Justin Bieber - The movie!

  Either love him or hate him, all you can say is that Justin Bieber has made a meteoric rise to the top.  All this and he's still only 16.

  Not much is known about the film. The trailer makes it look like another film in the same vein as other films of this ilk. Be that the Jonas Brothers, in 3D, Hannah Montana, again in 3D. Can you see something in common yet? All have been released by MTV and aimed at a certain demographic. Guess who this film is aimed at?

As mentioned before, a synopsis is unavailable but what you can say that the synopsis is something like:

The film is part concert film and part documentary, all centring around 16-year-old Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber. Filmed in 3D (MTV.com)

 

<br/><a href="http://video.uk.msn.com/watch/video/exclusive-justin-bieber-movie-trailer/2tvlp3xn?fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Exclusive: Justin Bieber movie trailer">Video: Exclusive: Justin Bieber movie trailer</a>

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never hits UK cinemas April 1st 2011

Trailer & poster  © 2010 Paramount

Due Date - The new Planes, Trains & Automobiles?

  I heard About the new Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis film a while ago and thought "this film sounds like the classic John Candy film Planes, Trains & Automobiles".  So if you swap out "Going home for Thanksgiving" to "Getting to see his wife giving birth" do you get this film

From the director Todd Phillips, “Due Date” stars Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis as two unlikely companions who are thrown together on a road trip that turns out to be as life-changing as it is outrageous. Downey plays Peter Highman, an expectant first-time father whose wife’s due date is a mere five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at her side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when a chance encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan—on what turns out to be a cross-country road trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, numerous friendships and Peter’s last nerve.

Whereas the Planes, Trains & Automobiles synopsis says:

A man must struggle to travel home for Thanksgiving, with an obnoxious slob of a shower ring salesman his only companion

Let's compare the trailers. First I give you Due Date:

And now the classic:

 Do you agree with me, or not, then please leave your comments below...

‘Due Date’ is in UK Cinemas November 5
Due Date poster image, trailer and synopsis © 2010 Warner Bros.Ent. 2010
Planes, Trains & Automobiles trailer © Paramount

Black Swan

  Fox has just released teaser posters for Natalie Portman's new film Black Swan. They remind me of 1920s art deco posters for the likes of the GWR or Imperial Airlines


  According to the synopsis the film is:

A psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet, BLACK SWAN stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a featured dancer who finds herself locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival at the company (Mila Kunis). A Fox Searchlight Pictures release by visionary director Darren Aronofsky (THE WRESTLER), BLACK SWAN takes a thrilling and at times terrifying journey through the psyche of a young ballerina whose starring role as the duplicitous swan queen turns out to be a part for which she becomes frighteningly perfect.

  No UK trailer exists at the moment but this is the "domestic", i.e. US, trailer

Black Swan hits UK cinemas on January 21, 2011
Images TM and © 2010 Fox and its related entities. All Rights Reserved.

First look at Cars 2

  Our friends over at Disney have just released some pieces of, as they describe them, "early concept art" for the upcoming Cars sequel. The imaginatively named "Cars 2"

  Not that much is known about the film apart from the synopsis that was released at about the start of the year that says:

All the world’s a racetrack as racing superstar Lightning McQueen zooms back into action, with his best friend Mater in tow, to take on the globe’s fastest and finest in this thrilling high-octane new instalment of the “Cars” saga. Mater and McQueen will need their passports as they find themselves in a new world of intrigue, thrills and fast-paced comedic escapades around the globe. “Cars 2” is being directed by Brad Lewis, producer of the Oscar®-winning film “Ratatouille.”

“CARS 2” TO THE BIG SCREEN—AND BEYOND – It’s an international feast of epic proportions when star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and lovable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) travel to Porto Corsa, Italy, for the first-ever World Grand Prix. The pair will have to bypass the Italian Riviera’s specialties—boating, beaches and pasta al pesto—as Mater is detoured on a top-secret spy mission and McQueen must race to win against the world’s best!

“CARS 2” JETS TO JAPAN – Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new destinations when McQueen is tapped for the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. First stop, Tokyo, Japan—where ancient tradition meets modern technology. But like a modern-day Samurai, Mater must play the part of a top-secret spy when he’s unknowingly embroiled in a case of international espionage.

CARS 2” GOES GLOBAL -- Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) heads overseas next summer to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the fastest car on the planet. McQueen and his best friend Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) make a pit stop in London, but there’s no time for tea when an international spy plot entangles Mater, and McQueen must race before royalty.

“CARS 2” PASSPORT TO PARIS – There’s no place in the world like Radiator Springs, but Paris comes close! Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) venture abroad for the first-ever World Grand Prix. While McQueen focuses on the races, his best friend Mater hits a few detours. International espionage, anyone? On his top-secret mission, Mater takes the scenic route and manages to see the Parisian sights—including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and the famous car-goyles of Notre Dame.

There has also been a teaser trailer for the film.

“Cars 2” hits the track on July 22, 2011, 

and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D.

Images © Disney/Pixar

who are the real villans?

  Star Wars, The Rebel Alliance. The good guys. Or are they?

  We are lead to believe from the films that the Rebels are the good guys. They do win in the end by killing Darth Vader, The Emperor, destroying the 2nd Death Star and killing hundred of thousands of innocent people. Wait, I hear you say - "Thousand of innocent people?". Yes they do. The first Death Star was completed so destroying that was fine - It was a military target. Yes. It was complete and run by the Empire.  According to figures that I have found.  OK - it was Wikipedia, but that gave me a figure of the casualties. Almost 1.2million deaths! This maybe a lot higher if this website is to be believed. After all this weapon did destroy Alderaan and kill 1.9BILLION people.

The Death Star

  However, the 2nd Death Star was still under construction and as such would have had hundred of thousands of "contractors" working on the plumbing, "iron work", electrics etc.  I wouldn't be surprised if most of the afore mentioned contractors were probably slaves but the sentiment still remains.  They were "innocent" of the wrongdoings on The Empire and just doing their job - some of them, probably, under duress.  This is also excluding all the construction droids that are needed for the more dangerous aspects of construction.

The 2nd Death Star

  Sometimes you do need a good reason to continue the construction at a break neck speed.  You would too if you had this person as the project manager...

The boss had his own motivational idea

  I think the moral of this is never sign up for a "rush construction job" when the people who are employing you are at war - especially if it's to some far flung corner of the empire.  I just hope that the death pay was worth it.

Photos © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

Round Ireland With A Fridge - Review

This is a highly enjoyable film, best described as a road trip/comedy/love story, and well worth a 4 star rating. It certainly makes a refreshing change for someone to make a film which manages not to take itself too seriously on any level.

There will probably be many of you out there like me, who have read the book and loved the story, and although it differs from the book in certain respects, it loses none of its charm in the translation to a new medium.

Regardless of whether or not you are familiar with the book, this is an uplifting story, funny and engaging, which will appeal to a wide range of people. The concept is a simple one, for a £100 bet (made while drunk, of course!), Tony Hawks (played by himself) will attempt to hitchhike around the circumference of Ireland, with a fridge as his companion.

Tony and Saiorse waiting for a lift

What begins as a seemingly silly idea soon transforms into a surreal, amusing and amazing journey, as Tony is forced to adjust to living life at a much more relaxed pace, and soon discovers that if you just have faith in the fridge, anything can and probably will happen.

One of the things which makes this so remarkable is the response of the Irish people to this seemingly insane undertaking, taking Tony and Saiorse (The Fridge!) to their hearts with the help of DJ Dylan Daley (Ed Byrne). As he describes it "A puposeless idea, but a damn fine one".

The people encountered by Tony and Saiorse are certainly a colourful bunch, and beautifully portrayed by a cast of various comedians, Sean Hughes is fantastic as Brendan, the over enthusiastic toiletries salesman, and Josie Lawrence as Sandra (Tony's manager), and also local talent, Valerie O'Connor as Roisin, assitant to Dylan Daley, among many others. At first Tony Hawks seems a little wooden, but I soon came to the conclusion that this is simply the way he is. (No offence intended!)

For anyone not familiar with the story, you will be astonished at what a fridge may get up to when not confined in your kitchen (surfing?? surely not!), and you may well be surprised by how funny it is watching someone trying to buy a duck-egg.

Watching this is a most excellent way to pass an hour and a half, ideal to watch with friends and loved ones, and will leave you with a nice warm glow. I would thoroughly recommend Round Ireland With A Fridge to anyone.

ROUND IRELAND WITH A FRIDGE premieres on 22nd October
and tours the UK through November.
images © Soda Pictures

Trailers, subversion and youTube

  A couple of days after the official True Grit trailer hit the Internet some cleaver person subverted a lovely story for all ages into a wonderful mash-up.  The film used as the images was... Toy Story.  So I give you the "Toy Grit" trailer.

  This then got me thinking of other "mash-ups" trailers and the first one that sprang to mind is the re-worked trailer for The Shining . This makes the film into a "Romantic Comedy".  All that this needs is a change of voice-over on the original trailer.

  There can only be one more to fully describe this genre of trailer.  The Daddy of them all. It has to be "The Mother of all Trailers".  So I give you the ghost of Dudley Moore...

  There are, of course , loads more out there. Such as the Canal Plus Brokeback Mountain or The March of the Penguins. Yes, I know that they are more playing on conversations being misinterpreted.

  You must know of others. Please therefore let me know using the comment box below.