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Short: Bistro
"A surreal dark comedy about hunger." The Thick Of It writer Sean Gray has roped in Peter Capaldi and Alex MacQueen for this dining short
12th Oct 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: The Way Back
Un-HD trailer up for Peter Weir's latest movie - The Way Back. Not the most inspiring trailer I've ever seen, but only a mug would overlook Weir's outstanding Star Status ...and Oscar buzz is already building ....according to a Colin Farrell fansite.
11th Oct 2010 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
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Promo Promo: Misunderstanding
Another slice of literal translation into video form, with Phil Collins having some kind of Misunderstanding in 1980's LA. It's now a nostalgia piece, featuring a bearded, Hawaiian-shirt-wearing Phil singing in the rain down a telephone, plus many sites of LA - including the demolished drive-in where DeNiro and his gang had a shootout in Heat.
28th Sep 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Promo Promo: Everyday Is Like Sunday
Morrissey's classic single Everyday Is Like Sunday is back on the digital record shelves today, in support of the upcoming Bona Drag re-issue. So, here's the classic video that accompanies the track - featuring a literal depiction of nearly every line in the song, with added walkman-sporting-moody-teenager and freeze frame ending. Love it.
27th Sep 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Blade Runner revisited
for all of you who thought you were Blade Runner fans... an intense re-edit from François Vautier:
"An experimental film in tribute to Ridley Scott's legendary film Blade Runner (1982)
This film was made as a unique picture with a resolution of 60.000 x 60.000 pixels (3.6 gigapixels) It was made with 167,819 frames from Blade Runner."
10th Sep 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Viral Exorcism
Check out this clever/creepy viral promotion for The Last Exorcism. The viral played on the potentially dirty minds of users of Chat Roulette - a webcam site that hooks you up with a random other user...
8th Sep 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Edgar Wright
A film that's so shallow it's almost deep, Scott Pilgrim is fun, bubblegum matinee viewing. Your enjoyment might depend on your tolerance for Michael Cera's mumbling, videogame references, Batman-style POW! BLAM! ZOM! effects, indie band battles etc etc, but if that's all up your street, you'll enjoy it.
Cera is Scott P, a Canadian slacker who falls for a new hot NY chick who skates into town with a host of evil exes in tow - if Scott wants to date her, he has to get through them first. Meanwhile his band, Sex Bob-Omb is working its way through a battle of the bands contest and his gay roommate Rory Culkin is trying to get him to move out of his flatshare so Scott can stop cramping his style.
It's never really explained why Scott has to battle Ramona's exes: is it all in his mind, the reaction of a post-adoscent brain fried by a lifetime of videogames to meeting someone with a past?
6th Sep 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
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Crowdsourced Radiohead
Nice fan-made Radiohead concert up at YouTube, filmed in Prague by 50 fans armed with HD Flip pocket cameras. Radiohead liked the project so much, they donated the soundboard recording for added fidelity....
3rd Sep 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: Drew - The Man Behind The Poster
interesting looking doc about Drew Struzan, film poster artist
31st Aug 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Unseen Mickey Mouse
Interesting article over at AICN featuring an unfinished Mickey Mouse cartoon that was shelved for being an awkward length (6m 52), followed by an open letter from Harry to Pixar's John Lasseter with a plea to finish it - along with other hidden treasures in the Disney archive.
31st Aug 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: 127 Hours
Exciting trailer up for the new Danny Boyle movie 127 Hours, with the ever enigmatic James Franco.
25th Aug 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Cineroleum
new pop up cinema in disused Clerkenwell petrol station nice idea.
20th Aug 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: Monsters
Monsters is picking up a lot of buzz recently for it's old-school shocks and clever premise - aliens arrived back on a NASA probe and have been mutating and growing for 6 years.
The movie is a firt-time directorial effort from effects man Gareth Edwards. It's not quite on the same clever-with-the-budget page as Panic Attack, 28 Days Later or Blair Witch, looking more like a low(er) budget version of Cloverfield or even the Dawn of the Dead remake, but certainly attention worhty.
Via Empire
17th Aug 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
May The $$$ Be With You
In possibly the first bit of exciting Star Wars news for 10 years, Darth Lucas has announced that the original trilogy will be released on Blu-ray in Fall 2011.
The unaltered original trilogy is now being referred to as the 'classic trilogy' by Lucas, in a not dissimilar way to how Coke back-pedalled out of their new recipe fiasco in the 80's. He has previously put them down as 'workprints' for the eventual grand-vision cartoony versions he released in the 90's and re-tweaked in the 00's.
Of course it was obvious that he would re-jig the films back to their 'classic' state at some point, so if the franchise hasn't been poisoned for you too much this may hopefully be the first time you can get the original films in any kind of decent format. Or more decent than the 90's Laserdisc box at least.
All this info is coming from the Star Wars Celebration V convention being held this weekend, which is providing all sorts of tidbits, articles, links and clips:
- Great article about producer Gary Kurtz vision for a darker Return of the Jedi
- Great Today Show footage from 1980 with Mark Hamill, plus Harrison Ford discussing how much he likes Empire.
- Revelation that Harrison Ford has only seen Empire once.
There was also a screening of one of several deleted scenes that will appear on the Blu-Ray as bonus material. The originally planned opening for ROTJ (below) shows Luke receiving bad vibes from Vadar, while building his own lightsaber and hiding it inside R2D2 - a trick that paid off later in the film. Back when kids couldn't watch the films whenever they wanted I was sure this was the opening to the film - probably as it was in the novelization of the film that I had as an 8-year-old geek. The same goes for Luke watching the space battle at the start of Star Wars through his binoculars.
Nearly all via La Times or AICN
UPDATE: Woodward & Bernstein might suggest a second source on this. AICN is talking original, original trilogy. No one else is that specific. Lucas just talks about the 'highest picture and audio quality' and how the old versions needed a lot of re-mastering, but StarWars.com doesn't actually specify if Han shoots first.... Whatever. Pick 'em up in the 2012 HMV Biggest Summer Sale Ever.
15th Aug 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Promo Promo: The Postal Service
Loving the love-in-the-microchip-factory vibe of this video for Such Great Heights by The Postal Service from back in 2003. Bands of this size just don't get MTV-Ready videos like this any more.
13th Aug 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Re-Branded
Lovely video up from creative agency Johnson Banks to document their re-branding of Virgin Atlantic;s fleet. Doesn't look like the cleanest place to work, but the results are certainly shiny.
Via Brand New
11th Aug 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Devour
Devour.com is an attempt to curate YouTube, getting rids of the dancing cats and just leaving the fancy stuff. Not bad, if a little snooty.
6th Aug 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Expendable
Sly Stallone's certainly pulling out all the stops on the PR machine for The Expendables. Check out their amusing custom YouTube page.
Here's the trailer again. In classic 80's style I'll be renting the VHS of this one.
4th Aug 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Observe And Report
I observe that's it's crap and report it for being lame.
24th Jul 2010
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This Is England '86
Interesting sequel concept from Shane Meadows - a TV series follow-up to his excellent movie This Is England, set a few years later with the same actors reprising their roles. No big deal maybe, except that star-of-the-show Thomas Turgoose was only 13 in the original and now he's 17. See Channel 4's site for more info.
Although that's got nothing on Richard Linklater's forthcoming movie, which has been 12 years in the making....
23rd Jul 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Film A Day In Your Life
Ridley Scott is flexing his advertainment muscles again, this time with the help of Kevin MacDonald for an LG-Sponsored project with YouTube: LIFE IN A DAY.
It's a pretty neat and simple concept - film your day and the 'most compelling and distinctive footage' will be assembled into a film documenting 24 hours on Earth, which is slated to be screened at The Sundance Film Festival. Not bad.
The only problem is what to do during your day in order to make it into this crowd-sourced Koyaanisqatsi. I had a day in front of the TV pencilled in, but that isn't going to impress anybody. I just might have to fake doing something interesting.
Some FAQs here.
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22nd Jul 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Pre-conception
In an increasingly common move, there's a free INCEPTION prequel comic online - which adds some non-essential context to the events in the excellent movie (review here). Head here to read/watch/download.
Via AICN
15th Jul 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Inception
(dir. Christopher Nolan)
What a relief it is to see something new. After all the endless sequels, franchise-extensions, remakes and reboots we've been lumbered with in recent years, you start to feel like no-one is going to bother coming up with anything new, which presents an odd problem: what are people going to remake in 20 years time?!
Anyhow, Inception delivers on its promise of mind-bending action. It's smart, coherent, tense, exciting, unpredictable and rich with emotional depth. Once the rules of the game are established early on - ex-military tech is now being used by corporate spies to steal secrets from people in their dreams you say? Oh, OK, fine! - the movie takes hold, dropping you off in its dream logic, throwing you around the world, dizzying you with some excellent special effects and not letting up until the final credits. Think Eternal Sunshine of The Ocean's 11 Mind, with a bonus dash of Matrix flash (before it got shit).
Leonardo DiCaprio steps up to the promise he's been showing since The Departed, with another beefy role as the experienced dream warrior who gets hired to plant an idea, rather than steal a secret. It's like he's getting wider rather than older. Ellen "Juno" Page is a great addition to Nolan's tricksy world, adding a grounded, sarky teen level to the blockbuster antics. Tom Hardy's role moves a touch too far towards Action Dude from the cerebral, shady forger who's brought on board the team to impersonate people in dreams, but he's still great - surely a big lead role in a Hollywood film can't be far off for him? Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays DiCaprio's right hand man, another thoroughly watchable performance from him. Cillian Murphy makes a decent mark for them to target. Ken Watanabe and Michael Caine - two more Nolan veterans - add yet more weight. Marion Cotillard perhaps hams it up a little as the mysterious French femme fatale, but that's a minor niggle - and there's an argument to be made that it's an intentional device.
Going in cold to a film like this is highly recommended - so we'll stop here; it's easily the film of the summer - and a strong contender for the year's best.
Check out the comic book prequel here.
14th Jul 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Read more 4.5 star reviews
RIP Harvey Pekar
RIP underground comics legend Harvey Pekar 1939-2010
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13th Jul 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: Let Me In
Trailer up for Let Me In, the US remake of Swedish-Indie-Vampire-Hit Let The Right One In. It's directed by the guy that made Cloverfield - and looks pretty good, though this early review over at AICN might suggest otherwise...
2nd Jul 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
How Lego Is Built
Tedious news from Aint-It-cool about the development of a possible Lego movie, but worth noting for highlighting this awesome video of how Lego is made. And how fast Lego is made.
2nd Jul 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Diss Is It
"I don't like your jerk-off name, I don't like your jerk-off face, I don't like your jerk-off behaviour ....and I don't like you, jerk-off."
Hardly an editing masterpiece, but pretty sure I've seen at least 98 of the movies featuring the 100 best insults of all time.
Via Defamer
1st Jul 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Promo Promo: Not Band of Horses
Bizarre cover, even more bizare (NSFW) video. Cee-lo does Band of Horses.
1st Jul 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Promo Promo: Sour
It's won some best video awards and had 2M+ hits on YouTube. Check out the Gondry-esque maniacal organisation of SOUR '日々ã®éŸ³è‰² (Hibi no neiro)'.
Via Sound Theory
29th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Promo Promo: Black Mountain - Old Fangs
Black Mountain's psyco-delic promo for Old Fangs is not all together surprising. Nice rims.
23rd Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Promo Promo: The Roots feat. Jim James
Promo up the The Roots re-imagining of Monster of Folk's Dear God. Jim James goes to the big city.
23rd Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: The Green Hornet
Michel Gondry + Seth Rogen = The Green Hornet. What coud possible go wrong? See for yourself here.
Via AICN
22nd Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
The American
Loving the poster for the new George Clooney/Anton Corbijn movie The American. Check out the first trailer here if you haven't done so already...
22nd Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Like: The Social Network
Not sure what to make of The Social Network. Seems like a strange premise for a movie - but there must be something to it for David Fincher to be attracted.
Take a look: www.thesocialnetwork-movie.com
Via AICN
22nd Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Ad Nauseum: Flake
It might not sell a lot of chocolate, but it caught my attention. Sure, Cadbury's new ad from agency Fallon is a total re-make of the film from Alexander McQueen's A/W 2006 catwalk show, which projected a Kate Moss version of the film in front of the audience - but it's made by the same director (Baillie Walsh), so it gets a pass.
18th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: Solitary Man
Trailer up for Michael Douglas' once-a-decade come back movie - Solitary Man. With added Danny DeVito.
18th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Ad Nauseum: Paint The Town Lavender
Fairly epic ad up from Dulux, who've kindly painted your neighbourhood a puke inducing shade.
17th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
More Robots: Real Steel
new robot boxing film with Hugh Jackman - Real Steel
17th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Spike Jonze: I'm Here
We missed the boat on this, but Spike Jonze has had a new short online since March. I'm Herecan be viewed in it's entirety over at the Absolutly-branded website: www.imheremovie.com
It's a love story, with robots. Trailer up top.
16th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: Somewhere
The making-of featured in Girls of the Playboy Mansion months ago (apparently. I wouldn't know), but now there's a trailer for Somewhere - Sofia Coppola's follow-up to the mis-firing Marie Antoniette, and racist-but-thoroughly-entertaining Lost In Translation. In HD on Youtube and over at Apple.
Hanging out in hotels makes things look nice.
Via The Guardian
15th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Freedom From Porn: The Movie
There seems to be quite an Apple backlash brewing recently, as Apple overtake Microsoft's spot at the top in more ways than one. While the closed eco-system of the iPhone/Pad/Pod certainly has its advantages, it's also a similar situation to that which led to Microsoft's dominating share of the browser wars - which were followed by years of anti-trust investigation and Internet Explorer's current position as bastard child of the evolving internet.
Steve Jobs' position on porn has been made quite clear, and some people don't like it.
14th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: Shanghai
New 1930s-set drama w John Cusack, Gong Li, Chow Yun Fat.
11th Jun 2010 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: Gallants
like the look of this new HK action film starring lots of 70s and 80s HK action film heroes
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10th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Darth Freud
According to a soon-to-be-published report, Darth Vader might have been suffering from a borderline personality disorder. No kidding.
10th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: Norwegian Ninja
crazy-ass Norwegian Ninja action
9th Jun 2010 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Zombie Beatles Movie
is there really going to be a Zombie Beatles movie?! (ZomBeatles, surely?) I Wanna Eat Your Hand? Sgt Pepper's Bleeding Hearts Club Band? Get (that) Back?
9th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
3D HD Camcorder
when did this happen? Aiptek 3D camcorder: Aiptek's new 3D-HD camcorder is the most powerful on the market today. Utilizing powerful, dual-HD sensors allows you to capture 3D stills and videos that can be converted with the included software to work with most major brand 3D televisions. The 3D-HD has a built-in 3D LCD for instant playback, or you can connect it to your PC via USB, or to your HDTV via HDMI. It also has the ability to shoot video and capture still photos in standard 2D. Open up a whole new Dimension of video with Aiptek's 3D-HD camcorder.
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9th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
UP THERE.
Lovely short film up at Vimeo documenting the guys that still paint the multi-story billboard ads in NYC.
FYI ...should you find yourself wanting a Stella at the end, it's an advertorial. Produced by Mother NY.
Via Howies.
8th Jun 2010 - Add Comment - Tweet
Celebrate Originality? Star Wars vs Adidas
Very, very strange ad for Adidas... totally lacking in atmosphere. And Beckham shoots first.
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5th Jun 2010 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet