Film Review: Serena

Directed by Susanne Bier and based on Ron Rash‘s 2008 novel, Serena is set in 1930s North Carolina and tells the story of the newly-wed couple, Serena (Jennifer Lawrence) and George Pemberton (Bradley Cooper) as they return home to begin to build a timber empire. Although George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattlesnakes, even saving her husband’s life in the wilderness. Together, they take charge of the woodlands and ruthlessly kill or vanquish all those who fall out of their favour. Yet when Serena learns that she will never bear a child, she sets out to murder the son that George has fathered without her.

Book v Film: Serena

“What made losing someone you loved bearable was not remembering but forgetting. Forgetting small things first… it’s amazing how much you could forget, and everything you forgot made that person less alive inside you until you could finally endure it. After more time passed you could let yourself remember, even want to remember. But even then what you felt those first days could return and remind you the grief was still there, like old barbed wire embedded in a tree’s heartwood.”

Directed by Susanne Bier and based on Ron Rash‘s 2008 novel, Serena is set in 1930s North Carolina and tells the story of the newly-wed couple, Serena (Jennifer Lawrence) and George Pemberton (Bradley Cooper) as they return home to begin to build a timber empire. Although George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattlesnakes, even saving her husband’s life in the wilderness. Together, they take charge of the woodlands and ruthlessly kill or vanquish all those who fall out of their favour. Yet when Serena learns that she will never bear a child, she sets out to murder the son that George has fathered without her.

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Film Review: Snow White And The Huntsman

(Published in Issue 11 of my publication In Retrospect)

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Directed by Rupert Sanders, Snow White And The Huntsman is the latest in a series of childhood fairytale re-imaginings. Based on the classic Brothers Grimm tale Snow White and The Seven Dwarves, the film follows the story of a Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) who is ordered to find and kill the princess of the realm, Snow White (Kristen Stewart), who has run into the haunted woods after escaping being locked up by the Evil Queen (Charlize Theron), a sorceress whose dark magic has immersed the kingdom into complete despair. The Huntsman, however, finds himself becoming Snow White’s protector, as they meet seven dwarves on their quest through the forest and begin to conspire a plan to defeat the Evil Queen for good.

Snow White And The International Poster

(Written for Lost In The Multiplex)

A new international poster for Rupert Sanders’ Snow White And The Huntsman has been released this week.

Adding itself to the top of the already highly piled-up collection of promotional releases, it’s likely that you’ve already been impressed from the number of trailers and new images for this film recently, so you’ve probably made up your mind on this epic and dark twist on the classic fairytale. The new poster, however, is pretty decent and will only further flourish your expectations.

Casting Catch-Up: Tom Hardy, Rhys Ifans, Toby Jones, Lily Collins & More!

(Written for BritScene)

Some very interesting casting news this week, including Tom Hardy taking on his first project under his new Executive Options banner and Colin Salmon and Theo James joining a couple of interesting new TV pilots. If that’s not enough to entice you to read more, then you can also find out about the ongoings of David Oyelowo, Rhys Ifans, Toby Jones, and Lily Collins too, who are joining some really great upcoming films such as Writers, Serena and The Butler.

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 & Pictures for ‘Titanic’ Drama

(Written for BritScene)

ITV has released a trailer and seven new pictures for Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes‘ upcoming historical drama, Titanic – a four-part miniseries re-telling the extraordinary story of the sinking of the HMS Titanic.

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.

The New ‘Hunger Games’ Jigsaw Poster Revealed!

Over the day, 100 different websites from all over the world have released a single, small piece of the new Hunger Games poster in a jigsaw-style puzzle viral event.

The film, directed by Gary Ross, follows twelve Districts who each send a girl and boy, trained in combat, into the heart of a jungle until only one is left alive. Adapted from Suzanne Collins’ 2008 young adult science fiction novel, it stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Wes Bentley, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Toby Jones, and Donald Sutherland, and is set to be released on 23rd March, 2012.

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.

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).

Film Review: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

(Read this in my publication In Retrospect – Issue 2 and on BritScene)

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Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor, Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief.

This month has got many film critics talking about Gary Oldman and, with the release of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy this month, it’s not hard to see why. Alongside Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Hurt and Tom Hardy, this film adaptation, directed by Tomas Alfredson, is a traditional British spy thriller based on the novel written by John le Carré in 1974.