Harry Potter hasn't failed to be the number one film of the year (in terms of UK Box Office) yet, and I don't expect it to falter at the sixth entry. Here's the first trailer which came out last year:
Harry Potter opens on 17 July 2009.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Tuesday Trailers - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Monday, 29 June 2009
Cara Williams
Happy Birthday to
Cara Williams
84 today
You'll be forgiven for not knowing who Ms Williams is. After a promising start to film she made the move to utterly forgettable 1960's TV, including "Pete and Gladys" and "The Cara Williams Show". However the ratings were never quite good enough, so the scatty red-head, who was positioned as the next Lucille Ball was pretty much retired by the end of the 60's returning only for small dramatic roles.
Sunday, 28 June 2009
Bruce Davison
Happy Birthday to
Bruce Davison
63 today
There was a time when Bruce was starring in respectable movies, like The Crucible and the X-Men films. Now he's doing dreck like this knock-off of a knock-off. Where did it all go wrong?
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Isabelle Adjani
Happy Birthday to
Isabelle Adjani
54 today
The French have provided us with some beautiful and versatile actresses. In the top flights of these is Isabelle, who shot to fame in Truffants' L'histoire d'Adèle H. Unfortunately she tends to take big gaps between pictures, so there's nothing in the pipeline.
Film News (27/06/09)
Slow week for news, unless you count the annoucement that there will be 10 best picture nominees next year. Yes 10. Will the quality of films overall get better as a result? Probably not. Maybe we'll see some smaller releases get into the big picture race or maybe it'll be a triumph for the MOR pictures, but let's just wait and see.
Dark Shadows
Dark shadows was a pulpy camp horror TV series from the 60's with a soap opera type family beset by demons, zombies and parallel universes. I don't know about you, but this seems a perfect fit for film duo Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, and would you believe it Depp been spilling the gossip to the press during the Public Enemies junkets.
Based on the picture above do you think they had a costume designer, or did they just grab whatever was lying around in the studio?
Fahrenheit 451
Frank Darabont is still trying to remake Truffant's anti-facist film about book burning. In interviews this week he's been saying he's close to signing on a big name in the Oskar Werner role. Can't wait to see how Darabont builds his dystopian futurescape.
Social Network
Yes, I'm interested in a facebook movie. Its' been that slow a week. Of course the reason it's here is the somewhat bizarre news that David Fincher will be directing the Mark Zuckenburg story. For thse of you not in the know Zuckenburg was the founder of Facebook, who has built up this massive world changing empire, whilst battling off a score of legal actions over the rights to the site.
Kevin Spacey is producing, so could that mean a return to exciting roles for him? Could be interesting if he does go for it.
Box Office News
Release Date News
Antichrist - Lars Von Trier incendiary horror film, which we saw the trailer for on Tuesday, is due to be released fully uncut in the UK in less than a month. Better get the letters to the Daily Mail ready to send. It opens on 24 July 2009.
The Informant - I had the trailer for this multi-strand US imigration tome a few weeks ago, only to hear the release date has shunted back a couple of weeks, nothing serious though. Now out on 31 July 2009.
Creek - Horror starring the one that isn't Dominic Purcell from "Prison Break". It's all about Nazi experiments and underground cults, blah blah. Coming on 18 September 2009.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - Heath Ledger's final film, with alternative versions of himself played by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. Sure to be fascinating, if abstract Gilliam piece. See it from 09 October 2009.
Bright Star - Jane Campion's Keats biopic, focusing on the chaste love affair with next door neighbour Fanny Brawne have a prime autumn release date. Described as a return to form, I'm not sure when Campions films haven't been on top form. Opens on 06 November 2009.
Girlfriend Experience - You can stream it from the internet now, but to truly experience watching Soderbergh's latest with someone you f**k why not visit a cinema on 20 November 2009.
The Informant - Bizarrely moved to the same release date is Soderbergh's other 2009 film about a pharmaceuticals whistle blower. Should make an interesting double at some arty-cinemas. Now out on 20 November 2009.
Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader - I've said it before and I'l say it again, Dawn Treader is by far the best of the Narnia novels, hence my vague excitement at the film. Dragons, sea serpents, hurricane winds, it has it all on 10 December 2010.
Box Office Report
In May the blockbuster season started with relish, and predictably two of the top 5 releases were advertised to within an inch of their lives and the other three are all aimed at the kids and families market. Star Trek is confidently leading the frame with an extra £2m more than the Night at the Museum sequel. I have at least seen one of these this month, but none were recommended as film of the week.
1. Star Trek
2. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
3. Angels & Demons
4. Hannah Montana: The Movie
5. Coraline
Running: Week 3, Day 6, Run 4
Just a short jog this morning, concentrating on lifting my feet (really) and keeping a long even stride going.
3.9 km in 21 minutes or 11.3 kmph.
Friday, 26 June 2009
Out this week (26/06/09)
There are an extraordinary number of films being released this week, so the whole going to the cinema decision making thing is going to be really tough. Of the 11 features I'm going to recommend the ultimate art-house picture Shirin, although none are really jumping out so make your own choice.
Blood: The Last Vampire
Live-action remake of the 2000 anime about a government-sponsored vampire who hunts down "deamons" in her high school. Sounds like a very Japanese version of Buffy.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
The Blue Tower
Bleak british thriller set within the Indian communities, mixing inter-racial tensions with low-life crime and potent symbology.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Dummy
I know very little about this drama from British TV director Matthew Thompson, other than watching the odd little trailer. It appears to be about young brothers coping with their mothers death, the older one goes off the rails and the younger one paints a face on a tailor's dummy.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Lake Tahoe
Semi farcical film about a boy who's car breaks down and his increasingly bizarre attempts to get help, against the backdrop of a terrible persoanl tragedy. Includes scenes of him being confused with a burglar and walking dogs - like a Mexican Clockwise.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
The Last Thakur
Like a Bangladeshi version of the Big Country - Kala arrives in a small town where two major persoanlities are warring for the souls of the inhabitants.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
My Sister's Keeper
Saccharine looking tosh from the director of The Notebook. Abigail Breslin is tired of giving parts of her body to her cancer ridden sister, Cameron Diaz is desperate for an oscar.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
New York
Running the risk of being in extremely bad taste this is a Bollywood movie about three students affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks. I'm certainly interested to see what the reactio is like.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Rudo & Cursi
The gorgeous duo of Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna are on screen together for the first time since Y Tu Mama Tambien. Carlos Curaon' footballer's brothers story may be less ambitious than their last collaboration, but it should be well worth the ticket price.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Shirin
It is hard to seperate the heritage of this Iranian film with current cultural events, suffice to say the very freedom to make films like this may be at stake. Abbas Kiarostami selects a unique way of presenting the Persian love poem Shirin, first he directs a stage performance of the show, but instead of watching that we watch the reactions of 115 female audience members to the play whilst we only hear the action. Almost exclusively in close up we see every tear and laugh that the audience feel. Incredible concept and very deserving of this weeks top film, regardless of the timing.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Sunshine Cleaning
Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are sisters setting up a crime scene cleaning company, watch as they hilariously discover the best way to remove blood stains from silk curtains and learn how to be responsible adults. True fact: I was asked to host a charity preview of this.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Tenderness
Low key Aussie crime thriller with high key cast of Russell Crowe, Laura Dern and Jon Foster (who probably butchered his family). From the director of Swimfan, but not as bad as that might imply. I wonder if there's some gratuitous shots of Foster's torso?
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Year One
I can imagine the pitch meeting for this high concept comedy with Jack Black and Micheal Cera. 2 failed hunter gatherers go out in the wide world after being banished from thier tribe, only to bump into various characters from the old testament. With hilarious consequences (!).
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Running: Week 3, Day 4, Run 3
Repeating the disatnce on Tuesday (more or less) and trying to go faster. I will be doing that for most Tuesday/Thursdays over the next few weeks - but not next week which we'll get to when we get to it.
So today 10.0 km in 53 minutes. Or 11.3 kmph, which is pretty much where I want to be so I'm quite happy right now.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Maria Larsson's Everlasting Moments
2008. Dir: Jan Troell. Starring: Maria Heiskanen, Mikhail Persbrandt, Jesper Christensen, Emil Jensen and Ghita Nørby. ●●●●●
I am so very glad I had the opportunity to watch this beautiful and moving film from Sweden, and I can fully recommend the picture to anyone with even the slightest interest in love stories in film.
Essentially it is a tale of a woman (Heiskanen) who falls in love with 2 men. The first is her husband (Persbrandt), a strong, rebellious manual labourer, who drinks, womanises and evetually beats his wife and children. The second is a more cultured photographer (Christensen - Mr. White from Casino Royale) who the woman meets whilst trying to pawn her camera. The photographer teaches her how to use the camera, and through that Mrs. Larsson finds a new outlook on life, the camera becoming a symbol of her independence and strength against her brutish husband.
It's a curious thing, love, and this film gets right into the heart of how a woman can love 2 people equally but vastly differently. With her husband the love is borne of duty and family, and there are times when he is surprisingly touching and romantic to her. Her love for the photograher, whilst wholey chaste is no less powerful, and when he moves away to be with his granddaughter there were tears running down my face at what might have been.
All three of the leads put in superb performances, Heiskanen is especially moving as the woman torn. At the same time Persbrandt finds enough humanity in the role of Sigge to stop him from becoming a cardboard cut out monster.
The script is perfect with even the cliched narration by one of the duaghters and end of a last frame left in the camera seeming to be natural rather than forced. Importantly the film doesn't shy away from the effects of domestic violence and the terror of living with a volatile bully.
The film stock is desaturated giving the cinematography a sepia tinge, entirely in keeping with the themes. The set decoration is also incredibly real, with exactly the right amount of detail.
The use of Carter Burwell's theme from Gods and Monsters is also incredibly moving, and used at just the right time to get maximum effect.
Overall this is a superb film, and one I would recommend to everyone.
Running: Week 3, Day 3, Run 2
I suppose today was technically fartlek training - although to be honest it was slow, bit less slow, recover from hangover training.
And it's very hot in the capital today. Enough of the excuses:
5.9 km in 34 minutes or an average of 10.3 kmph.
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