Showing posts with label Trailers. Show all posts

Alex Zane presents the FDA guide to all the Autumn/Winter 2016/2017 film releases & Tom Conti Interview - EVENT REPORT

FDA Autumn Winter Preview Tom Conti InterviewA couple of weeks back I was fortunate to crack an invite to the FDA's Autumn/Winter Preview Event, this is where the Film Distributors Association give us a taste of upcoming releases and what we can expect from the Autumn/Winter period.

     To be honest I have missed the last couple of FDA events but was determined to make it this time around as the countdown master and presenter, not just another pretender, the real contender for film schedule mender and part time centaur sporting a new chevelure while he renders a verdict on upcoming films and that guy off the telly - Alex Zane (who you may know from such films as: Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo & Ibiza Undead amongst his many, many other endeavours ) was hosting. And he is always incredibly entertaining. I thought a post would make nice catch up of releases coming up for the rest of the year and early next year.

     The evening was as surprising as it was fun, we were greeted with refreshments and exhibition of film art from the Autumn/Winter release schedule as well as a nostalgic display of vintage cinema paraphernalia including usher's uniforms, chairs and signs on loan from The Cinema Museum.

The first 5 frames from Terrence Malick's spellbinding trailer for Knight of Cups

Knight of Cups Trailer breakdownIt has to be said that I have sadly seen too few trailers of late that differentiate themselves, elevate the game or mean anything. That doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't many good films on the way just that - I haven't seen many exciting trailers. But late last year I was bowled over by the trailer for Terrence Malick's Knight of Cups in fact the first five shots from the trailer had me absolutely stunned as his use of sound and visuals enthralled me.

First a little context as to how we got here may be in order Knight of Cups is the third in Malick's epical (in the true sense of the word) allegorical exploration - of modern man in the throes of existential angst as he comes to terms to modern life and moves down a path further from nature or Supernature and himself.

We have had Jessica Chastain, Brad Pitt and Sean Penn in The Tree of Life (2011) symbolically bridging the generational gap (from The Thin Red Line 1998) and heralding Malick's move into the modern era. Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem in To the Wonder (2012), Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman and Christian Bale in Knight of Cups set for release this year followed up by his currently untitled project Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman Texas Music film.

Terrence Malick's Knight of Cups Film Poster
Terrence Malick's Knight of Cups Film Poster

SYNOPSIS
Knight of Cups

A screenwriter living in LA tries to make sense of the strange events occurring around him.

Director:
Terrence Malick

 Writers:
Terrence Malick

 Stars:
Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Imogen Poots 
The former farmer turned M.I.T. philosophy professor, started in film as a writer for hire working on films like Don Siegel's Dirty Harry (rumour has it Malick's ideas became the plot for the sequel Magnum Force) and Jack Nicholson's Drive, He Said before writing the screenplays for the Paul Newman, Lee Marvin starrer Pocket Money and the Robert Duvall, Donald Sutherland - Lady Ice around this point Malick decided that he would only work on projects he felt he could bring something to.

Which led to Malick independently making his seminal feature Badlands in 1973 starring Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen.

I am acutely aware that Malick has worked on 4 films in the last 5 years (not including his upcoming IMAX documentary - Voyage of Time), for a man that averaged a film every 5 years with a 20 year gap between his second film Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, whilst Malick was seemingly went missing, more likely wandering, living and writing.

  There were even reports that he might be dead, depressed, or just holed up in some back corner of the world.

- Excerpt from Malick: The Prodigal Returns by David Thomson for The Independent in 1999.

The point here being I suspect that this prolific run may end at any time and Malick may disappear to ponder his next film, so sooner rather than later would be an appropriate time for me to explore the poetic genius of Terrence Malick or least try take a look at the the first five attention grabbing shots from the trailer of Knight of Cups and let my stream of consciousness freestyle as it scrapes the surface of Malicks works. Terrence Malick's films always have my curiosity, but after the first five shots, Knight of Cups has my attention.

To accompany your reading of this post I have embedded a playlist of tracks inspired by Terrence Malick's the Knight of Cups soundtrack. It is comprised of some of the tracks from the Extended Soundtrack of Knight of Cups, available alternate versions of some of the tracks as well as periphery music. More information on the Knight of Cups extended soundtrack can be found in the playlists description on YouTube.

The Grandmaster is the most unexpected and exquisite Kung Fu film, not about fighting I have ever seen – THE GRANDMASTER FILM REVIEW

The Grandmaster ReviewI absolutely loved Kar Wai Wong's The Grandmaster. It is a subtle and rare film that is a meticulously made period piece which looks absolutely magnificent, recalling both film noir and the marvellous sumptuous epics of  Hollywood's golden era. Very much in line with Kar Wai Wong previous films.

But this time there is lots of spectacular Kung Fu fighting thrown in. Respected action choreographer Yuen Wo Ping the guy behind the fight scenes in The Matrix, Kill Bill and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon choreographed the action and the lead actors; Tony Leung, Ziyi Zhang and Chang Chen all undertook several years of rigorous and challenging Kung Fu training, with that kind of dedication you know the action is going to be well above expectations.

Before seeing The Grandmaster all I really knew is that it was a film about Ip Man (First name - Man, Family name - Yip or Ip as in the East it is customary to give family name first), the martial arts master that taught Bruce Lee and has several films and a TV series made about him, that it was set to the backdrop of political upheaval in China. The trailer hinted at a gorgeous epic style Kung Fu film and  that the American release was cut differently from the original Chinese version. Subsequently I have found out there are actually three different versions of the film.

But what I was not expecting The Grandmaster to be as beautiful and as spirituality fulfilling tale of the times, lost values and as fitting tribute to the man. I can not verbalise with sufficient proficiency as to how moved I was by the story of The Grandmaster. Its an incredibly well made and subtle film of a land and people in turmoil.

Kar Wai Wong's vision is supported by dedicated craftsmen and performers to bring it to life. The astounding choreography, sumptuous set design and gorgeous period costumes are exquisitely shot by Philippe Le Sourd. Not only are the action scenes memorable but I was left with imagery of many rich sets including the Golden Pavillion, as well as an astounding smokey noirish silhouetted scene at a train station - which could have been lifted from a 30s Hollywood epic. Another standout scene was a subtle tinted seduction scene

It is a gorgeously shot film and I would struggle to think of another film that is as well composed in recent times. The version of the The Grandmaster I saw was I assume a standard definition streamed version of the film with security watermarks all over it and even that did nothing to take away from how beautifully shot The Grandmaster is.

It truly is a special film merging martial arts action with a seemingly timeless classic tale of a noble  man whose life is thrown into flux and how he deals with it - is the real crux of the story, or that's what it was about for me anyway.

The Grandmaster Poster
The Grandmaster Poster (ZOOM)

See the absolutely gorgeous new UK Trailer & Poster for Kar Wai Wong's double Oscar nominated The Grandmaster In cinemas 5 Dec - WATCH THIS!

See The Grandmaster Trailer6 years to plan, 3 years to make, including a year in editing, backed by The Weinstein Brothers, championed by Martin Scorsese and finally the UK gets to see Kar Wai Wong's double Oscar nominated Kung Fu epic The Grandmaster In cinemas from 5 December.

Focussing on the legendary Yip or Ip Man, a real person who lived a life that could quite easily be compared to that of Batman's Bruce Wayne. Born into wealth Ip Man dedicated his life to mastering Kung Fu and in real life became a Policeman to protect and serve.

A legend was created from his skill. An inspirational legend so ingrained in Chinese culture that he is as beloved a century on as David Beckham is today. Along the way he becomes The Grandmaster of Kung Fu as we know it today and included the magnificent Bruce Lee amongst his students. Ip Man is so beloved that in the last 10 years there have been two other Ip Man films and a TV series.

To lump The Grandmaster in with other tales of martial Arts would be mistake as Kar Wai Wong set out to create a masterpiece of the genre and brought in the talents of a team at the top of their game to make sure his vision is brought to life on screen.

The Grandmaster Poster
The Grandmaster Poster (ZOOM)

See the Trailer for new Brit Rom Com Hello Carter here! - WATCH THIS

See the Trailer for Hello CarterThe blurb for Hello Carter landed in my email box after seeing Jodie Whittaker and Charlie Cox's names I was interested but after watching the trailer it has my attention.

Sadly not an in depth behind the scenes documentary focussed on Mike Hodges's brilliant Get Carter but rather looks to be a very charming light hearted twilight romp through the capital - London.

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A film starring the always fabulous Jodie Whittaker always has my interest add the lead from Matthew Vaughn's Stardust, Boardwalk Empire and soon to be Daredevil in the upcoming TV Series Charlie Cox, along with a hint of Annabelle Wallis from Peaky Blinders, Annabelle, The Tudors as well as the most tragic and unforgettable Bond lady from the Fleming TV Series and you have my attention.

The trailer certainly looks engaging enough as we follow the downtrodden everyman Carter (Charlie Cox) as he goes on a night of misadventure in an effort to try get back together with his girlfriend - who hasn't been there before?

Hello Carter Poster
Hello Carter Poster (ZOOM)

The only guide you need for all the upcoming Christmas and New Year film releases with trailers

upcoming film releasesIt seems like just the other day I posted about the Film Distributor's Association's launch of the upcoming Autumn film release schedule and today I'm posting about the exciting upcoming Christmas Season line up!

The FDA have released their Christmas and New Year 2013 Special Movie Preview Guide which you can view below along with all the official trailers and some of my picks marked with an approved stamp from the upcoming UK film release schedule in cinemas from December through to the end of January.

BIG LAUGHS THIS CHRISTMAS
ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES
Television legend Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) leaves behind his beloved San Diego in this hilarious sequel, to make his name on New York’s first 24 hour news station.

Your guide to Autumn's upcoming film releases with release dates, posters and trailers

Autumn PreviewSummer is definitely over and with it, the mega blockbuster season as we slowly move into the part of the year that is all about Festivals and gearing up for the forthcoming awards season or as I like to call it the start of the really good films season. The UK Film Distributors Association launched their Autumn preview a little while back I was away for the launch but am steadily getting back into the swing of things and with over 150 films coming up I won't be the only film watcher who'll be spoilt for choice.

Autumn releases typically are a big draw and expectations are that over 40 Million film tickets will be bought over the months of October, November and December. But upcoming releases are going to have to work hard to break previous box office record holders earnings - with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone pulling in £66.1 m, Avatar coining £94.0 m and king of the box office Skyfall pulling in £102.8 million.

300: Rise of an Empire - All the 300: Rise of an Empire updates you need - Images, Posters, Trailers and News

300 RISE OF AN EMPIREI have just finished watching Zack Snyder's 300 on a terrestrial broadcast. Man what a film! Each frame is composed like a piece of art, comic art that is, as Snyder brings the pages of the source material - Frank Miller & Lynn Varley's graphic novel 300 to life almost shot for shot. It is in my opinion one of the best big screen adaptations of comic material.

Snyder brings a depth and emotion to the single minded characters lifting them off the pages of the comic and bringing life to his cinematic universe, something that seems to elude him in some of his other works. Possibly it is a very good thing that he may be chatting with Frank Miller regarding the as yet Untitled Man of Steel Sequel featuring the much talked about Superman vs. Batman film as with this earlier work he strikes a good balance between visual spectacle and emotion.

I forgot just how great 300 is and it never fails to tear my up when I see this band of brothers in arms who have dedicated their lives to martial arts never falter in their faith, honour or trust of one another in the face of innumerable odds at the legendary Battle of Hot Gates or Thermopylae. Man those Spartans knew how to kick ass. The ending of Miller's 300 always left the door open for the next even more epic clash between the Greek and Persian armies the Battle of Plataea, that took place a year later. I have been waiting for 300: Rise of an Empire since 1998 so I guess another 216 days won't kill me.

We can expect to see Noam Murro's 300: Rise of an Empire in UK cinemas from 7 March 2014  In the meantime below I'll be updating this post with all the official news you need to know about  300: Rise of an Empire.

We analyse James Mangold's The Wolverine Vine teaser teaser trailer and outline key characters and possible links to The Avengers & what we can expect from The Wolverine

The WolverineThe Wolverine trailer is expected to be unleashed at 1pm today so I thought I would put some thoughts to paper on the bits we have seen so far, that I am sure could be extrapolated into understanding the the full trailer and what can be expected from The Wolverine.

James Mangold released teaser trailer onto Vine a couple of days ago it may only be 6 seconds long but it offers a wealth of information about The Wolverine. All our Wolverine updates can be found here: http://www.theestablishingshot.com/2013/03/on-our-radar-wolverine-all-updates.html including the new The Wolverine Trailer.

The Wolverine International poster
The Wolverine International Poster (Click to enlarge)
Before that here is some context to frame The Wolverine that like me you may have missed or werent interested enough to follow. Last October Wolverine Director James Mangold and star Hugh Jackman spoke with Marvel's Agent_M (Ryan Penagos) and let us know the following key points

OVERALL THOUGHTS ON THE WOLVERINE
Hugh Jackman - The Wolverine felt different and fresh from development through to shooting and he knows the fans are going to be surprised and dig it.
I'm guessing that Hugh Jackman is talking about his fans,the afternoon matinee screen idol fans rather than fans of the comic character The Wolverine as he pretty much said the same thing for X-Men Origins: Wolverine as he toured the world promoting the hell out of the worst comic book adaptation in years. In all honesty the team have got a lot of work to do to turnaround the damage caused by X-Men Origins: Wolverine. 
Or do they? X-Men Origins: Wolverine was reportedly made for £99 Million and had takings of around £250 Million 252% Return, placing it financially below Batman Forever (£53 vs £176 Million - 332% Return) but ahead of the far superior X-Men: First Class (£105.5 vs £233 Million - 221% Return). Don't hate me I'm just the messenger.

But things get interesting and promising from here out!

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.

ON OUR RADAR - A film about RAY HARRYHAUSEN: SPECIAL EFFECTS TITAN is in cinemas this weekend and Ray Harryhausen's UK tour appearance schedule! - HOT WATCH

RAY HARRYHAUSEN SPECIAL EFFECTS TITANThis weekend there is only one film to see and it stars HARRYHAUSEN, RAY HARRYHAUSEN. We live in an age of the now; where the internet creates trends and sub memes that flare up and die down before most even have a chance to participate - but there are some reassuring constants that don’t waiver. Even though he may have borne of an age when most only heard of a film when it was playing in the cinema rather than every element of it has been dissected and marketed online months before its release – Mr Ray Harryhausen still towers above most when it comes to creativity on screen.

 If there is one film this year that whose release was a complete surprise to me, but has had me in overdrive since it was announced - it has to be RAY HARRYHAUSEN: SPECIAL EFFECTS TITAN. Previously I have gone on about how Mr Harryhausen is a living legend, how he is one of the most beloved and revered creatives in film and how his work has influenced countless filmmakers over the years. When I say countless filmmakers I don’t just mean aspiring filmmakers I mean film legends, I’m talking about the likes of; Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, John Landis, Joe Dante, Guillermo Del Toro, Nick Park, John Lasseter and the list of those in the know goes on ad infinitum.

RAY HARRYHAUSEN SPECIAL EFFECTS TITAN
Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan Poster

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

The Establishing Shot: May 2012 Big Screen release dates, New Trailers & Posters

the establishing shot film newsMay 2012 Big Screen Releases, This Week’s Releases Friday 11 May 2012, New trailers, New Posters

The Establishing Shot: New The Amazing Spider-Man Trailer

the amazing spider-manIt would seem that The Amazing Spider-Man is not taking all this Batman related The Dark Knight Rises Bwahhhaaa! malarkey lying down and after Marvel’s Avengers Assemble came out fighting against all odds with Joss Whedon pulled a rabbit out of the bag to make the most suprising and funnest summer film I have seen since 2004 and The Dark Knight Rises final trailer revealing that despite a detour to the vague side that TDKR will indeed follow the overall story line most fans suspected from the beginning (and shamefully taking a note out of The Mark of The Spider-Man viral campaign, which they loaned from The Dark Knight Viral Campaign) this could be the right time for Spidey to swing in and remind us why he is one of the most popular comic characters ever.

The Establishing Shot: New Japanese Avengers Assemble Trailer

Avengers AssembleYahoo over in Japan have released a new Avengers Assemble trailer that shows us a lot more of the mysterious enemy that The Avengers will have to face.

In Marvel Avengers Assemble superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.

As well as previously seen bits this new trailer also shows us glimpses of  the unknown Alien army invading earth, Director Joss Whedon has confirmed that they are not Kree,  Kevin Feige of Marvel has already said they are not Skrulls but could they be Chitauri?, more of the friction between  the Avengers, more of S.H.I.E.L.D's Helicarrier, more of Maria Hill as Cobie Smulders,  and unfortunately more of Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Pottsof and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.

From now on I think all big summer film trailers should get a Japanese voice over - it just makes it seem better.

The Establishing Shot: Loki or Tom Hiddleston introduces the new Marvel Avengers Assemble trailer to UK

Tom Hiddleston LokiLoki himself, Tom Hiddleston attended the opening of the new Vue Xtreme Screen Islington last Thursday to introduce the record breaking new Marvel Avengers Assemble trailer to UK fans – in Xtreme screen 3D – before a screening of Disney’s John Carter.


Tom Hiddleston (Loki) introduced the trailer to fans saying
“I am very proud of the film. But I can’t take credit for the trailer myself. This is the work of the brilliant Joss Whedon!”
The new Marvel Avengers Assemble trailer has already amassed millions of views online. The trailer can be seen in 3D before screenings of John Carter across the country from Thursday 8 March, 2012.

The Establishing Shot: New Marvel Avengers Assemble Trailer unleashed!

Avengers AssembleAlong with a name change to Marvel Avengers Assemble Marvel we are treating us to a new trailer. Which can be seen below or in it's entire marvellous screen shattering big screen 3D format from the 9 of March 2012 exclusively before John Carter screenings.

Marvel Studios presents “Marvel Avengers Assemble”—the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel Avengers Assemble” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel Avengers Assemble" hits UK cinemas on April 26, 2012.


In “Marvel Avengers Assemble” superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.
of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War.

The Establishing Shot EXCLUSIVE: See Joachim Back's Extended Trailer for Chivas Regal's Here's to Real Friends short films

Chivas Regal Here's to Real FriendsChivas Regal the definitive luxury Scotch whisky (and official partner of the Cannes Film Festival) are increasing awareness of their brands social chivalry values with their partnership of the humanitarian Filmaid Partnership founded by Hollywood power players like Robert De Niro, Steven Soderbergh, Harvey Weinstein amongst others.

Along with their increased involvement in cinema Chivas Regal have partnered with Academy Award® winning short film-maker Joachim Back to make two cinematic films that focus on the trials, tribulations and idiosyncrasies of modern male friendships. The Chivas team have chosen The Establishing Shot as one of bellwether sites to exclusively release the extended teaser trailer for Chivas Regal's short films; Here’s to Big Bear and Here’s to Twinkle.

*** UPDATE***
Both Joachim Black's Chivas Regal shorts Here's To Big Bear and Here's To Twinkle can now be viewed on The Establishing Shot here: http://www.theestablishingshot.com/2011/10/establishing-shot-see-chivas-regals.html or at www.chivas.com.

The Establishing Shot: Cine Asia Hong Kong Legends Q4 Releases

Cine-Asia Hong Kong LegendsI don't usually blog about upcoming home releases - unless I'm really excited about them and, well even though I have a lot of film related news The Establishing Shot it is a blog about my experiences not just another portal for film news.

But Cine-Asia have been good to me and they have an astounding catalogue of Eastern films including one of my recent favourites Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame, which plays like an Eastern Sherlock Holmes crossed with the visual epicness of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon extravaganza with lots of Kung Fu.
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