MUSIC INDUSTRY COVERED IN POWDER

From the makers of AWAYDAYS comes POWDER, a new rock ‘n’ roll film that will be released in cinemas to celebrate the close of the festival season.

The story of Liverpool four piece The Grams, POWDER captures all the energy and excitement of a band breaking through, complete with all the trappings of sex, drugs and band rivalries.

Filmed on location at V Festival and Ibiza and adapted from the best-selling novel by Kevin Sampson, the former manager of The Farm, POWDER has all the ingredients to commit the machinations of the music industry to screen.

Alongside the cast of young British acting talent including Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones) and Liam Boyle (Awaydays) are The Rascals’ members Greg Mighall and Joe Edwards. Together they make up The Grams, a fictional band that is given an authentic identity thanks to an original soundtrack of new songs written and performed by Starsailor’s James Walsh.

The POWDER soundtrack features 7 new tracks by James Walsh (as The Grams) and tracks by The Grams' arch rivals Transbad Saints, in addition to songs by Black Daniel and Joe Echo and will be available on digital download on 22nd August, four days before the film hits cinemas on August 26th.

Find out more about the film on Twitter or Facebook.

Soundtrack Listing

1. The Grams - On Fire
2. The Grams - Desert Rain
3. The Grams - Here Come The Grams
4. The Grams - Letting Go
5. The Grams - Serpentine
6. The Grams - Keep It All Inside
7. The Grams - Letting Go
8. David A Hughes - Keva ees Hannah (score)
9. Transbad Saints - Caught On Video
10. Transbad Saints - Bad Love
11. Transbad Saints - Wavelength
12. Transbad Saints - DNA (Rock Version)
13. David A Hughes - Freya's Bar (score)
14. David A Hughes - Ibiza Pulse (score)
15. Claire Freeman feat. Mary Leay - High Flyer (Chilled Phazer Mix)
16. Claire Freeman feat. Joe Echo - Crystalline (Club Mix)
17. Scarlett & Viva - Bangin n Clangin
18. Black Daniel - Ivy
19. Black Daniel - I Love You But Don't Touch Me Coz You're Sick
20. Black Daniel - Here Comes Caesar
21. Black Daniel - Look Away Sancho
22. David A Hughes - Ticky Enters The Sea (score)

Insult like a Pro

A post over on Google+ gave me the inspiration to knock up this small piece of code to help make your insults of coworkers and other peons more interesting and colourful. If you can think of any more then please add them in the comments below.

The code is based on the Shakespeare Insult Kit so I can't claim any inspiration apart from turning it into this silly bit of code.

Before anyone goes "so why is there a Shakespeare Insult Generator on this site?" I will say look over here...

Now on with the insult...

Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, Anonymous speculates on an issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds ranging from Mark Twain and Charles Dickens to Henry James and Sigmund Freud, namely: who was the author of the plays credited to William Shakespeare? Experts have debated, books have been written, and scholars have devoted their lives to protecting or debunking theories surrounding the authorship of the most renowned works in English literature.

Anonymous poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles hungry for the power of the throne were exposed in the most unlikely of places: the London stage.

Hitting cinemas October 28, 2011

LEARN THE SECRETS BEHIND THE FORCE AT EMPIRE PRESENTS... BIG SCREEN

To celebrate STAR WARS™: THE COMPLETE SAGA launching on Blu-ray September 12th, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have teamed up with Empire Presents…BIG SCREEN for three days of incredible Star Wars activity at London’s The O2.

On August 12-14th, Empire Presents…BIG SCREEN will play host to a variety of rare treats for Star Wars fans of all ages.

C-3P0 himself, Anthony Daniels, will be on hand on August 12th and 13th to introduce a very special Industrial Light & Magic presentation, where the geniuses behind Star Wars’ ground-breaking effects will guide audiences through the secrets of the beloved movie series.

Joining Anthony Daniels on stage will be two of ILM’s most key talent – Digital Artist John Goodson and Visual Effects Supervisor Bill George. Fans will hear from Bill and John as they take us on a journey behind the scenes of the films while revealing exclusive new content which will be found in the upcoming release of STAR WARS™: THE COMPLETE SAGA on Blu-ray.

In addition, on Saturday August 13th only, there will be an incredible Star Wars Blu-ray Lounge, in association with Panasonic. This amazing installation will bring the high definition wonder of the upcoming STAR WARS™: THE COMPLETE SAGA on Blu-ray to a virtual living room at London’s The O2, with some exclusive sneak peeks at some of the 40-hours of special features never-before seen in the comfort of our dedicated lounge.  Attendees will also receive a limited edition Star Wars character mask! Fans are also invited to the lounge on Saturday to share and record their own personal Star Wars story as part of the Star Wars Stories Project.

Meanwhile, over the duration of the weekend, every fan attending Empire Presents… BIG SCREEN will have the special opportunity to be photographed on part of a replica Star Wars set, complete with legendary characters C-3P0 and R2-D2 – a memorable treat for families and fans of all ages. Families are also invited all three days to take part in the Star Wars Padawan Training where attendees will learn how to use the force to save the galaxy.

Tickets for Empire Presents… BIG SCREEN start at £10, with a Day Pass just £35
For tickets to Empire Presents…BIG SCREEN, go to www.empirebigscreen.com

Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © 2011 Lucasfilm Ltd.  All rights reserved.  All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

The Devil's Double gets a UK premiere

Last night Dominic Cooper, the real devil’s double Latif Yahia and Ludivine Sagnier introduced the UK premiere of their new film, The Devil’s Double.

Baghdad 1987, Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper) is taken to see his former schoolmate Uday (also played by Cooper), eldest son to Saddam Hussein. Latif is told that a great honour had been bestowed upon him: because of the great likeness between them, he has been chosen to be Uday's ‘fiday’ - his body double. Trapped, tortured and fearful for the safety of his family Latif has no choice but to comply.

A chilling vision of the House of Saddam Hussein comes to life as Latif is forced to become part of Uday’s world, witness to the horror of his insane life of debauchery, excess and brutality. A world entrenched in betrayal and corruption and an experience for which he almost pays with his life on more than one occasion.

THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE is based on true events.

Hitting UK cinemas August 12, 2011

Even more from The Guard

Not that long to go before the UK gets The Guard. Now I can give you a couple of hilarious clips from the film.

Clip - Half A Billion

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Clip - Did You Grow Up In The Projects?

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Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) is a small-town cop with a confrontational personality, a subversive sense of humour, a dying mother, a fondness for prostitutes, and absolutely no interest whatsoever in the international cocaine-smuggling ring that has brought FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) to his door. However, despite the fact that Boyle seems more interested in mocking and undermining Everett than in actively working to solve the case, he finds that circumstances keep pulling him back into the thick of it.

First his tiresomely enthusiastic new partner McBride disappears, then his favourite hooker attempts to blackmail him into turning a blind eye, and finally the drug-traffickers themselves try to buy him off as they have every other member of the local police force. These events unwittingly offend Boyle's murky moral code. He realises that he needs to take matters into his own hands, and the only person he can trust is Everett. And so the scene is set for an explosive finale.

Hitting UK screens August 19, 2011

The Skin I Live In - premiere footage

Last week The Skin I Live In opened Film 4’s Summer Screen at Somerset House, and as it was the UK premiere, both Pedro Almodovar and Elena Anaya were there to walk the red carpet and introduce the film.

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Ever since his wife was burned in a car crash, Dr. Robert Ledgard, an eminent plastic surgeon, has been interested in creating a new skin with which he could have saved her. After twelve years, he manages to cultivate a skin that is a real shield against every assault. In addition to years of study and experimentation, Robert needed a further three things: no scruples, an accomplice and a human guinea pig. Scruples were never a problem. Marilia, the woman who looked after him from the day he was born, is his most faithful accomplice. And as for the human guinea pig...

In cinemas August 26, 2011

The Witches of Oz DVD Release Review

The Witches of Oz isn't really very good and for that reason I have only given it 2 stars.

The idea behind this story is very interesting, it explores what happens to Dorothy Gale after she leaves Oz. She gradually forgets what happened to her until she becomes an adult. As the memories return she writes and publishes them as popular children's stories, not realising that they are actually real until people from Oz begin to appear. As she moves to New York to sign a book deal she is forced to come to terms with her past. This all sounds great on paper, like it would make for a great watch, but unfortunately this is not the case.

The Witches of Oz is a TV mini series, filmed in two parts and boasts the kind of appalling special effects/ graphics that one would expect from a mid nineties computer game - great at the time, not so good these days (we immediately compared it to Myst).

It also has a rather startling all-star cast including Sean Astin and Billy Boyd (Lord of the Rings), Lance Henriksen (Aliens/ AVP) and Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future/ The Addams Family). All of these are well respected actors, and all perform admirably, but mixed in with everything else their efforts somewhat lose their edge. The series also stars Paulie Rojas as Dorothy, she seems to somehow fluctuate between too much acting and not enough. The series was written and directed by Leigh Scott (The Dunwich horror).

The story is also wildly implausible, even given that it is a sequel to the Wizard of Oz this is more bizarre than strictly necessary. Don't get me wrong however, it is ideal for kids, brightly coloured, mostly cheerful and with just the right amount of scare factor to entertain youngsters.

The low star rating may seem harsh, but this just doesn't really work, hard to pin down exactly why, too silly, too long, poorly written script, probably all of the above.

If you have children then they may very well enjoy watching this, but don't expect great things and don't be fooled by over effusive synopsis, it is ultimately quite disappointing.

The Witches of Oz will be available on DVD from August 8, 2011.