Film Review: Mary and the Witch’s Flower

Based on The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Giles New, Mary and the Witch’s Flower follows the bored youngster, Mary (voiced by Ruby Barnhill) who is staying with her great-aunt before starting school. But when she ventures into the woods, she discovers a mysterious, glowing blue flower and an old broomstick. She is suddenly whisked off to a city in the sky, where Madam Mumblechook (Kate Winslet) presides over the Endor College of Magic along with the mysterious Doctor Dee (Jim Broadbent). But are they as benign as they appear?

Book v Film: The Sense Of An Ending

“I certainly believe we all suffer damage, one way or another. How could we not, except in a world of perfect parents, siblings, neighbours, companions? And then there is the question on which so much depends, of how we react to the damage: whether we admit it or repress it, and how this affects our dealings with others. Some admit the damage, and try to mitigate it; some spend their lives trying to help others who are damaged; and there are those whose main concern is to avoid further damage to themselves, at whatever cost. And those are the ones who are ruthless, and the ones to be careful of.”

Based on the 2011 novel by British author Julian Barnes and directed by Ritesh Batra, The Sense Of An Ending follows Tony Webster (Jim Broadbent), now a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he has never much thought about – until one his closest childhood friends commits suicide and leaves his diary in Tony’s possession. Tony thought he’d left all of this behind as he built a life for himself, but now his marriage and family and career have fallen into an amicable divorce and retirement. Presented with a mysterious legacy that obliges him to reconsider a variety of things he thought he’d understood all along, Tony is now made to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

Stunning New Trailer & Poster for ‘Brooklyn’

(Written for Filmoria)

Lionsgate has released a brand new trailer and poster for the critically acclaimed Brooklyn this week, and they couldn’t be more beautiful.

Another one of the most anticipated novel adaptations of 2015, this time from author Colm Tóibín, Brooklyn is a heart-breaking story set in the early 1950s, and stars star Saoirse Ronan (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Emory Cohen (The Place Beyond The Pines), Jim Broadbent (Iris), and Julie Walters (Billy Elliot).

Film Review: Cloud Atlas

(Published on Lost In The Multiplex)

Based on the 2004 book written by David Mitchell, and written and directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, Cloud Atlas intertwines six subtly interconnected stories, spanning from the 19th century to a post-apocalyptic future.

The film follows lawyer Adam Ewing (Jim Sturgess) who is travelling on a 19th century merchant ship, 20th century music composer Robert Frobisher (Ben Whishaw) who’s trying to compose his own masterpiece, journalist Luisa Rey (Halle Berry) who’s trying to uncover a story in the 1970’s, present day Timothy Cavendish (Jim Broadbent) who’s being held against his will in a nursing home, genetically engineered fabricant Sonmi-451 (Doona Bae) who’s being interviewed before her execution in a dystopian future, and Valley tribesmen Zachry (Tom Hanks), who’s living in a distant, post-apocalyptic society 106 winters after The Fall.

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New ‘Cloud Atlas’ Character Profiles Span The Ages

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

As well as the release of the first trailer for writer/directors Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer’s upcoming adaptation of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas this month, the film’s official website have now released a number of images of the film’s cast, showing that some of the film’s actors take on multiple roles and characters across the centuries that the film spans.

The incredible cast for this film includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Xun Zhou, Keith David, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, and Hugh Grant, most of whom can be seen in the new images which include Grant as a futuristic tribesman, Hanks as a gangster, and Berry as a white woman. What a combination, right?

Brits At The Box Office: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Ewan McGregor & More!

(Weekly feature written for BritScene)

From thrillers to vampires to an adaptation of Shakespeare, we have some great films set to be released over the next week which include some brilliant British actors. With Kate Beckinsale making it to the top of the box office from last week in Contraband, we see her turn to a much darker world in a new release with Underworld: Awekening, whilst there’s a bloody battle ongoing between Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler in Coriolanus and an action-packed Haywire starring Ewan McGregor and Micheal Fassbender as well.

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.

New Trailer, Featurette and Poster for ‘The Iron Lady’

(Written for BritScene)

The Iron Lady, an upcoming biographical film starring Meryl Streep as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, has a new poster, featurette and trailer this week, offering us some new footage as well as some behind-the-scenes commentary.

The film looks at the life of Thatcher, and the price that is paid for power, as the Prime Minister in London in the 1980′s. It shows how she came from nowhere, smashing through the barriers of gender and class to make her voice heard in a male dominated world. Beginning in 2008, with an elderly Thatcher preparing breakfast for her husband Denis, the film will be narrated through a series of flashbacks, including the 17 days leading up to the Falklands War in 1982.

Brits At The Box Office: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tilda Swinton, Carey Mulligan & More!

(Weekly feature written for BritScene)

This week we’re bringing back our weekly feature ‘Brits At The Box Office’, where we pull together all the information you need about the British cinema heading your way over the next seven days. It’s a great week for cinema too, with some brilliant films full of spies, sex addicts, and a little bit of Christmas. What better way to kick off December?

First Full Length Trailer for ‘The Iron Lady’ Starring Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher

(Written for BritScene)

The Iron Lady, a biographical film with Meryl Streep starring as former and controversial British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, has this week been given an official trailer.

The film looks at the life of Thatcher, and the price that is paid for power, as the Prime Minister in London in the 1980’s, who came from nowhere, smashing through the barriers of gender and class, to make her voice heard in a male dominated world. Beginning in 2008, with an elderly Thatcher preparing breakfast for her husband Denis, the film will be narrated through a series of flashbacks, including the 17 days leading up to the Falklands War in 1982.

5 New Clips for ‘Arthur Christmas’

(Written for HeyUGuys)

Aardman Animation have put 5 new clips online for their latest film, Arthur Christmas, this week.

From the studio behind Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit, Arthur Christmas tells a classic Christmas tale asking the often-wondered, never-answered question, “How does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?” The answer is found through unlikely hero, Arthur, the son of Santa, who must use his father’s ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole to deliver a present to a little girl before Christmas morning dawns.

Film Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2)

It’s the end of an era, and a sad one at that. For the millions of Harry Potter fans around the world, it has all finally come to a close. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, directed by David Yates, is the latest and final instalment to the Harry Potter franchise, based on the novels by J. K. Rowling.

After a decade of filming, the magical trio of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) finish their time at Hogwarts with a fight-to-the-death war. One can’t live whilst the other survives, and the long-awaited finale is here. But will Harry succeed?

Film Review: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows (Part 1)

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final book of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter franchise. Directed by David Yates, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) drop out of Hogwarts to seek the remaining Horcruxes in order to defeat Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). On their journey, the trio learn about The Deathly Hallows, three sacred objects that together could also help them on their way. Following Voldemort’s return and Dumbledore’s death, they must sneak into the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts itself whilst having to remain hidden from the dark takeover of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Film Review: Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

Directed by David Yates and based on the sixth book in J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter series of novels, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince sees Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) enter their sixth year at Hogwarts, as both the muggle and wizarding world are under Voldemort’s tightening grip. Meanwhile, Dumbledore enlists the aid of resourceful yet unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) as we learn more about the dark past of the boy who grew up to become Lord Voldemort. Does Slughorn hold the key to their enemy’s Achilles’ heel?