minions worth paying for

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s DESPICABLE ME 2 Stars in the Next ‘Moments Worth Paying For’ Trailer

This Summer, Get Ready for More Minion Madness in DESPICABLE ME 2 – in cinemas 28th June 2013.

The Minions are at it again! This time, they are here to help tackle consumer confusion around legal and illegal online movie sources by using their unique brand of irrepressible humour to shine a spotlight on the true value of official film!

To celebrate the release, FindAnyFilm.com has teamed up with Universal to create a bespoke new trailer, as part of the successful ‘Moments Worth Paying For’ campaign. The trailer is designed not only to celebrate the value of film, but also direct audiences to Findanyfilm.com – a gateway to official film services across a range of formats, both on and offline.

The new trailer, which features the iconic Minions sharing excerpts from Despicable Me 2 (released in cinemas nationwide on 28th June 2013), has been launched following new research which highlights the extent of consumer confusion when it comes to spotting pirate websites.

A recent online YouGov study has revealed that one in four of all UK adults are unable to differentiate any pirate websites from the real deal. The confusion was particularly high among parents: 36% of parents were unable to correctly identify any of the pirate websites.

The collaboration between Universal and FindAnyFilm will see the 30-second trailer shown in cinemas nationwide for a four week period, as well as supportive posters in outdoor locations from 26th April.

Universal and Illumination’s worldwide blockbuster Despicable Me entertained audiences around the globe in 2010, becoming the 10th-biggest animated motion picture in U.S. history. This summer, get ready for more Minion madness in Despicable Me 2.

Chris Meledandri and his acclaimed filmmaking team create an all-new comedy adventure featuring the return of (former?) super-villain Gru (Steve Carell), his adorable girls, the unpredictably hilarious Minions...and a host of new and outrageously funny characters.

Niels Swinkels, Managing Director UK and Eire, Universal Pictures International said: “Despicable Me is Universal's premium animation franchise and audiences are eager to see Gru and the Minions back in action this summer. We're delighted to be working with FindAnyFilm to integrate our top quality content in such an important educational message.”

Liz Bales from FindAnyFilm.com said: “Our research shows that consumers can often be confused when it comes to purchasing film and TV online, so we’re thrilled to be working with Universal to help address this issue. FindAnyFilm.com provides a wealth of official and safe ways to watch, including tonnes of digital services that can be accessed at the click of a button – perfect for catching up on Despicable Me before heading to the cinema for the new film.”

Horrible Shakespeare

This press release hit my in-box earlier today and I'm soo looking forward to it. I am a fan of the BBC series that the stars are from.

STARS OF BBC’S HORRIBLE HISTORIES TO MAKE SHAKESPEARE COMEDY FILM

Monday 13th May, London. BBC Films is bringing the BAFTA-winning stars of hit BBC kids show ‘Horrible Histories’ to the big screen in BILL, a new comedy film about Shakespeare - or how Bill became William.

Shooting later this year in the UK, BILL is a Cowboy Films / Punk Cinema production for BBC Films and stars the six lead ‘Horrible Histories’ cast - Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond. All will play multiple roles in BILL, in the style of the Python films.

BILL is an original script by Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond, developed with BBC Films and Richard Bracewell (The Gigolos), who will direct. Producers are Charles Steel at Cowboy Films (The Last King of Scotland, How I Live Now) and Tony Bracewell and Richard Bracewell at Punk Cinema. Joe Oppenheimer at BBC Films will executive produce.

BILL tells the story of how hopeless lute player Bill Shakespeare leaves his family and home to follow his dream. It’s a tale of murderous kings, spies, lost loves, and a plot to blow up Queen Elizabeth. Can one man prove the quill is mightier than the sword?

Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond said: “BILL is a comedy adventure for all the family. We're playing with history, just as Shakespeare did, for the entertainment of the audience. And we like to think he'd be OK with it. Apart from the bit where he's dressed as a tomato."

“We’re thrilled that BBC Films is making the first film starring this team of incredibly talented and popular British comedy writers and performers,” comments Christine Langan, Head of BBC Films. “‘Horrible Histories’ has been a terrific success and is hugely popular with both kids and their parents. BILL will be a film for all the family to enjoy with original British talent telling a very funny story about Shakespeare.”

The Internship

From one of the writers of The Watch - Remember that? Nope, neither did I! as well as two of the greatest names of comedy.  Well if it was 2003 and not 2013! we get a comedy based in getting a job at Google!

Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson) are salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world. Trying to prove they are not obsolete, they defy the odds by talking their way into a coveted internship at Google, along with a battalion of brilliant college students. But, gaining entrance to this utopia is only half the battle. Now they must compete with a group of the nation’s most elite, tech-savvy geniuses to prove that necessity really is the mother of re-invention.

In UK cinemas July 7, 2013

New poster and twitter chat for The Wolverine

On Thursday, May 2nd, fans got the special opportunity to ask Hugh Jackman questions about the highly anticipated film THE WOLVERINE. Watch the full Q&A below.

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he will face a host of unexpected and deadly opponents in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

THE WOLVERINE opens in cinemas across the UK on July 25, 2013.

Blue Sky Studios: A Retrospective

Blue Sky Studios have come a long way from their humble beginning - when they were just a one-room office with three computers and a coffee machine. Owned by Twentieth Century Fox, the American CGI-animation studio has worked on a number of high profile films, primarily those that integrate live-action with computer-generated animation. May sees the release of EPIC, their latest offering - a colourful and exciting journey which takes us down to the forest floor, and features voices from stars such as Amanda Siegfried, Chris O'Dowd, Christoph Waltz, Pitbull, and Beyonce Knowles. To mark the release, here's a retrospective of Blue Skies' best animations to date in their short but highly colourful existence.

Bunny (1998)
Bunny, Blue Sky's first short film was a surreal, offbeat tale about a cranky elderly bunny rabbit that is disturbed when a pesky moth flies into her kitchen. The short was created whilst the team were working on special effects for massive titles such as Joe's Apartment (1996), A Simple Wish (1997), Alien Resurrection (1997) and Fight Club (1999), but their hard work - done with no financial gain in mind - paid off massively. The short was technically ground-breaking, and transformed the studio from a service company to a feature animation studio. Bunny's unique visual style and heartfelt story helped the film win the 1998 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Blue Sky was officially on the map in a major way!

Ice Age (2002)

Ice Age (2002) is the prehistoric tale of three unlikely friends: an obnoxious sloth named Sid, a lone mammoth named Manny and Diego and a ferocious sabre-toothed tiger with a conscience, who band together across treacherously cold terrain to bring a human baby back to his tribe. The producers had originally planned it as a classically animated dramatic family film, but with recent technological advances, they decided to take a risk and make a fully 3D animated feature.  The risk paid off. Ice Age broke the record for a March opening - and has since spawned three massively successful sequels.

Robots (2005)

Based in an anthropomorphic robot world, a young idealistic robot travels to the big city to pursue his dream of becoming an inventor. Whilst there, he finds himself opposing the sinister new management of his company, who have made a cold-hearted decision to stop making spare parts, instead sending old robots to the ‘chop shop' to be shredded and destroyed. It features the voices of Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks, Amanda Bynes, Drew Carey and Robin Williams.

Horton Hears Who! (2008)

The film is the first adaptation of a Dr. Seuss work which is fully animated using CGI technology. The story is about Horton the Elephant who discovers a speck, which harbours the microscopic city of Whoville. Horton makes it his mission to protect Whoville, especially from the evil kangaroo and his neighbours who fail to believe it exists, as they cannot see it. Horton stands by his motto that: A person is a person, no matter how small” and saves the city from destruction.

Rio (2011)

The title refers to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, where the film is set. It tells the story of Blu, a male blue macaw who lives in Minnesota with his owner, Linda who rescued him when he was small. Highly domesticated and unable to fly, Blu is the laughing stock of the Candian geese that come by Linda's bookstore. He is taken to Rio de Janeiro to mate with a free spirited female blue macaw, Jewel but then drama strikes when they are captured and kidnapped by smugglers. A dramatic escape ensues, with escapades involving the Rio Carnival and an impressive mid-air feat through which Blu really proves himself and finds true love along the way.

Epic (2013)

Epic is an upcoming 3D computer animated fantasy-adventure drama based on William Joyce's children book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs. It is a battle deep in the forest between the forces of good and evil and tells the story of a teenage girl who finds herself in a secret world. Once there, she must help a team of fun and whimsical characters to save their world and in the process save the real world as well.

Epic hits UK cinemas May 22, 2013

Alan Partridge gets a poster

This hit my in-box earlier. The first poster for the upcoming Alan Partridge movie, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. It doesn't give that much away but it does seem to tie in with the synopsis that appeared on their facebook page

ALAN PARTRIDGE: ALPHA PAPA portrays the events of the greatest low-to-high-ebb spectrum in his life to date – specifically how he tries to salvage his public career while negotiating a potentially violent turn of events at North Norfolk Digital Radio

In UK cinemas from August 7, 2013

The World's End gets a trailer

Director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reunite for a third film following the successes “Shaun of the Dead” (2004) and “Hot Fuzz” (2007).

In “The World’s End,” 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hellbent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub – The World’s End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realise the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind’s. Reaching The World’s End is the least of their worries.

Hitting UK cinemas July 19, 2013