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admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:33:02 +0000

Welcome to Film Review Links the Movie News and Reviews blog.

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Russell Brand to host 2012 MTV Movie Awards

Alan — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:32:01 +0000

This year’s MTV Movie Awards at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Hollywood will be hosted by Russell Brand, according to MTV news. The risqué comedian has said that the show will be packed full of fun and action. The awards are being held on Sunday, June 3rd and with Brand at the helm it is surely unmissable.

Jesse Ignjatovic, executive producer of the awards show, is delighted with the choice of Brand as host. He says that Brand, 36, is perfect for the job and that he is one of the best stand-up comedians he has seen. Brand is notorious for his near-the-mark sense of humour and, indeed, there have been times when he has stepped over the mark. But he has a big following and he will be a popular choice especially among the younger fans.

He split up with his wife, the American pop singer Katy Perry, last year. The marriage had lasted only 14 months and the singer is now apparently dating Robert Ackroyd, guitarist with Florence and The Machine. Russell, who is also starring in the upcoming film, Rock of Ages, recently verbally laid into a heckler at one of his shows, who had shouted out his ex-wife’s name.

It is thought that this year’s MTV Movie Awards will have two main contenders. There is the smash-hit comedy, Bridesmaids and the blockbuster film, The Hunger Games. They both have eight nominations. Among those already confirmed to be giving out awards are Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Mila Kunis.

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Depp and Burton camp it up in Dark Shadows

Alan — Thu, 10 May 2012 08:28:50 +0000

Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton camp it up together again in ‘Dark Shadows’, a film that revives the old ABC television series of the late sixties. This old show was camp in a way itself but it is pretty certain that was unintentional. It was a very low budget production and a lot of the scenes were shot live adding a certain ‘Acorn Antiques’ feel to it.

In this big screen version the ‘campness’ is definitely intentional as you would expect from these two. It is a funny film with some great special effects and it is just unfortunate that it is let down slightly by Seth Grahame-Smith’s script. It starts well but then gets weaker and weaker until the final ‘what on earth was that all about?’ ending.

There is a fine supporting cast, however, with Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green and Bella Heathcote. The basic plot is that Lord Barnabas Collins (Depp), a stuffy aristocrat, has an affair with a maid (Green) who turned out to be a witch and changed him into a vampire for reasons we won’t go into here.

After 200 years Barnabas Collins wakes up to find himself in the seventies. He is still a vampire, of course, and so the fun and mayhem begins. The witch who cursed him is still about and there are plenty of laughs to be had at all the various seventies icons such as Alice Cooper. To say nothing of the jokes about seventies fashion and lifestyles. Yes, a good film to watch if you can get over the script and enjoy it for what it is.

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Avengers Assemble truly lives up to its hype

Alan — Sat, 05 May 2012 14:42:45 +0000

One of the most awaited films this summer is easily Avengers Assemble as it brings together not just one beloved superhero, but instead a handful of everyone’s favourite Marvel superheroes. The cast is just as stunning as the superheroes they play. helping to build excitement about the film.

These include Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk. Even better is the fact that Shield agent Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson brings all the heroes together,

For fans of comic books and action films, and just about anyone that loves a power blockbuster, Avengers Assemble is easily something to get very excited about. Marvel Studios have been working towards this grand moment ever since they released their first Iron man back in 2008 and for movie goers that are nervous, the news that the movie is just as good as the hype should be comforting.

Joss Whedon the director does a wonderful job on the intimidating project and there is a perfect balance of storytelling, action, and emotion throughout the entire film. Surprisingly enough, each superhero gets equal time screen time as well; which is extraordinary considering the star power packed into the cast.

Downey Jr. performs wonderfully as the perfect combination of humour and heart while Evan’s fittingly takes charge as Captain America. Hulk, played by Ruffalo, brings a whole new meaning to the character and the charming Hemsworth carries on the character of Thor just as expected.

Johansson is also great as the only female in the line-up, and casting Tom Hiddleston to play the villain Loki is true brilliance as he is both chilling and verbally skilled at lining up the hits and delivering them with panache.

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Peter Jackson gives a preview of ‘The Hobbit’ in Las Vegas

Alan — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:16:16 +0000

Peter Jackson has recently given a preview of his new film, The Hobbit, at a conference in Las Vegas. The preview only lasted for 10 minutes and it was not designed so much to show off the film itself, but show off the film technology that was behind it. This is the first film that has been shot with a frame rate of 48 per second, which is significantly higher than the normal rate of 24 frames per second.

The idea of using a higher frame rate is something that has been heavily promoted by James Cameron and Peter Jackson as the future of film making. However, the footage was not met particularly well by the audience and they said that it had a feeling as if it was a made-for-TV film.

24 frames per second has been the industry standard for over 80 years and having the higher frame rate is supposed to smooth out any juddering that can sometimes be seen in films. This is often seen when objects move quickly across the screen and it is something that some people find irritating.

Peter Jackson has stated that the higher frame rates should make things easier on the eyes and make the film seem more realistic. However, audiences found that the film looked too real and lacked proper contrast of colours. They described it is looking more like a TV soap, rather than a major motion picture. The audience described the actors is being over lit as if there was something wrong with the lighting.

Both of these directors have been promoting the format have said that it is going to give films the appearance of high-definition television, rather than traditional films. This is perhaps why people think that the film resembles television, more than a major Hollywood film

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Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is fun and inoffensive

Alan — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:56:48 +0000

Ewan McGregor turned 40 last year and this is the age when many actors start creating their best work. He is currently starring in the British film, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. This film was partly financed by the National Lottery and has been created by the BBC and in many ways it doesn’t seem to really be fitting into one particular genre. It is a romantic drama at the same time as being a satirical comedy and even a political commentary.

There aren’t really any films that it could be compared with very easily but the closest comparison could probably be made to the other British film that has recently been released, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

The latter film is based in India and when people leave the cinema they will be feeling generally good about how the film makes them feel. This new film by Ewan McGregor does not have the same effect on people but it is still quite enjoyable to watch. McGregor performs well in the production as you would expect him to and he manages to maintain that twinkle in his eye that has made him so appealing as the leading man.

The story in this film is somewhat predictable and it tells a tale of the love triangle involving McGregor. The film has a noble plot line about the idea that fly fishing in the Middle East would be a great way to promote peace. Unfortunately though, this is not something that really works and it should be something that gets the audience thinking, which is clearly what this film is intended to do, but it fails.

When you combine this with the predictable love story it doesn’t hold a great deal of interest, but on the other hand it is completely inoffensive and in most ways quite enjoyable.

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Hollywood ends its reluctance to work with Chinese film companies

Alan — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:54:15 +0000

For a long time Hollywood film producers have been reluctant to work with companies in China but this seems to have ended. Disney recently announced that they are going to be creating Iron Man 3 through a partnership with a film studio in China. For many years the Chinese government has set a cap on the number of foreign films that could be released in the country and until recently that limit was set at 20.

However, the limit has recently been expanded to over 30 films and this has encouraged Hollywood film studios to start increasing the number of films they want to distribute in China.

Until the recent change, the Chinese government stated that foreign film studios should only be able to capture around 15 percent of the ticket sales in China. After the change it is expected that this number is going to increase to around 25 percent of the market. This move by the government is going to affect many people, from filmgoers in China, to Hollywood studios.

The business relationship between Hollywood and China has been complicated and is made even more so by the fact that Chinese people have a great affection for some Hollywood films. The Chinese government however doesn’t feel the same way and they have for a long time restricted the entry of many films. Disney films are usually welcomed in China and they find it generally easier to get films shown in the country. That said, even some of their films are stopped at the border.

It is expected that the reason the Chinese government prevent foreign films from entering the country is because they are afraid of their cultural influence. They also want to protect the market in China so that foreign filmmakers are at a disadvantage to native people.

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Screenwriter accuses Mel Gibson of ‘hating Jews’

Alan — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:10:30 +0000

Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas has said in an open letter to Mel Gibson that filmmaker and actor ‘hates Jews’. This attack comes after the rejection by Warner Bros. of the screenplay Eszterhaus wrote for the film Gibson is making about Judah Maccabee.

The letter,which has been published on the TheWrap.com openly accuses Gibson of not actually wanting to make the film at all and is in fact sabotaging it. It says that Eszterhaus has come to the conclusion that Gibson won’t make The Maccabees for the ugliest of reasons; that he hates Jews.

Eszterhaus also wrote that Gibson was only making the film to try and make Jews convert to Christianity. According to The Wrap, Warner Bros. announced on Wednesday that they would not be using the script submitted by Eszterhaus and that they were now deciding what to do with the project.

Gibson was quick to write a response to Eszterhaus, which was published in the Los Angeles Times, and he said that the script has arrived late, was substandard and on the whole a complete waste of time.

He added that according to his (Eszterhaus’) assertion that he was only developing The Maccabees to burnish his already tarnished reputation, he wished to point out that this project has been worked on for 10 years, and was announced 8 years ago. Gibson finished off with saying that the simple fact was that neither he nor Warner Bros. wanted to make a film based on that script.

The involvement of Gibson in a film that is based on Judah Maccabee’s life has been strongly criticised by Jewish groups, and they made their opinions known when he signed a production deal for the film with Warner Bros. Studio in September 2011.

Many of the Jewish community were angered by ‘The Passion of Christ’, Gibson’s 2004 film, and he did nothing to redeem himself by then voicing anti-Semitic remarks to a police officer during a drunken rampage

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Biopic made of Burma’s first lady

Alan — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:37:30 +0000

Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is as close to a modern day version of Martin Luther King or Gandhi that you are likely to find anywhere. The fact that she is still alive, and actively fighting for democracy in her home country of Burma is also nothing short of amazing.

Well, that’s the impression you get from The Lady, Luc Besson’s biopic of the woman they call the Steel Orchid. It is thanks to the wonderful and rounded performance of Michelle Yeoh, and the support from David Thewlis, that The Lady overcomes its obstacles, namely its pace. The result is a moving portrait of a woman with courage, conviction and resilience.

Suu Kyi is the daughter of the former leader of Burma Aung San, who was assassinated back in 1947. She is first shown as a scholar and housewife living in London, the wife of the academic Michael Aris (Thewlis), who specialises in Tibetan culture. Her country is being run by a military junta, portrayed as madmen who live by fortune tellers and superstitions.

Once she gets the call in 1988 to tell her that her mother is dying, Suu Kyi goes back to Rangoon to care for her, and in doing so catches the attention of the leaders. As they are both fearful and suspicious of her motives, being the daughter of her martyr, they begin to follow her every movement. She is shocked when the army respond so violently to the student protests, shooting point blank into the unarmed crowds.

Following this, Suu Kyi is quickly drafted into the nascent democracy movement, and becomes the focal point when general seemingly give into the peoples demands and announce an open election. This triggers more than 2 decades of struggles, during which the harsh regime cracks down hard, not only on the whole democracy movement, but also on Suu Kyi herself.

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Sky project offers much needed funds for British film makers

Alan — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:22:17 +0000

The broadcaster Sky have recently announced that they are going to be launching a project that is going to offer millions of pounds of funding to British film producers. In the past the network has received a great deal of criticism for not investing in UK content. However, in order to counter this criticism, the company said that they will be offering up to £5 million for each new production.

Channel 4 and the BBC currently fund feature films and it is expected that Sky is wanting to compete in this market. However, while the films from the BBC and Channel 4 often appear in cinemas, Sky have said that their films will only be appearing on television.

A statement from the broadcaster read, “Over the next five years we are going to be offering funding to create several feature length productions which are primarily going to be aimed at families. These productions are going to be available for viewing on the Sky Movies channels.”

Sky is currently encouraging people to approach them with pitches for films which they might be interested in funding. Several films are already in production and are set to be released at some point next year

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