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The Establishing Shot: Week 47 Film News Round-up

Friday, November 25, 2011 Craig Grobler 0 Comments

The Establishing Shot Film NewsThis week on The Establishing Shot: UK Top 10 Films, Establishing Shot Exclusive: Inside the Resistance Premiere a photo set, Voting for the Jameson Empire Awards 2012 is now OPEN,  Paramount shows us exclusive footage of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and my analysis, Resistance Review, Take Shelter Review, Sony Digital Cinema 4K screening of Dr Strangelove, Support Charity and get tickets to the Royal Film Performance of Martin Scorsese's Hugo 3D, Sundance London Film & Music Festival pre-sale tickets now available, Sir Ben Kingsley - A Life in Pictures, ICA announce a new Cinema Loyalty Card, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol opening early on IMAX, New Releases From Cine-Asia, UK Jewish Film Festival 2011, Sky Film Award presented at closing night event, Black Pond + QA with Chris Langham & Directors, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making Of Harry Potter™ Tickets now available, Ralph Fiennes A Life In Pictures, Cagney & Lacey – 30th Anniversary: Sharon GlessTyne Daly, and Barney Rozenzweig in Conversation, Eisenstein Flashmob Reenact: The Odessa Steps Sequence from Battleship PotemkinThe Deep Blue Sea and QA with Director Terence DaviesHarry Potter Stars To Make A Special Appearance At Harrods!, The Twilight Saga: Breaking 'Records' Dawn Part 1 Biggest Uk Opening For The Franchise So Far, Tom Hanks talks; Larry Crowne, the WachowskisCloud Atlas, Superheroes and Robert Langdon’s return, You can play a part in the production of feature film Fortune CookiesMorricone in Love! at The Ritzy, Shooting On The Rise And Fall Of A White Collar Hooligan Has Wrapped!,  Project X Trailer


UK Top 10 Films Friday 18 - Sunday 20 November, 2011- from Digital Cinema Media

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
2. Arthur Christmas 3D
3. The Adventures Of Tin Tin: Secret Of The Unicorn
4. Immortals 3D
5. In Time
6. Tower Heist
7. Justice
8. Johnny English Reborn
9. The Rum Diary
10. The Ides Of March

The Establishing Shot Exclusive: Inside the Resistance Premiere a photo set - Curzon Mayfair
Last Sunday we were lucky enough to be invited along to the Premiere of Resistance at the jam packed Curzon Mayfair. At that point we had not actually seen the film and were a little unprepared to chat with the vastly talented cast and team that made Resistance.

I have now seen Resistance and it is astounding! A quiet anti war tale that conveys it’s message by provoking thought and tapping into a rich emotional vein carried by absolutely outstanding performances. Hopefully I’ll have a review up after lunch that will do this film justice and interviews up of the weekend. But if you are looking for a clever film that conveys more through subtlety than crassness, with some of the best performances I have seen this year. Resistance should be at the top of your list.

In the meantime here are some pictures from the Resistance Premiere at Curzon Mayfair. Read more here!

The Establishing Shot: Take Shelter Review
With the doom and gloom of the current economic climate lurking around every corner I have recently seen a number of outstanding American films like; Winter’s Bone, The Tree Of Life, The Help, Red State, Texas Killing Fields and Take Shelter, seemingly mirroring the shift in the USA’s current outlook. That is, a shift from an international outlook, to a more insular focus as well as a return on importance being placed on people rather than high concept. Read more here! 

The Establishing Shot: Voting for the Jameson Empire Awards 2012 is now OPEN
The Jameson Empire Awards 2012 will take place on 25 March 2012 and voting for the Awards is now OPEN! The competition is open to any film released between 22 January 2011 and 20 January 2012 and film fans across the country can nominate their favourite film or actor in the 11 categories from now until 12 March 2012. Read more here!

The Establishing Shot: Paramount shows us exclusive footage of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and my analysis.
Early last  Friday I accepted the challenge and made my way to the BFI IMAX the biggest screen in the UK to see some exclusive and never before seen footage from this year's mega action blockbuster and fourth in the series Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Read more here!



This week’s recommended viewing:

Resistance Review
As I said above Resistance a class production set in wintery Wales in an alternative reality during World War 2. Outstanding performance across the board convey the films message cleverly with some of the best performances I have seen this year from across the cast. Hopefully I’ll have a full review up later today.

Resistance release date: 25 November 2011

Resistance
In 1944 a group of women in an isolated Welsh village wake up to discover all of the their husbands have mysteriously vanished.

Director: Amit Gupta
Writers: , Owen Sheers, Amit Gupta
Stars: Michael Sheen, Iwan Rheon and Kimberley Nixon

Take Shelter Review
My full review of this tense supernatural pot-boiler can be found here:  http://www.theestablishingshot.com/2011/11/take-shelter-review.html

Take Shelter release date: 25 November 2011

Take Shelter
Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.

Director: Jeff Nichols
Writer: Jeff Nichols
Stars: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain and Shea Whigham



Things I missed out on this week:

In the rush to end of year I have been flat-out and my calendar has been packed and amongst the events I did not make this week was another absolutely cracking event. Earlier this week I missed the:

Sony Digital Cinema 4K screening of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove. Not only have Sony restored Dr Strangelove to it’s original pristine condition but it was screened using Sony’s latest 4K Digital technology (very High Definition). Which would have been awesome enough but on top of that Sony arranged for leading commentators from the cinema and film world and industry experts from Sony (Mr. Grover Crisp Sony’s guru of classic film restoration) and Everyman to discuss and explain Sony’s 4K technology as well as their thoughts on the future of cinema.

Hopefully I’ll be able to attend the next screening but should have some more info from the discussion up soon.

And in other the news you need to know….

Support Charity and get tickets to the Royal Film Performance of Martin Scorsese's Hugo 3D
One of the most legendary Directors of our time takes you on an extraordinary adventure.
The Royal Premiere screening of Academy Award® winner Martin Scorsese's live action adventure film HUGO.

On the night TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will meet Trustees and beneficiaries of the charity, the filmmakers and members of the cast.

HUGO is the astonishing adventure of a wily orphan boy on a magical and mysterious quest to unlock a secret left to him by his father. Scorsese the legendary storyteller invites you to join him on a thrilling journey to a magical world with his first ever 3D film. Based on Brian Selznick's captivating and imaginative New York Times bestseller The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the screenplay is by John Logan and the film is produced by Scorsese, Graham King, Tim Headington, and Johnny Depp.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, HUGO stars Academy Award® winner Ben Kingsley (Shutter Island), Sacha Baron Cohen (Bruno), Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas), and Chloë Moretz (Kick-Ass).

Also appearing in the all-star cast are Academy Award® nominee Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes), Ray Winstone (London Boulevard), Christopher Lee (Lord of the Rings), Helen McCrory (The Special Relationship), Frances de la Tour (Alice In Wonderland), and Richard Griffiths (The History Boys).


When: Monday 28th November 2011
Where: Central London
Times: Doors Open 5.45pm


Fundraising at the CTBF on T: 020 7437 6567 or T: 020 7439 2966 or E: events@ctbf.co.uk


Sundance London Film & Music Festival pre-sale tickets now available
The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival that takes place in Park City, Utah. Started in 1978 by the actor and director Robert Redford, it was initially planned as a way to showcase American independent cinema. It has since grown and developed into the largest independent film festival in the United States and shows films from all around the world.

Each year over 6,000 films are submitted to The Sundance Film Festival. Each one is watched and from the 6,000, just 120 are picked to play at the festival in Park City. From the 120 that will be shown at The Sundance Film Festival in January 2012, 14 will be specially selected and brought to Sundance London. From the 26th to the 29th April, founder of the Sundance Film Festival, Robert Redford, will bring a slice of Utah to London with Sundance London - a four-day multi-disciplinary arts festival taking place at The O2.

In addition to the great films that we’ll be showing during Sundance London, there will also be some unique opportunities to attend Panels and hear guest speakers talk about the part they play in making films, documentaries and the role of music in modern cinema as well as the chance to get a sense of one of Sundance’s signature ‘Labs’.

For more info head over to: http://www2.seetickets.com/sundance/?filler3=BAFTA


Sir Ben Kingsley - A Life in Pictures 
It was Sir Ben Kingsley’s portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in Lord Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982) that really caught the World’s attention. Earning a BAFTA film Award and an Academy Award for his lead role, Kingsley had truly arrived. Since then he has gone on to star in some of engaging films of the last 30 years from Schindler’s List, Olivier Twist, Sexy Beast, The House of Sand and Fog, Shutter Island and upcoming in Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. From the saviour of a nation to a demonic gangster, Sir Ben Kingsley has shown he has the ability to cast his mind to almost any role.

Life in Pictures: Sir Ben Kingsley at BAFTA, Saturday, November 26 at 5:00 PM - http://www.bafta.org/


ICA announce a new Cinema Loyalty Card
The ICA have introduced a cinema loyalty card to reward frequent film goers and cinema buffs. You can now buy four cinema tickets, get your loyalty card stamped and the fifth ticket is absolutely free.

To find out more and to receive a loyalty card, enquire at the ICA box office - 020 7930 3647


Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol MI4 opening early in IMAX/IMAX and announces new Cineworld screens
IMAX announced today that the much anticipated Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol will be opening five days early in IMAX screens:

  • This marks the first time a UK feature release has been released early in IMAX theatres.
  • It follows high profile Hollywood buy in - Brad Bird, the film’s director, filmed over 30 minutes of the film using IMAX cameras and has spoken with high praise of IMAX’s technology, as has Tom Cruise, who insisted that his stunt scenes be shot in IMAX.
  • The IMAX release of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience.

Also today, IMAX has announced a new partnership with Cineworld, the UK’s leading cinema chain, with first Cineworld IMAX screen opening at Cineworld Edinburgh on 21 December 2011, in time for the early Mission Impossible opening:

  • Cineworld IMAX Edinburgh is the first of three IMAX screens to be installed at existing Cineworld sites, with openings in Nottingham and Sheffield scheduled for early 2012.
  • This will bring the total number of IMAX theatres in the UK to 20, 17 of which are currently in operation.
  • Some of the movies confirmed for IMAX releases in 2012 include: Dark Knight Rises, Wrath of the Titans, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Men in Black 3 and The Amazing Spiderman.



New Releases From Cine-Asia - January 2012
Yamada: Way of the Samurai
Get ready for hard-hitting, hi-impact fight action from the cinematic tradition that brought you ong bak and the warrior king. Set in the ancient Kingdom of Ayothaya, this incredible true story brings to life the adventures of Yamada Nagamasa, a young Japanese Samurai warrior, who gave up his homeland to protect the sovereignty of the Thai people.

Betrayed and left for dead by treacherous Japanese forces, he finds a new family in a remote village and masters the devastating fighting art of Muay Boran (Thai boxing).

Fearless, he ascends to the royal bodyguard of King Naresuan The Great, but will soon face his greatest ever battle against the elite Japanese warriors he once regarded as brothers…

Also to be released on DVD 23rd January 2012 Cine-Asia presents Hong Kong Legends HKL
Bruce Lee's The Big Boss
Bruce Lee's Game Of Death
Bruce Lee's Game Of Death 2


UK Jewish Film Festival 2011, Sky Film Award presented at closing night event November 20th at the Tricycle Cinema Closing film ‘Intimate Grammar’ screened to a full house!
The 15th UK JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL finished on a high note on Sunday night (November 20th) when the winner of this year’s inaugural SKY FILM AWARD was presented by Barry
Skolnick, Creative Director at BSkyB on behalf of the winning film, ‘The Names Of Love/Le Nom des Gens’, the sparkling romantic comedy from French writer/director Michel Leclerc.
Although Michel Leclerc was unable to attend the ceremony due to filming commitments abroad, Barry Skolnick (left) read out a heartfelt statement from the popular French director:

“I am so sorry that I am not able to be with you tonight to receive this award - please do forgive me - but I am delighted and honoured to receive it. We made this film to explore the obsessions of French society and I am impressed that this film, which for me is so very Francophone and French, has resonances that can speak to people outside of my native country.
In our multi-cultural world where people come from so many different places, questions of identity and origin become a crucial subject, and no more so of course than in England.
Personally, in terms of my own Jewish background, the thing which keeps me attached to this culture is humour. I thank you once again. I am very touched by this prize.”

The award was presented – and accepted on behalf of Michel Leclerc - by Barry Skolnick before the screening of ‘Intimate Grammar’ on the final night of the UK Jewish Film Festival which was held at the Tricycle cinema in Kilburn. The UK JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL teamed up with Sky this year to create the brand new SKY FILM AWARD to celebrate excellence in international filmmaking on Jewish themes. The six festival films in competition were This Must be The Place (Dir. Paulo Sorrentino), Footnote (Dir. Joseph Cedar), The Names of Love (Dir. Michel Leclerc), Joanna (Dir. Feliks Falk), Crime After Crime (Dir. Yoav Potash) Precious Life (Dir. Shlomi Eldar). The judging panel consisted of Barry Skolnik, Creative Director at BSkyB, Maggie Ellis, Head of Production & Talent Development at Film London and Simon Egan, founder of Bedlam Productions. Trailers from all six films were shown before the award was announced.

In ‘The Names Of Love’ Baya Benmahmoud (played by the award-winning French actress, Sara Forestier, above) a young, extrovert liberal lives by the old hippie maxim, “make love, not war” to convert right-wing men to her left-wing political causes by sleeping with them. She seduces many and receives exceptional results – until she meets Arthur Martin, a Jewish middle aged, middle-of-the road scientist (played by Jacques Gamblin). Bound by common tragic family histories (the Algerian War and Holocaust under Vichy), the duo improbably fall in love.
Sara Forestier won the César Award for Best Actress in 2011 for her role in the film which is titled ‘Le Nom des Gens’ in French.

Writer/director Michel Leclerc co-wrote the original screenplay of ‘The Names Of Love’ with Baya Kasmi; they won the Best Original Screenplay Award at the 2011 36th César Awards held in February at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris and presented by Jodie Foster. A prolific writer of drama and comedy for film and TV, this is Michel’s second feature as writer/director.

SKY FILM AWARD judges:
Simon Egan is a documentary director/producer who chooses dangerous, challenging subjects for his uniquely styled programmes. He was nominated for an RTS award for ‘The Trouble With Black Men’, his BBC Three documentary (2004) and runs the award-winning Bedlam Productions with producer Gareth Unwin; their most recent production was ‘The King’s Speech’ which won the Best Picture at the 2011 Academy Awards.

Maggie Ellis is Head of Production and Talent Development at Film London, a champion of independent talent in the industry. She runs Microwave, an ambitious new Micro Budget Feature
Film Fund and oversees Film London’s established and highly successful PULSE Digital Shorts scheme; the London Borough Film Funds and the unique and highly successful Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network.

Barry Skolnick is Creative Director at BskyB as well as filmmaker and...chartered surveyor! Barry directed his first feature film for Paramount Pictures, ‘Mean Machine’ with Jason Stratham and Vinnie Jones; he’s directed commercials at Ridley Scott Associates in London and Los Angeles and, at Sky, returned to filmmaking with his award winning short, ‘Through The Window’.

THE UK JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL is celebrating its 15th year since its foundation in 1997 by Executive Director, Judy Ironside. This year’s festival ran between November 1st and 20th across a number of London venues and was proud to present over 70 films, documentaries, shorts and TV programmes from more than a dozen countries.


Black Pond + Q&A with Chris Langham & Directors -
The Brixton Ritzy welcomes lead actor Chris Langham and directors Tom Kingsley and Will Sharpe for a Q&A after this screening.

It's amazing what can be done on a limited budget if you have a fertile imagination, a good script and a talented cast. BLACK POND probably cost the equivalent of a short lunch break on TRANSFORMERS 3, but its combination of wit, insight and humour make it an outstanding film, which deserves the widest possible audience.
The directors have fashioned a fractured narrative about a middle-aged couple, their two daughters, a young Japanese friend, a three-legged dog, and a man they meet in the nearby woods.

It is not so much what happens to them that is important as the impact it has on their lives and relationships and how they reflect on it as they look back. Chris Langham is Tom Thompson, a man with little self-awareness but a good heart. Other cast members, such as Simon Amstell and Sophia Di Martino, are better known from TV, but the whole ensemble give faultless performances. Will Sharpe and Tom Kingsley will attend the screening to take your questions.

Mon 05 Dec18:45 Brixton Ritzy - http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Ritzy_Picturehouse/

Black Pond release date: 11 November, 201
An ordinary British family and their Japanese friend are accused of murder when a stranger dies at their dinner table. Black Pond is an existential comedy drama starring two-time BAFTA winner Chris Langham and double British Comedy Award Winner Simon Amstell.

Directors: Tom Kingsley, Will Sharpe
Writers: Will Sharpe, Tom Kingsley
Stars: Simon Amstell, Chris Langham and Will Sharpe


Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making Of Harry Potter™ To Open 31st March 2012
Tickets On Sale now!
Warner Bros. is delighted to announce that Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter will open its doors for the very first time to visitors from 31st March 2012.

Tickets to the UK’s newest attraction will go on sale from 13th October 2011. Visitors must pre-book their tickets in advance by selecting specific tour times throughout the day via www.wbstudiotour.co.uk or through approved tour operators. Tickets will not be on sale at the attraction and spaces are limited.

Warner Bros. is also pleased to announce the inclusion of some of the film series’ most iconic sets within the attraction including the Great Hall, Dumbledore’s office, the Ministry of Magic, Harry Potter’s famous cupboard under the stairs, 4 Privet Drive, Gryffindor common room, the boys’ dormitory, the Potion’s classroom, Professor Umbridge’s office, the Weasley kitchen, the Hogwarts bridge and many others still to be announced.

The unique walking tour attraction will offer visitors the very first opportunity to journey behind-the-scenes and experience the magic that has gone into creating the most successful film series of all time. Visitors will be able to see firsthand the sheer scale and detail of the actual sets, costumes, animatronics, special effects and props used in all eight of the Harry Potter films.

“It was such a magical place to grow up,” says Daniel Radcliffe. “People will be amazed to see the incredible sets that we’ve worked in all these years.”

Rupert Grint adds, “The sets all have tiny little details that you may not always notice in the films but when you actually walk through them, you can see all the work that's gone into it. It’s really amazing.”

“This is incredible, it’s been a long time coming and I’m very excited.” says Emma Watson.

Josh Berger, President & Managing Director, Warner Bros. UK, adds “For over 10 years the Harry Potter film series highlighted the exceptional creativity and craftsmanship that we have in the British film industry including groundbreaking special effects, incredibly detailed set design and breathtaking makeup and costumes. We are delighted that we can now open the doors to this world to the public at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter and celebrate the extraordinary talent that goes into making major movies here in the UK.”

“The UK will be the focus of the world with the Olympic Games in 2012 and we are incredibly excited to be launching the UK’s newest attraction at this time,” adds Sarah Roots, Vice President, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London. “Visitors are going to be amazed by Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter and we look forward to welcoming people from all over the world through our doors from 31st March 2012.”

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter will open 31st March 2012 with timed tickets available from 13th October 2011. Tickets are priced at £28 for adults, £21 for children and £83 for a family of four. Tickets must be booked in advance via a dedicated website www.wbstudiotour.co.uk or through approved tour operators.


Ralph Fiennes A Life In Pictures: Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes has brought a unique mix of mystery, warmth and quiet intensity to many memorable performances to the big screen for the last 20 years. Throughout his career, he’s showcased his talent in a diverse range of roles, balancing the villainy of characters such as Nazi war criminal Amon Göth in Schindler's List, for which he won the BAFTA, serial killer Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon and volatile cockney boss Harry in In Bruges, with softer, romantic leads in films such as The English Patient, The End of the Affair and The Constant Gardener, and for the latter three, he received BAFTA nominations.

He appeared in the Harry Potter film series, giving a show-stopping performance as the evil Lord Voldemort. He has recently made his directorial debut with a film of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus in which he also stars as the flawed hero. The film was selected for screening In Competition at this year’s Berlin Film Festival and will open early in 2012.

Life in Pictures: Ralph Fiennes at BAFTA, Sunday, December 11 at 7:00 PM - http://www.bafta.org/


Cagney & Lacey – 30th Anniversary: Sharon Gless, Tyne Daly, and Barney Rozenzweig in Conversation
Multi-award winning 80s television series Cagney & Lacey, starring Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly, was often the highest-rated television drama on both sides of the Atlantic. It explored the professional and private lives of "two women who happen to be cops, not two cops who happen to be women" with such emotional honesty that, some 30 years later, fans are still claiming it changed their lives. It also changed television history when a letter-writing campaign succeeded in reversing the show's cancellation. Illustrated with clips from the show, Sharon Gless (Cagney), Tyne Daly (Lacey), and Barney Rosenzweig, the show's executive producer, take part in a panel discussion examining how this iconic series changed representations of women, and influenced subsequent television history.

The BFI are delighted to announce that Sharon Gless, Tyne Daly, and Barney Rosenzweig will be joined on stage for this event by host Dame Jenni Murray.

29 Nov 18:30 NFT1 - http://www.bfi.org.uk


ICA INTERCOURSE: Re-enacting Eisenstein: The Odessa Steps Sequence from Battleship Potemkin
Imagine a flash-mob tackling the iconic sequence from Sergei Eisenstein’s seminal 1925 film Battleship Potemkin - the Tsar’s rifles, the people, the panic, the pram! Just around the corner from the ICA, the Duke of York’s Steps are the perfect location for such a re-enactment, and a host of figures from the art world are participating. Join Jane and Louise Wilson, Jonny Woo,
Sue Tilley, Andrew Logan and others in this memorable event, staged especially for INTERCOURSE.

Saturday 26/11/2011- 3:00 pm, 3:30, 4:00 pm - http://www.ica.org.uk


The Deep Blue Sea and QA with Director Terence Davies
To celebrate the release of his new film, Terence Davies will join both Curzon Mayfair (Friday 25 November at 6.10pm) and Curzon Richmond (Sunday 27 November at 5.00pm) on stage to discuss his adaptation of Terence Rattigan's stage play - http://www.curzoncinemas.com/events/

The Deep Blue Sea
The wife of a British Judge is caught in a self-destructive love affair with a Royal Air Force pilot.

Director: Terence Davies
Writers: Terence Davies, Terence Rattigan
Stars: Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston and Simon Russell Beale

The Deep Blue Sea release date: 25 November, 2011


Harry Potter Stars To Make A Special Appearance At Harrods!
In celebration of the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Part 2 on Blu-ray™ and DVD stars from the final film will participate in an exclusive signing at The Harry Potter Shop at Harrods, in association with hmv

To celebrate the eagerly anticipated Blu-ray and DVD release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Part 2, Warner Home Video, hmv and The Harry Potter Shop at Harrods are delivering a pre-Christmas treat for UK Harry Potter™ fans.

On December 1st from 5.30pm, fans will get the chance to meet some of the stars of the Harry Potter™ film series as they make a special appearance at TheHarry Potter Shop at Harrods – adjacent to the nearby hmv concession.

The actors including Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick and Griphook), James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) and Jessie Cave (Lavender Brown) will all be on hand to meet and greet fans.

Out on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray Triple Play and DVD from December 2nd, Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is the final instalment in the most successful film franchise of all time. Also available on Blu-ray 3D on the same date is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection will also be released on Blu-ray and DVD and is also available exclusively to The Harry Potter Shop at Harrods as a Limited Edition Elder Wand Chest.

Due to the limited time available, access to the queue to meet the stars of the films will be strictly limited to 300. Wristbands will be issued from 10am at TheHarry Potter Shop at Harrods on the day of the event on a first-come, first-served basis with a queue starting at Door 3 of the store.

Hmv will be opening up to 150 of its stores around the country especially early at 7.00am on day of release – Friday, 2nd December, so that fans, including those travelling to work or school, are able to purchase their copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Part 2 at the earliest opportunity.

The Harry Potter Shop at Harrods
Located on the 3rd floor of the store, The Harry Potter Shop at Harrods covers over 4,000 square feet and offers fans and holiday shoppers the opportunity to select from a huge range of Harry Potter products. The product range includes prop replicas and collectibles from The Noble Collection and Tonner Doll; toys and games from LEGO, TOMY, Hasbro, Winning Moves, and She Who Dares; a collection of wizard costumes from Rubies; and the LEGO Harry Potter video games. “Harry PotterTM: The Complete 8-Film Collection” in the Limited Edition Elder Wand Chest, which is only available in the UK at Harrods, starting 2 December 2011, will retail for £199 and contains the complete Harry Potter film collection on 11 Blu-ray TM discs.
Also on display are original props and costumes from the films, including the Sword of Gryffindor, broomsticks, Hogwarts school uniforms, and the Elder Wand.


The Twilight Saga: Breaking 'Records' Dawn Part 1 Biggest Uk Opening For The Franchise So Far
UK and Irish distributor Entertainment One is pleased to announce that the fourth and penultimate film in The Twilight Saga, BREAKING DAWN PART 1 broke records this weekend as it recorded the biggest all time opening for an American film in the UK grossing £13.9 million.

BREAKING DAWN PART 1 has set the record with £6.35 million as the biggest non-3D opening Friday figure of all time, eclipsing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, which grossed £5.9 million. Including 3D films, this Friday figure has charted as the 2nd highest ever.

The film has become the biggest 2D opening of 2011 beating the previous record set by The Inbetweeners Movie which took £13.2 million over 5 days. BREAKING DAWN PART 1 has scored the biggest Twilight opening so far and the fifth biggest three day figure ever behind well established British franchises Harry Potter and James Bond.

Alex Hamilton, Director of Film, Entertainment One says: “We have the highest 3 day opening ever for an American Film in the UK. I’d like to thank all the fans of Twilight that have given this three year old independent distributor a weekend to remember.”

The Twilight Saga follows the story of the relationship between a mortal and a vampire, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). The final instalment will be released in cinemas on November 16th, 2012 by Entertainment One UK.


Tom Hanks talks; Larry Crowne, the Wachowskis' Cloud Atlas, Superheroes and Robert Langdon’s return
Legendary two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks returns behind the camera for the only the second time in his distinguished feature film career. Arriving fifteen years after his directorial debut, That Thing You Do!, Larry Crowne sees Hanks take the title role – a blue-collar divorcee who finds himself laid off from his store job in the midst of the global economic recession. To cope, he decides to go back to college as a mature student and gain a degree. Enrolling in two classes – economics and public speaking – he not only becomes a favourite of fellow pupil Talia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) but even takes a shine to his tutor, the frosty Mercedes Tainoit (Julia Roberts). Reuniting Hanks with Roberts – last seen together in Charlie Wilson’s War – Larry Crowne emerges as a charming romantic comedy that deals with contemporary issues in a deft way. Below Hanks talks about why it took so long to direct again, why he cast his Larry Crowne co-writer Nia Vardalos as the voice of the Sat-Nav and reveals all about his mouth-watering collaboration with the Wachowskis, Cloud Atlas.

Q: It’s been fifteen years since you last directed. How did it take so long to make a second film?
A: Well, it’s not my regular job. That’s one thing. Directing a feature, you have to be infected with a certain kind of Ecoli or something like that. It has to take over and you have to be like ‘The only thing I can do now is direct this film. I’ve got to see it all the way through!’ Because it’s about two years of your life. And quite frankly being a movie star is a much better gig. Pay’s better. Less is expected of you. You don’t have to work as hard. They let you go home early…sometimes. So it requires that personal investment of telling a story. It took about six years for Larry Crowne to come to pass, and I didn’t start really taking it seriously as something that I would want to spend this much time with, until I had finished my own draft and even that was close to three years ago.

Q: The film speaks to Baby Boomer generation. Do you think they’ve been well served by films these days or have they been left behind?
A: Well, television has never been as good as it has been right now. I’ve been lucky to be involved with a number of things, like Big Love. And I love stuff like Mad Men and Breaking Bad. There are so many truly great television series on there, that it’s actually taking the onus off motion pictures. Movies are very expensive to make. The studio only wants to make a certain type of movie. Anything else that comes out almost comes out by luck. And you also have to say the audiences are not quite there anymore. Only because we have so many other distractions that are available to us.

Take a decade like the Seventies, where you’re seeing the great Marty Scorsese films and Sidney Lumet was making movies, Paul Mazursky was making movies, Woody Allen was cranking them out like crazy. Those were adult films that adults went to see. Well, adults can be quite frankly dazzled by stuff that they can see at home right now. And the market place has been left open to the people who actually choose to go to movies. As opposed to just the folks who go to the movies just because it’s part of the social contract of being young or wanting to meet chicks. That make sense? I don’t know if it did or not.

Q: Will this film find an audience with people who have been laid off? Do you know many this has happened to?
A: I don’t know anybody personally. But as an actor/artist, if I can make that claim, I can’t help but know, point blank, that the turn-down in the economy affects people personally. You don’t have to be a real-estate developer whose condo unit went belly-up. Or somebody who is trying to buy and sell 19 houses at the same time and flipping for a profit. To understand that if you lose your job and you can’t make your mortgage, it’s a personal crisis that you’re going through – not just something you read about on the business pages. Now the trick is how can you possibly make a movie about that, that doesn’t turn out to be the most depressing film you have ever seen? We still wanted to make a movie that was going to be funny. That, if not upbeat, is at least an example of how to fight cynicism, how to combat the depression that could go along with losing one’s job. And how to still have faith in one’s self, that as long as you make some pro-active motions to improve your life, things might get better.

Q: So do you think Larry learns this?
A: The end result of our movie is that Larry Crowne can maybe look back and say ‘The best thing that ever happened to me was losing my job. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone to college, I wouldn’t have got a scooter, I wouldn’t have met this magnificent woman.’ Now that’s the fantasy of a movie about it, as opposed to the reality of it. But you cannot deny, if somebody out there has lost it all, and says ‘I’ve got nothing to do. I’m going to go back to college’ and ends up falling in love with being a welder or something, it can happen. I think that’s the…rather than adhering to the fake version of how if you pursue things your dreams will come true, maybe it’s just that if you hang on long enough things might work out for you. In reality, Larry lives in a worse apartment, in a worse neighbourhood, and he has a worse job than he had. But he’s actually a little bit better off than he was at the beginning, but that’s the magic of the movies.

Q: How was it directing yourself, as there’s no-one on set to help you fine-tune your performance?
A: Oh, you’d be surprised at how many people on this movie said, ‘Why don’t you do that again? Why don’t you give that another shot?’ So much of making a movie is about the communication that goes on. Naturally as an actor, all I have to do is do it. I don’t have to talk about it. I just have to put on the costume and show people what I’m thinking. I got to be able to take that conversation between an actor and a director and a writer out of the time frame. Because I wrote it, I knew what I would be willing to live with. As the director, I knew what the tenor and the colour of the scenes would be. And as an actor, I had the ability in order to control the take, even just as we were doing it right now…so actually, I think we saved a little bit of time, because the director and the writer and the actor were the same person. That being said, about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, those three people got very tired, they got very cranky, and they needed to have a few moments to themselves and have a nice cup of tea and just enough scone in order to get through the day.

Q: Who are your inspirations as a director then?
A: Oh! Outside of everybody I’ve ever worked with, who got something good out of me, there is a type of ensemble atmosphere that I’ve actually heard that actors have…like Robert Altman. I understand that sometimes, when he was shooting, you wouldn’t even know that the camera was operating in this way. I grew up worshipping the movies of Stanley Kubrick. I’ve since worked with people who worked with Kubrick. And he said, the crew was so small and the atmosphere was so relaxed, that even though the movies would take 280 days to shoot, it wasn’t expensive. And there was no pressure. And that’s the antithesis of what you would expect of somebody like that. I had some pretty decent primers from people who directed – hard-charging, get the shots, let’s bang it out. As well as some people that said, ‘Let’s see what’s going to happen here. We got it once. Let’s move on.’ So I took a little bit from everybody, and just tried to always force myself not to leave until I heard it and saw it the way I imagined. And still had faith in the serendipity of whoever would bring along something different.

Q: Are there any directors you’d still like to work with?
A: Oh, tonnes of them. Eight million people that are now working! Scorsese – come close a few times. You see something like Carlos…jeez, I’d love to work with that guy. Mark Romanek…who did Never Let Me Go. Stuff like that. You just see so many people and you say ‘How come I can’t make a movie like that? How come I can’t be in that? What’s that about?’

Q: Well, you are about to work with the Wachowskis on Cloud Atlas…
A: Yeah, and Tom Tykwer.

Q: Have you had any conversations with them about it yet?
A: Many, yes. Tonnes. Boy, that’s going to be a beast. It’s going to be wild. Those guys are geniuses! I admire those guys’ films because they throw deep and long. Those are uncompromising movies that are forcing the audience to go on a very deep and different track. Very adult kind of journey. Quite frankly, I want to be tested like that. Then you match it up with the material of Cloud Atlas, which is pretty spectacular. And the screenplay is off the scale! I just want to be part of something that is much, much bigger than showing up and hitting the marks. I’ve had good experiences of being the guy in a movie, and in huge pieces of commerce, like the Robert Langton movies, and it’s part burden and part challenge. It’s part ‘Let’s just get the friggin’ thing done’, as well as how as artists do we make sure this beat is about something. And that is a little bit about what the Wachowskis are going to demand from Cloud Atlas, of me, and plenty of other people. It’s a big ensemble – so it’s not a vehicle for any one of us that are in it.

Q: You’re a big Twitter user. And you also drive electric cars. What’s the attraction?
A: Oh, that! Well, I think tweeting is like sending out cool telegrams to your friends, once a week. If you send out tweets, and you read the tweets that people tweet back to you…they’re kinda gibberish. You can’t make sense of them. I’m not the kind of guy who says [stoner voice] ‘Just chillin’ at the house today!’ I don’t do that kind of stuff. I just try to compose a little hi-tech haiku that goes out to people. It’s a bit of a creative bash that’s fun. And I’ve always been a fan of electric cars because I admire the technology, and living in Los Angeles, you’d be surprised at how long you can drive an electric car that only has a range of sixty miles. You can drive the thing almost all weekend, and not have to fill it up with gas. And not filling it up with gas means I’ve saved thousands of dollars!

Q: Like Larry, did you change around middle age?
A: No. I don’t think so. I had first kids when I was in my early 20s. I had my second kids when I was in my mid 30s. So I always seemed to be in my child-rearing years, no matter what. The biggest thing that happened was my 15 year-old decided to go to boarding school. So all of a sudden, Rita and I were empty nesters – yahoo! That’s not a crisis. That’s a celebration! The standard version of a mid-life crisis is that people wake up one morning and realise that they’re unhappy, even though they have everything. I don’t know what that is. I might wake up tired in the morning but I don’t wake up unhappy.

Q: Have you ever wanted to explore the dark side in your characters?
A: I don’t need to explore the dark side just for the sake of it because that ends up meaning you play a role where you have lines like ‘Before I kill you Mr Bond, perhaps you’d like a tour of our installation!’ But this is who I am, and I think I get to explore an awful lot of really great themes that I think are recognisable to everybody. Even so, I made Road to Perdition or Green Mile, which were pretty dark movies in a lot of ways, all the press said, ‘Ah, but you’re still such a nice guy!’ How can you say that? I shot guys in the head! ‘Yeah, but you did it in a nice way!’

Q: Has anybody tried to tempt you down the superhero way?
A: Normally, I would say ‘Ah, that would be boring. How much fun would that be?’ But then you get to see Anthony Hopkins in Thor. He’s like a 70 year-old guy, with one eye, killing people. And I’m thinking ‘Maybe it’s a good gig.’ Well, Cloud Atlas is going to be a completely different sort of thing. So, I’m not interested in an inorganic choice. People offer me all the time – would you like to play the bad guy in this thing? And I read it and I say, ‘This is not about anything! It doesn’t really explore anything.’ So I’ve got no reason to do it.

Q: Robert Langton had a super-brain of course…
A: Yeah, exactly.

Q: Will you play him again?
A: I think there is desire, to try and figure out a way to do that. But I must say even the studio is willing to say ‘We have to grow the character in the circumstances farther than it is.’ Look, those movies, by and large, are just huge pieces of moviemaking commerce. And if they don’t do well, the studios shoot themselves in the head and commit suicide, because they might lose their jobs, because they didn’t market the movie right. But they still end up being about this thing that you get to explore. Like the first one was about history versus fact, and what really happened to Christ and did he have a grandma? And the second one was all about science versus faith, which is something that you can hang onto, that will warrant the running through the streets and the scavenger hunt. And we don’t know if the next one can honestly be about that, and if it’s not, then what’s the point in doing it? It’ll be three times as expensive and only make half as much money, and after that, even the studio doesn’t want to work that hard.

Q: You wrote Larry Crowne with Nia Vardalos. But you get the starring role, and she got the voice of the Sat-Nav. How come?
A: Ah, well – she’s done plenty of other things! We started working on this about six years ago. Nia did the first three drafts. We all knew that this wasn’t the movie it was going to be. And very quickly we realised the strength was going to be…my male version of it was going to be accurate, her female version of it was going to be accurate too. How many times have you seen movies written by men in which the women say ‘When are you coming home?’ They don’t really have a role. They’re just the chick of the piece. And she was always able to make sure that the script wasn’t full of scenes that make you go ‘That’s not how women think.’ And I got to do the other side of it too. That’s not going to happen because that’s not how guys think. But after a while, she went off, and I took it under my wing. But she was at every read-thru, and on the set almost every day. And she was always coming by with a tweak or an idea that would keep as grounded in an authenticity that we were going for. And there weren’t any roles for her. The best she could do was the voice of the Map Genie – but I think she did a really good job!

Larry Crowne is available for download, DVD & Blu-ray now
After losing his job, a middle-aged man reinvents himself by going back to college.

Director: Tom Hanks
Writers: Tom Hanks, Nia Vardalos
Stars: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Sarah Mahoney

Cloud Atlas is set for a 26 October, 2012 release
Six stories set in a different time and place become intricately related to each other.

Directors: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Writers: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
Stars: Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving and Jim Sturgess


You can play a part in the production of feature film Fortune Cookies
You can play a part in the production of Fortune Cookies by purchasing exclusive film experience vouchers and we will keep you updated on the film’s progress.

Our crowd-funding campaign, selling vouchers for experiences related to the film, was launched on 2nd November at the EDF Energy London Eye 4D Cinema with the help of CARRIER-media and Pig In A Poke Wines. See the Get Involved section to see how you can play a part in the production of Fortune Cookies and our educational programme. Vouchers start from £5 and include day set visits and exclusive memorabilia. They make great Christmas presents!


http://www.fortunecookiesmovie.co.uk/home.html


Morricone in Love! at The Ritzy
In a fusion of live music and cinema, f’eatre explore the haunting wordless female vocals and the psychedelic lounge trip of Ennio Morricone’s cult Italian ‘Giallo’ genre film scores of 1968-72. Expect a triptastic mix of hypnotic jazz rhythms, bossa beats, soaring soprano and avant garde expressionism – all to a stunning backdrop of the original film visuals. Think Alain Delon wrestling 6ft black eels on the Sicilian coast, tranced-out 60-year-olds in psychedelic orgies, lesbian dream sequences, beautiful women found dead in fridges... Yes, it's all sex and death in the wonderful world of Morricone in Love!

F’eatre are the extraordinarily talented Fiona Staniland (producer, chanteuse) and long-time collaborator Nick Ramm (musical arrangements, keyboards), who team up with a superb group
of musicians from the London jazz scene: Alex Keen (basses), Jon Scott (drums), Jon Gingell (guitars) and Gerry Hunt (clarinet, flute, sax, trumpet).

Sunday 4 December, 5.00 Brixton Ritzy - http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Ritzy_Picturehouse/


Shooting On The Rise And Fall Of A White Collar Hooligan Has Wrapped!
Leading UK indies Black and Blue Films and Press On Features have wrapped production on their latest co-production, a blisteringly violent hooligan picture in the tradition of The Football Factory, Green Street and Rise of The Footsoldier.

The Rise and Fall of A White Collar Hooligan is written and directed by Paul Tanter (Jack Falls) and features a top ensemble genre cast including Nick Nevern (Adulthood, Terry), Simon Phillips (Jack Falls), Roland Manookian (The Football Factory, The Business), Billy Murray (Essex Boys, Rise of the Footsoldier), Rebecca Ferdinando (Bonded By Blood), and Ricci Harnett (Rise of the Footsoldier).

Black & Blue Films MD Jonathan Sothcott said “we are delighted to be dipping our toe in the evergreen hooligan genre. I thought Jack Falls was a terrific looking picture and Paul has brought the same gritty realism and high production value to this new project. Boasting a great ensemble cast this is sure to be the must-see British crime movie in 2012.”

Casual football hooligan Mike Jacobs is going nowhere in life when he meets old friend Eddie Hill at a football match that turns nasty off the pitch. Under Eddie's tutelage he soon finds himself inducted into the world of credit card fraud, where organised gangs withdraw hundreds of thousands of pounds from cash machines every night. As Mike becomes seduced by the money and women that come with his new lifestyle, the dangers increase and he soon finds events spiralling beyond his control.

Based on a true story, The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan follows the journey of a man tempted by the trappings of power and is the first feature film to address the huge criminal industry of credit card fraud. -

The Establishing Shot: Trailer of the Week - Project X
A link to the Project X trailer landed in my inbox a couple of weeks ago. It’s not art or cult but it looks bloody hilarious. The only party worth RSVP’ing to is finally giving us a taster of the debauchery to come. Warner Bros are happy to present the brand new trailer for upcoming release Project X, in cinemas 2012.


Directed by Nima Nourizadeh and produced by Todd Phillips (The Hangover) and Joel Silver (The Matrix), Project X is an out-of-control comedy that follows a group of friends who set out to throw the most epic 17th birthday party ever. The film documents a high school party that gets completely out of control, shot from the perspective of the digital cameras that the kids have with them.

Project X release date: 2 March, 2012
3 high school seniors throw a birthday party to make a name for themselves. As the night progresses, things spiral out of control as word of the party spreads.

Director: Nima Nourizadeh
Writers: Matt Drake, Michael Bacall
Stars: Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper and Jonathan Daniel Brown



This week on The Establishing Shot: UK Top 10 Films, Establishing Shot Exclusive: Inside the Resistance Premiere a photo set, Voting for the Jameson Empire Awards 2012 is now OPEN,  Paramount shows us exclusive footage of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and my analysis, Resistance Review, Take Shelter Review, Sony Digital Cinema 4K screening of Dr Strangelove, Support Charity and get tickets to the Royal Film Performance of Martin Scorsese's Hugo 3D, Sundance London Film & Music Festival pre-sale tickets now available, Sir Ben Kingsley - A Life in Pictures, ICA announce a new Cinema Loyalty Card, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol opening early on IMAX, New Releases From Cine-Asia, UK Jewish Film Festival 2011, Sky Film Award presented at closing night event, Black Pond + QA with Chris Langham & Directors, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making Of Harry Potter™ Tickets now available, Ralph Fiennes A Life In Pictures, Cagney & Lacey – 30th Anniversary: Sharon Gless, Tyne Daly, and Barney Rozenzweig in Conversation, Eisenstein Flashmob Reenact: The Odessa Steps Sequence from Battleship Potemkin, The Deep Blue Sea and QA with Director Terence Davies, Harry Potter Stars To Make A Special Appearance At Harrods!, The Twilight Saga: Breaking 'Records' Dawn Part 1 Biggest Uk Opening For The Franchise So Far, Tom Hanks talks; Larry Crowne, the Wachowskis' Cloud Atlas, Superheroes and Robert Langdon’s return, You can play a part in the production of feature film Fortune Cookies, Morricone in Love! at The Ritzy, Shooting On The Rise And Fall Of A White Collar Hooligan Has Wrapped!,  Project X Trailer

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