Director: Christopher Nolan

Writers: Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan

Release date: 24^th July 2008

Genre: Action/crime/thriller

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Echkart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman.

Classification: 12A

HEATH Ledger and a star rammed cast set the silver screen on fire with the release of the newest Batman film, The Dark Knight.

          As with the past Batman films, the action takes place in the gloomy city of Gotham where the Joker is once again on the loose. Its District attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Echkart) along with Gotham’s resident vigilante Batman’s (Christian Bale) job to make the streets safe once again.

Action packed and exhilarating with technically advanced vehicles, car chases and explosions a plenty, this film is anything but dull.

          With an air of melancholy throughout, this is perhaps the darkest of the trilogy definitely aided by the exceptional performance of Ledger as the Joker. Everything from his sinister smile to his awkward mannerisms encapsulate everything that this mysterious character should be.

Christian Bale does not disappoint playing the cool yet confident Batman and Michael Cain lives up to expectations as Batman’s loyal helper, Alfred.

          Echkart appears perfect for the role of attorney Dent, with his family man appeal and well portrayed intelligence. His acting skills are not to frowned upon, without giving too much away, his switch from hero to impressionable enemy is clear cut and highly believable.

Maggie Gyllenhaal has taken over from Katie Holmes in the role of Batman’s love interest Rachel and it is fair to say her innocence yet strong will outplay those of the previous actress.

Forget the traditional villain vs. hero scenario as this is never lucid and is a key feature to the intriguing plot. Being picky, the only criticism of The Dark Knight is the never ending storyline. However, not knowing when the film will end is part of the charm of Batman.

A definite must see film of 2008.

4.5/5

Sources: Photograph courtesy of imdb.

A local anti-smoking group has called for all films with smoking scenes to be given an 18 certificate in the UK to stop children being encouraged to light up.

The concerns were raised by Liverpool City Council who suggest that research has shown that young people are heavily influenced by the depiction of smoking in films and if imposed would stretch to Disney favourites.

Neil Rafferty, of pro-smoking group Forest said: “It’s an absolutely absurd idea to make a film with smoking an 18 but one that has extreme violence a 15″ and I would have to agree.

Such a measure is not going to prevent youngsters from being subjected to smoking. Every time children step out onto the street they see rspected ‘grown-ups’ lighting up and many children have parents who smoke. Surely the influence of ‘real’ people is of more concern? Giving an 18 cert to a film with graphic sexual scenes seems reasonable as you do not see full blown intercourse on the streets, well maybe occasionally on a Saturday night but by this time those passive, impressionable young souls are tucked up in bed with a night light keeping away the boogie man!

Lets give the youth of Britain some credit. Suggestions of increasing the certificate on films which feature the cancer giving sticks is insulting to their intelligence! Children today are more aware of the risks of smoking than any other generation, they are taught about it in school from a very young age.

These are the same youngsters that we were considering lowering the vote to! So are we proposing that a 16 year old is mature and educated enough to make informed decisions about the running of a country yet they are too impressionable to tell the difference between fact and fiction?

Giving an 18 cert to films such as 101 Dalmatians is laughable! I severely doubt that any child has watched the popular animation and thought “wow, that Cruella De Vil looks cool puffing on that disease ridden fag” in the same way that I am highly certain that no child has ever watched the film and been endeared to kill and skin puppies! As Rafferty exclaims: “you need to get some perspective”.

Sarah Butt ©

Sources

www.metro.co.uk

Image courtesy of www.voanews.com

The public has spoken and the votes for the 2008 Sony Ericsson Empire Awards have been counted and verified. British film’s were victorious in many categories with Atonement being the big winner taking away awards for best actress, best actor and best British film. The full list of winners is as follows:   

Best Newcomer
Sam Riley (Control)

Best Comedy
Hot Fuzz

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Stardust

Best Horror
28 Weeks Later

Best Thriller
American Gangster

The Sony Ericsson Soundtrack Award
Control

Best British Film
Atonement

Best Actress
Keira Knightley (Atonement)

Best Actor
James McAvoy (Atonement)

Best Director
David Yates (Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix)

Best Film
The Bourne Ultimatum

Done In 60 Seconds
Titanic

Empire Inspiration Award
Guillermo Del Toro

Outstanding Contribution To British Film
Shane Meadows

Empire Icon
Ewan McGregor

Sarah Butt ©

Photographs courtesy of www.imdb.com

Information courtesy of www.empireonline.com

All proceeds have gone to the Children’s Charity of Southern California.

Sarah Butt ©

Photograph courtesy of www.pagesix.com

Diary Of The Dead

Genre: Thriller, Horror

Certification: 18

Director: George A. Romero

Starring: Shawn Roberts, Joshua Close, Michelle Morgan

Plot: A group of film students are shooting a horror movie when ironically they hear word that the dead are rising and seek refuge.

Verdict: This film was never going to disappoint with Romero as the director and reviews appear to suggest that this film is as vivid and frightening as Dawn of the Dead and Land of the Dead.

To view or not to view: View

Release date: 7^th March

The Other Boleyn Girl

Genre: Drama

Certification: 12A

Director: Justin Chadwick

Starring:Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana

Plot: A rivalry unfolds between Anne Boleyn (Portman) and her sister Mary (Johansson) after the two are encouraged by their father and uncle to contend for the affections of King Henry VIII (Bana).

Verdict: The wonderfully authentic looking costumes and familiarity with the story’s end are surely enough to entice the audience. Add to this the racy nature of the film and the star studded cast and this film has got to be worth a viewing.

To view or not to view: View

Release date: 7^th March

10,000 BC

Genre: Drama, Action

Certification:TBC

Director: Roland Emmerich

Starring:Camilla Belle, Nataneal Baring, Omar Shari

Plot:A prehistoric epic that follows a young mammoth hunter (Strait) as he embarks on a quest through uncharted territory to secure the continuation of his tribe and save his love interest, Evolet (Belle).

Verdict: This film has been criticised for its bland storyline, my response is, if you go to see this film you are not doing so to be wowed by plot twists, you want to judge the graphics. With the man who directed Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow on-board, the CGI recreation of the world as it was in 10,000 BC was always going to impress. This film is all about the CGI!

To view or not to view: View

Release Date: 14^th March

Son Of Rambow

Genre: Drama, Comedy, Family

Certification: 12

Director: Garth Jennings

Starring:Neil Dudgeon, Jessica Hynes, Bill Milner

Plot:Set in the 1980s, Will Proudfoot (Milner), a quiet and religious 10-year-old boy with an over active imagination and Lee Carter (Poulter), an outcast who is constantly in trouble, become close friends over a shared love of First Blood. The pair attempt to make their own sequel and enter it into a TV competition.

Verdict: The dark horse of the group. True, the plot does not immediately capture the imagination and the film appears insignificant, yet reviews so far have dubbed Son Of Rambow as an endearing tale of childhood relationships and definitely worth a look. Empire has gone as far to suggest that “If you only see one Rambo movie this year, make sure it’s this one”.

To view or not to view: View

Release date: March 28^th

Meet The Spartans

Genre: Comedy

Certification: 12A

Director:Aaron Selzer

Starring:Sean Maguire, Carmen Elektra

Plot: A parody of 300

Verdict: The only reason people go to see spoof movies is to be entertained by the onslaught of fat, gay, fart and dick jokes and the crude nudity that are standard elements of such films. This film contains all of the above but somehow still fails to be funny!

To view or not to view: Not to view

Release date: 28^th March

Happy viewing fellow film goers!

Sarah Butt ©

Photographs courtesy of www.imdb.com

It has been a long time coming, but finally, four years after the airing of the final episode of the multiple Emmy and Golden Globe award winning series, Sex and the City, Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte are back. Sex and the City: The Movie, written and directed by Michael Patrick King, will continue to follow the characters as they live their lives in Manhattan four years on. The series was renowned for its frank portayal of sex and it appears that the film version is not going to disappoint. The photographic stills released thus far imply that the film will contain scandalous sexual encounters and fabulous outfits to match those of the series.

Stars, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis are all on board to reprise their roles. Chris North, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler and Jason Lewis are also due to return as the sassy ladies’ love interests. Additionally, a new character has been added to the script; Carrie Bradshaw’s assistant. The part will be played by none other than Academy-Award-winning actress, Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls). The film was set to incorporate further celebrities with Victoria Beckham being offered a cameo role. Unfortunately, she had to turn it down due to the Spice Girls comeback tour. Perhaps she could have fitted it in after all now that the ‘World’ tour has been cut short!?

The success of the film has already been predicted with the producers already making plans for a sequel to Sex and the City: The Movie.

Until May, here are some of the pictures released thus far for your enjoyment. Is that a wedding dress Miss Bradshaw is sporting?…

Sarah Butt©

Photographs courtesy of

www.imdb.com

www.iesb.net 

I’m not usually one for simple teen comedy, in fact I make a point to avoid them. So, you can imagine my surprise when after being persuaded to watch Juno, a comedy with romantic implications, I was in absolute awe.

Juno, directed by Jason Reitman, is about a 16 year old girl named, you guessed it, Juno (Ellen Page), who finds herself in a spot of bother. After loosing her virginity she subsequently becomes pregnant and knowing that she is not ready to be a mum she decides to give the baby up for adoption. This film follows her life for the nine months when she is carrying the child.

Every aspect of this film is marvellous, from the choice of music, which fits the mood of the film completely, to the sarcastic and outspoken comedy that promises to have any viewer in fits of laughter. Juno certainly disproves the claim that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit and at the same time cleverly addresses serious issues. The whole story is optimistic and gives a new spin on the discourse surrounding teenage mothers. Juno’s life is not ruined by her pregnancy but instead, her mistake works to improve the life of Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), who has fertility problems.

Such a film would not have achieved such an impact without the impeccable timing of Ellen Page who has become adept at playing frank and fearless characters as can be seen by her moving performance in David Slade’s film, Hard Candy. This young star plays the part of Juno in such a realistic manner and wholeheartedly deserves her Oscar nomination. The casting in general in this delightful film is excellent. The relationships between each of the characters works amazingly well. The connection between Juno and her father is completely believable and a pleasure to watch. Whilst the opposing characteristics of Juno and her ‘boyfriend’ Paulie, played by Michael Cera, is humorous through its irony and works successfully.

Yes, it is true, this is not the sort of film to blow you away. There are no impressive Hollywood stunts or special effects. Yet, aided by the vision of Reitman and the outstanding talent of the Oscar winning screenwriter Diablo Cody, Juno is absolutely charming, hilariously funny and leaves the viewer feeling elated. It is definitely worth a look even if like me, teen style comedy is not usually your thing.

Sarah rating 7/10

Sarah Butt ©

Photographs courtesy of:

www.filmschoolrejects.com

www.hollywoodchicago.com

www.nypress.com

Last night the stars of the silver screen graced our TV screens for the hottest movie event on the calender. Those of us Brits that stayed up to join in the celebration are surely about to take a nap, but boy was it worth it. Jon Stewart was funny and relaxed as the host and although the amount of pre-recorded footage used was a little tedious, we can only speculate that the lacking scripts were a result of the writers’ strike. However, such issues did not dent the night which was ablaze with beautiful dresses and Armani tuxes. There were no real surprise wins, and as predicted, the Coen brothers stole the show. Anyway, enough babble, here are the results:

Best picture: “No Country for Old Men”

Best actress: Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Best actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best supporting actress: Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Best supporting actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Best foreign film: The Counterfeiters, Austria

Adapted screenplay: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Original screenplay: Diablo Cody, Juno

Animated feature film: Ratatouille

Art direction: Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street  

Cinematography: There Will Be Blood

Sound mixing: The Bourne Ultimatum

Sound editing: The Bourne Ultimatum

Original score: Atonement, Dario Marianelli

Original song: ‘Falling Slowly’ from Once

Costume: Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Documentary feature: Taxi to the Dark Side

Documentary short: Freeheld

Film editing: The Bourne Ultimatum

Makeup: La Vie en Rose

Animated short film: Peter & the Wolf

Live action short film: Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)  

Visual effects: The Golden Compass

And thats that for another year!!

Sarah Butt ©

Sources

www.oscar.com

photograph courtesy of www.imdb.com

After months of speculation it appears that a decision has been made. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law will all play Heath Ledger’s character in Terry Gilliam’s, The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus.

After Heath Ledger’s unexpected death earlier this month whilst in the middle of filming The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, there have been varying rumours about how Gilliam would choose to finish the film. Some believed that CGI would be used to reconstruct Ledger others said another actor would be hired to fill in. However, according to Now Ain’t It Cool, it appears that not just one, but three actors, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law have been roped in to play Ledger’s character. Such a bizarre concept will be easily incorporated through the fantastical nature of the film.

Dr. Parnassus is the story of the owner of a travelling show who makes a deal with the Devil. He agrees to give him his first child on her 16^th birthday in return for eternal youth. In the film, Ledger plays the owner trying to save his daughter from the clutches of the Devil.

Click this link to see the first pictures released thus far of Ledger in Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus http://justjared.buzznet.com/gallery/photos.php?yr=2008&mon=o1&evt=heath-imaginarium&pic=heath-ledger-imaginarium-01.jpg

Sarah Butt ©

Sources

Empire Magazine

Photographs courtesy www.imdb.com

Hollywood Boulevard is predicting that No Country For Old Men will out do its competitors and win the Oscar for ‘best picture’ at this week’s Academy Awards.

No Country for Old Men has been nominated for best picture along with Juno, Atonement, Michael Clayton and There Will be Blood. All films appear worthy of their nominations, however, Hollywood columnist, Jeanne Wolf, Hollywood says “The smart money is on No Country For Old Men”. This is an opinion shared by others in the movie field with Los Angeles Times film critic, Tom O’Neil, suggesting that the best picture result is a “no brainer”. He explains that “Oscar voters tend to vote for best film based on who the director is and there is a strong feeling in Hollywood that this is the year of the Coen brothers”.

Joel and Ethan Coen’s dark thriller, No Country for Old Men, is full to the brim with violence, mayhem and dead bodies and has already won numerous awards, including top prizes from the Critics’ Choice Awards and is nominated for an astounding for 8 Oscars and the approaching ceremony. Is this film unstoppable?

“Of course there is always space for jaw-droppers” O’Neil exclaims, and this year it would, please many to see the loveable, quirky film Juno win the award. Although realistically, however heart warming the content may be, this appears unlikely. Jeffery Wells, of website Hollywood commented, “You have to look at the guilds, and it’s been No Country all the way”.

Sarah Butt ©

Sources

BBC News

Photgraphs courtesy of www.imdb.com