Ted - Premiere

The stars were out for this summers new comedy! Ted tells the story of a man in Boston (Wahlberg) who's dream as a child comes true when his teddy bear (Ted) comes to life. The film stars and was directed by Family Guy creator and this looks to be the start of a huge career in feature length films. Have a look at some of the stills from the premiere and scroll down for the trailer and UK release date!

Stars of the film Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg

Alexis Knapp lookin stunning in white

Brittany Snow

Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis

Mark Walhberg and his wife Rhea Durham

Mark and Rhea

Mila and Seth MacFarlane

Mark Wahlberg with Ted!


Ted hits UK cinemas from August 1st!

Now on Sky Movies: 30 Minutes or Less

30 MINUTES OR LESS


2011

15

Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride and Nick Swardson


From the director of Zombieland and starring Jesse Eisenberg, you would be right in expecting the same again, but apparantly lightening doesn't hit twice: this isn't another Zombieland. It's not that it's bad. It's just not particularly good.

The plot chronicles a pizza delivery boy who gets kidnapped, wired up with an explosive and ordered to rob a bank in hours or else... The result is refreshing, quick, fun and completely quotable - but it is by no means perfect.

For starters, the casting is a little off. On the one hand, you have the main thread and pairing between Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari who are excellent. Whereas our masterminds (McBride and Swardson) are caricature and pantomine. So instead of being Dumb and Dumber it turns into two grown men acting like children and trying to be funny: but maybe that's the point.

30 Minutes or Less is funny though, the script is witty, it's incredibly fast paced and Jesse Eisenberg is genius as ever in this role. The movie also has Fleischer's signature indie look and amazing soundtrack which is always a strong point. So for a light hearted, good laugh - look no further than 30 Minutes or Less.

Rating: 5.5






Favourite Soundtracks - Part II


Here marks Part II of the favourite soundtrack series! The music that accompanies a film is one of the things that stays with the audience long after the credits role. There's nothing better than hearing a song and have it remind you of a fantastic movie. So in honour of all special OSTs, here's another 10 to get your teeth into!

1. X Men First Class - Half The Man. This track feels distinctly epic and really captures the spirit of Matthew Vaughn's mutant masterpiece.


 
2. Kanye West and Jay Z- No Church In The Wild. Sadly this song doesn't accompany the actual movie Safe House, however it heads up the credits and rounds off an amazing movie!


3. Kate Hudson - Cinema Italiano. Say what you want about this film, but it's hard not to smile at this musical number from Nine.


4. Real Hero by College. Drive is an unbelievably stylised film and the soundtrack follows in the same vane. Listening to this makes us want to don an 80s jacket and cruise around town with an intense look on our face a la Ryan Gosling.

 
5. Tick Tick Boom by the Hives in 30 Minutes or Less. Such a promising start to a very promising film. At that one moment, it was possible that Jesse Eisenberg looked cool, until he started talking.
 
 
6. Temptation - New Order Trainspotting has one of the best soundtracks of all time. When you combine this classic film with New Order - the result is a match made in heaven!
 
 

7. The Smiths There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. 500 Hundred Days of Summer has so many memorable songs, however it definitely came down to either this or Sweet Disposition, we thought we'd remain loyal to The Smiths.
 

8. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) Nancy Sinatra Kill Bill Vol 1


 
9. Natasha Beddingfield - Pocket Full of Sunshine from Easy A! Despite this song being in the movie for a bit of a joke, it's catchy.
 
 
10. The Doves - Kingdom of Rust - Zombieland! All round fantastic movie and soundtrack, but this has to be the best one!
 
 
 
 Keep it locked with Amateur Reviews, there may be a part III on the cards!

Prometheus - Review


PROMETHEUS

2012

15

Directed by Ridley Scott

Starring Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron


When scientists Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Marshall-Green) find a star map inviting them to meet their makers, they embark upon a journey into the unknown and may just meet their end. Ridley Scott’s return to Sci-Fi has been highly anticipated and, while not living up to Alien, has created an immersive and visually stunning movie.

From the beginning of the film until the credits roll Prometheus is dramatically striking and is best viewed in 3D to best appreciate the flawless special effects. The breathtaking sequence that opens the film was actually shot in Iceland and showcases Scott’s prowess at capturing staggering vistas. The sets inside the good ship Prometheus feel clinical, expansive and airy in direct contrast in the grittier, grimier land outside the ship. In terms of visuals, you’d be hard pushed to find a better looking movie.

The cast is fine. Although Noomi Rapace makes an unconvincing leading lady with a very odd English accent, her performance is balanced out by other cast members. Charize Theron plays Meredith Vickers, the tough-nut commander of the mission. She’s one of the few actors who managed to bring depth to her enigmatic character however by the end of the film you may still not really understand her. Thank the engineers for David! Michael Fassbender is sterling in his role as the Android butler with devious motives. The actor studied Olympic diver Greg Louganis and drew inspiration for his impressive physicality. Fassbender is a true chameleon however not even his stellar performance could detract from the gaping flaws in the film.

The first act is promising and outlines some intriguing questions which sadly get ignored when the movie becomes preoccupied with killing off every member of the crew. And this is exactly the issue. Prometheus is lacking in a wider plot, as the movie just chronicles gory events and the audience struggle to care about the demise of the characters when they were so poorly written. Unlike Alien, Prometheus lacks a sense of suspense, doom and dread – which is essentially what people want form a Sci-Fi Horror film.

Fingers crossed Prometheus is the only blockbuster that fails to live up to the immense hype surrounding its release this summer. Yet despite the imperfections, Prometheus is still a good movie. It’s entertaining, sickeningly gory and beautifully shot.

Rating: 7

Check out the rest of our coverage on Prometheus from the Premiere to the viral campaign via the links below!










MTV Movie Awards: Round-Up

Very late, but better late than never right? Even if you already know who won the awards, which let's be honest, you probably do - there's still some pretty pictures to come.

On a side note, it now becomes clear why the general public are excluded from voting for the Academy Awards and the BAFTAs... Because if that was the case, all the loyal Twilight fans would have ensured that K Stew and R Patz won Best Actress and Actor for the past four years... And who wants that?

Anyway, here are the winners!

MOVIE OF THE YEAR: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE: Jennifer Lawrence - The Hunger Games

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE: Josh Hutcherson - The Hunger Games

BEST GUT-WRENCHING PERFORMANCE: Bridesmaids - Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper

BEST FIGHT: Jennifer Lawrence & Josh Hutcherson vs. Alexander Ludwig - The Hunger Games

BEST KISS: Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn

BEST ON-SCREEN DIRTBAG: Jennifer Aniston - Horrible Bosses

BEST HERO: Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

BEST MUSIC: Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO (21 Jump Street)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE: Shailene Woodley - The Descendants

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE: Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids

BEST CAST: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Warner Bros. Pictures) - Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton

BEST ON-SCREEN TRANSFORMATION: Elizabeth Banks - The Hunger Games

BEST TRUE TRAILBLAZER: Emma Stone

GENERATION AWARD: Johnny Depp


And on to the lovely pictures!



Kristen Stewart

Mila Kunis

Josh Hutcherson

Alexander Ludwig

Chris Hemsworth

Mark Wahlberg

Fun.

Emma Stone

New Spiderman Andrew Garfield, looking very Peter Parker-esque

Channing Tatum

Emma Watson

Leighton Meester

Emma Watson poses for photographers on the red carpet

Elizabeth Banks

The Hunger Games co-stars Elizabeth Banks and Josh Hutcherson

Gary Oldman and Christian Bale

Introducing a new clip from The Dark Knight Rises - Gary Oldman, Christian Bale and Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Prometheus co-stars Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron

Snow White and The Huntsman - Review

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

2012

12A

Directed by Rupert Sanders

Starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth

We’re going to come right out and say it, for a summer blockbuster, Snow White and the Huntsman is an extremely well crafted and entertaining movie. In a twist to this classic fairy tale, a Huntsman (Hemsworth) is ordered to find Snow White (Stewart) and bring her back to the Evil Queen (Theron). Instead of this, the duo joins with the 7 dwarfs in a quest to vanquish the queen and regain the Kingdom to its rightful heir.

For starters, the cast is superb. Kristen Stewart has finally been cast a character with more backbone and substance than Bella Swan, and despite her critics, is perfect as Snow White. Though perhaps not as fair as Charlize Theron, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in her role, leading the knights to war and inspiring battle. Chris Hemsworth essentially plays Thor, only with an axe instead of a hammer! His comedic timing is en pointe and he just about conquered the Scottish accent. A high point of the movie is any of the scenes with the dwarfs. Nick Frost, Ray Winstone and Toby Jones (amongst others) are sadly underwritten but have a very funny British sense of humour. Charlize Theron majorly echoes Tilda Swinton in her icy performance as the powerful queen. Inhumanely beautiful and massively formidable: a lethal combination.

The art direction in this film is breathtakingly dark and strangely beautiful. Twisted forests, gothic castles and expansive beaches seem very Tim Burton-esque and this fairytale is of similar ilk to the remake of Alice in Wonderland. Many scenes seem strangely iconic and some parts feel borrowed from other films, such as The Lord of The Rings, but are heavily stylised. The scenery and tracking shots are absolutely stunning and the film deserves praise for the editing and effects alone. Colleen Atwood’s costume design is unbelievably intricate and beautiful and serves to make the experience even more immersive. This is definitely a movie to be seen in the theatres to full appreciate the outstanding cinematography.

Snow White and The Huntsman is an elegant and inventive take on a classic fairytale which will appeal to all the family – as far as family films go, Snow White is probably your best bet this jubilee holiday. Given the movie is a little over 2 hours it is incredibly well paced, rarely drags and is full of entertaining moments. Snow White and The Huntsman is a definite recommendation!

Rating: 8  










Now on Sky Movies: The Tree Of Life



THE TREE OF LIFE


2011

12

Directed by Terrence Malick

Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Sean Penn


Years after the death of his younger brother, architect Jack (Penn) considers the nature of life and his place leading to cathartic memories of a troubled childhood back in 1950s Texas. He reflects on his relationship with strict authoritarian father (Pitt) and delicate mother (Chastain).

If you’re expecting a run of the mill Hollywood movie, this isn’t it: but did we really need another of them anyway? The answer is no. This film no doubt divides critics and viewers alike. Some say the Tree Of Life is too pretentious and contrived, but even if you’re still slating it months after, it’s served a purpose as you are still talking about it! Like all good art, it provokes opinion, love it or hate it at least the movie garnered a response from the masses: there will be no fence sitters, which is admirable in itself. The Tree Of Life dispels the myth that main stream films aren’t allowed to be abstract despite the fact that people fawn over controversial art, music and literature every day – why can’t film also be that way?

Before even getting to anything close to a conventional scene, Malick crafts magical sequences of the solar system, boiling lava, the moment of conception and dividing cells, ethereal jelly fish and bleak landscapes inhabited by dinosaurs while a meteor journeys to the earth. There is a reoccurring motif of a flickering light in many of the scenes and this cosmic and cataclysmic scale change is juxtaposed seamlessly with the mundane and beautiful dynamics of one family’s life.

The Tree Of Life is profound and, some say, immensely thought provoking but a lot of what an individual takes away from the viewing experience depends on how open minded they are because you’d be sorely mistaken to think this film should be taken at face value. The plot is no mean feat; it’s an impressionistic study of family life that delves into our place in the universe and relationship with a greater being.

The loss of L.R in the first act is illusive but prompts a string of age old questions as to why they are taken from us seemingly before their time. Jack and his two brothers are played by unknown actors who have an immensely natural quality as they organically recall memories and fragments of their childhood. Wisps of emotion and human memory are echoed by Malick’s heavenly imagery of golden sunlight flickering through trees, gentle breeze on fields of grass and flimsy curtains billowing. One thing that can’t be disputed is that The Tree Of Life is an incredibly beautifully shot movie.

Both parents interestingly evoke polar opposites. “The way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one you follow.” is set up in the opening of the movie and Chastain embodies the way of grace, she is sweet gentle and depicted like an archangel in Jack’s recollection. In direct contrast to this, Pitt plays the archetypal disciplinarian who teaches the boys that nothing happens without will. It seems he means well, but it is lost in translation and ultimately he seems to be a tyrant who fails to value what he has.

The soundtrack is a symphony of choirs and esoteric opera which serves as an epic back drop to artistic depictions of life. The movie has a spiritual and cinematic feel to it as Malick finds beauty in the ordinary and in an answerless void. It’s this aspect of the film that leaves it vulnerable to derision and scorn because this is not what people expect. Yes, at times it does come across affectedly pretentious and you really do lose touch with the plot occasionally but the majority of the film is not in that vain.

It’s no surprise The Tree Of Life earned the Palme D’or at Cannes last year - it feels refreshing in comparison to the barrage of drivel that floods our theatres. This is a film fascinated by life: it poses the question ‘why and what are we here for.’ Thankfully, The Tree of Life does not profess to have the answers we all crave. But least it touches upon it, unlike so many others. The Tree Of Life is bold, brave and creative: it gives audiences great faith that cinema can aspire to art.


Rating: 7.5









Prometheus - World Premiere

As promised, here are some stills and videos from last nights premiere at Leicester Square in London! Prometheus has already broken records for pre sales and it looks likely that it may challenge The Avengers and The Dark Knight in terms of box office success. You can expect our review a week today to coincide with the American release so definitely come back to check it out. 

The cast of Prometheus on the blue carpet

Charlize Theron looking elegant in a midnight blue Dior mini dress

Director Ridley Scott and Giannina Facio

Guy Pearce

Photographers at Leicester Square with Jubilee bunting

Logan Marshall-Green

Charlize Theron


Although not starring, Tom Hardy was present at the premiere

Co-stars Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron

Michael Fassbender who plays android David

L-R Guy Pearce, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Ridley Scott and Logan Marshall-Green

Michael Fassbender opting for a charcoal suit

Noomi Rapace in floor length Valentino
 And here are a few interviews from the stars!



Prometheus is now showing in theatres across the UK.