Film Review: Rocketman

A true story based on the life of musician Elton John and directed by Dexter Fletcher, Rocketman is a fantasy musical that follows John (Taron Egerton)’s early days as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music to his musical partnership with Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell). The inspirational story, set to Elton John’s most beloved songs, shows the transformation of a shy piano prodigy with unloving parents (Bryce Dallas Howard and Steven Mackintosh) to an international superstar – including all of the drugs, drink, sex, and pressuring manager (Richard Madden).

Film Review: Snowpiercer

Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette, Snowpiercer is an epic sci-fi that serves as Korean director Bong Joon Ho‘s English language debut. Set in a dystopian future world, the film follows the final survivors of Earth who have boarded the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine, after a failed global-warming experiment killed off all life on the planet. But for the few that remain, life only gets more difficult as a class system is enforced on the Snowpiercer’s passengers. When cryptic messages make their way to the back section of the train – into the hands of Curtis (Chris Evans), Edgar (Jamie Bell), Gilliam (John Hurt), Tanya (Octavia Spencer), and Andrew (Ewen Bremner) – the less fortunate of the survivors are incited to revolt, thrusting the train full-throttle towards disaster, as those at the front of the train – Wilford (Ed Harris) and Mason (Tilda Swinton) – must do their utmost to maintain control.

Film Review: Man On A Ledge

(Published on Lost In The Multiplex and in Issue 7 of my publication In Retrospect)

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Directed by Asger Leth, Man On A Ledge is an American thriller that follows ex-New York policeman Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), who is arrested for stealing a $40 million diamond from businessman David Englander (Ed Harris). Maintaining his innocence and claiming that he had in actuality been set up by Englander, Nick climbs out of a window on the 25th floor of the Roosevelt Hotel. Apparently ready to commit suicide, negotiator Lydia (Elizabeth Banks) tries to talk him down, but unbeknownst to her Nick has no intention of jumping and is rather acting as a distraction. In fact, Nick’s brother Joey (Jamie Bell) and his girlfriend Angie (Génesis Rodríguez) are meanwhile involved in something much bigger, as they attempt to break into Englander’s office to prove Nick’s innocence. But will it all go to plan?

Brits At The Box Office: Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Brown Findlay, Tilda Swinton & More!

(Weekly feature written for BritScene)

The Christmas season is over, and 2012 is now well in play. Some films did well over this period, with many that we mentioned in our last post remaining at the top of the Box Office, with many that we mentioned in our last post remaining at the top of the Box Office. This weekend there are a couple of great films being released too, including action thriller Contraband and coming-of-age drama Albatross, as well as a few others that are expanding their release to more theaters. Carry on reading to find out what British movies and actors you can see on the big screen over the next seven days, as well as where you will be able to see them.

Brits At The Box Office: Jamie Bell, Simon Pegg, Daniel Craig & More!

(Weekly feature written for BritScene)

This week we’re doing a Christmas round-up of films, so you know what will be on in theatres up until New Years Day. There’s three new releases to be looking forward to – The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse and The Iron Lady – and there’s also a few of last week’s films still doing well, with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows placing itself at the top of the box office.

Plans for ‘Tintin 2’ Already In Motion

(Written for BritScene)

Even though The Adventures of Tintin is still yet to be released in the US, the film’s sequel is already underway with British screenwriter Anthony Horowitz already at work on the script.

The Tintin films, based on a series of comic books created by Belgian artist Hergé, were always pitched and planned as a trilogy that would begin under Steven Spielberg’s direction and continue with Peter Jackson taking the directorial reins.

Film Review: Retreat

(Published on Lost In The Multiplex and BritScene, and read in In Retrospect – Issue 3)

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This month sees the release of two very different takes on the widespread of a killer virus. The first with Retreat, a psychological, British thriller directed by Carl Tibbetts, and the second with an American thriller, Contagion, which you can read here.

Retreat was released in the UK earlier this month, following couple Martin (Cillian Murphy) and Kate (Thandie Newton) who take a break to an isolated island in an attempt to fix the troubles of their marriage. When they rescue a washed-up man, Jack (Jamie Bell), and bring him into their home, the last thing they expected to hear about was the threat of a killer virus heading towards the island. Unable to leave their house and with nobody on the island to help them, they begin to think this violent stranger has been lying. When their situation reaches ultimate intensity, they have a decision to make: to believe the only company they have, even if he has a gun to their heads, or to make a run for it. But nothing could have prepared them for them for the ultimate and shocking truth.

New Clips And Behind The Scenes Footage for Tintin

(Written for BritScene)

Excited for the new Tintin movie? Well, we’re about to make your day…

DreamWorks Pictures has released five clips from The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn this week, and three behind-the-scenes featurettes have also appeared online which take us inside the amazing motion-capture process of Steven Spielberg’s 3D family adventure.

First Clip for ‘Retreat’ Shows There’s No Escaping

(Written for BritScene)

The first clip for Retreat has been released this week, emphasising the sheer psychological intensity of Carl Tibbetts‘ directorial debut.

The clip places Cillian Murphy (The Dark Knight) and Thandie Newton (2012) in the middle of a highly tense situation with Jamie Bell (Jumper), a washed up stranger, pointing a gun at the couple’s heads, threatening that they have lost any chance of escaping.

The Adventure Begins With a New Trailer for Tintin

(Written for BritScene)

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is the first instalment in a planned trilogy of computer-animated motion-capture adaptations of George Remi’s series of comic strips. When Tintin and his friends discover directions to a sunken ship they set off on their first adventure, a treasure hunt.

MSN have released an exclusive second trailer for the film this week, only a day after releasing the trailer for another of Spielberg’s film, War Horse.

The script is based on three of the Tintin stories – The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure, with screenplay written by Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim), Joe Cornish (Attack The Block), and Steven Moffat (TV’s Sherlock & Doctor Who).