Comic Con is coming soon

This is something I don't tend to do, plug a convention here on the blog. This time it's different as the nice people over at Manga UK have sent over this great piece to remind you that not only can you see your favourite character in the flesh with the Cosplayers you can also get hold of some great stuff from Manga UK if you turn up at their stand.

So just sit down, turn up the volume and enjoy a little taster of what you can expect from Manga UK at Comic Con.

Comic Con is taking place next weekend Friday October 27 - Sunday October 29 at the Excel in London.

Angels and Airwaves' Love to close 2011 Sci-Fi-London's Oktoberfest Film Festival

BLINK 182’s frontman, Tom Delonge’s other music project is ANGELS AND AIRWAVES and SCI-FI-LONDON is delighted to screen the UK premiere of their first feature-length movie, LOVE.

The screening is part of SCI-FI-LONDON’s Oktoberfest celebration in Camden Town and takes place Sun 9 Oct, 7.30pm at the Odeon Camden.

A lone astronaut aboard the International Space Station becomes stranded in orbit when he loses contact with Earth. As time passes and life support systems dwindle, he battles to maintain his sanity – and simply stay alive. His world is a claustrophobic and lonely existence, until he makes a strange discovery aboard the ship.

William Eubank makes his feature-directing debut with LOVE to create a visually stunning film. The opening sequence of LOVE is achingly beautiful and intense –if you saw nothing but the first ten minutes, you’ll have had a cinematic treat. Add to this the fact that Will and his brothers spent years building sets for an underground Civil War bunker sequence in his parent’s backyard and you can definitely make an argument for dedication to craft.

Driven by the powerful music of ANGELS & AIRWAVES, LOVE explores the fundamental human need for connection and the limitless power of hope.

ABOUT OKTOBERFEST:
The UK’s leading science fiction and fantastic film festival, SCI-FI-LONDON (The London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film), lands in Camden Town for its notorious OKTOBERFEST screenings, special events, workshops and celebrations during 3 days of festival from 7 – 9 October 2011.

Oktoberfest is the mini-version of SCI-FI-LONDON and takes place at the Odeon Camden, Camden Head and the new Cyber Market.

FESTIVAL ALSO INCLUDES:
ROB DEB’s SCI-FI-CABARET Fri 7 Oct , 20.00 – Camden Head Geek stand-up comedian and festival regular, Rob Deb hosts an evening of truly nerdy stand-up comedy, a little magic, and burlesque that includes Sophia Disgrace’s Darth Vader routine… Comedians include award-winning and critically acclaimed Bec Hill, fresh from sold-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe.

ANIMÉ ALLNIGHT – Sat 8 Oct (from 11.30pm until 8am Sun 9th) – Odeon Camden Our infamous Animé Allnight screenings are packed with the best in Japanese animation, as one would expect. Alongside the classic JIN ROH: The Wolf Brigade, we are delighted to be screening TEKKEN BLOOD VENGENCE – the amazing CGI smash from Japan. We also screen TRIGUN BADLANDS RUMBLE, the first Trigun movie for 10 years!

ANOTHER EARTH (USA 2011, Mike Cahill) Sat 8 Oct, 21.30hrs, Odeon Camden. Winner of the Sloan Award at Sundance, this beautiful and intelligent drama unfolds when a duplicate Earth is discovered behind our sun and the impact this has on the lives of a young scientist and a widowed composer. This is science fiction at its best and demonstrates how great storytelling can be achieved in film even on a modest budget.

THE DIVIDE (USA 2011, Xavier Gens) Sat 8 Oct, 19.00hrs, Odeon Camden. In the near future, New York City is destroyed by an apocalyptic event; eight survivors hide in the basement of their large apartment building which has now been reduced to rubble. The survivors must find another way to escape as well as maintain their own sanity in order to survive. The Divide portrays an unremittingly bleak and brutal view of a post-apocalyptic world. Stars Michael Biehn, Rosanna Arquette, Milo Ventimiglia PHASE 7 (Argentina 2010, Nicolás Goldbart) – UK PREMIERE Sat 8 Oct, 16.30hrs, Odeon Camden. As a pandemic spreads through Buenos Aires, Coco wants to protect his pregnant wife, Pipi. He joins forces in their quarantined apartment building with his well-armed neighbour, Horacio. A gory and sometimes funny post-apocalyptic film that draws much from the horror maestro, John Carpenter.

HELLDRIVER (JAPAN 2011, Yoshihiro Nishimura) Sun 9 Oct, 16.45hrs, Odeon Camden It’s near future Japan and Kika, a teenage girl living on the run with her father, is trying to stay away from her mother and uncle, a pair of psychotic cannibals. When a meteorite saves Kika’s life, it triggers a zombie outbreak. In order to contain the zombies a massive wall, the entire width of the country, is built. Kika becomes a chainsaw-katana wielding zombie slayer, and a bloody gorefest ensues.

Think of it as an over-the-top Japanese version of Neil Marshall’s DOOMSDAY, filled with everything you’d expect from Yoshihiro Nishmura, the legendary effects artist and the maker of TOKYO GORE POLICE.

BY DAY AND BY NIGHT (Mexico 2011, Alejandro Molina) Sun 9 Oct, 14.30hrs, Odeon Camden In a world where overpopulation is out-of-control, the government’s solution has been to implant an enzyme into people's DNA. The enzyme determines whether people are active during the day or the night. Within this world, Aurora has lost her daughter and Urbane, a scientist, discovers a lost child – but from which part of society?

Stunning cinematography in a palette of grays and blues, with stylish production design, this is visual treat that explores our roles in society and whether we can deviate from our destiny.

Tickets are on sale now from the Odeon box office – Odeon.co.uk or 0871 22 44 007 Full details at SCI-FI-LONDON.COM

Harry Potter at Trafalgar Square

By reading the below press release it seems that the cast will turn up at Trafalgar Square, get out whilst the car drives halfway around the bloc, pick them up again and then drive them to a cinema in Leicester Square - either that or if Boris has anything to do with it, hop on a "Boris bike" and ride there! Even so it does sound like it will be a good thing to see.

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Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that the world premiere of the final instalment of the Harry Potter film series, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - Part 2, will take place in London’s Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square on 7th July 2011.

This will be the first red carpet film premiere event in Trafalgar Square, the instantly recognisable landmark providing the iconic backdrop for one of the biggest film premieres to ever take place in the capital.

The cast, filmmakers and guests attending the final Harry Potter premiere will begin the night on the red carpet in Trafalgar Square with the world’s media in attendance. Special areas will be reserved within the square for fans and competition winners from all over the world to see the actors and creators of some of the most beloved characters of all time. Cast and guests will then make their way to Leicester Square’s cinemas to watch the film.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "For the last decade we've been gripped by the on-screen battle between Harry Potter and his arch enemy Lord Voldemort and this is one of the most eagerly awaited films in history. As befits a great British triumph, I can think of no better venue than the iconic surroundings of Trafalgar Square in which to stage the most spectacular of send offs for this dramatic finale”.

Josh Berger, President and Managing Director of Warner Bros. Pictures UK commented “We are delighted that our plans for the finale of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will take place in such a spectacular venue. We pride ourselves on the creativity of our premieres and the space within Trafalgar Square will lend itself to being a magical experience for both guests and fans.”

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson reprise their roles as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

The final part in the film series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is directed by David Yates, director of the last three films. The producers are David Heyman, the producer of all of the Harry Potter films, David Barron who has produced six of the films and J.K. Rowling. Steve Kloves adapted the screenplay, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling. Lionel Wigram is the executive producer, with John Trehy and Tim Lewis as co-producers.

In Part 2 of the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the Wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 hits Cinemas July 15, 2011
(C) 2011 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. HARRY POTTER PUBLISHING RIGHTS
(C) J.K.R.   HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS, NAMES AND RELATED INDICIA ARE TRADEMARKS OF AND
(C) WARNER BROS. ENT.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Luvvie alert

Sometimes thins that are totally un-related to what I'm interested in hits my in-box and today is one of dem days.

This is for the musical "Million Dollar Quartet". If you're unaware of the events that are depicted in the musical then a detailed description is over at wikipedia.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is the new smash-hit musical inspired by the famed recording session that brought together rock 'n' roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for the first and only time. On December 4, 1956, these four young musicians gathered at Sun Records in Memphis for what would be one of the greatest jam sessions ever.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET brings that legendary night to life, featuring a score of rock hits including Blue Suede Shoes, Fever, That's All Right, Sixteen Tons, Great Balls of Fire, Walk the Line, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, Who Do You Love?, Matchbox, Folsom Prison Blues, Hound Dog and more.

Million Dollar Quartet is now showing at the Noël Coward Theatre until October 1, 2011.
Tickets and more information is available on the official web site

SCI-FI-LONDON to celebrate 10th anniversary at BFI Southbank

Ten years of fantastic film: SCI-FI-LONDON celebrates its tenth anniversary with a bigger festival than ever

The UK’s leading science fiction and fantastic film festival, SCI-FI-LONDON (The London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film), will host film screenings, special events, workshops and celebrations during its 10 day festival across the capital in 2011. For the first time, the BFI Southbank and BFI Imax will host festival events.

The festival runs Saturday 23 April – Monday 2 May, 2011. In the current climate, SCI-FI-LONDON makes no apologies for its defiantly carnival attitude. In addition to the core film programme, highlights include:

• The Royal Wedding all-nighter The night before Will and Kate’s wedding we celebrate the wonder of weddings with Veronica Lake, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. The evening features five black-and-white classics including: BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, BRIDE OF DRACULA and I MARRIED A WITCH. Midnight ‘til 9am... cheaper than a hotel and a stone’s throw from The Mall!
• 20th Anniversary of MANGA UK
  Celebrate with screenings of the classic AKIRA in glorious HD and brand new animé feature, EDEN OF THE EAST.
• 48 Hour Film Challenge
  With Edgar Wright and Gareth Edwards on the jury, our 2011 challenge has a first prize of a feature development deal with Vertigo Films. The challenge takes place 2–4 April, 2011.
• SCI-FI-LONDON LAB
  Our real science thread examines subjects including long distance space travel and synthetic biology. Thinking caps on please.
• Fantasy Easter Parade along the Southbank
  From the BFI to the London Film Museum on Easter Sunday, featuring Stormtroopers, zombies, superheroes and more. All genres, all costumes, all-comers welcome to this free event!

Festival Director, Louis Savy says:
“It is a tribute to our volunteer staff and the support of our sponsors and venues that we are here today. When we started ten years ago it was to challenge preconceptions about science fiction and bring a few independent movies to London.

I never imagined we would become a key fixture in the international film festival calendar, and be a well-known genre event. This year’s festival will certainly be bigger and bolder but, equally, a celebration of those 10 years of fantastic film.”

Full details will be available soon and on www.sci-fi-london.com.

About SCI-FI-LONDON:
SCI-FI-LONDON, now in its 10th year, is the UK's only dedicated sci-fi and fantasy film festival. It screens world and UK film premieres, documentaries and a selection of classic SF titles. SCI-FI-LONDON also has a strong international shorts programme and screens a short film with every feature screening. It also holds a film school and filmmaking competitions to encourage more science fiction films to be made in the UK Images etc at media.sci-fi-london.com