Film Review with Robert Mann - Arthur

Arthur ****

As films to remake go, the 1981 Dudley Moore comedy Arthur hardly seems like an obvious choice to get the treatment. And, as people to take over Dudley Moore’s titular role go, Russell Brand might not seem like the obvious candidate. Yet, a full thirty years on, a remake is upon us and the leading role has indeed gone to Russell Brand, a star whose career really seems to have taken off as of late, with him only just recently having lent his voice to the leading character in family movie Hop. For his latest film Russell Brand is well and truly in the big leagues. Best known for humorous supporting roles in films starring other established comedy stars, Brand’s only leading role to date was in Get Him to the Greek, which saw him reprising the supporting role he played in Jason Segel comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Arthur sees him rubbing shoulders with such big stars and respected actors as Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner as well as often funny supporting man Luiz Guzman and rising star Greta Gerwig, the latter only having had one widely seen role to date, in this year’s No Strings Attached.

The Change Up Images

The Change Up, which stars Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds as best friends who swap bodies after a night out resulting in hilarious consequences. Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin helms the movie from a script by The Hangover duo Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The Change Up is released in the UK on 5th August 2011. 

Little Thor

You've seen this right?

Little Thor is here:

Age Of Heroes

The achievements of the soldiers who fought in the 30 Commando should be a source of great national pride. This film tells the true story of one of most important elite units in the history of the British Armed Forces. Due to the secretive nature of the unit’s work, it is not a story that many people are aware of. And yet, they risked their lives to protect their country and Age Of Heroes is proud to be inspired by their fearless exploits. 

Film Review with Robert Mann - Thor

Thor 3D *****
Thor 2D *****

Ever since the first Iron Man movie mentioned S.H.I.E.L.D and a post credits scene featuring Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury spoke of “The Avenger Initiative”, the greater Marvel Comics universe has been hinted at in the superhero films produced by Marvel’s own in house film studio Marvel Studios. Through the course of both Iron Man films, in particular the second one, and, to a lesser extent, The Incredible Hulk, Marvel Studios has been building up to something, something big, and their grand design is starting to fall into place as we finally get to meet some big hitting superheroes from world of Marvel Comics who have never before been brought to the big screen. With their big event The Avengers, the first superhero movie ever to see superheroes from different film franchises team-up, scheduled for release in summer 2012, the stage is set for what might just be the biggest superhero movie ever made. Before that, though, it is time to meet some of the other members of The Avengers.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Fast & Furious 5

Fast & Furious 5 ****

In 2009, Fast & Furious injected a huge shot of nitrous into the engine of the Fast and the Furious franchise which had been seeing dwindling box office returns ever since the 2001 first film was followed up the sequels 2 Fast 2 Furious – which brought back only Paul Walker from the original film’s cast line up – and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift – which, had it not been for a cameo appearance by Vin Diesel would have had no connection to the first two films at all, being more of a spin-off than a sequel. The fourth instalment in the series – although technically only the third chronologically as it brought back the character of Han from Tokyo Drift, a character who had been killed in that film – could be considered as much as a reinvention of the franchise as an outright sequel – even though, with it being the only sequel to bring back all four of the original film’s leading cast members, it could also perhaps be viewed as the only true sequel to the original – and the architect of this reinvention was none other than Vin Diesel himself.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Beastly

Beastly ***½

The latest teen fantasy romance that seems to be going after Twilight’s crown – although it appears that it has already failed to capture it, its total at the US box office failing to even come close to what every one of the Twilight films has grossed on their opening days alone – Beastly is a much more classic tale at its core, one that many will be familiar with, even with the more modern approach taken to telling it here.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Bad Things

Bad Things ****

In the art of making movies it could be said that making a good film out of something elaborate and sophisticated might perhaps be easier than making a good film out of something simple and basic. The reason for this is simple – many directors can make an action scene exciting but making a simple conversation truly interesting and engaging is something that often requires someone with an extra degree of talent. This is true of Miles Trahan, the writer, producer and director of Bad Things.

BRWC & The ASUS Eee Pad Transformer

BRWC has been sent a ASUS Eee Pad Transformer to play about with, and blog the findings and results…

We'll tell you all about it, and if we liked it or not in the next couple of weeks or so.

Basically, it's a little netbook with the screen being able to detach itself from the keyboard and be used as a 10 inch touchscreen tablet.

Here's some bumpf - 

Confessions On BluRay

This is Robert's review from the cinema release, reposted to coincide with the BluRay release.

Best known for his critically acclaimed films Kamikaze Girls and Memories of Matsuko, Japanese writer and director Tetsuya Nakashima has developed a reputation for creating surreal candy-coloured worlds full of chaos and confusion in his films. However, the latest effort from the genre-busting auteur is a very different animal to the filmmaker’s past works, being a considerably darker but no less chaotic piece of work. 

Point Blank Trailer

Point Blank is the new film by Fred Cavayé and is a great Luc Bessoneque French thriller, very much in the vein of Tell No One.




What do you think?  Tell us in the comments.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh ****

A couple of years ago Walt Disney Animation Studios made a move back towards a more traditional style of animated filmmaking following a series of computer animation efforts that were neither the most commercially successful or the best critically reviewed examples of their medium. The Princess and the Frog was their first film since 2003’s Brother Bear to feature traditional 2D animation and, while their next film Tangled – which stuck with tradition in that it was very much a classic Disney princess movie, albeit one with a slightly modern twist – saw the studio move back to CG animation, it was not to be the last. For their 51st feature length animation, Walt Disney Animation Studios haven’t merely returned to the world of 2D hand drawn animation once again, they have opted to bring one of their most beloved properties to the big screen again, that property being Winnie the Pooh – although it should be noted that this latest film is only the second Winnie the Pooh feature to actually be made by Walt Disney Animation Studios (many earlier films such as The Tigger Movie, Piglet’s Big Movie and Pooh’s Heffalump Movie were actually released under DisneyToon Studios), the first film being 1977’s The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and then it is the first one to not consist of a collection of animated shorts like its predecessor which was composed of material from three previously released Winnie the Pooh featurettes based upon the Winnie the Pooh stories.

Thor Goodies!

It’s almost Thor time and to get into the mood, we have a truly addictive game for you.

Thor: Hammer of The Gods.

Cowboys. Aliens.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Your Highness

Your Highness NO STARS 


The fantasy movie is a genre that has long been regarded as one that is aimed primarily at younger viewers. From Harry Potter to The Chronicles of Narnia, The Spiderwick Chronicles to Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events and even The Lord of The Rings and Stardust, not to mention many more besides, the vast majority of fantasy films released in the past decade have either been made for younger viewers or at least made so that they are suitable for them, none of them having carried a UK rating higher than a 12A. So, fantasy movies truly intended for viewing only by an adult moviegoing audience are something of a rarity in today’s moviemaking climate – although grown up fantasy does appear to be finding a home on television with HBO’s Game of Thrones and Starz’s Camelot being prime examples.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood *


“From the director of Twilight” (fair warning, the T word is going to get mentioned a lot in this review) – five words that can either make or break your film at the box office and, based on the mediocre performance of Red Riding Hood in the states thus far, is apparently more like to do the latter – or it might just have been that the film sucks. It would appear that if the film doesn’t actually feature Twilight as part of its title the majority of that series’ fans simply don’t want to know – after all, the Twilight films are so successful because of the huge popularity of the books not because of anyone involved with the films themselves – while, even if the film doesn’t feature Twilight as part of its title, any one of the many people who absolutely loathe that franchise will still avoid it like the plague.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Scream 4

Scream 4 **** 


A few years ago reviving old movie franchises was all the rage in Hollywood with a number of beloved movie series being given new instalments, among them Indiana Jones, Die Hard, Rambo and Rocky. Unless you count last year’s Toy Story 3 though, this trend is not one that we have seen much of since, until now that is with the release of Scream 4 (or, as the title has frequently been presented in marketing, Scre4m – clever marketing department), the first new instalment in the Scream franchise in more than a decade.

Quote of the Week : Goodfellas (1990)

"Paulie may of moved slow, but it was only because Paulie didn't have to move for anybody."

Voice over from Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) speaking about Mafia Boss Paul Cicero (a masterful Paul Sorvino) in what is one of the greatest examples of adapting a novel to the screen. Only a collaboration of writer Nicholas Pileggi, editor Thelma Schoonmaker and Director Martin Scorsese could make a film that spans three decades of life in the Mafia, to the highest possible cinematic standard.

A few years after it's release, the Mafia were reported to say that it was the most realistic film of themsleves they had ever seen.

Happy Thorsday

Happy Thorsday!

The lovely Louisa has guided us towards the Thor Interactive Guide – The Universe of Thor     

Have a look below, explore all parts of the trailer and you could find new stills, footage and unlocking an Easter egg. 

Film Review with Robert Mann - Mars Needs Moms

Mars Needs Moms 3D ***½ Mars Needs Moms 2D *** 


On March 12, 2010, it was announced that ImageMovers Digital, the digital film studio founded by Robert Zemeckis in 1997 (at which time it was simply called ImageMovers, it being renamed ImageMovers Digital after being bought by The Walt Disney Company in 2007) and run by him ever since, would be closing, the studio officially being closed in May last year. The company, which produced several films directed and/or produced by Zemeckis, among them What Lies Beneath and Cast Away, was pioneering in its embracing of motion capture animation, a medium that Zemeckis has, on several occasions, claimed to be the future of filmmaking, although few others have agreed with him, the general consensus being that the human characters captured in motion capture films generally end up looking too cold and emotionless.

Jack Falls At LIFF (And Wins!)

Following on from the success of Jack Falls since its release just over three weeks ago, it is now in official selection for Best Film at the London Independent Film Festival. Jack Falls, the independent film noir thriller starring Tamer Hassan, Simon Phillips, Olivia Hallinan, Dexter Fletcher, Jason Flemyng, Alan Ford, Adam Deacon, Doug Bradley, Zach Galligan and Martin Kemp, is screening on Monday 18th April at The Roxy Cinema.

What War May Bring

Over 10 years in production, Academy Award-winning director Claude Lelouch celebrates his 50th anniversary of film-making with What War May Bring, an epic World War II film, starring Dominique Pinon (Micmacs, Alien: Resurrection) and Jacky Ido (Inglourious Basterds).  It's an unforgettable journey with explosive action and dramatic battle sequences of the Normandy Landings which effectively convey the chaos of war.

Salon Kitty

The most shocking and controversial work by director Tinto Brass (Caligula; Black Angel) is about to be revealed in glorious High Definition for the first time in the UK with the release of Salon Kitty on Blu-ray. A serious, unflinching depiction of moral decay within the Nazi Party at the time of World War II and of how power ultimately leads to corruption, the film has now been newly transferred and fully restored in HD from the Brass’ own personal vault materials and comes presented in its original widescreen format, completely uncensored and featuring 21 minutes of previously cut footage.

Savage

“Fear”, says the tagline of violent thriller Savage, “Control, Anger, Revenge”. So with the emotional state of the main character summed up for me in advance I sat down to Savage reassured that I couldn’t fail to understand the violent journey to masculinity of innocent victim Paul Graynor. Following Savage’s example I found it was possible to return the favour, summing up in four bite-sized abstract nouns what I felt during Paul’s eighty-five minute ordeal.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Rio

Rio 3D ****
Rio 2D ***½

The Easter holiday is almost upon us once again and, without the holiday even having actually started yet due to Easter itself arriving unusually late this year, it is already clear what the number one family movie of the period is likely to be (particularly with its main competitors no longer looking to offer quite as much competition as they initially looked like they would, Hop already having gotten off to an extremely underwhelming start and it looking very likely that Mars Needs Moms will be every bit as catastrophic a box office failure over here as it was when it was released in the states).

Film Review with Robert Mann - Tomorrow, When The War Began

Tomorrow, When the War Began ** 


Aside from a few adverts shown on television recently, there has been so little marketing or publicity of any kind for Tomorrow, When the War Began that you may not have any clue that it is even being released in cinemas this week, let alone what it actually is. An Australian adventure film based on the highly acclaimed young adult invasion (not of the alien kind for once but rather the old fashioned one nation invading another variety) themed novel of the same name by John Marsden, the film has already proven to be a box office success upon its release in cinemas down under last year – so much so that it looks likely that two proposed sequels (and possibly even a speculated television series after them based on the final four books in the Tomorrow series – Darkness, By My Friend, Burning For Revenge, The Night Is For Hunting and The Other Side of Dawn) based on follow up books The Dead of the Night and The Third Day, The Frost will actually go ahead, with the first of the two already having been greenlit and filming on it due to commence in September this year – where it became the highest grossing release of the year and also cleaned up at several awards ceremonies over there, receiving five nominations at the 19th Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards as well as taking home four wins at the 2010 Inside Film Awards, two at the 2010 Australian Screen Sound Guild Sound Awards and two wins and an additional seven nominations at the 52nd Australian Film Institute Awards.

Ceremony Trailer

Sam Davis (Michael Angarano) convinces his former best friend to spend a weekend with him to rekindle their friendship at an elegant beachside estate owned by a famous documentary filmmaker (Lee Pace). But it soon becomes clear that Sam is secretly infatuated with the filmmaker's fiancee, Zoe (Uma Thurman), and that his true intention is to thwart their impending nuptials. As Sam's plan begins to unravel, he is forced to realize how complicated love and friendship can be.

The Sweeney

Here are the first two pics of the two new dudes in The Sweeney.   


2011 Brit Winner, Ben Drew (Plan B) has signed up to play George Carter in the upcoming movie The Sweeney. He will star alongside Ray Winstone, who’ll play Jack Regan in the full-length feature film.

Based on the original ITV cult classic TV show, The Sweeney will be a modernization of the London Flying Squad, directed by Nick Love and co-written by Bafta Winner John Hodge. 

Norwegian Ninja

Norwegian Ninja is it's a real film based on true stories... and it's from the makers of Dead Snow., and a little hubsite has been set up.

There's a blog there, and they're going to add in more clips and images as the weeks go by.

Any Facebook users - please hit the 'Like' button.  Here is the trailer.

Straight To DVD De Niro

Last summer a trailer was released for an upcoming thriller that would re-unite Robert De Niro and Edward Norton nearly ten years after they starred in The Score. Stone was it's name. It looked like an interesting enough idea - Norton is a criminal looking to get paroled by sending his wife (played by Milla Jovovich) to seduce De Niro's parole officer. The release date was given for sometime in the autumn. Those of us who still cling on to the hope that De Niro will emerge from the mire of the dull and stupid he seems to have found in waited patiently to see if this was the moment. And then nothing.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Source Code

Source Code ****½ One of a number of British directors to break out in a big way in the last few years, Duncan Jones – who many may still think of as the son of David and Angela Bowie – made his breakthrough back in 2009 with Moon, a science fiction film starring Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey that favoured substance over flash – although style certainly wasn’t something it was lacking – it being a film that aimed to make the audience think rather than wow them with elaborate action sequences and one that utilised old fashioned effects techniques over cutting edge visual effects, something that lent the film a somewhat distinctive look that made it stand out from the rest of the 21st century science fiction movies around at the time.

Brendon's 4 Minutes Of Sucker Punch

Untitled from brendonconnelly on Vimeo.


My good mate, film geek and Bleeding Cool dude Brendon Connelly has looked at and discussed the first four minutes or so of Sucker Punch.

I haven't seen it yet, but this clip makes me want to see it soon.

13 ASSASSINS Trailer

Takashi Miike, the director responsible for such uncompromising and unforgettable movies as Audition and Ichi The Killer indelibly stamps his trademark style on the Samurai genre with the ultra-violent, all-action, blood-spattered epic, 13 Assassins.

Top 10 Wes Craven Films

Ahead of the releases of My Soul To Take available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, we count down the top ten Wes Craven horror flicks...

10.Red Eye (2005)

Killer: Jackson Rippner 

Synopsis: A woman is taken hostage in her seat and blackmailed by a stranger sitting next to her on a routine flight where she is threatened with the murder of her father back home in Miami if she doesn’t cooperate in a plot to assassinate a politician staying at the hotel she manages. 

Honey 2 Trailer

The follow up to Universal’s film dance sensation, the legacy of legendary dancer and choreographer Honey Daniels lives on in spirited 17-year-old Maria Bennett (Katerina Graham). After a brush with the law, Maria has returned to her gritty Bronx roots to rebuild her life with nothing but a talent for street dance and a burning ambition to prove herself. 

Keeping on the straight and narrow means living with Honey’s mum Connie and holding down a job just to make ends meet. 

Going Somewhere?

Check out Going Somewhere, directed by Alan Lyddiard.  

Click here for the facebook page.

Quote of the Week : Training Day (2001)

"Aww, you motherfuckers. Okay. Alright. I'm putting cases on all you bitches. You think you can do this shit... Jake. You think you can do this to me ? You motherfuckers will be playing basketball in Pelican Bay when I get finished with you. SHU program, nigga. 23 hour lockdown. I'm the man up in this piece. You'll never see the light of day... who the fuck do you think you're fucking with? I'm the po-lice, I run shit around here. You just live here. Yeah, that's right, you better walk away. Go on and walk away... 'cause I'm gonna' burn this motherfucker down. KING KONG AINT GOT SHIT ON ME !!"
Detective Alonzo Harris (Denzil Washington) delivers his powerhouse speech at the finale of Antoine Fuqua's cult hit Training Day. Washington has never been so dominant on screen and thus won the Academy Award for best actor.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch *** The success of 300 back in 2007 has earned director Zack Snyder a lot of good will with the execs at Warner Brothers Pictures, good will that has translated into a level of creative indulgence that only Christopher Nolan has also been granted by the studio heads in recent years, but has this good will truly been earned? 300 may have been a box office winner but Snyder’s follow up, his extremely long and very adult (it was a rare example of a superhero film carrying an 18 rating here in the UK) adaptation of celebrated graphic novel Watchmen, was hardly the box office darling many expected it to be, nor was it a film that exactly wowed the critics, and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, his first attempt at a family features, was a box office failure and critical underperformer too, even if it wasn’t helped by the fact that it was a 3D movie released at a time when it seemed like there was a bit of backlash against 3D going on.

Film Review with Robert Mann - Hop

Hop *** Last year newcomer production company Illumination Entertainment stormed onto the CG animation scene in a big way with their first film, Despicable Me, which proved to be both a huge winner at the box office and a strong performer with critics as well as providing a much needed boost to the then (and, to some extent, still) flagging Universal Pictures. The huge success immediately transformed Chris Meladandri’s Illumination from a company no one had even heard of into one of the big boys of animation, no easy feat to achieve with just one movie, and now their second feature is upon us.