Showing posts with label Comics. Show all posts

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Film Review

Batman v Superman Review W hat a film! I was absolutely thrilled by and loved Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - it truly is an Epic Super hero film in every sense. I haven't felt this excited about a comic film since Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and I have to say all things considered Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice might just be my favourite DC film!

      This is the first of two posts concerning Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman in this one I discuss my thoughts on the film and why I loved it so much. In my second post things get more interesting as I go a bit deeper and look at the set-up scenes; Knightmare, Ding, ding, ding, ding, Communion and Cyborg's birth and discuss what they could mean and their impact on the DC film universe.

      Batman v Superman has very quickly settled into my minds eye as part of the mainstream continuity of the world created by the comics. Partly because Zack Snyder and writers Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer make such a such a great film that is respectful to the spirit of the characters and the source material, adding depth in such ingenious ways whilst taking it in new and surprising directions that I cant wait to see where they take us next.

     And partly because this is the world I have wanted to see on screen for a very long time. Earth's mightiest heroes on screen in a credible modern world. 30 years in the making since Frank Miller's 1986 iconic The Dark Knight Returns mini series laid the framework for the clash of Earth's mightiest heroes.

Batman v Superman Frank Miller The Dark Knight Returns
Batman v Superman Frank Miller The Dark Knight Returns [+] 
     Prior to that, since there first meeting in 1956 (and subsequent first meetings) Batman and Superman have maintained a good, even close relationship. Batman recognising that a seemingly all powerful man, whose greatest power was never his strength but that he was the living embodied of idealistic hope never faltering in his belief that humanity was at its core good and needed to be protected, an alien that was always the best of us.

     Superman acutely understood his friends loss and why he pushed himself past the point of breaking to fulfil his quest of protecting his city, and always maintained that he was the most courageous man he knew - despite not having any powers he put himself in harms way time after time to protect the innocent.

     This friendship resulted in the the world's mightiest heroes teaming up as the World's Finest and eventually the Justice League. But as our world changed and readers needs transformed our heroes as they underwent their own character development. Resulting in idealogical differences. With Batman v Superman we explore what would happen if these two different characters were to meet for the first time in our modern world?

BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE BEN AFFLECK as Batman and HENRY CAVILL as Superman
BEN AFFLECK as Batman and HENRY CAVILL as Superman in Warner Bros. Pictures' action adventure "BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE," a Warner Bros. Pictures release.[ZOOM] 
     If you take one thing away from reading this it is that Zack Snyder clearly loves the characters and has made a film for those who love the material, as well as those who want to come along and experience a thrilling and fantastical world filled with exceptional beings.

     I wasn't bowled over by Man of Steel. There were many elements I really enjoyed and some I really didn't. But it is clear that Man of Steel had to exist to give us the characters that take the story forward in Batman v Superman. Zack Snyder is playing a long game and its paying off.

     There are some spoilers below, even more in my second upcoming post – but for this post I've tried not to be explicit about the story.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hacked poster
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hacked poster [ZOOM]

We check out the Batmobile from Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in London - FILM EXHIBITION

Batman v Superman Batmobile A couple of weeks ago I received a Bat alert in my inbox that the Batmobile from Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had just arrived at the Odeon Leicester Square and could be viewed.

I should mention that for guys my age that grew up having their comic book world broadened by Frank Miller's dark interpretation of the Batman with his The Dark Knight Returns. The tale of an older Bruce Wayne - hard boiled by years of crime fighting and having his world implode in on itself as it slides further into dystopia. That is until The Batman we know uncomfortably shifts from vigilante to revolutionary activist as his chosen path turns him against the world and - makes him the most dangerous man alive as he almost single handedly rages against the machine, the tide and the dying of light. His the end justifies the means and he becomes maybe not the hero the future world wanted but the one it needed.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ben Afflecks Batman Returns fire up the Bat-Signal
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ben Affleck's Batman Returns fire up the Bat-Signal (ZOOM)

      In Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent or Two Face perfectly captures this when he says:

DENT
Well, I guess you either die a hero
or you live long enough to see
yourself become the villain.

    This has become de rigueur in our culture - but back then it was like nothing before, well certainly in the mainstream comic world. It changed everything - suddenly the the future our heroes have been fighting for in every comic ever written was stolen. Miller proposed that the future we all believed in  does not pan out and is rather just a part of a slow slide into further dystopia and our heroes have to evolve or adapt to survive in this new world.

And whilst Zack Snyder' seems to have turned the whole thing on its head with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice promising to be the start or dawn of something great, rather than the swansong of The Dark Knight - it may be the film I have been waiting 30 years for.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Batman Poster
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Batman Poster (ZOOM)

For Valentine's let me count the ways I love Deadpool aka 101 Reasons why I really enjoyed Deadpool – Deadpool FILM REVIEW

amazon prime the man in the high castle With Valentine's Day coming up I thought I would put together some thoughts on what is obviously the only romantic tale worth watching with your other half (and that will bring you closer together over some popcorn) - Deadpool.


Deadpool True Love Never Dies Poster
Deadpool Valentines True Love Never Dies Poster (ZOOM) 
     How do you frame something Deadpool? If you could the makers of the new Deadpool film haven't done a very good job because Deadpool is supposed to be un-frame-able in fact he breaks the frame and the fourth wall. It's kind of like his thing. But what I can try do is give you a framework for thinking upon Ryan Reynolds' latest film a big screen adaptation of Marvel's Deadpool. It's a love story, a horror story, a different kind of super hero story and it's damn funny too.

     So what's the film about? Well, you know what's its about - you've seen the multitude of clips and trailers and any other super hero films in the last decade - and right from the jaw dropping establishing shots in the stunning title sequence of the film the film-makers let you know, that they know, that you know and they are going to have a lot fun with it - including references to: "starring God's perfect idiot", "a Moody Teenager", "Comedic side relief", "hot love interest" and "a British Villain" whilst also sneaking references to Green Lantern and the creators of the Deadpool comic character Fabian Nicieza or FZ and Rob Liefeld aka RL.

MOVIE-CON III !

Empire magazine and the BFI team up again to bring Movie-Con back with a vengeance. In response to popular demand, we're beginning the weekend early to bring you a currently top-secret film screening followed by a specially programmed Dark Fibre night on Friday. The rest of the weekend will be packed with a showcase of the very best in upcoming action, horror, fantasy and sci-fi, including exclusive footage fresh from being premiered at San Diego Comic-Con.


The weekend so far includes:

Friday 13th August
The Expendables screening 20.30

Dark Fibre Movie-Con III opening night party, A/V night in the BFI Southbank foyer featuring special Bladerunner and THX1138 remixes: 22.00-02.00

Saturday 14th August
Movie-Con III activities, sneak previews, film screenings, special guests and more: 10.00-17.30

Sunday 15th August
Movie-Con III activities, sneak previews, film screenings, special guests and more: 10.00 - 17.30

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World screening

Weekend passes are sold out but tickets are still available for the pay for view screenings:

Saturday 14th August
The Hole 3D 18.30 £9
22 Bullets 20.45 £9

Sunday 15th August
Preview screening #3 (tbc) 18.30 £9



MOVIE-CON III
Where:
BFI Southbank,Belvedere Road, London, England SE1 8XT

When:
Fri 13 - Sun August 15

More info:
Over at the Empire website

The Ant-Man team talk about making Ant-Man, Edgar Wright's contribution, creating the characters of Ant-Man the possible the future of Ant-Man and also mention Captain America: Civil War and director Peyton reed talks Marvel sub genres and his favourite Ant-Man stories with us.

Ant-Man European Press ConferenceMarvel's latest big screen Summer blockbuster Ant-Man is still winning over audiences in the UK cinemas and is currently riding high in the UK box office but a couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to attend the European press conference for the release of Marvel's Ant-Man and had the opportunity to ask the lead cast as well as director Peyton Reed some burning questions about Ant-Man as well as hear some interesting bits from the Ant-Man team.

The Ant-Man European Press Conference was a grand affair held at London's Corinthia Hotel and in contrast to the small theme of Ant-Man it was rather big. Attending the press conference were most of Ant-Man's lead cast; Scott Lang / Ant-Man himself Paul Rudd, Mr. Michael Douglas who plays Dr. Hank Pym and Michael Peña who takes the role of a close associate of Scott Lang, Luis. The chat was moderated by the people's champion and all round film buff Empire's Chris Hewitt.

Further below I have outlined some of the interesting bits from the conference, which sadly does not convey the camaraderie, humour or quick fire wit on display on the day, so I will add videos from the conference as soon as they are uploaded.

I guess I should frame Ant-Man a little. Boom tish! Ant-Man is a lot of fun with big laughs but it wasn't my favourite Marvel film. I think, whilst different elements will most certainly engage and  entertain different audience segments - so everyone will have some fun. I did however feel it was largely aimed at a much younger audience than myself. Much of the film whilst fun while it happens on screen was instantly forgettable for me, with novelty and conventionality overriding depth or meaning and the film feels a little piecemeal to me. But there is a story in there that has the hallmarks of Marvel's sparkling ingenuity.

Marvel's Ant-Man Poster
Marvel's Ant-Man Poster (ZOOM)

Having said that - I felt exactly the same way whilst watching Guardians of the Galaxy a lot of fun but before the end of the film most of it was lost in a swirl of spectacle and explosions. Bear in mind Guardians of the Galaxy was a mega success across the board so if you enjoyed it - you'll enjoy Ant-Man. Also Probably worth bearing in mind that within the Guardians of the Galaxy comics story arc the film covers the start and in my opinion the weakest part of the larger story, it gets a lot better.

I thought I was able to easily manage my expectations of Ant-Man the film mainly as I was not really a reader of the Scott Lang era The Astonishing Ant-Man comics. But I am a huge *fan*, which is possibly not the right word if you know Hank Pym's turbulent history, let's say, I am very fascinated by Henry or Hank Pym as he is most well known. Along with many other wonderful characters he was a small part of my childhood and there is no doubt that he is certainly one of the most complex characters in the Marvel Universe.

In that regard many may acclaim and hold Alan Moore's The Watchmen as the tipping point in mainstream comics where it become acceptable for the good guys to also be afflicted by personal adult issues - but Hank Pym was there first. And I was really hoping that some of that came through into the Ant-Man.

My introduction to Hank Pym was in what I thought would be a quirky once off story, that became an ongoing strip in Tales to Astonish, the same title that later brought us the return of The Incredible Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner. And Hank Pym's adventures were of the weird, wonderful, astounding and unexpected kind. Along with his partner The Wasp they kicked ass and scienced their way out of some tricky situations.

Their adventures were always steeped in Science Fiction and in this respect the Ant-Man film plot does indeed capture the essence of those early comics.

Before seeing the film my approach was that - even if Hank Pym's presence isn't the focus it's OK after all it doesn't really matter who wears the suit it's a symbol – as long as someone is wearing it.

But after leaving the cinema I felt more strongly about the whole - anyone can wear the suit thing. For me in Ant-Man's case it really is the man in the suit that matters which made me remember why I wasn't that interested in the Scott Lang era Ant-Man comics.

Hank Pym was a brilliant man who built something and because of events in his life wanted to do good, sadly tragedy and fragmentation follows him. I was hoping that this would come through in the film. A little bit of it does but not enough - and this is all the more frustrating as director Peyton Reed made it clear that this element of Ant-Man is something that he was interested in as well. If you read on further below Reed makes it clear that if all the stars align and Ant-Man returns in a sequel the door may be open to expanding on Hank Pym's story and character. If so and all the signs are correct I'm guessing that we can expect some early Ant-Man with enough political intrigue and action to rival the brilliant X-Men: First Class/X-Men: Days of Future Past.

... Also it wasn't lost on me that Hank Pym in the comics is such a complicated character and we had a very complicated man playing that character, we had Michael that has an amazing career playing characters with a lot of grey area, and really we just wanted to deepen that character.” - Ant-Man Director, Peyton Reed

There is poetry in the tale of an ordinary man whose problems seem to big and insurmountable that sometimes putting on a suit that makes you small is the only way to overcome them.  But Scott Lang comes across as just another victim of circumstance thrust by others into doing what he does, he doesn't seem to be a man of conviction, whilst occasionally cracking a joke. For me the hero by chance thing really doesn't work and I think may be the reason I wasn't so taken with the Scott Lang's Ant-Man comics in the first place. Even the new, new Irredeemable Ant-Man Eric O'Grady who is a plain old bad egg has a fantastic universe and characters around him-  making him entertaining.

Again this may all be a non issue for anyone who has not read a Hank Pym comic and will be swept away with the new Ant-Man.

I was fortunate to get an early look at some Ant-Man footage a while back and really enjoyed what I saw, granted the cuts I saw were all about the action which is something that Ant-Man does really well. However I did struggle with some of the characters motivations, rational and actions. The performers really aren't given enough time or substance to bring weight to their larger than life personalities. In previous Marvel films sleight of hand and dazzling us with something of a greater distraction minimised the effect these holes but not so much with Ant-Man.

     The Establishing Shot: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN FINAL TRAILER - 17 JULY 15

Another highlight of the film I must mention is the introduction of the Quantum Universe or the Microverse as I know it - anyone who loves Science Fiction will be mesmerised or at least smitten by these scenes but – why, oh why were they so short?

Also it would have been absolutely brilliant if The Micronauts (The Avengers of the Microverse) made an appearance in the Quantum Universe. There is more than enough reason for another visit to the Quantum Universe but either spotting The Micronauts or even having them help Scott would have blown the bloody doors of the cinema and I would have tried to book my seat for Ant-Man 2 then and there. Or dare I say it? How awesome would would it have been if Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange was involved in Scott's return?

I was fortunate to get an early look at some Ant-Man footage a while back which I loved, granted what I saw was all about the action and that is something that Ant-Man does really well. But  I did struggle with some of the characters motivations, dialogue and rationale, the performers really aren't given enough time or substance to bring weight to their larger than life personalities. In this respect it is worth reading further below to hear the cast talk about how they built their character's personalities.

Before we get to the good stuff further below I should mention the story of Marvel's Ant-Man does not start with the cinematic release - there are in fact two tiny sets of prequel comics that set events in the film up.

The first is Ant-Man Prelude a little two parter that introduces Cold War era Hank Pym to us and his first mission, in which he dons the Ant-Man suit and heads to Berlin, this mission is referenced a number of times in the opening scene of Ant-Man in the explosive discussion between; Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Howard Stark (John Slattery), Martin Donovan (Mitchell Carson) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) which takes place at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. Ant-Man Prelude also introduces another mysterious character who will presumably play a bigger role in Ant-Man's story when they return, whether they are friend or foe is anyone's guess at the moment.

The second is a smaller story: Ant-Man Scott Lang Small Time which brings us to contemporary times and tells the story of how the Robin Hood like Scott Lang gets a little to carried away and ends up in San Quentin prison about to have his skull cracked which is where Scott Lang's cinematic adventure starts.

THE ESTABLISHING SHOT: MARVEL'S ANT-MAN UK TRAILER - 17 JULY 15

Enough waffling, here is the good stuff - The key questions I had lined up to gain some insight into Ant-Man's background were:
  • Where is Evangeline Lilly?
  • What was important to convey or bring to life with Ant-Man?
  • How did Paul Rudd get involved in Ant-Man and what drew him to the project. Leading into could he tell us a little bit about the early production history of Ant-Man?
  • Can you tell us a little bit about Edgar Wright's involvement in Ant-Man and did you guys collaborate at all after he moved on?
  • What drew Peyton Reed to the story of Ant-Man?
  • What happened with Peyton Reed's involvement in the Fantastic Four?
  • Henry or Hank Pym as he is now known has a complicated history with dark periods. I am curious about why that was not brought to the fore, he seemed to be more of a conventional character can you tell us a little bit about your thinking behind that?
  • Can you tell us a little bit about how Ant-Man fits into the Marvel Universe moving forward?
  • Can reed tell your favourite comics or favourite comic stories?

The Establishing Shot: ANT-MAN TEAM LOOKING FOR ME @ THE ANT-MAN EUROPEAN PRESS CONFERENCE - CORINTHIA HOTEL LONDON
Our movie happens to have the structure and feel of a heist movie and I think that’s one of the things that Marvel’s really done well. Sometimes you’ll talk to Kevin Feige and he’s like, we don’t make superhero movies, we make genre movies. And I think that’s been a very smart thing.” - Peyton Reed

Sadly many of the burning questions I was hoping to get some insight into were not addressed, specifically what drew: Peyton Reed and Paul Rudd to Ant-Man and a frank discussion on the early production history and decisions which lead to the film we now have.

Fortunately I was spared some of the onus when the very first question from the floor addressed the Edgar Wright question.Other topics we managed to touch on at a high level included;
  • Paul Rudd on the pressure of Ant-Man leading into a new era in Marvel films
  • Peyton Reed on Edgar Wright's part in bringing Ant-Man to life
  • Michael Peña, Paul Rudd & Michael Douglas discuss the influences on their roles in Ant-Man
  • Paul Rudd on creating Scott Lang aka Ant-Man
  • Michael Douglas, Paul Rudd & Michael Peña discuss comics and their early cultural influences
  • Paul Rudd on getting into shape for the role of Ant-Man
  • Peyton Reed discusses whether the sub genre heist element of Ant-Man signals a change in the direction in Marvel films
  • Michael Douglas on the experience of making Ant-Man
  • Peyton Reed addresses the tone of Ant-Man
  • Michael Douglas & Michael Peña on the possibility of wearing the Ant-Man suit in an upcoming Marvel film
  • An acknowledgement of Evangeline Lily's absence
  • Peyton Reed further hints at possible elements that might be explored in Ant-Man 2 and confirms Paul Rudd will appear as Ant-Man in Marvel's upcoming Captain America: Civil War
  • Paul Rudd on his participation in Captain America: Civil War

Taschen announce The MARVEL MAGNUM OPUS - 75 Years of Marvel Comics. From the Golden Age to the Silver Screen Book

If Taschen are not already your favourite publishing house they should be after this. Somewhere between form and substance lies perfection - and that must be what Taschen aim for when it comes to creating their tomes. Full of glossy high resolution pictures to keep your left side of your brain occupied whilst the right side absorbs the meaningful insight and passion they impart for their subject.

I am lucky enough to posses a couple of these Objet d'art (as they are) which are indispensable reference books particular their recent Film Noir. 100 All-Time Favorites which goes beyond the image on screen to enhance and inform your viewing experience. I dare not open my gorgeous edition of The Stanley Kubrick Archives as I get as much joy knowing that it sits on my bookshelf holding onto its secrets as I would pouring over it and sating my curiosity

Stan Lee and Taschen 75 Years of Marvel Comics
Stan Lee and Taschen 75 Years of Marvel Comics

Sadly this quality comes at a cost as Taschen's limited print runs, sell out all too quickly, blink and they are gone. I still have two posts in the cylinder about the absolutely astounding The Making of Stanley Kubrick’s '2oo1: A Space Odyssey' which sold out in days (fortunately there are some "pigment print" editions still available) and for the last couple of months I have been poring over Taschen's Film Noir. 100 All-Time Favorites for review only to discover that within weeks it too was sold out.


The Establishing Shot: TASCHEN VIEWING GALLERY - ANNIE LEIBOVITZ THE SOPRANOS: FAMILY PORTRAIT FROM SUMO COLLECTOR'S EDITION - DUKE OF YORK SQUARE, CHELSEA, LONDON

 Unsurprising as Taschen's books are highly sought after collectors pieces beyond their academic value. To get a sense of books as art, pop in to Taschen's Philippe Starck designed Duke of York Square store, just off the Kings Road (right next to the new Saatchi Gallery) and head downstairs to their gallery space - it's like a museum of awesomeness and you can browse their oversize SUMO editions as well as view some of their hard to find prints.


The Establishing Shot: TASCHEN VIEWING GALLERY - ANNIE LEIBOVITZ R2-D2 FROM SUMO COLLECTOR'S EDITION - DUKE OF YORK SQUARE, CHELSEA, LONDON

So this morning when I noticed Taschen had announced the  release of an XXL format 75 Years of Marvel Comics book with Stan Lee's endorsement in an uncharacteristic flurry I thought I would get a post up about it ASAP.

A Hulk-sized tome spanning eight decades of the heroic rise of Marvel as it magically mutated from 1939’s four-color upstart to a 1960s pop-culture dynamo to current Hollywood heavy hitter. With essays by comics historian Roy Thomas and a huge fold-out timeline that chronicles the entire Marvel history.

75 Years of Marvel is a volume for and by the truest of ‘True Believers!’ ’Nuff Said.”    — Stan Lee

See Thor's Hammer Mjölnir & Thor: The Dark World Battle of Greenwich Film Locations – FILM LOCATION

Thor Dark World GreenwichTo celebrate the home release of Thor: The Dark World, Marvel Studio's have placed a huge replica of  Mjolnir, Thor's Hammer for all to see in Greenwich. But hurry as it will only be there till Friday 28 February.

Last week I received an email alerting me to the location of Thor's hammer, so over the weekend I grabbed my pants, jumped on the tube at Charing Cross station, jumped off in Greenwich 3 stops later. *Whilst exact travel details are further below pants are optional!

Mark Wahlberg talks 2 Guns – working with Denzel Washington, possible sequels, tells us what he has in the pipeline possibly a Chaser remake? & updates on Headhunters kind of! – Mark Wahlberg in Conversation

Mark Wahlberg 2 Guns InterviewAll right let me start by saying that - the half an hour I was in Mark Wahlberg's company was possibly the most entertaining half an hour I have ever had - listening to someone talk about making films. This guy is the real deal. He's like a character from his TV show – Entourage. I'm sure he gets asked all the time “Is Vinny based on you?” From what I could see he really is Vinny - just funnier, sharper and has bigger arms.

Mark Wahlberg apologised as he strode in waving, he was late and jet-lagged - he left the Detroit set of Michael Bay's Transformers 4, drove to the airport, got lost, got on a plane for 12 hours, checked in to his hotel, had some chicken and came to talk to us. You would never say so – as he was in good form, in fact – it would appear that Wahlberg is one of those guys that can truly pull of the the old chestnut - not on my worst day with aplomb. For some of his funny nuggets of experience listen to the 8 minute audio clip at the bottom of this page.

Wahlberg was in London town to talk about 2 Guns his latest action comedy that topped the US Box Office on its opening. 2 Guns is based on a five-issue comic miniseries from BOOM! Studios written by Steven Grant which re-teams Wahlberg with Contraband Director Baltasar Kormákur and partners him with powerhouse performer and co-star Denzel Washington.

I have to say I quite enjoyed 2 Guns. In a Summer where big budget blockbusters rule the roost it is a refreshing change to see an action comedy that had some excellent performances and a plot that focuses on personality and characters as much as explosions. The cast pull out some genuinely brilliant performances as the film continually twists and turns to reveal a hard boiled old school action detective style story.

Denzel Washington is Robert 'Bobby' Trench, the more experienced and serious "brain" pitted against the younger wise cracking  "muscle" of  Mark Wahlberg's go getter Michael 'Stig' Stigman. Their chemistry is as spectacular as you would hope it would be. When these stars go up against each other - it's film magic. With their performances providing their characters with the perfect counter balance as foils for each other.

Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are backed with solid performances from the likes of Bill Paxton, Edward James Olmos and Fred Ward all giving their best performances in years.

Kick-Ass Film Location - Hit-Girl attacks the lobby of Frank D'Amico's penthouse - FILM LOCATION

The Establishing Shot says visit the Kick-Ass film location of the lobby of Frank D'Amico's penthouseThe eagerly anticipated Jeff Wadlow adaptation of Mark Millar's Kick-Ass 2 will be in cinemas this week on 14 August so it seems timely that we take a look at one of the very easy to visit locations from Matthew Vaughn's 2010 Kick-Ass.

Back in 2010 the comic hero to film landscape was dominated by large scale big budget films then along came Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass made for £19 Mill, considerably less than your average blockbuster and raking in triple that at £62 Mill. Ensuring that in all likelihood we would see more of Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) adventures as the costumed vigilante Kick-Ass. What did Hollywood learn from this financial case study ?

But there was no way a “super” hero film based on a Mark Millar comic adapted by Jane Goldman and directed by Matthew Vaughn would not to be seared into our shared collective/cultural consciousness.

Kick-Ass 2 like Kick-Ass was filmed in both the UK and Canada, with Toronto filling in for Kick Ass's New York City skyline and the bulk of the film shot against Blue screen at Pinewood Studios and some scenes at Elstree Studios, Borehamwood.

Kick-Ass Film Poster
Kick-Ass Film Poster [+]

Snikt! I see The Wolverine and if you liked X-Men Origins: Wolverine you'll love The Wolverine it's one for the kids - Film Review

The Wolverine ReviewMany of my colleagues loved The Wolverine, you can read Ben Mortimer's 5 Star review of The Wolverine over here! Sadly I did not.

Wolverine is one of the most intriguing, if not fascinating characters in the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately in the comics he has never quite lived up to the promise of an ageless feral warrior that is near indestructible and is at his best when surrounded by many other personalities to bounce off. Sadly Hugh Jackman's latest outing as Logan in James Mangold's The Wolverine doesn't quite live up to the promise either.

As a long time reader of The Wolverine comics I have always felt that the idea of a small ferocious anti hero that always walks his own path and overcomes the much larger odds with no no fear - backed with an unbreakable skeleton and claws is an exciting prospect. Add to this his mysterious past and you have fanboy delight.

ON OUR RADAR - Man of Steel gets a full trailer - All the updates & Images, Posters, Trailers and news

man-of-steel-trailerSuperman Man of Steel will be in UK cinemas in under 2 months and as Spring sets in the marketing campaign for the Summer blockbuster releases is ramping up, with the first signs of life coming via a Viral campaign wherein General Zod (Michael Shannon) has contacted earth via a static transmission looking for one of his citizens Kal-El. This led us to a site (http://www.iwillfindhim.com/) which was counting down to something.

Using the glyph clues on http://www.dsrwproject.com/ we have worked out that the deadline in line with General Zod's warning will end at around 1:15am British time. We are hoping that this was the reveal of the first full Man of Steel Trailer after its debut at Cinema Con - well see for yourself below. I will be doing a full analysis of the trailer shortly. can be found here: http://www.theestablishingshot.com/2013/05/man-of-steel-trailer-analysis-its-epic.html

We can expect to see Zack Snyder's Man of Steel in UK cinemas from 14 June, 2013. In the meantime below I'll be updating this post with all the official news you need to know about Man of Steel.


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Return to Krypton deleted scene - Superman Returns Return to Krypton deleted scene from Superman Returns
Superman may be the most recognisable and famous comic character of all time - but this works against him when trying to bring him to screen as everyone knows bits of the story already. He is also the most powerful character in comics making him unstoppable so how do create the dramatic tension of a threat when you are invulnerable?

Hopefully Zack Snyder and David S. Goyer have turned this weakness into a strength in updating Superman and Producer Christopher Nolan has learnt a thing or two to contribute from across The Dark Knight Trilogy and using our expectations to their advantage to bring Superman back into popular culture and placing him where he needs to front and centre.

From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures comes Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill  in the role of Clark Kent/Superman, under the direction of Zack Snyder.

A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth.  As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do.  But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

man of steel poster
Man of Steel Poster (Click to enlarge)

Comics fan or Comic Film aficionado? Help Kickstart this: TRIPWIRE 21st Anniversary Book

tripwire magazineEven though it is the comic reader's preferred comics and genre magazine you may not have heard of TRIPWIRE, as they play it fairly low key - run by passionate people (mainly Joel Meadows ) and focusing on bringing great articles and insightful editorial to the fore rather than banging on about how great they are and inundating your social media presence with constant messaging.

I was fortunate enough to acquire a copy of TRIPWIRE X10 their 10th Anniversary edition full of engaging insight, relevant discussion with comic writers and artists as well as glorious artwork signed by some comic greats - it has taken pride of place in my collection. Flash forward 11 years and TRIPWIRE are gearing up for a TRIPWIRE 21st anniversary book and looking for some crowdsourced funding to get the book into production  (there's 4 days left and they are at 65%). Now this might be the most selfish post I have ever written as I plead you to please head over to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/154246759/tripwire-21st-anniversary and make a pledge because  I really want TRIPWIRE 21.

tripwire x10
Tripwire X10 1992 - 2002 10 Years of Tripwire

ON OUR RADAR - The Wolverine All the updates & Images, Posters, Trailers and news

The Establishing ShotWe can expect to see James Mangold's The Wolverine in UK cinemas on 26 July, 2013 In the meantime here are all the updates you need for The Wolverine.

As with many comic readers The Wolverine was a favourite character of mine along with Angel aka Archangel, Banshee, Iceman and Colossus. His particular brand of rogue ferocity and mysterious background made him a firm favourite as he is often ranked in the top comic character polls. Introduced as a plucky feral warrior who goes up against both the Hulk and Wendigo at the same time in 1974 he only got his own ongoing comic series in 1988 thanks to Chris Claremont and John Buscema.

Since then he has had some great highlights as he slashed and bashed his through the Marvel universe and his mysterious origin was teased at and slowly unravelled over the almost 3 decades he had been in print till then. He has also had some low points accumulating in X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009 which set Wolverine back as well as comic book films a couple of steps.

Wolverine has one of the most interesting albeit clichéd and convoluted back stories of almost any comic character, he has 130 years of combat experience including military and martial arts training, a feral animal instinct, super healing powers, an almost indestructible adamantium skeleton and an almost unmatchable *cough Hulk* berserker rage. He is the dark reflection of Captain America's Super Soldier with better physical enhancements. This should all add up to one of the most kick ass comic characters on screen. Yet Hugh Jackman keeps trying to play the basically he's a good guy card to soon every time trying to equate him to the 1977 version of Superman which would be mind blowingly awesome, if it was 1977. Wolverine isn't Superman and when stop trying to turn him into Superman on screen they'll engage audiences.

Hugh Jackman is a very talented and pleasant man but seems to miss that we are waiting for the Wolverine that the comics have led us to - an unreasoning feral bad ass.  The closest we have seen the Wolverine's spirit captured on on screen was in Pitch Black where Vin Diesel plays an animalistic warrior out for himself as well as this little gem cameo from X-Men: First Class where Logan rejects Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr's offer to join there class which you can see here: http://youtu.be/lvHI7IQmK4Q

But I am ever hopeful that between James Mangold and Hugh Jackman they create some movie magic and take this opportunity to bring The Wolverine to screen in either a way that is closer to The Wolverine the fans envision or exceed our expectations in the same way Marvel has with their other comic character films.

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, The Wolverine finds Logan, the eternal warrior and outsider, in Japan. There, samurai steel will clash with adamantium claw as Logan confronts a mysterious figure from his past in an epic battle that will leave him forever changed.

In modern day Japan, Wolverine is out of his depth in an unknown world as he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

The Establishing Shot Magazine Genre Edition 01 2013 007, GUNS, MUSCLES, CAPES, SWORDS, FANGS, KUNG FU & SUPER HERO NEWS

Genre Film News BONDThis time on The Establishing Shot Magazine Genre Edition 01-  Skyfall Rockets Past The £100m Box Office Barrier In The Uk - Skyfall Continues To Make Box Office History, Skyfall And The Bond 50 Collection Are Here! More At 007.com!, For Your Ears Only The New Autobiography By Bond Girl Voice-over Artiste Nikki Van Der Zyl Now Out, David Arnold Talks Skyfall, Ee Bafta Nominations & Life Of Pi, Daniel Craig And Judi Dench Named Top Movie Stars Of 2012, Skyfall Pair Voted Best Of The Year In Sky Movies Hd Poll, James Bond ‘skyfall’ Boosts Cut Throat Razor Sales By 405%, Skyfall Smashes Uk Box Office Record To Become Biggest Film Of All Time Bond Makes History In Just 40 Days, Goldfinger Moment Tops List Of Bond Best Bits In Sky Movies Hd Poll, Skyfall Train, The Amazing Spider-man 2 Sneak Peek At Spider-man's New Look, Iron Man 3  Brand New Poster, Iron Man 3 - Brand New Pepper Potts Character Banner, Iron Man 3 - Brand New The Mandarin Character Banner, Zack Snyder Talks Superman Man Of Steel, Warner Bros. Pictures And Legendary Pictures Are Proud To Unveil The Super New Trailer For Man Of Steel!, Taschen Announce The Golden Age Of Dc Comics Book, Star Trek Into Darkness First Look Featurette, Star Trek Into Darkness  Motion Poster, After Earth Trailer, The Princess Bride 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray And Special Screening Programme - Exclusive Theatrical Screenings In Vue Cinemas Across The Uk And In Dublin On 2nd, 3rd & 5th March, Paramount’s Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 3d Arrives In Imax®theatres In The U.k. Starting February 27, Classic Dracula Released On 3-disc Double Play On 18th March 2013, Evil Dead - Green Band Trailer, Barry Levinson Talks About Real-life Monsters In Eco-horror The Bay!, V/h/s Pop Up Video Rental Store Event Captured On Video!, Sinister Vision Appears In Pancake!, Steamy Thriller 247°f To Première At Grimmfest!, John Woo's Reign Of Assassins Gets 2 New Clips, White Collar Hooligan 2: England Away - International Trailer

    The Establishing Shot: JAMES BOND NEWS
SKYFALL ROCKETS PAST THE £100M BOX OFFICE BARRIER IN THE UK - SKYFALL CONTINUES TO MAKE BOX OFFICE HISTORY 
Eon Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment are delighted to announce that Skyfall, the UK’s most successful film of all time, continues to smash box office records and has now taken a staggering £100,460,679, the first film in box office history to cross the £100m mark.

SKYFALL, the 23rd James Bond adventure, continuing the longest running and most successful franchise in film history opened in 587 cinemas across the UK and Ireland on Friday 26th October 2012, and is still on general release. Additionally, the film has generated more than $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide.

Daniel Craig is back as Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 in SKYFALL™, the 23rd adventure in the longest-running film franchise of all time. In SKYFALL, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. The film is from Albert R. Broccoli’s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Directed by Sam Mendes. Produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan.

SKYFALL AND THE BOND 50 COLLECTION ARE HERE! MORE AT 007.COM! 
When it comes to cultural icons, James Bond is one of the biggest and most influential. These past 50 years we've been able to experience 007s finest adventures on the big screen, including last year with the excellent SKYFALL which shattered box office records. This piece, set to Adele's 'Skyfall', revisits Bond's adventures, from Dr. No to Skyfall, taking you through the various eras of the Bond legacy. Get those Martinis ready!

This is in no way a full retrospective of the Bond films, the only way to truly live 007's adventures is by seeing them yourself. And what better way to do that than with the Bond 50 Collection on Blu-ray! Each film has been restored to its former glory with pristine picture quality. They really outdid themselves with the 4K restoration process and so every frame of footage used in this video is straight from the source, maintaining the best possible quality from edit to upload.

The Establishing Shot Magazine -1 2013 All the Film News worth reading

Film News The Establishing Shot This time on The Establishing Shot in all the the film news worth reading about -  Independent Spotlight – Broken, A New Poster From The Look Of Love, Rio 2 Casting, Les Misérables Grosses Close To $75 Million Worldwide In First 3 Days Of Release, First Image From The Two Faces Of January! Holy Motors Comes To Dvd And Blu-ray, Network Acquires Home Entertainment Rights From The Studiocanal, Shooting Wraps On Mark Harris’ The Broken,metrodome Distribution Acquires Summer In February, Entertainment One Acquires Alliance Films, Bafta Nominated Director Tom Harper To Helm Hammer’s The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death, Working Title Films Sign James Corden For "school For Santas", Network Releasing Partner With Amnesty International For The Uk Release Of Oscar-nominated “no”, Award-winning Director Adam Wimpenny Shooting First Feature Film -  Blackwood, British Crime Thriller From The Producer Of Kidulthood And Starring Gabriel Byrne And Rufus Sewell Opens February 2013, The Princess Bride 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray And Special Screening Programme, First Image From From Writer/director Richard Curtis's About Time, Featurette The Special Effects Of Rust And Bone, An Interview With Director Ron Fricke And Producer Mark Magidson For Their Samsara, Disney Transforms London Street Into 80’s Computer Game To Celebrate The Release Of Wreck-it Ralph, V/h/s Pop Up Video Rental Store Event Captured On Video! Sinister Vision Appears In Pancake! Atticus Ross' "broken City" Soundtrack Inspirations, Postcards From The Zoo To Be Released On Vod In 7 European Countries On February 25th, 2013, With Peccadillo Taking Uk Vod Distribution Rights, Hitchcock On The Space, Twitter Launches Twitter Oscars Index, Working Title Receives 12 Nominations At The Academy Awards, Sir Alan Parker Honoured With Bafta Fellowship, Tessa Ross Receives Bafta Award For Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema Berberian Sound Studio Picks Up Most Wins At 2012 British Independent Film Awards, London Film School Launches Independent Film Masters Programme With University Of Exeter Starting September 2013, Appoints Angus Finney As Course Leader, Bafta Nomination For London Film School Muriel D'ansembourg's Good Night & A Record Number Of Lfs Short Films Nominated In The London Short Film Festival, Samuel L. Jackson Gives Advice To Filmmakers Of The Future, Sundance London Short Film Competition Deadline Looms Thursday 28 February 2013, 2012 House Shorts Competition Winner Announcement At Soho House New York, Andy Serkis Discusses Jameson Cult Film Club Events In 2013, 5th Okinawa International Film Festival Welcomes Joel Schumacher As Juror, Steamy Thriller 247°f To Première At Grimmfest! Dfi Uk Cinema Showcase At The Mia, Barry Levinson's Eco-horror The Bay To Première At Glasgow Frightfest! Arab Filmmakers Say Drawing On Past Gives New Perspective To Current Realities, James Mcavoy To Play Macbeth In Jamie Lloyd’s Inaugural Production For Trafalgar Transformed, A Late Quartet Film Joins Digital Music Service Rdio To Promote Dvd Release & Original Playlists, Taschen Goes Digital, Filmcraft: Producing Released Early 2013, An Interview With Paul Lieberman For His Book La Noir: Tales From The Gangster Squad, Daniel Craig And Judi Dench Named Top Movie Stars Of 2012 - Skyfall Pair Voted Best Of The Year In Sky Movies Hd Poll, Introducing Sky Movies Disney – The Home Of New And Classic Disney Movies, Sky Movies Hd Invites You To Join Them For The 85th Annual Academy Awards® Live From Los Angeles, Shawshank Redeemed - The Shawshank Redemption Voted Nation’s Favourite Best Picture Oscar® Snub In Sky Movies HD Poll, Video: Christopher Nolan - Self-Taught Filmmaker, Video: William Friedkin on Buster Keaton's THE GENERAL, Video: Look Who's Talking: Interviewing on Screen with Mark Cousins, Keanu Reeves, Video: Malik Bendjelloul and Rodriguez on Searching for Sugarman, Video: Ben Affleck, Tony Mendez Interview on 'Argo': Director, Inspiration Discuss Film, Kickstart: Last Days Of Coney Island By Ralph Bakshi, Video: David Lynch at Work

The Establishing Shot: INDEPENDENT SPOTLIGHT – BROKEN
“From acclaimed director Rufus Norris comes BROKEN, a powerful, captivating and heartbreaking exploration of love in all its many forms: idealised, unrequited, and, ultimately, unconditional. With some light comic touches and a brilliant central performance from newcomer Eloise Laurence, this coming of age story deals with the tumultuousness of growing up in a world where the happy certainties of childhood give way to a fear-filled doubt, and where a complex, broken world fills the future.”
“Thoughtlessness and unnecessary cruelty always catch my mind, for some reason.” – Daniel Clay, author, Broken 
Broken film poster tim roth
Broken film poster Tm Roth
Published in April 2009, Daniel Clay's novel Broken offered a prescient vision of the Britain that ignited for a brief but unforgettable instant in the late summer of 2011, when the country's moral compass went momentarily berserk and pockets of rioting erupted throughout the UK. Narrated by Skunk, a little girl approaching her teenage years, who witnesses a brutal assault on her neighbour, it is a story that gets to the very heart of modern social dysfunction. Skunk sees the world almost literally from her bedroom window: across the road live the Buckley family, an older, very conservative couple whose son, for reasons they will never discuss, has issues they can never bring themselves to deal with. Next door are the Oswalds, a working-class family of three young girls and a father who, all equally, strike fear in to the local residents. And at home, with her lawyer father, brother and a live-in au pair, Skunk finds an oasis of some sorts. It's not perfect, but good enough.

FILM NEWS - SEPTEMBER - ALL THE FILM NEWS WORTH READING

Film News The Establishing Shot This time on The Establishing Shot in all the the film news worth reading about -  Dredd Producer & Writer Alex Garland Talks Dredd, Titus Welliver Talks Marvel's Item 47 And Comics,Independent Spotlight – Mother’s Milk , Lauren Laverne Interviews David Walliams At Bfi Screen Epiphany – The Spy Who Loved Me, Director Ole Bornedal Talks About The Possession, The Best Russian Roulette Scenes In Movies, Film's Most Unlikely Romances, Bourne Spy Trilogy Tops Conspiracy Movie List, Lars Von Trier's Challenge To The People Will Premiere On October 12, 2012, Doctor Who’s Matt Smith To Appear At Mcm London Comic Con, Destination Star Trek London - A Three Day Official Event Celebrating The Star Trek Universe, Mcm London Comic Con – Excel London – 26-28 October, Skyfall Royal World Premiere Announced For London, 23rd October 2012, Sir Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” Is Selected For The Royal Film Performance 2012, Premiere Of The Newly Restored Hitchcock Silent Classic, Champagne, By To Be Streamed Exclusively On The Space This Thursday, Cigarette Burns Cinema Presents: Psycho Vs Psycho!, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie European Premiere Opens The 56th Bfi London Film Festival, Intandem Films Presentgrassroots A Film By Stephen Gyllenhaal Released In Cinemas November 9th 2012 After Receiving European Premiere At The 56th Bfi London Film Festival, Park Circus At The Bfi London Film Festival, Peccadillo Pictures At The 56 Th Bfi London Film Festival 10-21st October 2012, My Brother The Devil Picks Up 3 Award Nominations At The Bfi London Film Festival, The World’s End, Third Comedy Teaming Director Edgar Wright With Stars Simon Pegg And Nick Frost, Commences Production, Principal Photography Begins On A Long Way Down, Intandem Films Cook Up A Little Bit Of Magic With Jadoo, Hollywood Film Awards To Honor Dreamworks Animation's "Rise Of The Guardians" With The 2012 "Hollywood Animation Award", Entertainment One Inks Multiyear Output Deal With Dreamworks Studios, Branagh Shooting Jack Ryan In London, Lionsgate Presents The British, All-Star Adaptation Of The Dickens’ Classic Great Expectations In Cinemas November 30th 2012, Baz Luhrmann’s 3d Adaptation Gets Sought After Summer Release Date,  Fortissimo Films Aquires Terence Davies’ ‘Sunset Song’ Peter Mullan &Amp; Agyness Deyn To Star, Cate Blanchett And Mia Wasikowska Confirmed For John Crowley’s Carol, Cuban Fury Final Production Blog Update, Principal Photography On Kevin Macdonald’s To Begin On How I Live Now Has Begun, Cee Lo Green Joins The Cast Of Exclusive Media’s “Can A Song Save Your Life?”, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Begins Production, Exclusive Paranormal Activity 4 Clip Available For Fans On New One-Sheet Artwork, Cloud Atlas - Toronto International Film Festival World Premiere, British Film Dredd Is Box Office Number 1, Black Power Salute Apology, Status Quo Will Reunite After 25 Years To Celebrate The Release Of Hello Quo - The Definitive Documentary On The Rock Band, Oscar-Nominated Margin Call On Dvd And Blu-Ray 12th November, Where The Trail Ends, Just Buried, Entertainment Film Distributors Is Pleased To Present The International Box-Office Record Breaker Untouchable, To Rome With Love, Big Boys Gone Bananas!*, Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan Open In Cinemas From 9 November, The Arena Hotel Presents Previously Unseen Beatles Archive  Exclusively On The Space, Room 237.

Since our last update we have moved our operation to a new purpose built space that will ideally compliment our Establishing Shot activities. The down side to this is that a huge chunk of time was needed to plan and co-ordinate this and we are still not fully settled, secondarily our online services provided by O2 were disrupted and due to some sort of unexplained event our  promised 5 day timeframe for activation shifted to an 18 day period. Annoying and frustrating but in all fairness O2 have consistently given us great service across broadband and mobile so we can live with this inconvenience.

Since our last update we have met with Writer/ Producer Alex Garland and DREDD himself Karl Urban to chat about DREDD which is still showing in cinemas.

We briefly met evil mastermind (OK actually really nice guy with a fondness for English Rom Coms?) and the writer behind SINISTER - C. Robert Cargill which opens in cinemas this Friday, our chat with Cargill should be up soon.


And we also had a chat with actor Titus Welliver about his role in Marvel’s short film ITEM 47 and his love of comics.

We have also seen a number of great films - I got to go along to the Stella Artois Premiere of the reflective and energetic LCD Soundsystem based music documentary Shut Up and Play The Hits - it is a technically flawless music documentary up there with the best of them, it is ostensibly about a very popular band coming to an end but delves into the of cult of celebrity and music culture. I have to say that I didn't really know LCD Soundsystem before - but the film left me wandering why not. I should have a full event report up soon.


We also got see the re-release s of Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of The Lot Ark at the IMAX and the Jameson Cult Film Club screening of  Jaws at Amity Beach or as it is locally known the Greenwich Yacht Club. Jaws was the best JCFC screening yet and I was reminded of how brilliant both these classic Spielberg films are and it is hard to believe that few films since are in the same league. Both Raiders of The Lost Ark and Jaws are now available in high definition Blu-ray format. A full write up of the JCFC Jaws Experience will be up soon.

We got to see the most (justifiably) hyped film at the moment Looper (review here!) which we were lucky enough to see early on while very little was known about it and loved it, we got to watch it again at a special Stella Artois/Picturehouse screening and my wife loved it this time so it’s not just one for the boys, again a full write up will be available soon.

Since last time we missed out opportunities to chat with Jennifer Lynch about Chained and hope that in the future that our paths will cross again. We also missed a screening of the documentary Room 237 which looks into Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. We have been waiting ages for Room 237 and will hopefully have a review up soon.



The Establishing Shot: INDEPENDENT SPOTLIGHT – MOTHER’S MILK 
Mother’s Milk is a powerful, moving and often funny drama, based on the award-winning novel by Edward St. Aubyn about an English family forced to come to terms with the imminent loss of their beloved holiday house in Provence.

The Establishing Shot: All the July Film News worth reading

the establishing shot film newsThis week on The Establishing Shot's all the film news worth reading: 7 Days in Havana, Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style, Costume Designer Lindy Hemming talks Bane’s outfit from The Dark Knight Rises, A a close up look at Batman & Bane's costumes from The Dark Knight Rises, Batman Begins Review, The Dark Knight Rises Review, Ted Review, Samsara, Sky's Now TV, ICE-T's The Art of Rap, Prometheus Merchandise, The Raid Record Bag, The Spider-man Vault, To Live and Die in L.A. US One sheet movie Poster, Night Porter, The Battle of Algiers, The Message, Lion of the Desert, Zombie 108, The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan, Airborne, CHARIOTS OF FIRE, THE THREE STOOGES, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE IMAGINATION SERIES FILM COMETITION, VIRGIN MEDIA SHORTS 2012, MOFILM DUREX £31,000 FILMMAKING COMPETITION, EAST END FILM STUDENT GETS 3-D FILM TRAINING THANKS TO ROMANIAN FILM INITIATIVE, LOVEBITE AND TWISTED MINDS ANNOUNCED AS THIS YEAR’S M&C SAATCHI FILMHACK CHALLENGE WINNERS, THE GENIUS OF HITCHCOCK, DESTINATION STAR TREK LONDON - A THREE DAY OFFICIAL EVENT CELEBRATING THE STAR TREK UNIVERSE, FREE ART DRIVE! POP-UP CINEMA FESTIVAL 2 AUGUST 2012 - 4 AUGUST 2012, ST MARTIN'S COURTYARD BECOMES OPEN AIR CINEMA FOR MINI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, re:VAULT 2.0, REC GENESIS PREMIERES TO PREMIERE AT FRIGHTFEST, FUTURE SHORTS FESTIVAL, LONDON MEXFEST 2012, FILM4 FRIGHTFEST 2012, THINGS I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS CONTINUING IT'S RUN ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT AFTER WINNING BEST FEATURE FILM AT THE INDIE SPIRIT FILM FESTIVAL IN APRIL IN COLORADO, KAPOW! ART AUCTION TO RAISE MONEY FOR TOGETHER FOR SHORT LIVES, THE ARRIVAL OF WANG TO PLAY AT LONDON FILM4 FRIGHTFEST, TIPPI HEDREN IN CONVERSATION, THE ALIBI FILM CLUB PRESENTS A FREE SCREENING CLUB DEATH PROOF MONDAY 6TH AUG, GUILTY PLEASURES CINEMA PARTY BRINGS DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN TO THE TROXY!, FUTURE CINEMA PRESENTS GREASE, TIPPI HEDREN SATELLITE QA & MARNIE SCREENING, LIONSGATE PRESENTS THE UK PREMIERE OF THE EXPENDABLES 2 IN ASSOCIATION WITH NETFLIX, THE BFI’S SIGHT & SOUND MAGAZINE ANNOUNCE THE 50 GREATEST FILMS OF ALL TIME, THE BFI STATISTICAL YEARBOOK 2012 HAS BEEN PUBLISHED, CHARIOTS OF FIRE - THE FORGOTTEN FACTS, MOMENTUM PICTURES PRESENT SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS A FILM BY MARTIN MCDONAGH, INTANDEM FILMS LAUNCHES UK DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, PETER JACKSON’S LONG-AWAITED FILMED ADAPTATION OF THE HOBBIT TO BE A TRILOGY, STUDIOCANAL AND BIG TALK PICTURES ANNOUNCE 22nd MARCH 2013 RELEASE FOR  ‘CUBAN FURY’, HIP HOP HEAVYWEIGHTS TAKE TO THE LONDON STAGE FOR A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME PERFORMANCE AT THE EUROPEAN PREMIERE OF ICE-T’s LANDMARK DOCUMENTARY, ZAYTOUN SELECTED AS A SPECIAL PRESENTATION AT THE 2012 TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, SPANISH INDIE ROAD MOVIE THE SOUL OF FLIES BY FIRST TIME FEATURE DIRECTOR TO BE SIMULTANEOUSLY RELEASED ON DISTRIFY AND IN CINEMAS, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES TAKES £1 MILLION IN ADVANCE BOOKING AT BFI IMAX, BREAKING ALL PREVIOUS SALES RECORDS, STREET FIGHTER® LIVE-ACTION SERIES ANNOUNCED AT SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2012, PECCADILLO TAKES UK/IRELAND FOR HIT SO HARD, BRITISH OLYMPIANS PAST AND PRESENT TO ATTEND FILM PREMIERE: SALUTE WITH THE LEGENDARY DR TOMMIE SMITH, SKY MOVIES SHINES THROUGH THE SUMMER SHOWERS - SKY MOVIES ICE CREAM VAN VISITS UK CITIES, HARRY POTTER WIZARD’S COLLECTION - Available from 10th September, THE RAID IS COMING TO DVD AND BLU-RAY, THE WALKING DEAD THE ULTIMATE POST-APOCALYPTIC ZOMBIE THRILLER RETURNS ON BLU-RAY™ AND DVD FROM 27TH AUGUST 2012, ACCLAIMED COMING HOME DRAMA “RETURN SET FOR UK DVD DEBUT, JOHN CARTER ON BLU-RAY, BLU-RAY 3D AND DVD 2 JULY, THIRD WINDOW FILMS IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE DVD & BLURAY RELEASE OF HIMIZU ON 6 AUGUST 2012, LOVE EXPOSURE ON DVD/BLU-RAY 6 AUGUST 2012, THE SPACE RELEASES KURSK A FILM AVAILABLE TO WATCH FOR FREE ON THE SPACE FROM WED 1ST AUG, NOW TV POWERED BY SKY GOES LIVE, THE ICO LAUNCH A FILOM INDUSTRY BLOG, THE SMALLS RE LAUNCHES, MUBI BRINGS YOU ONLINE MOVIES EVERYDAY, ANNOUNCING CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY - THE MUSICAL! , MICHAEL GRANDAGE COMPANY ANNOUNCES WEST END SEASON OF FIVE PLAYS WITH OVER 100,000 TICKETS AT £10, Killing Them Softly Trailer, Official Man of Steel Teaser Trailer Russell Crowe Version, Official Man of Steel Teaser Trailer Kevin Costner Version, Cloud Atlas Epic 6 Min International Trailer, Life of Pi Trailer, Jack Reacher Trailer, The Sweeney Orange UK, Three legends - Monroe by Mailer and Stern, The gospel according to Marc, Chariots of Fire – In cinemas now, Salute –Available on DVD 30 July 2012, Searching for Sugar Man – In cinemas from Thursday 26 July 2012, Delicacy - In cinemas Friday 3 August 2012, A Simple Life - In cinemas Friday 3 August 2012, Beloved – In cinemas Monday 6 August, In Your Hands – In cinemas Fri 20 July, The Imposter – In cinemas 24 August 2012, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry – In Cinemas Friday 10 August 2012, Total Recall – In cinemas  August 29, 2012, Circumstance - In cinemas 24 August 2012, 2012, The Victim On DVD & Blu-Ray 24 Sep 2012, Take This Waltz - In cinemas 17 August 2012, Trance – In cinemas 2013, I Am Bruce Lee - 23 Jul 2012, The Devils Business – 17th August 2012

This Time on The Establishing Shot:
Since our last update we have eased ourselves back into London life after a couple of weeks on and under the Mexican Riviera Maya. As well as road tripping we spent time in both Tulum and Isla Mujeres close to the whale shark migration route, but that is another story.

Since returning we popped down to the Shortwave Cinema in Bermondsey for a Cuban Night sponsored by Havana Club and sneak preview of 7 Days in Havana. The team put a lot of effort into the evening with branded goodies, Havana Club Mojitos being served up Cuban dancers, live music and a heat wave to emulate Cuba. I’ll have some thoughts on this 7 day visit to Havana telling 7 stories from 7 different Directors including; Benicio Del Toro, Pablo Trapero, Julio Medem, Elia Suleiman, Gaspar Noé, Juan Carlos Tabío and Laurent Cantet for a real mix of emotion and storytelling.

We visited the Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style exhibition at the Barbican, where we had a brief chat with Oscar winning Costume Designer Lindy Hemming about Bane’s outfit from The Dark Knight Rises.

On that note we also got a close up look at Batman & Bane's costumes from The Dark Knight Rises over here

Continuing the Batman theme we popped down to Warner Bros to re-watch Batman Begins (thoughts here) and The Dark Knight in the run up to The Dark Knight Rises being released (early thoughts here, more to follow).

We also caught Ted (thoughts here!) in cinemas today, which has the best 80s nostalgia inducing house party ever. Earlier this week we managed to finally catch a 4K screening of the absolutely astounding Samsara a non verbal exploration of our out of balance life on earth. The stunning visuals were collected over 4 years from around the globe and shot on 70mm film are breathtaking. A full review will be up soon but I want to watch Baraka an earlier film from Director Ron Fricke and Writer Mark Magidson for context before committing my thoughts to pixels.

Samsara Poster
Samsara Poster
Sadly we missed two events that I was really looking forward to the launch of Sky’s new Video On Demand service Now TV (More info below) and gut wrenchingly fulfilling my desire of seeing Rap Legend ICE-T in concert (he keeps ignoring my Tweets about playing in London again) along with rap legends Public Enemy's Chuck D, Wu Tang Clan's Raekwon & Ghostface Killah and Grandmaster Melle Mel to commemorate the launch of his directorial debut – a documentary chronicling the roots and history of rap as we know it - The Art Of Rap.

ICE -T's The Art Of Rap Poster
ICE -T's The Art Of Rap Poster
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