Slumdog Millionaire had a sweep of success at this years British Academy Film Awards as it scooped an impressive seven Baftas for editing, cinematography, sound, adapted screenplay, best film, music and director.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button followed with a respectable three awards for production design, special visual effects and make-up and hair.
Kate Winslet repeated her Golden Globe success by winning a Bafta for leading actress for her role in The Reader, beating the competition (including herself for her other nomination for Revolutionary Road). Her Bafta speech was much more composed than her now famously emotional acceptance at the Golden Globes.
Among other winners were Man on Wire for the category of outstanding British film, Disney’s Wall-E for animated film and Mickey Rourke for his comeback role in The Wrestler. Rourke dedicated his award to his friend and a much-loved actor, the late Richard Harris.
Heath Ledger was once again acknowledged for his excellent performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight as it was tearfully announced that he had won a Bafta for best supporting actor.
Monday, 9 February 2009
Blink 182 are back
Blink 182 announced at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles last night that they are due to reform after a four year break.
Rumours have been circling since last November when Mark Hoppus announced on his blog that himself, Travis and Tom DeLongue were talking again after Travis' near fatal plane crash and it has now been confirmed that the band are indeed getting back together.
An announcement on Mark's blog reads: "Hi. We’re blink-182. This past week there’ve been a lot of questions about the current status from us. To put is simply, We’re back. We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album. Preparing to tour the world yet again. Friendships reformed. 17 years deep in our legacy.
Summer 2009...Thanks and get ready…"
This is great news for fans of the legendary punk band and 2009 looks set to be a good year for them.
Rumours have been circling since last November when Mark Hoppus announced on his blog that himself, Travis and Tom DeLongue were talking again after Travis' near fatal plane crash and it has now been confirmed that the band are indeed getting back together.
An announcement on Mark's blog reads: "Hi. We’re blink-182. This past week there’ve been a lot of questions about the current status from us. To put is simply, We’re back. We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album. Preparing to tour the world yet again. Friendships reformed. 17 years deep in our legacy.
Summer 2009...Thanks and get ready…"
This is great news for fans of the legendary punk band and 2009 looks set to be a good year for them.
Pets at Home offers free cinema tickets
Leading pet specialist Pets at Home have teamed up with Dreamworks Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies for the up and coming kids film Hotel for Dogs.
Pets at Home are offering customers who spend over £30 in selected stores the chance to get a free pair of cinema tickets for the canine comedy.
Hotel for Dogs tells the story of Andi (Emma Roberts) and her younger brother Bruce (Jake. T. Austin) who end up in a foster home with a ‘no pets’ policy. The pair have a problem as they have no where to keep their beloved dog Friday, until they come across an abandoned hotel which provides the ideal home for him.
The hotel soon becomes the perfect retreat not only for Friday but, for all the strays in the city, which starts to arouse a certain amount of police suspicion.
The stores taking part in the offer are Birmingham, Bluewater, Bolton, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Guilford, Hatfield, Liverpool, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Portsmouth and Stockport.
Hotel for Dogs will be hitting cinemas from Friday 13th February.
Pets at Home are offering customers who spend over £30 in selected stores the chance to get a free pair of cinema tickets for the canine comedy.
Hotel for Dogs tells the story of Andi (Emma Roberts) and her younger brother Bruce (Jake. T. Austin) who end up in a foster home with a ‘no pets’ policy. The pair have a problem as they have no where to keep their beloved dog Friday, until they come across an abandoned hotel which provides the ideal home for him.
The hotel soon becomes the perfect retreat not only for Friday but, for all the strays in the city, which starts to arouse a certain amount of police suspicion.
The stores taking part in the offer are Birmingham, Bluewater, Bolton, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Guilford, Hatfield, Liverpool, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Portsmouth and Stockport.
Hotel for Dogs will be hitting cinemas from Friday 13th February.
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Valkyrie Cinema Review
Based on a true story from WWII, Tom Cruise stars as the lead role in Valkyrie as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, a man who is loyal to his country and will fight for Germany to the end.
Stauffenberg is badly injured in an attack on his camp in Africa and looses his right hand, two fingers from his left and one of his eyes. His fears that Hitler will bring his beloved Germany to its demise are stronger than ever after the incident and he takes it upon himself to do something about it.
He joins a group of men, including Major-General Henning von Tresckow (Kenneth Branagh), General Friedrich Olbricht (Bill Nighy) and General Erich Fellgiebel (Eddie Izzard) among others, who are conspiring to end the dictator’s rein. They plot to assassinate Hitler and overthrow the Nazi government and put into place Hitler’s emergency plan (operation Valkyrie) to take control and save Germany and the rest of Europe.
Valkyrie is an interesting depiction of the WWII Hitler assassination attempt and is an entertaining and dramatic film. The plot is a bit slow at times and this makes the film feel as though it is dragging a bit but, there is a great mix of characters throughout, providing different takes on how the people of Germany felt about Hitler’s rein. The dominating American accents are a little out of place but, the audience gets used to that after a while (this is a Hollywood film after all) and Tom Cruise is surprisingly sound as such a complex and important protagonist.
Overall, Valkyrie is a good film and is well worth a watch. It is always good to see a film like this that can make you really think about everything that went on in Nazi Germany. War film fans will probably not be disappointed.
Stauffenberg is badly injured in an attack on his camp in Africa and looses his right hand, two fingers from his left and one of his eyes. His fears that Hitler will bring his beloved Germany to its demise are stronger than ever after the incident and he takes it upon himself to do something about it.
He joins a group of men, including Major-General Henning von Tresckow (Kenneth Branagh), General Friedrich Olbricht (Bill Nighy) and General Erich Fellgiebel (Eddie Izzard) among others, who are conspiring to end the dictator’s rein. They plot to assassinate Hitler and overthrow the Nazi government and put into place Hitler’s emergency plan (operation Valkyrie) to take control and save Germany and the rest of Europe.
Valkyrie is an interesting depiction of the WWII Hitler assassination attempt and is an entertaining and dramatic film. The plot is a bit slow at times and this makes the film feel as though it is dragging a bit but, there is a great mix of characters throughout, providing different takes on how the people of Germany felt about Hitler’s rein. The dominating American accents are a little out of place but, the audience gets used to that after a while (this is a Hollywood film after all) and Tom Cruise is surprisingly sound as such a complex and important protagonist.
Overall, Valkyrie is a good film and is well worth a watch. It is always good to see a film like this that can make you really think about everything that went on in Nazi Germany. War film fans will probably not be disappointed.
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Are video game to film adaptations really a good idea?
By Chris Evans [edited by Lianne Jones]Video games have a torrid history of being made into movies, there have been very few successful adaptations; commercially or critically. This is a problem that has been apparent since one of the first game to film conversions appeared with Mortal Kombat and such like. However, we have seen more success recently with the Resident Evil and Silent Hill films.
One of the key problems with turning a video game into a film is dealing with the fans of the game. Gamers are similar to many other die-hard fans of other entertainment types. You will see fans of a specific film up in arms when a remake is announced; this applies in a similar way with gamers. A large proportion of games which are made into movies have this die hard group of fans, and for them, if anything is slightly different in the film version of their game, well then they will be in uproar.
This was seen with Doom. The games in the series focus on a demonic invasion of Mars by legions from Hell but, the film took a different perspective on the story by introducing human biological engineering and doing away with the darker more evil aspects of the story.
The decision by the film makers to ignore the story and setting of the games meant that their target audience was turned away from the film. It must also be noted that the film wasn’t very good; the inclusion of a first-person sequence where the audience was treated to a view solely of The Rock’s gun barrel was not a good cinematic decision. While it was an attempt to garner the support of the gaming audience, it turned them away as the sequence felt artificial. Likewise for the every day moviegoer, it was something too artificial that altered how the audience interacted with the film.
The issue of interactivity between the audience and the film has long since been a problem when it comes to making a film based on a game. The trouble is that games are all about the interaction between the gamer and what they are playing. Creating this sense of interaction in a film is near impossible, and for this reason many gamers are dismissive of a cinematic interpretation of a game.
Non-gamers can also be dismissive of a film that has been based on a game and they can feel isolated when watching it. Games often come with a story and sense of place that can only be understood when someone is actually playing.
Games which have been transformed into films, such as Silent Hill and Resident Evil, have created a long standing narrative over the series of the games. Looking at the film conversions of these games is interesting; the Resident Evil movies have moved away from the settings of the games with a key sequence in the latest movie taking place in Las Vegas.
This change of setting means that people who are not interested in the games are more likely to pay attention to the movie. In this way the Resident Evil movies have made a conscious effort not to isolate a wider audience.
We have seen through films such as Hitman that not all game to film adaptations are able to avoid isolating their audience. The problem with the Hitman movie was that it failed to deviate away from the games to gain a new audience, and also failed to stay true enough to the franchise to maintain the support of the fans.
Transferring a game into a film is a much more challenging task then creating a movie based on a book. Attempting to create an enjoyable and critically successful film that is based on a game requires great skill from the makers. The different aspects present in a game, be it the story or the interaction with the player, cannot be readily transferred onto the big screen but, despite the difficulties, the number of poorly received game to film adaptations and the heavy criticisms of pretty much every adaption made, the studios continue to churn them out and ready them for the crossfire of comments from both film and game fans alike. There have been a few successes amongst the rubble of bad adaptations so, there is some hope for this type of film and as both industries evolve and develop their relationship, we are more likely to see improvements and more successful ones beginning to appear.
One of the key problems with turning a video game into a film is dealing with the fans of the game. Gamers are similar to many other die-hard fans of other entertainment types. You will see fans of a specific film up in arms when a remake is announced; this applies in a similar way with gamers. A large proportion of games which are made into movies have this die hard group of fans, and for them, if anything is slightly different in the film version of their game, well then they will be in uproar.
This was seen with Doom. The games in the series focus on a demonic invasion of Mars by legions from Hell but, the film took a different perspective on the story by introducing human biological engineering and doing away with the darker more evil aspects of the story.
The decision by the film makers to ignore the story and setting of the games meant that their target audience was turned away from the film. It must also be noted that the film wasn’t very good; the inclusion of a first-person sequence where the audience was treated to a view solely of The Rock’s gun barrel was not a good cinematic decision. While it was an attempt to garner the support of the gaming audience, it turned them away as the sequence felt artificial. Likewise for the every day moviegoer, it was something too artificial that altered how the audience interacted with the film.
The issue of interactivity between the audience and the film has long since been a problem when it comes to making a film based on a game. The trouble is that games are all about the interaction between the gamer and what they are playing. Creating this sense of interaction in a film is near impossible, and for this reason many gamers are dismissive of a cinematic interpretation of a game.
Non-gamers can also be dismissive of a film that has been based on a game and they can feel isolated when watching it. Games often come with a story and sense of place that can only be understood when someone is actually playing.
Games which have been transformed into films, such as Silent Hill and Resident Evil, have created a long standing narrative over the series of the games. Looking at the film conversions of these games is interesting; the Resident Evil movies have moved away from the settings of the games with a key sequence in the latest movie taking place in Las Vegas.
This change of setting means that people who are not interested in the games are more likely to pay attention to the movie. In this way the Resident Evil movies have made a conscious effort not to isolate a wider audience.
We have seen through films such as Hitman that not all game to film adaptations are able to avoid isolating their audience. The problem with the Hitman movie was that it failed to deviate away from the games to gain a new audience, and also failed to stay true enough to the franchise to maintain the support of the fans.
Transferring a game into a film is a much more challenging task then creating a movie based on a book. Attempting to create an enjoyable and critically successful film that is based on a game requires great skill from the makers. The different aspects present in a game, be it the story or the interaction with the player, cannot be readily transferred onto the big screen but, despite the difficulties, the number of poorly received game to film adaptations and the heavy criticisms of pretty much every adaption made, the studios continue to churn them out and ready them for the crossfire of comments from both film and game fans alike. There have been a few successes amongst the rubble of bad adaptations so, there is some hope for this type of film and as both industries evolve and develop their relationship, we are more likely to see improvements and more successful ones beginning to appear.
Student's music video makes the Ffresh Film Festival 2009
Emma Louise Bosley, 21, has an excellent opportunity coming up as she has been chosen to have her music video screened at the Ffresh film festival.
Emma, who is studying a BTEC National Diploma in Film and Media at Coleg Glan Hafren in Trowbridge, said: "My tutor was so proud of what I had achieved in my music video; he thought it was stunning and worth submitting into the festival. He sent me an email congratulating me as it was put into the Ffresh trailer. I then received an email from Ffresh telling me they had chosen my music video to be screened."
Ffresh, which will be kicking off mid-February, is a great opportunity for students to screen their work and meet the professionals. Emma said: "I am looking forward to meeting new people and people that are already in the film/TV business; this gives me an opportunity to ask questions about the industry."
"I would say I am nervous about people not liking my music video and nervous about people who are in the industry watching my music video as again they may not like it."
Emma, who would one day like to enter the film industry and work in cinematography and art direction, has loved film for a long time : "I knew I wanted to study films after watching Moulin Rouge; the way it looked made me want to look further into how it was done and how they achieved such beautiful cinematography. Then I started watching a wide range of films which made me want to learn more about filmmaking."
"My college course consists of many areas to help me with a career in film; film studies, camera techniques, pre-production, production, post-production, sound, lighting, editing and Photoshop; this gives me great knowledge and helps me to understand the stages of filmmaking so I am able to make my own independent films."
Emma is going on to do a Foundation degree in film next year which will be based at Coleg Glan Hafren for Two years and Glamorgan University for a further year.
Emma, who is studying a BTEC National Diploma in Film and Media at Coleg Glan Hafren in Trowbridge, said: "My tutor was so proud of what I had achieved in my music video; he thought it was stunning and worth submitting into the festival. He sent me an email congratulating me as it was put into the Ffresh trailer. I then received an email from Ffresh telling me they had chosen my music video to be screened."
Ffresh, which will be kicking off mid-February, is a great opportunity for students to screen their work and meet the professionals. Emma said: "I am looking forward to meeting new people and people that are already in the film/TV business; this gives me an opportunity to ask questions about the industry."
"I would say I am nervous about people not liking my music video and nervous about people who are in the industry watching my music video as again they may not like it."
Emma, who would one day like to enter the film industry and work in cinematography and art direction, has loved film for a long time : "I knew I wanted to study films after watching Moulin Rouge; the way it looked made me want to look further into how it was done and how they achieved such beautiful cinematography. Then I started watching a wide range of films which made me want to learn more about filmmaking."
"My college course consists of many areas to help me with a career in film; film studies, camera techniques, pre-production, production, post-production, sound, lighting, editing and Photoshop; this gives me great knowledge and helps me to understand the stages of filmmaking so I am able to make my own independent films."
Emma is going on to do a Foundation degree in film next year which will be based at Coleg Glan Hafren for Two years and Glamorgan University for a further year.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Horror remakes and sequels
Horror and thriller films have a terrible habit of rising from the dead and coming back to haunt us as sequels and remakes are constantly floating in and out of the cinema.
It’s enough to make you scream really…not the content but, the concept; it seems sometimes that filmmakers just don’t know when enough is enough and when a horror or thriller should be laid to rest.
So what am I talking about exactly? Well, let’s take the SAW series for our first example.
When SAW was released in 2004 it took everyone by storm; everyone was talking about it as they were both repulsed and intrigued by the idea of it. When Saw II and III came out in 2005 and 2006, we all wanted to see how the gore could progress…naturally. Then SAW IV hit our screens in 2007 and it started to feel like the series was being stretched a bit too far, although this sequel did give us an insight into the methods behind the madness. When SAW V was announced, it all started to seem a bit ridiculous; Jigsaw and his accomplice were both dead so where could the story possibly go now? Well the studios managed to push it even further and I have no doubt we haven’t seen the last of the SAW sequels yet.
In 2007 we witnessed the train crash that was psycho Michael Myers gracing our screens once again in the remake of Halloween and now we are facing another possible remake gone wrong as Friday the 13th brings Jason back to the cinema next month (though I’ll reserve judgement on this one…for now) and we have just been enlightened with the re-imagining of My Bloody Valentine in 3D, which was just laughable as a slasher horror.
Sometimes the remakes work but, they really are in the minority. The Ring (2002) was a decent remake of the 1998 Japanese original and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) was a gripping rehashing of the original 1974 version (though I’m sure critics would argue the original is better) but, these really are lost amongst the majority of poor remakes and sequels.
Horror’s and thriller’s are usually really good the first time around, we can just look at the Hammer Horror classics to see that but, the problem is that all too often they get overdone and then the audience gets bored. We’re in a modern age now and so we need modern horror films with the ability to scare us, it’s just no good rehashing all the old stuff because we’ve seen it all before.
It’s enough to make you scream really…not the content but, the concept; it seems sometimes that filmmakers just don’t know when enough is enough and when a horror or thriller should be laid to rest.
So what am I talking about exactly? Well, let’s take the SAW series for our first example.
When SAW was released in 2004 it took everyone by storm; everyone was talking about it as they were both repulsed and intrigued by the idea of it. When Saw II and III came out in 2005 and 2006, we all wanted to see how the gore could progress…naturally. Then SAW IV hit our screens in 2007 and it started to feel like the series was being stretched a bit too far, although this sequel did give us an insight into the methods behind the madness. When SAW V was announced, it all started to seem a bit ridiculous; Jigsaw and his accomplice were both dead so where could the story possibly go now? Well the studios managed to push it even further and I have no doubt we haven’t seen the last of the SAW sequels yet.
In 2007 we witnessed the train crash that was psycho Michael Myers gracing our screens once again in the remake of Halloween and now we are facing another possible remake gone wrong as Friday the 13th brings Jason back to the cinema next month (though I’ll reserve judgement on this one…for now) and we have just been enlightened with the re-imagining of My Bloody Valentine in 3D, which was just laughable as a slasher horror.
Sometimes the remakes work but, they really are in the minority. The Ring (2002) was a decent remake of the 1998 Japanese original and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) was a gripping rehashing of the original 1974 version (though I’m sure critics would argue the original is better) but, these really are lost amongst the majority of poor remakes and sequels.
Horror’s and thriller’s are usually really good the first time around, we can just look at the Hammer Horror classics to see that but, the problem is that all too often they get overdone and then the audience gets bored. We’re in a modern age now and so we need modern horror films with the ability to scare us, it’s just no good rehashing all the old stuff because we’ve seen it all before.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)