The world of film has lost one of the truly great and distinguished voices. Mike Nichols, a talented man who ultimately found his calling in the field of directing for stage and screen, has passed away at the age of 83. His work for Broadway, Hollywood and the vast space between the two has produced some of the best examples of whatever medium to which he happened to turn his attention. The guy was a renaissance man like few others, and his slew of awards in different fields were evidence of this.
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by Sean Narborough Welcome to my new series of articles, Works in Progress. Here I will take an in depth look at some the biggest adaptions, sequels and reboots set to grace our cinemas in the foreseeable future. I will question the pros and cons that the film will be faced with and ultimately determine whether the film will work at all. First up in the firing line is Terminator: Genisys. Thanks to Entertainment Weekly we now know what the synopsis of the film will be. John Connor sends Kyle Reese back in time to save his mother, Sarah Connor, and ensure his own existence, but what Reese finds isn’t what he expects. Sarah is orphaned at a young age by a Terminator and is bought up by another Terminator. It’s a very intriguing yet confusing concept, it keeps a little of the past while refreshing the franchise enough to make it stand on it’s own. That is about all we know about the story, but things should become clearer once a trailer is released. But complicated story aside, there are still some ups and downs for the reboot. by Jennifer Drewett People over the age of fifty are seldom the focus of a film narrative in mainstream films. Usually they are the naiive or out of touch parents of the protagonist, staunch authoritarians or jaded cranky people who are just there to laugh because they’re old. In more recent years, this has started to change with the success of films such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel which focussed on people of retirement age on a life-changing journey to India. This was pretty popular at the box office and not just on the targeted demographic of older audiences. Even younger people had fun watching older people in a more honest light. by Laura W November 17 is the 321st day of the year, and marks 44 days until the end of the year. However, for Disney fans, this date holds a special meaning. November 17th, 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of one of Disney’s greatest – The Little Mermaid. Considered by many to be one of Disney’s greatest films, The Little Mermaid allowed children to find their voices and to go under the sea. by Jo Johnstone Monday marked the UK DVD release of, frankly, the best family film of the year. Audiences everywhere were invited back to the Island of Berk to join Viking Hiccup and his lovable Night Fury; Toothless the Dragon. If the first film warmed the cockles of your heart then the impressive sequel is sure to triple that then break you. It's a more mature and emotional story about a boy and his dragon that is also one of the best sequels of recent years. by Georgia Thompson Multi-award winning actor and screenwriter Ethan Hawke, it was announced today, will be honoured by The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in an instalment of their prestigious ‘BAFTA A Life in Pictures’ series. Those invited to participate are featured in a tribute to their work and an onstage interview at BAFTA HQ in Piccadilly. Hawke first appeared on the silver screen in 1989 as Todd in the timeless Dead Poet’s Society, and he has been writing and acting with a consistent brilliance ever since. He has appeared in more than forty films, spanning all genres and flexing his impressive versatility (my personal fav is Sinister – just saying). He even received an Oscar nomination back in 2002 for his role opposite Denzel Washington in Training Day. by Robbie Jones It’s fascinating just how little some of us know about history, and how we don’t seem to realise it. Take me for example: I don’t know jack-shit about World War 1 or 2. I know the basics, but it turns out I’m very shoddy on the details. It makes me feel quite out of place, considering most people I know would be rather clued up on it (A friend of mine in particular taking huge interest in it), with some of them taking history and others just being interested. But whilst for the most part I have to sit quietly during conversations about it, one good thing about it, or really about any subject you don’t know too much about, is there is always the opportunity to learn. And for anyone like me who doesn’t know a whole lot about World War 2, I think you’ll find The Imitation Game to be a great learning experience. by Matthew Howe Christopher Nolan has never been one for small vision or limited ambition. 2010’s Inception is a perfect example of how big his ideas are and how daring his execution can be. Interstellar, his latest film, outdoes everything he’s made so far, and blasts far ahead of recent offerings from other filmmaking teams. It is truly a great film, a historic film, perhaps one of the greatest achievements in recent human history. Why? Because it’s not afraid to ask a most difficult and important question, a big question, the very question of existence itself: “where did we come from?” by Jennifer Drewett Film biopics of famous people, usually after they have passed away, are hardly a new phenomenon. Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom detailed Nelson Mandela’s journey to becoming the first democratically elected president of South Africa, Walk The Line looked at the rise and struggles of Johnny Cash and The Elephant Man told the story of Joseph Merrick who was severely disfigured during Victorian times. These are just a few examples of biopics; if you were to Google ‘biopic film’, you will find at least fifty matching results for a rich variety of films. by Cookie N Screen Garrick Hamm is one of the most phenomenal short film directors at the moment (which, we hope develop into features). Astute, he cleverly excavates the heart of a story and showcases a stirring humanity with every scene. Each second counts in his work. From the darkly hilarious The Man Who Married Himself, staring Richard E. Grant and the absorbing Cast Offs, Hamm has solidified his talent in engaging us with the pulse of ever tale he conveys – the characters. With his latest short film, Retrospective, he brings awareness to the emotive vein trembling through war time photographs with an impressive lead by Game of Thrones actor Charles Dance. |
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Keep up to speed with the latest news from the world of cinema Must See Movies - A list of independent films we are looking forward too! Movie Monologues - Paul Costello counts down the best speeches in cinematic history every Thursday. Movies In Motion - Jo Johnstone explores the world of stop-motion animation from adverts to features every last Friday of the month. Experiment 626 - Our writers exchanged DVDs and here are the results We'll Fix it in Post - Graham Osborne gives us the run down on how certain movies could be improved. The Horror Vault - The dark side of cinema You May Have Missed - Movies that passed you by. From The Trenches - Matthew Howe delights with stories from the front line! Hidden Heroes - Celebrating those incredible people often in the shadows of cinema Terribrill - So bad they are actually good! Straight On Till Morning - Leah looks at the impact of childhood films Monthly Musical Moment - Taking a look at the best soundtracks and music moments Film FriendsCategories
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