role of the beloved Hogwarts headmaster, ‘Dumbledore’ in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which Sir Michael Gambon bravely stepped into, following Harris’ passing in 2002.

Sir Michael Gambon’s career as an actor spans six decades, working across theatre, radio, television and cinema. Gambon’s iconic role in the television serial The Singing Detective won him his first of four Best Actor BAFTA TV Awards and roles in dramas such as Maigret made him a household name. The controversial The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover; The Wings of the Dove; Mary Reilly; Sleepy Hollow; Gosford Park; Layer Cake; Charlotte Gray and The King’s Speech are just a few of the credits that have established Gambon as a leading light of the British film industry.

His work in Hollywood includes Michael Mann’s The Insider; Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Robert De Niro’s The Good Shepherd. Since staring in the Harry Potter franchise, Gambon is known by audiences of all ages around the globe. Sir Michael Gambon’s most recent film role was in Dustin Hoffman’s Quartet which will be released in the UK in January. He is currently on stage starring in All That Fall at The Arts Theatre.

Jude Law will pick-up the Variety Award which recognises an actor, director, writer or producer who has helped to focus the international spotlight on the UK.  The Variety Award was received last year by Kenneth Branagh and has previously been awarded to Liam Neeson, Sir Michael Caine, Daniel Craig, Dame Helen Mirren and Richard Curtis to name a few.

Jude Law is a quintessentially British actor who has become a truly international star. Never afraid to challenge himself, Law has worked with some of the world’s most respected filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg (AI: Artificial Intelligence); Martin Scorsese (Hugo & Aviator); David Cronenberg (eXistenZ); Sam Mendes (The Road To Perdition) Steven Soderbergh (Contagion) and Clint Eastwood (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil). Jude Law made a huge international impression with his performance as Dickie Greenleaf in Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr Ripley for which he was nominated for Academy and Golden Globe Awards and was awarded a BAFTA for “Best Supporting Actor”. He again received Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for his role in Minghella’s Cold Mountain.

In 2009 he took on Hamlet in the West End and later on Broadway.  He was nominated for an Olivier and a Tony Award as Best Actor. He was multi-nominated again for “Anna Christie” at the Donmar Warehouse in 2011 and will return to the stage in 2013 as Henry V for director Michael Grandage.  Law has consistently proved himself to be a versatile actor and has worked with a host of international filmmakers such as Wong Kar Wai (My Blueberry Nights), Jean-Jacques Annaud (Enemy at The Gates) and Fernando Meirelles (360). Yet Law constantly has a foot firmly planted in the British film industry with roles in Anna Karenina and Minghella’s Breaking & Entering, as well as playing the ever popular Dr Watson in Guy Ritchie’s hugely successful Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which has reinforced his status as one of the most bankable British actors working in cinema today. Jude is currently shooting the very British dark comedy Dom Hemingway in which he plays the title role. His other forthcoming projects include Side Effects - his second collaboration with Steven Soderbergh; Werner Herzog’s Queen of the Desert and Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Both Michael Gambon and Jude Law will be present at Old Billingsgate on the 9^th December to receive their awards.

Previous winners of the prestigious Best British Independent Film award include Tyrannosaur, The King’s Speech, Moon, Control, Slumdog Millionaire, The Constant Gardener and This Is England. 

She's Coming! American Mary Gets UK Release

The Soska Sisters (aka The Twisted Twins), co-creators of the award winning, cult indie smash hit Dead Hooker In A Trunk make an awe-inspiring return with their second feature AMERICAN MARY, a stylish, sexy, disturbing and darkly comic “body-mod” horror-thriller that many critics are hailing as the best and most genuinely original horror movie of the year.

Co-written and co-directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska (Dead Hooker In A Trunk) and featuring an outstanding, career-best lead performance by Katharine Isabelle (Being Human; Freddie vs. Jason; Ginger Snaps) in the title role, AMERICAN MARY has been wowing audiences at international film festivals (including London’s Film4 Frightfest) throughout 2012 and has been receiving 4/5 star reviews from critics, websites worldwide making American Mary a film Horror Fans should be checking out.

A provocative and thought-provoking combination of the horrors of a feminist “Frankenstein” with a fetishist twist and the visceral thrills of the “female revenge” genre, the film boasts a strikingly original script, laced throughout with a wicked sense of humour and a darkly erotic charge, that admirably takes the horror genre in a fresh and new direction. Simultaneously beautiful, repulsive, shocking and endearing, AMERICAN MARY is an unmissable experience that firmly establishes the Soska Sisters as two of the hottest new talents working in cinema today

Struggling to make financial ends meet while studying to be a surgeon, talented medical student Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle) finds herself reduced to applying for work at a local strip joint in order to pay off her mounting debts. During her interview, she is unexpectedly called upon to perform some illegal emergency surgery on one of the club’s clients and is instantly rewarded with a significant cash payment.

Word of Mary’s scalpel-work soon reaches one of the club’s dancers, Beatress Johnson (Tristan Risk), who approaches her offering to pay handsomely for some off-the-books, extreme body-modification work on a friend. The ensuing surgery is a huge success and Mary’s skills soon attract the attention of an underground network of high-paying clientele, all looking for someone to administer procedures and body-mod work unavailable through the usual legal channels.

However, the allure of the easy money and the increasingly bizarre work she is commissioned to perform begins to leave a mark on Mary, and when an incident involving the established surgeons she once idolized leaves her traumatised, “Bloody Mary”, as she has come to be known, responds in the only way she knows how.

We will hopefully bring you a review nearer the time and when is that time? American Mary will be released in UK&Ireland on DVD and Blu-Ray 21st January 2013.

Pre-Order/Buy American Mary: DVD / Blu-ray

Glasgow Film Festival announces 3 New Strands For The 2013 Line-up

They may not call themselves an international film festival but the Glasgow Film Festival is growing in stature every year with 8th, 2012 film festival proving they are the fastest growing film festival in UK. The third biggest film festival will hold there 9th festival next February between 14 and 24th February 2013.

With 3 months to go until the next festival, the festival organizers have announced 3 of the strands. The films of James Cagney will take centre stage in the very popular retrospective strand. New cinema will focus on the films of Brazil and a brand new strand which has a big screen look at video games.

Robert Florence of BBC Scotland’s Burnistoun will join the GFF team to curate a gaming strand called Game Cats Go Miaow! The highlights of the strand is a live review of the new Aliens: Colonial Marines game with James Cameron's Aliens been shown right after the review. Also a special costume Gala Cosplay Go Miaow! With a very special film been screened possibly anime or comic book film.

Brazil is fast becoming a leading light in cinema and in the Buena Onda: New Brazilian Cinema Strand Xingu (dir Cao Hamburger), Prime Time Soap (A novellas das 8) (dir Odilon Rocha), Neighbouring Sounds (O som ao redor) (dir Kleber Mendonca Filho) and Southwest (Sudoeste) (dir Eduardo Nunes), will all play showcasing the diversity and quality of the films from the country.

After very popular Gene Kelly Retrospective, the 2013 festival's James Cagney will go down a treat with adoring film fans. The Public Enemy (1931), Angels With Dirty Faces (1938), The Roaring Twenties (1939), White Heat (1949) and Love Me Or Leave Me (1955) are all set to play and like every year the strand finishes with a bang Gene Kelly's finished with The Gene Kelly ceilidh, this years I can guarantee will beat this, all will be revealed at press launch!

The official press launch will  happen 16th January 2013 and we will be in attendance and nearer the time we will share you the programme details when we get them. Public tickets will go on sale the following day, 17th January 2013.

Official Press Release:

Glasgow Film Festival announces the addition of three innovative new programming strands to the 2013 festival.

Glasgow Film Festival's growing popularity is anchored in the programme's wide range of individual strands that target specific areas of interest, bringing together themed screenings, special guests and an outstanding programme of city-wide tie-in events to reach a huge spectrum of audiences. The Festival today announced three exciting new strands:

JAMES CAGNEY: TOP OF THE WORLD, MA! focuses on the extraordinary life and times of Hollywood's Oscar-winning tough guy. As Brazil edges every-further into the global spotlight, BUENA ONDA takes a look at new cinema coming from the emerging superpower. Meanwhile, the star of BBC Scotland's Burnistoun (and obsessive gamer) Robert Florence joins the GFF team to curate GAME CATS GO MIAOW!, which takes a star-studded big-screen look at video games - as they grow ever-more cinematic, could they begin to challenge the movie-going experience?

This month also saw the launch of the festival's official trailer which was directed by Lesley Barnes in a collaboration with animator Bruce Cameron both members of Toads Caravan. Sound comes from members of Glasgow Indie pop band Belle & Sebastian

Watch The UK Trailer For BIFA Nominated Broken Starring Tim Roth

When you receive 9 nominations from the British Independent Film Awards for your debut feature, Rufus Norris' Broken is certainly a film we should take notice off especially  at the early festival preview to go by. Tonight we have a new trailer for the UK indie which boasts a strong cast of Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy a film looks like it'll deliver on the dramatics with hints of something very dark lurking under the serene  face British suburbia.

Broken set in North London when young man Robert 'Broken' Buckley is at the wrong end of a brutal beating from neighbour Mr Oswald whose daughter makes a false accusation. As Robert struggles with what's just happened to him next door neighbour Archie (Roth), a Lawyer whose 11year old daughter Skunk may have witnessed Robert her neighbour get the beating.

Broken looks an intense little character drama instead of the usual generic gritty London style drama we do seem to see unfortunately more off. Eloise Laurence  who plays Skunk, as well as the film's narrator delivers a really good debut performance and in the trailer it does suggest her own home things might not be as hunky dory as they seem. Not saying this trailer is fantastic nor poor but what it is, it's effective hinting on some dark truths maybe lurking under the carpet but never revealing to much to spoil things.

Broken is set for a Spring 2013 UK Release and also stars  Rory Kinnear, Robert Emms.

Watch The Creepy UK Horror Short About Claire

If you love the creepy character based Horrors from the 1970's you should check out the UK short About Claire. Directed by Tony Upko the film's plot is very simple 2 women Becca and Abigail meet for dinner about a horrific situation but something agitates them, but what?

About Claire looks a very effective short film, that's atmospheric thanks to the fantastic sound design, check it out below.....

source:Twitchfilm

Gintama The Movie On UK DVD (R2)

If your looking for a last minute Christmas present for a anime fan with in your family Manga Entertainment would like you to consider Gintama:The Movie. Gintama tells the story of a silver haired samurai who attempts to find the whereabouts of the legendary sword whilst the rest of his team hunt down the missing Kotaro Katsura.

Gintama:The Movie will be released in UK&Ireland on 24th December on DVD

Odd Jobs Gin has taken on a lot of odd work in the past, and when you're a Jack of All Trades agency based in a feudal Japan that's been conquered and colonized by aliens, the term “Odd Jobs” means REALLY ODD jobs. But when some more than slightly suspicious secrets from the shadows of Gintoki Sakata's somewhat shady former samurai past and a new pair of odd jobs collide, the action is bound to get so wild and demented that only a feature film will do it justice!

Sit down, strap yourself in, and make sure you're not wearing anything too tight or constricting as the junior half of OJG takes on the task of tracking down a tenacious terrorist while their silver-haired slickster of a partner seeks out a certain sword in the stunningly side-splitting and screwy Gin Tama!

Pre-order: Gintama The Movie [DVD]

Berserk: Egg Of The King On UK DVD And Blu-Ray (R2)

If you where at last months Scotland's Love Anime in Glasgow and Edinburgh you would have seen this Anime, Berserk: Egg Of The King.A skilled swordsman who joins forces with a mercenary group named ‘The Band of the Hawk’, led by the charismatic Griffith, fights with them as they battle their way into the royal court. Manga Entertainment UK will be releasing this on DVD and Blu-ray on 24th December.

He trusts nothing but his own sword. He has no place to call home. The lone mercenary Guts travels a land ravaged by a hundred-year war. Moving from battlefield to battlefield, his skill and ferocity eventually attract the attention of Griffith, the leader of a group of mercenaries called The Band of the Hawk. Desiring Guts's power to help him achieve his goals, Griffith succeeds in recruiting the distrustful Guts by challenging him to a duel and defeating him.

As the Band of the Hawk fight together and their bond as a unit grows stronger, Griffith and Guts's bond deepens as well. With their continued success on the battlefield, Griffith achieves the first step toward his lofty goals: his band of mercenaries becomes recognized as a full-fledged army within the Midland Kingdom. Despite all their success, Guts begins to question his reasons for fighting for Griffith's dream, which, unbeknownst to Guts, is destined to bestow a monstrous fate on them both.

Pre-order your copy:Berserk - Film 1: Egg Of The King [DVD]/ Blu-ray + DVD Double Play / Collectors Edition Blu-ray

Win Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OVA (Anime) On Blu-Ray

Amazing secrets and startling facts are exposed for the first time in the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood OVA Collection, a new assortment of stories set in never-before-seen corners of the FMA universe.

You thought all the tales were told. The Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood OVA Collection offers proof: You were wrong.

Win a copy to discover the truth for yourself…Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood 4 OVA Collection (Manga Entertainment) is available to buy from Monday 19th November.

Amazing secrets and startling facts are exposed for the first time in the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood OVA Collection, a new assortment of stories set in never-before-seen corners of the FMA universe. Join Ed and Al as they chase rumors of successful human transmutation into a web of shocking family drama and lies. Sneak a glance at hidden sides of Winry and Hawkeye’s personalities. Survive the frigid north with a young Izumi Curtis as she fights to gain a deeper understanding of alchemy. Explore the legendary friendship shared by Mustang and Hughes and watch them grow from military school rivals into hardened brothers transformed by the horrors of the Ishvalan War. You thought you knew the whole story. You thought all the tales were told. The Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood OVA Collection offers proof: You were wrong.

To win Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OVA on Blu-Ray please answer the following question:

Q.What Stone do Mustang and Hughes search for and is also name of a Harry Potter film?

Deadline is 9th December (2359hrs), Must 15 years or older to enter
To enter send your answer, name, address, postcode only to winatcinehouseuk@gmail.com 

Label emails 'Fullmetal alchemist contest'

Fancy entering another competition To Win Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood OVA (Anime)On Blu-Ray? Why not enter our main sites contest too, you can enter here.

Terms & Conditions:1.This prize is non transferable.No cash alternatives apply.UK & Irish entries only.2.The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse and Manga Entertainment have the right to alter, delay or cancel this competition without any notice3.The competition is not opened to employees, family, friends of The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse,Manga Entertainment employees 4.This competition is promoted on behalf of Manga Entertainment5. 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 9th December , 2012 (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 towinatcinehouseuk@gmail.com  (label full metal alchemist contest) If any info required from the form is not sent in the email your entry will be void9.automated entries are not allowed and will be disqualified, which could result you been banned.10.The Peoples Movies, Cinehouse takes no responsibility for delayed, lost, stolen prizes11.Prizes may take from days to a few months for delivery which is out of our control 12.The competition is opened to Aged 15  and over.13. 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.14. 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 number15.The winning entries will be picked at random and contacted by email or announced via facebook, sometimes we are unable to confirm winners.16.This competition is bound by the rules of Scotland,England & Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland.17.By sending your entry for this competition you are confirming you have read and agreed to these Terms & Conditions.
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When Sushi Fights Back In Japanese Monster Short Monster Roll

Been a kid of the 1980's we got spoiled some awesome cult stuff from the decades that went before us, a little more than kids now get despite those cult films & Tv been more available than ever. From the 1960's sci-fi tv, Jackie Chan films, Monkey, Water Margin, Godzilla and creature features especially Japanese Monster films. Dan Blank's Monsterroll is certainly a homage to those Japanese films even a little Roger Corman a story which sees giant sea creatures who exact revenge on those who break ancient promises and Sushi chefs attempting to save the day who probably would love to make Sushi out of the monsters.

Monster Roll is a Proof-of-concept for a feature about sushi chefs fighting sea monsters. It's a crazy idea, but one we just really wanted to see made. Blank have made and they hope soon to make it into the feature and this is a well constructed film which I'll even go as far as saying the CGI actually looks really good. This crazy looking film keeps a hardcore fan of the creature feature films like myself smiling throughout the 5 short minutes hoping these guys make this into the feature, this is crazy fun!



sourceYoutube

Manga Entertainment To Release Shiki Part 2 In December

Following the October release of part one, Manga Entertainment have announced the UK DVD release of Shiki Part 2 on DVD. Shiki is creepy psychological thriller based on a Manga by Ono Fuyumi and Fujisaki Ryuu about a village surrounded by death.

At a time when vampires have become ubiquitous in popular culture, from juvenile novels and live-action films to anime, Shiki stands out for its deeply unsettling tension and suspense.

When citizens of a secluded village begin dying off in alarming numbers, the sole hospital's head doctor tries desperately to save his patients - but his efforts are in vain. Entire families are wiped out while others desert their homes. All hell breaks loose as the villagers discover their loved ones' corpses are rising from the grave with an insatiable thirst for human blood. Who is safe when the urge to kill in order to survive blurs the line between man and monster?


Shiki Part 2 will be released in UK&Ireland  31st December on DVD Pre-Order Shiki Part 2 [DVD]

Short Circuit DVD Review

It can be a dangerous business, you know, re-visiting old films from your childhood. You go back after a couple of decades and realise the years have clouded your memory with a rosy fog which fails to protect your old favourites from even the most perfunctory scrutiny. After all this time it turns out that Mac and Me isn't the charming intergalactic romp that you remember, it's a cynical and deceitful ploy to get you to buy lots of sweets and fizzy pop, who'd have thought? And Prehysteria! is less an anarchic, Jurassic Park-style precursor to Small Soldiers, and more a crushingly dull waste of space, made all the more offensive by the heinous sight of Austin O' Brien's silly, floppy hair.

Believe me when I say I was not looking forward to sitting down and picking apart Short Circuit, an old favourite of mine which makes its Blu-ray debut next week. In the cold light of day, with the benefit of hindsight and the gift cynicism, obviously the preposterous hijinks of talkative automaton, Number Five fall to pieces like a cheaply made yo-yo, right?

Well you can thank your lucky stars that even with a newly acquired, Transformers- inspired hatred of all things even remotely robotic, I enjoyed it, it still holds together. Short Circuit is fine, it’s absolutely fine.
If you’re returning to this one after an absence of a couple of decades, you may struck by just how surprisingly thoughtful it is. Chances are, this will be the first time you noticed this mechanised interpretation of Pinocchio’s heart, it’s pro-nature, pro-environment message of peace, and it’s treatise on humanity and the importance of free-will.

You may have noticed those things, but what’s more important is that you noticed the comedy robot getting up to all sorts of mischief. Number Five, the state of the art military drone who gets struck by lightning and develops the gift of artificial intelligence, drives a car with surprising skill, he tries to cook breakfast, he hops about like a grasshopper, and he reads books really, really fast. And it’s all still pretty amusing.

Steve Guttenberg and Ally Sheedy’s slightly improbable, budding romance doesn’t add a great deal to the proceedings, and Fisher Stevens’ “amusing” Indian accents feels worryingly heavy-handed; but let’s face it, this is all window-dressing, a sideshow compared to the main attraction: Number Five, and It’s immensely hard not to be charmed by the antics of the precocious little scamp.

Twenty and thirty year olds looking to relive past glories, will find Number Five alive (no pun intended) and well, and still tickling the funny-bone. New viewers will discover an occasionally-smart comedy that extols the praises of a peaceful and harmonious planet via a goofy robot who does a tolerable John Wayne impression.

If you say the sight of a five foot high robot falling off a bridge and parachuting into the back of a moving van isn’t entertaining, then I say you are a liar.

Chris Banks (@Chris_in_2D)

★★★☆☆

Rating:PG
DVD/BD Re-Release Date:19th November 2012(UK)
Director:John Badham
Cast: Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg , Fisher Stevens,
Buy:Short Circuit [DVD] / Blu-ray

The Man In The White Suit DVD Review (1951)

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ealing virtuoso Alexander Mackendrick, The Man in the White Suit finds itself on the receiving end of a restoration and re-release.

Mackendrick’s amusingly sardonic tale, based on his cousin Roger McDougall’s play, gives Alec Guinness a chance to shine as the stubborn genius, Sidney Stratton. Following a dismissal from his previous bout of employment, Sidney finds himself working in the research laboratory of a textile factory in a non-descript corner of the North. Stratton’s zealous obsession with bloody-minded progress leads to him inventing a revolutionary type of fabric that never gets dirty and is impossible to damage. Unfortunately for Stratton, his invention is met with hostility from both the factory owners and the unionised labour, who perceive the invention as a threat to repeat business and job security respectively.

As a resourceful and strident dissection of the state of (at the time) modern British institutions, The Man in the White Suit is ferocious. It’s a frequently angry film, and it has no qualms about taking a pretty fierce swipe at all its constituent factions; none of whom with which you can ever completely sympathise. The grasping mill owners are, aspiring but greedy, and singularly fail to see anything but the worst in the potential and brilliance of Stratton’s work, so concerned are they with filling their own coffers. While the militant factory workers also baulk at Stratton’s indestructible suit; they’ve fought hard enough for their tea break, they’ll be damned if they lose their jobs in the name of science.

Strangely enough, Stratton isn’t whiter than white himself. His pig-headed determination to see progress, almost for the sake of it, seems generous, but there’s an almost complete lack of consideration for the consequences. You’re left with the feeling that the film is perhaps looking to warn against the dangers accompanying modernisation post-war, but can’t quite work out at whom to lay the bulk of the blame. Perhaps we’re all as bad as each other.

It’s tempered by a playful, ironic sense of humour that sees Stratton’s early experiments going explosively wrong, to the bouncy accompanying noise of his tubes and pipes bubbling and whistling away. The desperate finale sees Stratton tearing through the dimly lit alleys of industrial Britain, clad in his infernal invention, like a man possessed.
Mackendrick’s peculiarly engrossing comedy feels like a bit of a mismatch at times, but it’s a combination of frustration, fear and wit which is neatly glued together by the gravitas of Guinness’s naively endearing man in his white suit.

Chris Banks (@Chris_in_2D)

★★★★☆

Rating: PG
Directed By:Alexander Mackendrick
Cast: Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood , Cecil Parker
Buy The Man In The White Suit:DVD/ Blu-ray

Watch The Haunting Sci-Fi Short In The Pines

Who says Science Fiction has to be UFO's and Aliens? Zeek Earl and Chris Caldwell's short film In The Pines is a fine example of that theory, maybe even a debate to weather it should be called a sci-fi. What this film is atmospheric in the minimalistic way, compelling and very haunting visually I do get a Martha Marcy, May Marlene feel to it, minus the religious cult part.

Check it out for yourself below...

A young woman, convinced she has experienced an encounter with the extraterrestrial, becomes fixated on re-establishing contact in this striking study of the paranormal and the human psyche

source:Vimeo

New Trailer & Clip For Takashi Miike's Shield Of Straw

Takashi Miike is a big favorite at Cinehouse HQ so when his Ace Attorney recently played in Glasgow at Scotland Loves Anime we where a bit annoyed we couldn't see it. Next spring his next film Shield Of Straw (Wara No Tate)will be released in Japan and our friends at Twitch have gotten their hands on the film's latest teaser trailer and clip.

Starring Fujiwara Tatsuya who may not be familiar by name but recognizable from the cult film Battle Royale, Deathnote and Toyoda Toshiaki's I'm Flash where he played a cult leader. For his latest film he will be becoming a cold hearted confessed child killer. Based on a Kuichi Kazuhiro novel Shield of Straw when a child killer (Fujiwara) is captured he must be escorted across country by 2 cops (Osawa Takao and Matsushima Nanako)to face trail. What may sound a simple task but the grandfather of the young victim is a very wealthy man not happy that things will be sorted out the conventional way offers 12 million to anyone who can kill his grandchild's killer on route to court.

This film looks like it'll challenge the morality and power of money and the control it has over people. What people will do to get their hands on the amount of money on offer is crazy, will there a psychological thriller mix thrown in too? All will be revealed when the film is release 26 April 2013 in Japan.

Ninagawa is a powerful man in Japanese politics and with top economic connections.His granddaughter is then murdered. The suspect is Kunihide Kiyomaru (Tatsuya Fujiwara). Kunihide Kiyomaru has a prior conviction for assaulting and killing a girl 8 years ago. The police could never apprehend the suspect in the prior killing.
Three months after the murder of his granddaughter, Ninagawa places a whole page ad in the 3 big Japanese newspapers. The ad states "Please kill this man Kunihide Kiyomaru and I will pay you 1,000,000,000 yen as a reward." Meanwhile, Kunihide Kiyomaru sees the ad and begins to fear for his life. Kunihide Kiyomaru then turns himself in at the Fukuoka Police Station. Five detectives from the security section (SP) of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department travel to Fukuoka to escort Kunihide Kiyomaru back to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The distance between Fukuoka and Tokyo is apprixmately 1,200 km. During their fateful trip, a significant portion of the Japanese population plot to kill Kunihide Kiyomaru. Many of those people, actually pursue Kunihide Kiyomaru while he goes back to Tokyo to get the 1 billion yen reward. The lonely fight of the five detectives to protect this man begins ...

source:Twitch

Learn The Alphabet With Boobs And The Insane ABC's Of Death

We love anthologies especially ones of the horror variety but sometimes the short films that make up the film can be diverse in themes and even quality. We're looking forward to the UK January release of V/H/S and now we can add another anthology film ABCs Of Death and today we have the film's insane red band trailer.

Whilst V/H/S is anthology of 5 or 6 filmmaker ABC's Of Death is 26 directors delivering 26 ways to die in short films keeping the theme death. The directors where given Minuit budget but unlimited creative freedom making sure the film makers provide a little something for everyone. Its an ambitious project which to the untrained eye be a bit inconsistent but a fun film for horror with each director assigned a letter giving us an interesting way to learn A's and B's.The film has been playing on the festival circuit the past few months and if you where at last month's Frightfest Halloween all-nighter you would have enjoyed this film.

Massive roster which includes some big players in horror: aare Andrews (Altitude), USA
Angela Bettis (Roman), USA,Ernesto Diaz Espinoza (Mirageman; Mandrill), Chile
Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun), Canada,Bruno Forzani & Héléne Cattet (Amer), Belgium,Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Cold Sweat), Mexico,Xavier Gens (Frontiers; Hitman), France
Jorge Michel Grau (We Are What We Are), Mexico, Noburo Iguchi, (Robo Geisha), Japan
Thomas Malling (Norwegian Ninja), Norway, Anders Morgenthaler (Princess), Denmark, Yoshihrio Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police), Japan, Banjong Pisathanakun (Shutter),Thailand, Simon Rumley (Red, White & Blue), UK, Marcel Sarmiento (Deadgirl), USA,Jon Schnepp (Metalocalypse; The Venture Bros.), USA, Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film), Serbia, Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre), Indonesia, Andrew Traucki (The Reef), Australia, Nacho Vigalondo (TimeCrimes), Spain, Jake West (Doghouse), UK, Ti West (House of the Devil; The Innkeepers), USA,Ben Wheatley (Sightseers; Kill List), UK,Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way to Die), USA
Yudai Yamaguchi (Yakuza Weapon), Japan and Lee Hardcastle (T Is For Toilet), UK.If your familiar with the list of filmmakers you'll know what you'll get with this horrorfest.

No word on a UK&Irish release but when it does come expect sometime 2013.

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Trouble In Paradise DVD Review (Masters Of Cinema)

Trouble in Paradise is an early screwball comedy by Ernst Lubitsch, which has some crime elements. It’s his most well known and respected him and one of the few in his lifetime that got classic status. Lubitsch influenced such noted directors such as Woody Allen and Billy Wilder among many others. This edition of Trouble with Paradise come from Eurkea’s Masters of Cinema who are so hung up on Lubitsch they previous released a boxset dedicated sorely to his German films of the 1920s which has a impressive 6 discs of films.

Trouble in Paradise is set in Venice and 2 team of pickpockets, one a gentleman thief Gaston Monescu (Herbert Marshall) and his lover Lily (Miriam Hopkins) who decided to rob a perfume window Madame Mariette Colet (Kay Francis). They start with planning to rob her purse at the theatre, which they do. The Madame is asking for a reward for the purse because it’s value and naturally Gaston returns the purse but at the same time, he worms his way into working for the Madame. The Madame starts to flirt with Monescu and he starts having some feelings towards her much to the displeasure of his partner in life and crime.

The film is a brilliantly written witty script with some memorable dialogue. It was written by noted screenwriter Samson Raphaelson also worked with Hitchcock on Suspicion wrote it. He worked with Lubitsch who over and over for the 2 decades, He also wrote The Jazz Singer and was also the cousin of the great Bob Rafelson who started the great innovative BBS studios and directed such classics such Head, Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens. The film pre-dates the screwball boom of the 30/40s especially the Cary Grant and Howard Hawks collaborations such as Bringing Up Baby and His Girl Friday.

The film was also pre-production code which means the sexual innuendo of later films of the 30s is much more explicit. Masters of cinema has of late been doing a lot of this such as masterful Island of Lost Souls and Cecil B. DeMille’s Cleopatra. This ended up being a big issue a few years later when Paramount wanted to reissue the film and also when they wanted to make a MUSICAL version in 40s.

Overall the film is wonderful glass of champagne of a film, fluffy but in a good way which boost a wonderfully witty script, cool art deco sets and some great performances.

Ian Schultz

★★★★☆

Rating:N/C
DVD Release Date: 12th November 2012(UK)
Directed By: Ernst Lubitsch
Cast: Miriam Hopkins, Kay Francis , Herbert Marshall
Buy:TROUBLE IN PARADISE (Masters of Cinema) (DVD) [1932]

It Always Rains on Sunday DVD Review

A snapshot of post-war, working class austerity, It Always Rains on Sunday, released in 1947, makes its way back onto cinema screens as part of the BFI’s Ealing retrospective, and is granted a special edition DVD release into the bargain.

Robert Hamer’s engaging drama, is arguably much less well known than Ealing’s comedic offerings, but its relative anonymity compared to the studio’s later offerings hides a stylistic and thematic ingenuity that prefigures not just nourish thrillers which would flourish shortly after, but also the working-class graft of the British New Wave.

Trapped in a joyless existence of bleak domesticity, dejected housewife Rose (Googie Withers) finds her dull life upset by the sudden reappearance of old flame, Tommy (John McCallum), on the run from police having recently escaped from Dartmoor Prison. As the routine of a typical Sunday unfolds around her, Rose desperately attempts to keep the presence of her former lover a secret from her husband, stepdaughters, and the cluttered, tangled lives of the street’s inhabitants: petty thieves, inquisitive journalists in search of a story, prying policemen and wheeler-dealer businessmen whose lives all contribute to a neat tapestry of supporting and intruding narrative threads.

It’s a bit of a conundrum to explain why It Always Rains on Sunday is not regularly included amongst the pantheon of Ealing greats. Perhaps the plain truth is that it was too much, too soon; a dangerous, determined piece of cinema intent on confronting the problems and realities of a post-war Britain, rather than playing on past glories.

The stylish Noir-tinged finale, the breathless chase through the Stratford train yard, faultlessly photographed by Douglas Slocombe would seem to echo that most illustrious of British thrillers, The Third Man, were it not for the fact that Robert Hamer’s daunting, dizzying chase through the shadows pre-dates Carol Reed’s masterpiece by two years. The low-key grind of daily life amongst the bomb-scarred terraces of the East End also provides us with a glimpse of the kind of social realism that wouldn’t be fully exulted for a decade or so.

If you are already familiar with this largely unheralded gem, do yourself a favour and reacquaint yourself. If not, find it and discover a wonderfully progressive masterwork of British cinema.

Chris Banks(@Chris_in_2D)

★★★★1/2

Rating:PG
DVD Re-release Date:12th November 2012 (UK)
Directed By:Robert Hamer
Cast: Googie Withers, Jack Warner , John McCallum
Buy:It Always Rains On Sunday (Digitally Remastered) [Blu-ray] / DVD

Watch The Cabin In The Woods/Lionsgate Short The Sleepover

Are you like me love films full of iconography? If you do you'll dig this fantastic little short film The Sleepover. Directed by Chris Cullari The Sleepover twists the traditional characteristics of the slasher movie and the film was also the winner of The Cabin In The Woods/Lionsgate short film contest and just recently made its premier at the Fantastic Fest. Now thanks to Vimeo you can enjoy the short film in it's entirety below.....


THE SLEEPOVER from Chris Cullari on Vimeo.

Watch The Awesome Looking Short The Killing Joke

Never criticize a  Short film apart from been some really cool films that are at times superior to it's feature length cousin. Let's take Sebastian Lopez's The Killing Joke a perfect example of great short film about a woman who comes a across a red balloon attached to a small box  she opens leading to a sadistic clown hunting her down....

The Killing Joke is a 15 minute suspense/fiction short film about a mysterious woman that finds a red balloon tied up to a curious little box on an eery derelict street. Using classic elements of suspense and working within a seventies aesthetic, 'The Killing Joke' is an action packed film that pays homage to some of the horror movies from that era.

The piece was shot during four intense days of filming in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires. The micro budget production was shot using just two 7d canon cameras. The composition and CGI effects for 'The Killing Joke' required months of 'invisible' digital retouching to create the panoramic, yet claustrophobic atmosphere that pervades throughout the movie.

The Film editor was Sabrina Mottino.

Sebastián López wrote and directed the story, and was also responsible for all the impressive post and composition work.

Colin Devlin created the Original Soundtrack, working from his home studio in LA he collaborated on the project with Sebastian from it's inception, creating a wonderful striking symmetry between sound and image.This is the second collaboration for Sebastian and Colin, the first being an action packed trailer created for a fictitious movie called 'Vertical' that went viral on the net, creating a serious buzz for the young director.

Actors Gustavo Marzo and Clarisa Staracci Worked together to portray the intense characters seen on screen.

The Killing Joke from sebastian lopez on Vimeo.

Christmas Evil DVD Review

With the approach of Christmas comes the inevitable release of a slew of films joining the ranks of the “Yuletide Slasher”. While you wait for the Silent Night remake to enter cinemas I would like to recommend one X-mas related horror film for your collection. Released back in 1980 under the title You Better Watch Out, Christmas Evil (why did they bother to change the title?) has garnered a cult following and the praise of “Pope of Trash” John Waters, slowly lifting it above the throng of abandoned B-features that populate 70’s – 80’s horror. 

                The film opens on Christmas Eve 1947 where two brothers watch their father dressed as Santa deliver presents to the house, young Harry later sneaks down stairs to find his father, still dressed as Santa, fondling his mother and Christmas is changed forever. Jump forward thirty years and Harry is a desk Jockey at a production-line toy factory, disgruntled at the lack of Christmas cheer in his fellow employees and obsessively listing the deeds of the local children in his “Naughty” and “Nice” books. Slowly Harry slips into an obsessive rage-driven Christmas nightmare where he deals out his own brand of Christmas justice.

                The first thing that one can’t fail to notice is that, for a film left in the side-lines, Christmas Evil is actually well-shot and directed, sure there’s some crude editing and naff moments of action but on the whole the film has more rewards than flops. After style the story impresses with a much more toned down approach to carnage than expected. The film isn’t a blood bath start to finish, its collected and well-paced, letting us into Harry’s life and introducing us to all the assholes he meets every day, so that there’s always a sense of, rather than being a psychopath, Harry is just a troubled guy. Considering character construction along with the garish colouring and keen social commentary, Christmas Evil plays out like Falling Down by way of The Grinch and Peeping Tom.

                Brandon Maggart’s genuinely superb performance is the keystone of the feature, without his ranged approach the film could have dwindled but thankfully there’s enough conviction, misery, and alienation to build a believable psychopath. Most films never quite pull of the inception of a murderer, but Jackson’s careful scripting allows Maggart moments of bombastic absurdity then grounds him with poignant moments of total isolation. But that’s not to say the film takes itself too seriously, there’s a self-awareness that helps make the piece easier to swallow. Also,  a young Jeffrey DeMunn (The Walking Dead, The Mist) appears as Harry’s brother and makes for enjoyable viewing, especially towards the finale. The only criticism of his performance would be he’s not used nearly enough.

                Jackson’s film has received flak over the years for being anti-Christmas but the film seems more focused on the commercialisation of Christmas as opposed to an attack on the holiday itself. A sharp eye for the trashy quality of Christmas imagery and the miserable, at times pointless, bizarre functions of the holiday push the film beyond the reach of a crappy B-film. This is a film at once ridiculing the Santa myth (Santa Clauses at police line-up) and celebrating it, whilst dragging the whole Christmas ordeal into a sewer of madness and mayhem.

                This review is in no way the product of low expectations; it’s a reaction to something genuinely sharp, a real gem amidst the cascade of trashy horror escapades, plus it culminates in probably one of the best horror climaxes I’ve seen, an ending which seals the deal on the brilliance of Jackson’s festive chaos. Well written, well crafted, with a great lead performance, Christmas Evil is a beautifully constructed cult terror tale with a keen eye for cultural satire, if you’re looking for the perfect Christmas movie then look no further.

Scott Clark

★★★★☆

Rating:18
DVD Re-release Date: 12 November 2012 (UK)
Directed By: Lewis Jackson
Cast: Brandon Maggart, Jeffrey DeMunn ,Dianne Hull 
Buy:Christmas Evil [DVD]

Christmas Evil by CellpanTv

My Neighbour Totoro Blu-Ray Review

When you look at the history and worldwide reputation it's had over the years, it's hard to believe Studio Ghibli having a film open so badly in it's native Japan.Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbour Totoro did suffer that poor opening but like a certain famous high street chain store ' this is no ordinary animation, this is a Studio Ghibli animation'. Like all good things, they mature as they get older, Totoro is that fine wine you will enjoy second time around that's of course you didn't enjoy it the first time around as it has a kind of magic very few filmmakers can achieve.

My Neighbour Totoro is a charming tale about 10 year old Satsuki and her inquisitive younger sister Mei (voiced by real life actress sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning) who move to a new home with their father into the country to be closer to their mother who is in hospital nearby. Far from the hustle and bustle of the big city, the sisters discover a mysterious place of spirits and magic and the friendship of the big fluffy woodland creature Totoro. This is a family suffused in the joys of country living with an elegy of two fading miracles: the fairytale world of childhood and the disappearing countryside.

My Neighbour Totoro is a beautifully constructed film. Unlike many of the other Studio Ghibli films, Totoro is not set in any war feuding countries or has villains hell bent in destroying the environment or the natural beauty of the location. The film is totally grounded in the real the world  with a story that is told from a child's point of view, enticing the children to be imaginative and creative essentially enjoy childhood. The simplicity of the story helps the film flow naturally  helping the children be characteristically children even if they are of the animated, this is something Disney have forgotten about recently and surround them with unnatural fantasy surroundings.

The film does have one typical Ghibli trait, fantasy and a giant mythical spirit, the Totoro who is like the (giant) imaginary friend children sometimes have  hence why the girls do not fear as to them he's like that first cuddly toy a child gets. Totoro isn't actually on the screen too much but enough to become the face of the studio like the way Mickey Mouse does it for Disney. Every Studio Ghibli film his logo is seen at the start of the film and no matter where you are in the world when you see the Totoro you know what your getting and he's become that recognizable he even got a cameo in the last Toy Story film!

The girls parents nor many adults actually have much screen time either but this doesn't mean to say they are not well developed characters either. We do see the girl's mother(Lea Salonga) a few time but thanks to letters written by Satsuki we do cover some of the ground but not the reason why she's in hospital as this isn't important as this is all from a child's view on life, they know your ill but telling them what is wrong they would be lost forever. Their father (Tim Daly) is so busy working  even at home, to make ends meet it's also a reminder of how tranquil and safe the countryside was in the 1950's (the era the film is set) and the trust they had for neighbours like Nanny (Pat Carroll) who was like a surrogate parent to the girls.

I'm a newbie when it comes to blu-ray, so out of the films I already own or watched via the format, My Neighbour Totoro is the first film I can say I've experienced the true power of the format. The bu-ray transfer has been nothing but fantastic,the picture is clear, crisp, colours so vibrant the hand drawn style animation really shines through giving the feel a organic natural feel. The best scene to show blu-ray's power is the bus stop scene when the Totoro joins at the stop you see the improved lighting, sounds crisp and the we meet the Cheshire Cat bus which is like something straight out of Alice In Wonderland, the scene also delivers some depth and atmosphere to the film.

When you talk about films be them live action or animated in the status of been categorized as classic, legendary even cult My Neighbour Totoro is all 3 categories.The quality of Totoro (and Studio Ghibli) is nothing but sublime, as what we get could easily be regarded as one of if not the studios finest film. To highlight the sheer brilliance of the film it was one of the very few animated films (highest entry) to make the recent BFI poll of 250 greatest films ever made, a testament to how highly regarded the film is with fans and critics,Miyazaki actually has the privilage of 2 films as Spirited Away is also in the list too. Scorsese, Kubrick, Hitchcock, Tarkvosky, and Miyazaki habe all got one thing in common they are all master storytellers, My Neighbour Totoro is a perfect example of why animation is not just for kids just lovers of film in all its beautiful forms
.

Paul Devine

★★★★★

Rating:U
UK BD Release Date: 12th November 2012
Directed By:Hayao Miyazaki
Cast:Pat Carroll, Tim Daly, Dakota Fanning, Elle Fanning,
Buy My Neighbour Totoro: Blu-ray (+ DVD) [1988]

Outskirts DVD Review

Outskirts is a early Soviet film which is post-Potemkin and was made in 1933. It was directed by noted Soviet director Boris Barnet who has another film By The Bluest of the Seas that is also getting reissued by Mr. Bongo films.

The film tells the story of this Russian town and it’s inhabitants in the 1910s on the cusp of World War 1. The film has a very loose collection of episodes. The most affective scene is the very harrowing war scenes which Kubrick must have studied for his masterpiece Paths of Glory. The least successful aspects of the film are it’s structure which all over the place. It also anticipates some of Samuel Fuller’s war films in uncompromising work at warfare. It’s all about the mirror of the conflict on war on the homefront and frontlines. This is very effectively done near the end which innovative editing of the soldiers and fast cuts back and forth to a bunch of workers making shoes.

The film is noted for it’s use of sound which at times are horribly done, the sound effects are used in a humours matter and really distracts from the images on screen. The film would be much greater if it was done a lot more seriously because the film’s subject matter is so serious. It’s also not done in the way something like Life is Beautiful, which has a pitch perfect juxtaposition of tragedy and comedy.

The film has some brilliant cinematography, which is always expected with Soviet cinema. The scenes of the trenchs are amazing and some amazing landscape photography as well. Despite some previously mention moments the editing is very poor which is sad cause the film could really use some more focus and strange because after all modern film editing owes everything to the Soviets.

Overall it’s really interesting piece of early Soviet cinema but I think it would have been a much greater had it been Silent; you don’t hear that one everyday.

Ian Schultz

★★★1/2☆

Rating: U
UK Release Date: 12 November 2012
Directed By: Boris Barnet
Cast: Aleksandr Chistyakov, Sergei Komarov , Yelena Kuzmina
Buy Outskirts: DVD