The wait is over. In the past two years, E.L. James’ 50 Shades of Grey and its two sequels have gone on to become one of the most-read and most-talked about novels of our time.

Whatever your feelings may be on the trilogy, there’s no denying that it achieved almost overnight cult status. And, needless to say, Hollywood quickly beckoned.

Rumours have been back and forth for a little over a year as to who’s set to take the helm. And now Deadline report that Sam Taylor-Johnson has secured the sought-after job.

Kelly Marcel (Terra Nova, Saving Mr. Banks) has penned the script, with Dana Brunetti (The Social Network) and Michael De Luca (Moneyball) producing alongside James.

“Sam’s unique ability to gracefully showcase complex relationships dealing with love, emotion and sexual chemistry make her the ideal director to bring Christian and Anastasia’s relationship to life,” said De Luca. “EL James’ characters and vivid storytelling require a director who is willing to take risks and push the envelope where needed, and Sam is a natural fit.”

Courtesy of Amazon, here’s the synopsis for the original novel.

When literature student Anastasia Steele interviews successful entrepreneur Christian Grey, she finds him very attractive and deeply intimidating. Convinced that their meeting went badly, she tries to put him out of her mind – until he turns up at the store where she works part-time, and invites her out.

Unworldly and innocent, Ana is shocked to find she wants this man. And, when he warns her to keep her distance, it only makes her want him more.

But Grey is tormented by inner demons, and consumed by the need to control. As they embark on a passionate love affair, Ana discovers more about her own desires, as well as the dark secrets Grey keeps hidden away from public view.

Taylor-Johnson, wife of Kick-Ass’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson, made her feature directorial debut with Nowhere Boy. The John Lennon biopic went on to pick up four BAFTA nominations and earn substantial claim for Taylor-Johnson (then Taylor-Wood).

Universal and Focus Features acquired the 50 Shades of Grey rights back in the spring last year in the midst of a very hot bidding war. And now it looks like the adaptation will be starting to move forward towards the big screen soon.

With the director now found, we’ll hopefully be hearing some concrete casting news soon.

The post Sam Taylor-Johnson to Direct Fifty Shades of Grey appeared first on HeyUGuys.

From Florence (minus her Machines) to Fringeman John Noble to Jonathan Rhys Meyers the Star Wars Episode VII casting couch is a crowded and mysterious place right now.

Names enter the rumour mill and are, for the most part, spat out quickly while fanboy dreams crumble around them and until now we’ve had a few hints from the Expanded Universe, as well as what logically could happen, as to who will be the focus of the eagerly awaited next trilogy.

Now Monsieur Connelly over at Bleeding Cool claims to have 100% confirmed the character profiles the Star Wars Episode VII casting is going by.  We know that the holy trinity of Ford, Fisher and Hamill are more than likely to be coming back but they should be joined by whoever fits the appropriate criteria below.

• Late-teen female, independent, good sense of humour, fit.
• Young twenty-something male, witty and smart, fit but not traditionally good looking.
• A late twentysomething male, fit, handsome and confident.
• Seventy-something male, with strong opinions and tough demeanour. Also doesn’t need to be particularly fit.
• A second young female, also late teens, tough, smart and fit.
• Forty something male, fit, military type.
• Thirtysomething male, intellectual. Apparently doesn’t need to be fit.

So read into that what you will, it doesn’t give much away and if we are following the rumours that Rhys Meyers is still being considered then the last description on the list would be a good fit, and I think he’d look great in Jedi robes. I can’t see anything there which would indicate that the Solo twins are being sought but of course this is still an unconfirmed rumour so speculate away you keen speculators.

The post Star Wars Episode VII Character Profiles Spotted in the Wild appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Steve McQueen’s Twelve Years a Slave has long been one of our must-see movies of the year, promising to be a strong Oscar contender come the end of the year.

Chiwetel Ejiofor takes the lead as Northup, and educated and married black man living in 1853 New York who gets kidnapped and forced into slavery for more than a decade.

With its Oscar-primed release on the horizon in December, Fox have released the first official images from the film over at USA Today, giving us a look at some of the leading cast.

Ejiofor is joined by Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, Paul Giamatti, Scoot McNairy, Michael Kenneth Williams, Garrett Dillahunt, Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Ruth Negga, and newcomer Lupita Nyongo.

McQueen is directing from a script penned by John Ridley (Red Tails, Three Kings), based on Solomon Northup’s autobiography of the same name.

Twelve Years a Slave will be released in the US on December 27^th, and has its UK release date set for 24^th January, 2014. Whilst we wait for the first trailer to arrive, here’s the first official look at the cast.

The post First Images from Steve McQueen’s Twelve Years a Slave with Chiwetel Ejiofor appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Barry Pepper is an instantly recognisable presence on the big screen, something which can be a burden for a character actor. However the actor has a habit of disappearing into his roles and finding something compelling every time.

We had the chance to sit down with Pepper to talk about his latest film, Snitch, in which he plays Agent Cooper (this is not a Twin Peaks nod sadly) who assists Dwayne Johnson’s character in getting his son out of a very sticky situation.

Pepper talks about his reaction as a father to the predicament the film presents us with and how the true story behind the film had a huge impact on him and the crew.

Snitch is out in cinemas on the 21st of June.

The post The HeyUGuys Interview: Barry Pepper on Snitch appeared first on HeyUGuys.

With Despicable Me 2 hitting theatres in the coming weeks, and the Minions spin-off movie set for the end of next year, things continue to look excellent for the relatively young animation house, Illumination Entertainment.

As a huge fan of the original film, I can’t wait to see Despicable Me 2 in the next few weeks, with Steve Carell back once more as the evil/no-longer-quite-so-evil Gru. Everything we’ve seen from the sequel suggests it’s going to be a lot of fun. And Emily gave the film a great write-up after seeing an early screening – you can read our review here.

With just ten days left on the clock before it arrives in the UK, we’ve got a great new featurette to share, in which Carell talks a little about what we can expect from the new Gru this time around.

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s worldwide blockbuster Despicable Me entertained audiences around the globe in 2010, grossing more than $540 million and becoming the 10th-biggest animated motion picture in U.S. history. In summer 2013, 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.

Carell is joined by another great voice cast, led by Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Fisher, Moisés Arias, Steve Coogan, and Ken Jeong.

Co-directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud are back behind the camera, directing from a script co-written by Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul.

Despicable Me 2 will be released in 3D on 28^th June here in the UK, with its US release date following a week later on July 3^rd. To help get you take you back three years and remind you how much you need to see the sequel, here’s the latest featurette.

The post Steve Carell talks Gru’s Changing Evil Priorities in New Featurette for Despicable Me 2 appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Reuniting Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson for the first time since Wedding Crashers, The Internship is a comedy I’ve been looking forward to ever since it was first announced.

Vaughn and Wilson’s chemistry back in 2005 was absolutely brilliant on the big screen, and I can’t wait to see what they’re like this time around.

The film is already out now in the US, as of the first weekend of the month. But here in the UK, we’ve got a little longer to wait, and now Fox have released two new clips from the upcoming film.

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.

Vaughn and Wilson are joined by a great cast, led by Josh Gad, Rose Byrne, Max Minghella, Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Szohr, Joanna García, B.J. Novak, Aasif Mandvi, and John Goodman.

Shawn Levy (Real Steel) is directing from a script Vaughn co-wrote with Jared Stern (The Watch), based on his own original story.

As a big fan of all I’ve seen of Josh Gad’s work, I’m especially looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table alongside the leading duo.

The Internship is now playing in the US, and will be released in the UK and Ireland at the start of next month on 4^th July.

The post New Clips from The Internship with Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson – ‘Exchangeagram’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Allen Hughes takes on his first feature solo with Broken City, which has Mark Wahlberg as a private investigator hired by MYC Mayor Russell Crowe to investigate his wife, whom he suspects is having an affair.

The Hughes Brothers have made some interesting choices along the way, from the urban horror stories of Menace II Society to the dangerous back alleys of London in deepest Ripper country for the misguided adaptation of From Hell. It follows that Allen Hughes would look to another decaying landscape to set his next scene and Brian Tucker’s script revels in the corruption of New York City.

The film is due on DVD and Blu-ray on the 24th of June and we’ve got a deleted scene for you to enjoy.

Here’s your clip,

The post Here’s a look at a Deleted Scene from the Broken City DVD appeared first on HeyUGuys.

If last night’s first trailer is anything to go by, The Lego Movie is going to be utterly awesome. The first feature-length movie from the toy company promises to be a lot of fun, and now Warner Bros. have released a brilliant new teaser poster ahead of its release next February.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the co-directors behind Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, are behind the camera for the film, with Chris Pratt leading a stellar voice cast as Emmet.

The LEGO Movie follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world.

Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Alison Brie, and Nick Offerman lead the cast alongside Pratt.

Lord and Miller are co-directing from a script they wrote together, working from a story they co-wrote alongside Kevin and Dan Hageman (Hotel Transylvania).

The Lego Movie is set to hit US theatres on February 7^th, 2014, with its UK release date following a week later on Valentine’s Day, 14^th February. For now, here’s the great new teaser poster, which you can click through to enlarge. And be sure to go back and watch the first trailer from last night if you missed it.

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The 67th Edinburgh International Film Festival kicks off this evening with the European premiere of Breathe In, Drake Doremus’ dark family drama starring Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce, and then continues for a further eleven days until it draws to a close with the world premiere of John McKay’s romantic comedy Not Another Happy Ending.

The programme, which has been lovingly put together by Artistic Director Chris Fujiwara and his trusted team, contains all the necessary ingredients to appease both die-hard cinema fans and those simply looking to catch the next big thing a few weeks before anyone else. To find the films worth seeing though is a tricky task – something that this article could help with.

I’ve scoured the jam-packed programme and come up with ten films (included below with brief descriptions and screening details) that should not be missed:

Monsters University

The long awaited prequel to Disney/Pixar’s eighth most successful film of all time occupies this year’s Family Gala slot. And, with a plot that promises to take the audience back to a time when Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) weren’t best of friends, this is one animated college caper that cannot be missed.

Monsters University screens on June 23. Tickets can be booked here. 

The Deep

After taking a stab at the Hollywood thriller genre with Contraband, a remake of his own film Reykavik-Rotterdam, Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur returns to familiar home territory for The Deep, a tale of survival against the odds that made a big impression on audiences at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The Deep screens on June 20 and 21. Tickets can be booked here. 

Stories We Tell

Acclaimed director Sarah Polley transitions into documentary filmmaking with this passion project investigating her family’s mysterious past. Supported by talking head interviews with real life family members and archive footage, this is one documentary that’s sure to pull at the heartstrings.

Stories We Tell screens on June 21 and 22. Tickets can be booked here.

For Those In Peril 

Paul Wright’s feature debut premiered to a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival where it was hailed as “a striking new film from a valuable new talent”. The film itself concerns the collective grief that haunts Aaron (George Mckay), the sole survivor of a divesting fishing trip and looks set to take Edinburgh by storm.

For Those In Peril screens on June 28 and 29. Tickets can be booked here.

Oh Boy

German director Jan Ole Gerster takes a step back in time with the black-and-white tragicomedy. Set on the streets of Berlin, Gerster’s screenplay offers up a lively portrait of a university drop-out whose whole world changes in the space of 24 hours.

Oh Boy screens on June 23 and 29. Tickets can be booked here. 

The Bling Ring

Sofia Coppola’s follow-up to Somewhere has split audiences right down the middle. Yet, with a strong, against type performance from Harry Potter alumni Emma Watson and a neon-tinted take on the true story of celebrity-obsessed teen burglars, this is still worth a gander.

The Bling Ring screens on June 22 and 23. Tickets can be booked here.

Frances Ha 

Noah Baumbach’s low-budget black-and-white showcase for Greta Gerwig’s sensational talents lands upon UK shores. As a showcase for Greta Gerwig’s sensational talents and a welcomed return to comfortable terrain for Baumbach, this is one uninhibited comedy that’s guaranteed to make you smile.

Frances Ha screens on June 21 and 22. Tickets can be booked here. 

We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks

Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney shines light onto the WikiLeaks phenomenon with what promises to be a fascinating,  illuminating and altogether frightening expose. If it’s anything like similar themed documentary The Imposter, we’re in for a treat.

We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks screens on June 25 and 26. Tickets can be booked here. 

Leviathan

In line for the prestigious Michael Powell Award, Leviathan is a new documentary from Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel that, according to Edinburgh International Film Festival website, “immerses the audience in the sights and sounds of a voyage of a battered old Atlantic Ocean fishing trawler”.

Leviathan screens on June 27 and 29. Tickets can be booked here. 

Magic Magic 

Rising star Juno Temple takes centre stage in this psychological thriller from Sebastian Silva. While vacationing on a remote island, a young woman begins to mentally unravel at the cost of her own sanity. Michael Cera and Emily Browning complete the cast list.

Magic Magic screens on June 23 and 24. Tickets can be booked here. 

The 67th Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from June 19 – 30. To keep up with all of our coverage, click here.

The post EIFF 2013: Ten Films To See appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Having found tremendous success with a female ensemble in 2011’s Oscar-nominated Bridesmaids, Paul Feig returns this year with another female-led blockbuster, The Heat.

This time around, we’re in for some action alongside the comedy, with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy taking the lead in the buddy cop movie.

The film recently had its red carpet premiere on our shores in the UK, and now Fox have released a new gala featurette for those of us unable to get down to London last week.

Uptight and straight-laced, FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is a methodical investigator with a reputation for excellence–and hyper-arrogance. Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), one of Boston P.D.’s “finest,” is foul-mouthed and has a very short fuse, and uses her gut instinct and street smarts to catch the most elusive criminals. Neither has ever had a partner, or a friend for that matter. When these two wildly incompatible law officers join forces to bring down a ruthless drug lord, they become the last thing anyone expected: buddies.

Michael Rapaport, Demián Bichir, Nathan Corddry , Marlon Wayans, Kaitlin Olson, Taran Killam, Andy Buckley, and Tony Hale lead a great ensemble alongside the leading duo.

Feig is directing from a script by Katie Dippold (MADtv, Parks and Recreation), who makes her feature debut here as a writer.

The Heat will be hitting US cinemas at the end of the month on June 28^th, with its UK release date following a few weeks later on 31^st July.

The post New Gala Featurette for Paul Feig’s The Heat with Sandra Bullock & Melissa McCarthy appeared first on HeyUGuys.

To say that I’m looking forward to Ron Burgundy’s return in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is understandably an understatement.

Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are reuniting the Channel 4 News Team for the anticipated sequel, and I’ve got a brilliant feeling that this is going to be one of the funniest films of the year.

Ferrell and co. got together to bring us a great first teaser trailer last year, and followed it up with another great teaser last month. And with just over six months before the film hits theatres, Paramount have released another excellent trailer to help make the wait that little bit easier.

Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, and David Koechner are back as the leading quartet, with Christina Applegate back as Veronica Corningstone. And starring alongside them will be Kristen Wiig, Greg Kinnear, Harrison Ford, Josh Lawson, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Luke Wilson, and Vince Vaughn.

And alongside that fantastic cast is set to be a slew of celebrity cameos, including  Jim Carrey, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kirsten Dunst, Kanye West, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Drake, Nicole Kidman, James Marsden, Liam Neeson, and John C. Reilly.

McKay is back in the director’s chair for the sequel, directing from a script he and Ferrell co-wrote, with the duo producing alongside Judd Apatow and Kevin Messick.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues will be rolling into theatres on December 20^th in the US and UK, which is definitely a release date you’ll want to commit to memory. This should be awesome, and here’s the new trailer to prove it.

The post New Trailer and Banner for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Over the years romance has been portrayed in many ways across hundreds of thousands of films. From Kevin James’ cringey moves in Hitch, to John Cusack holding up that legendary boom box in Say Something and   Natalie Portman tap dancing in front of a fireplace in Garden State it is undeniable that romance and cinema are a match made in heaven.

We recently teamed up with online dating experts’ eHarmony UK to bring you what we think is the Top 5 Romantic Movies of all time. Watch HeyUGuys co-founder Jon Lyus, in the video below in order to have a chance at winning a bundle of our Top 5 films and a free 3 month membership to eHarmony.co.uk (transferable to someone more worthy if you are already committed!).

Why not cuddle up to one of these films on your next date night?

This video is the first episode of eHarmony’s ‘Great Date Handbook’ series, if you want to keep up with the series or simply stay on top of the dating game why not subscribe to their newly launched YouTube channel here?

There will be a total of 5 winners, so check out the simple ways you can enter this competition:

One answer form can contain the answer to Method 1 and a sentence stating you have commented on the YouTube video (Method 2) e.g.- (your answer to the annotation) & the movie that you have left a comment on the YouTube video.

1. Watch the video carefully and answer the question which will appear in an annotation bubble sometime during the video (make sure your annotations are on!) and leave your answer in the answer form below. And if you enjoyed the video why not give it a thumbs up?
   
2. Go to the video and leave a comment on YouTube adding what you think deserves the 6^th spot in Jon’s Top 5 Romantic movies list. Remember to come back here and tell us you have commented on the video.

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The details entered here will not be used in any way by eHarmony
• The competition will close 3rd July at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received
• No cash alternative is available

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

The post Win Our Top 5 Romantic Movies of all Time with eHarmony UK appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Though there have been many Lego movies over the years, next year’s The Lego Movie marks the brand’s first full theatrical feature. And that, folks, is definitely something to get excited about.

Helmed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the co-directors of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, the animated comedy boasts an all-star voice cast, and is pretty much guaranteed to be a winner early next year. And whilst its February 2014 release date might still seem a way off, we all know that it will be coming around in no time. And now Warner Bros. have released a brilliant first trailer for the film, giving us our first look at what we can expect Lego to look like on the big screen.

Emmet, an ordinary guy, is mistaken as being the one who can save the universe. With the aid of an old mystic, a tough female and Batman, Emmet will fight to defeat the evil tyrant bent on destroying the universe by gluing it together.

Chris Pratt takes the lead as Emmet, and he’s joined by Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Alison Brie, and Nick Offerman.

Lord and Miller are directing from a script they co-wrote, working from a story they co-wrote alongside Kevin and Dan Hageman (Hotel Transylvania).

Given how widespread the original toys are, with Lego making up the building blocks (pun slightly intended) of a huge number of people’s childhoods across several generations, I think there’s a very real possibility that The Lego Movie will be our first billion-dollar film of 2014. (With the exception of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which I expect will pass the billion-dollar mark early next year, following its release this December).

Its February release slot makes that aspiration something of a tall order. With the exception of Skyfall (October) and Alice in Wonderland (March), the billion dollar movies have all been either summer or December blockbusters. Tim Burton’s Alice is the only film to cross a billion dollars before summer, but I’m hoping that Lord and Miller’s return to animation will mark the second on the list.

The Lego Movie is set to be released on February 7^th, 2014 in the US, with its UK release date following a week later on Valentine’s Day, February 14^th.

The post First Trailer for The Lego Movie appeared first on HeyUGuys.

The Man. The Moustache. That’s all Paramount have served up for this teaser poster for the Anchorman sequel and frankly, that’s all you need.

Nine years after the legend of Ron Burgundy first appeared on our screen eager Burgundites will have their wishes granted as another film makes its way to our cinemas for Anchorman 2: The Legends Continues.

The gang is all back for another go-around and Tina Fey, Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Kristen Wiig and Sacha Baron Cohen join in the fun this time. With a bevy of quotables and some very, very silly set pieces Anchorman has great legs and the sequel should provide a classy diversion for its fans.

There will be a trailer hitting the soft, welcoming shores of the Internet tomorrow morning at the ungodly hour of 6am so you need to set your alarms to ensure you get your morning chuckles.

Click on the image to escalate things quickly.

The post Teaser Poster for Anchorman: The Legend Continues is Kind of a Big Deal, Trailer to follow appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Premiering at Sundance to excellent early reviews, John Krokidas’ Kill Your Darlings could well be Daniel Radcliffe’s first shot at the Oscars, bringing the renowned lives of Allen Ginsberg and his fellow beat generation poets to the big screen once more.

Sony Classics have set the film to begin its limited release in the US this October, which gives it something of a perfect position for an awards campaign. And now a new image of Radcliffe and his co-star Dane DeHaan has surfaced, in which Ginsberg and Lucien Carr look to become blood brothers.

While he is attending Columbia University in 1944, the young Allen Ginsberg’s life is turned upside down when he sets eyes on Lucien Carr, an impossibly cool and boyishly handsome classmate. Carr opens Ginsberg up to a bohemian world and introduces him to William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. Repelled by rules and conformity in both life and literature, the four agree to tear down tradition and make something new, ultimately formulating the tenets of and giving birth to what became the Beat movement. On the outside, looking in, is David Kammerer, a man in his thirties desperately in love with Carr. When Kammerer is found dead, and Kerouac, Burroughs, and Carr are arrested in conjunction with the murder, the nascent artists’ lives change forever.

Radcliffe and DeHaan are joined by a fantastic cast, led by Ben Foster, Jack Huston, Elizabeth Olsen, Michael C. Hall, David Cross, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kyra Sedgwick, and David Rasche.

Krokidas makes his feature directorial debut with Kill Your Darlings, directing from a script he co-wrote with Austin Bunn.

Kill Your Darlings is set to open in the US on October 18^th, with Sony Classics sure to begin with a limited release and continue to open it wider across the country in the weeks that follow. Still no word yet on a UK release date, but I’m really hoping it will arrive on our shores by the end of the year too.

The post Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan are Blood Brothers in New Image from Kill Your Darlings appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Few politicians’ names are known around the globe like Nelson Mandela’s, and it’s with great anticipation that we’re looking forward to seeing Idris Elba bring the man to life on the big screen in the biopic, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

The Weinstein Company launched the first poster for the film late last month. And whilst we’re waiting for the first trailer to surface, they’ve released a new poster bearing the slogan, ‘Trouble Maker’.

The story of South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, spanning over seventy years, including his struggle against apartheid, 27 years in jail, and his rise to prominence as a political leader and head-of-state.

Elba is joined by Naomie Harris, who plays Mandela’s wife, Winnie. And starring alongside them will be Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa, Zolani Mkiva, and Jamie Bartlett.

Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) is directing from a script written by the Oscar-nominated William Nicholson (Gladiator, Les Misérables).

Elba has been deservedly on the rise in recent years, making a name for himself not only in films like Prometheus, Thor, and the upcoming Pacific Rim, but also in the BBC’s acclaimed series, Luther. Add to that the nature of this biopic, and I think there’s every chance he’ll be getting a Best Actor nod come January next year from the Academy, along with a slew of other awards ceremonies.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is set to be released in the US on November 29^th, giving it a prime position for TWC to campaign ahead of the Oscars. And in the past few weeks, its UK release date has now been set for 3^rd January, 2014.

The post New Poster for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom with Idris Elba appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Iain Softley’s psychological thriller, Trap for Cinderella, is just a few weeks away from hitting cinemas in the UK, and what we’ve seen so far suggests it’s going to be a memorable new entry for the genre.

The first trailer was released earlier in the month, giving us an excellent first look at Softley’s upcoming return. And now Lionsgate have released the film’s first poster, with Tuppence Middleton front and centre.

Micky (Tuppence Middleton) is a fun-loving photographer, living a party lifestyle in London until a chance encounter with a childhood friend changes her world forever. The opposite to life-and-soul Micky, Do (Alexandra Roach) is a quiet bank clerk, with little by way of a social life. Yet much to the annoyance of her DJ boyfriend Jake (Aneurin Barnard), Micky is all too delighted to reacquaint herself with Do, embracing her old friend with typical gusto.

But when they return to the tranquil French villa where they spent so many happy summers in their youth, tragedy strikes. A fire engulfs the building, leaving Micky badly burnt and blighted by amnesia. Unable to even recall her own name, Micky is forced on a shocking journey of self-discovery. For nothing — friends, relatives, lovers and even herself — is as she remembers it.

Middleton is joined by an excellent cast, led by Alexandra Roach, Aneurin Barnard, Kerry Fox, Frances de la Tour, and Emilia Fox.

Softley is directing from his own script, adapting the original cult novel by Sebastien Japrisot.

Trap for Cinderella will be released in the UK and Ireland on 12^th July. As of yet, there’s still no word on a US release date. But here’s to hoping that it will be heading to the States a little later in the year. For now, here’s the first poster for the film, which you can click through to enlarge.

The post First Poster for Trap for Cinderella with Tuppence Middleton & Alexandra Roach appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Arguably the most iconic character in the history of animation, Mickey Mouse is set to return to the small screen in the coming weeks with a brand new series of Mickey Mouse shorts.

Set to air in the US at the end of the month, and in the UK next month, the series will feature a very healthy nineteen brand new shorts, simultaneously contemporary whilst paying homage to the art direction and storytelling of Walt Disney and his team from the 1920s and ’30s.

With the slapstick feel of classic Mickey Mouse, the series of cartoon shorts presents Mickey in a broad range of humorous situations that showcase his pluck and rascality, along with his long-beloved charm and good heartedness. Each cartoon short finds Mickey in a different contemporary setting including Santa Monica, New York, Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, Venice and the Alps, facing a silly situation, a quick complication and an escalation of physical and visual gags. The stories also feature genuine heartfelt and heroic moments as Mickey explores and experiences life with his comical partners: Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto.

With just ten days to go before the new series starts to air across the Atlantic, the first three clips have debuted from ‘Croissant de Triomphe’, giving us a look at Mickey, Minnie, and co. living up the Parisian life.

In the States, the new Mickey Mouse shorts will begin rolling out on Friday, June 28^th, on the Disney Channel, Disney.com, and other platforms. Here in the UK, the series will start airing on the Disney Channel on Friday, 12^th July, and will continue throughout the month. And in tandem with the new shorts, Disney are set to launch a new online game, ‘Mickey Delivery Dash’, on their site today.

London, 18 June, 2013, Mickey Mouse, a new short-form series of 2D comedy cartoons featuring Disney’s number one star, will make its television debut Friday, 12th July on Disney Channel with brand new shorts continuing to premiere throughout the month of July.

With the slapstick feel of classic Mickey Mouse and contemporary direction and pacing, the series of cartoon shorts presents Mickey in a broad range of humorous situations that showcase his pluck and rascality, along with his long-beloved charm and good heartedness. Each cartoon short finds Mickey in a different modern setting including Santa Monica, New York, Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, Venice and the Alps, facing a silly situation, a quick complication and an escalation of physical and visual gags. The stories also feature genuine heartfelt and heroic moments as Mickey explores and experiences life with his comical partners: Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto.

Among the cartoon premieres are; No Service, in which Mickey and Donald try to buy lunch from a beachside snack shack but are unceremoniously turned down because of the classic “no shirt, no shoes, no service” admonition, Friday, 12th July; Yodelberg, where Mickey longs to visit Minnie atop her mountaintop chalet but quickly realizes that the threat of avalanche has made the trek up the mountain more challenging than usual, Saturday, 13th July; New York Weenie, where the hot dog Mickey buys for his beloved and very hungry Minnie ends up taking him on a energetic chase through New York’s Central Park, Friday, 19th July; Croissant de Triomphe, in which Mickey must deliver croissants to Minnie’s cafe, battling street traffic and other Parisian obstacles along the way, Friday, 26th July.

Geared towards children age 6-14 and families, and produced in 2D animation, the design esthetic for the Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts reaches back to Mickey’s roots and borrows reverentially from the bold style of his 1930s design, but not before adding a few contemporary touches. Designs for other characters have a similar approach, favoring a “rubber-hose” cartoon style for more exaggerated animation. Background designs closely reflect the graphic design sense of 1950s and 1960s Disney cartoons. For those true eagle-eyed Disney fans, the production team has also included the occasional homage to other icons from the storied Disney heritage.

Emmy Award-winning artist and director Paul Rudish (Star Wars: Clone Wars, Dexter’s Laboratory) is the executive producer and director. Aaron Springer (SpongeBob SquarePants, Gravity Falls) and Clay Morrow (Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls) are directors, and Joseph Holt (Sym-Bionic Titan) is the art director. The series is produced under the supervision of senior vice presidents Eric Coleman and Lisa Salamone at Disney Television Animation.

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Ron Howard’s Rush has long been one of my most anticipated films of the year, with the director reuniting with the great Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon) for the racing action/drama, promising to be one of the highlights of 2013.

Universal released a great new trailer a few weeks back, giving us another fantastic look at the adrenaline-fuelled pace of the film. And now they’ve released a new featurette, via MSN, going behind the scenes on the true-story rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.

The epic action-drama stars Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers) as the charismatic Englishman James Hunt and Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds) as the disciplined Austrian perfectionist Niki Lauda, whose clashes on the Grand Prix racetrack epitomized the contrast between these two extraordinary characters, a distinction reflected in their private lives.

Set against the sexy and glamorous golden age of Formula 1 racing, Rush portrays the exhilarating true story of two of the greatest rivals the world has ever witnessed—handsome English playboy Hunt and his methodical, brilliant opponent, Lauda. Taking us into their personal lives on and off the track, Rush follows the two drivers as they push themselves to the breaking point of physical and psychological endurance, where there is no shortcut to victory and no margin for error. If you make one mistake, you die.

Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl take the lead as Hunt and Lauda, respectively. And starring alongside them will be Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Natalie Dormer.

Rush will be released in the UK on 13^th September, and has its US release date set for a week later on September 20^th. Here’s the new featurette to help set the scene. As Howard says, if you didn’t know that this was real, you wouldn’t believe it was true.

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Remember ten years ago when you would be in HMV looking at a DVD box set of something like The West Wing and then unfolding the twenty pound note in your pocket and wondering whether to part with all that cash for something you had never seen? You had just heard that someone somewhere liked it, but for that £30 you could get two films like Bad Boys 2 and Kill Bill volume 1!

These were difficult times my friends, and more often than not £30 would go down the drain and you would watch three episodes of whatever series it was and decide it wasn’t for you. Well thanks to modern technology and its mission to kill DVD, Blu-Ray and whatever other physical media dinosaur you prefer, this dilemma is a thing of the past.

Nowadays you can go onto Lovefilm, Netflix, BT Vision or whatever else and stream whole seasons of TV for almost nothing. So as a result I have ended up watching things like Sons of Anarchy, The League and The Venture Brothers and quite liking them, but I would have never blind bought the DVD sets for £30.

Netflix and Lovefilm/Amazon have even cottoned on to this fact and so started to offer self-made product with the entire season available in one go. Since the start of the year Netflix has given us House of Cards, Hemlock Grove and the triumphant return of Arrested Development. Lovefilm have so far given us something called The Vikings and a series of pilots including the unfairly cancelled Zombieland TV series.

Netflix have gone one better and now started to stream the newest episodes of season 3 of The Killing the same week they are broadcast in the states. This is the future folks, and fingers crossed they do the same with the final season of Breaking Bad when that starts in August.

Of course the main thing that probably gets people in the door is the selection of films, and although Netflix and Lovefilm seem to have the same deals signed with the same studios, occasionally one will get an exclusive over the other so it’s worth being aware of what is going on.

This monthly column will hopefully give you an idea of what has been added, what is recommended and what to avoid and you as a consumer can make your own choice. Or go for both, why not…

Thor (2011)

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins. Directed by: Kenneth Branagh.

Available on Netflix

I think we can all agree that this is pretty far from the best stand-alone Marvel movie. Chris Hemsworth is great as the titular god brought to earth in human form but for some reason it just doesn’t come alive the way that Iron Man, Hulk or even Captain America did.

Kenneth Branagh wisely restrains himself from the usual hysterics and operatic nature that has plagued his non Shakespeare work, but maybe a little bit of this would have made Thor more memorable than it is. Joss Whedon did a much better job with the character in The Avengers even as part of a larger ensemble. Not a bad film by any stretch, but could have been better and at least the sequel already looks better from the trailer alone.

Take This Waltz (2012)

Starring: Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman and Aaron Abrams. Directed by: Sarah Polley.

Available on Lovefilm

Sarah Polley’s second feature as a director was one of the best films of 2012. A low-key independent film about a married woman who seeks the comfort of another when her marriage starts to become stale.

Instead of becoming a melodrama though the film stands back and just observes all of the feelings, temptations and regret that unfold as characters deal with the consequences of their actions and the emotions come from that sense of loss. One of the most mature, moving and well observed love stories of recent times.

Cosmopolis (2012)

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Samantha Morton, Paul Giamatti, Juliette Binoche and Sarah Gadon. Directed by: David Cronenberg.

Available on Lovefilm

Cosmopolis is not for everyone; truthfully it’s hard to believe this was made for anyone. David Cronenberg takes Don DeLillo’s unfilmable novel and plants it on the screen as dot-com billionaire Robert Pattinson goes around town in his airtight limo as the financial world collapses outside.

Is it a pretentious piece of nonsense or is it a timely exploration of those individuals who hold the keys to the kingdom? With the right mindset and patience and if you can accept its strange rhythms then it’s a fairly fascinating film and proof that despite the screaming masses, Pattinson can actually act.

Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

Starring: Rodriguez, Stephen Segerman and Dennis Coffey. Directed by: Malik Bendjelloul,

Available on Lovefilm

One of the best documentaries of last year is this celebration of art and the power of music. The story concerns a musician from the early 70s known as Rodriguez who was believed to be the next Bob Dylan at one point, but then went nowhere.

Then during the 80s and the apartheid situation in South Africa, Rodriguez’s two albums become massive amongst those fighting oppression and Rodriguez becomes like Elvis in the country. The documentary concerns the mission to find out what happened to the man and eventually where he might be. Whereas most documentaries these days work to give you a feeling of outrage this is a feel good triumph.

Hanna (2011)

Starring: Saorise Ronan, Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett. Directed by: Joe Wright.

Available on Lovefilm

Take an acclaimed and blacklisted screenplay. Take one of the most acclaimed directors of a modern new wave of filmmakers. Stand back and watch this unique and wholly original tale of a teen assassin unfold.

In anyone else’s hands this could have been a bland and boring Bourne clone but Wright imbues the film with odd fairy tale tropes and a weird score by the Chemical Brothers to create something it feels like you have never seen before. It also has breath-taking and pulse pounding action scenes and one of Wright’s patented long single take scenes with Eric Bana in his best role since Chopper. There was talk of a sequel around the time of release, fingers crossed that we get it as the film’s reputation grows.

The Last Starfighter (1984)

Starring: Lance Guest, Robert Preston, Dan O’Herlihy and Catherine Mary Stewart. Directed by: Nick Castle.

Available on Lovefilm

In 1984 Nick Castle took two things very popular at the time, Star Wars and Arcade games and then mashed them together into this.

The Last Starfighter is a fondly remembered and none more 80s tale of a games addict who finds that his local trailer park arcade cabinet is actually a recruiting tool for a galactic rebellion fighting against an evil empire. A starship/car turns up and he is whisked away by an alien talent scout. The reason this is fondly remembered is because it is well written, witty and full of a real sense of wonder.

Why Nick Castle never became as loved as someone like Joe Dante is a mystery although he did make the forgotten The Boy Who Could Fly which was equally wonderful.

Magic Mike (2012)

Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Cody Horn and Matthew McConaughey. Directed by: Steven Soderbergh.

Available on Netflix

If you are a straight man and you have written this film off as a female fantasy piece then give it another look.

Magic Mike does have the buff men in various states of undress cavorting around but it also has at its core a universal story about people trying to better themselves and live a life of purpose and meaning and also a subtext about age and the fact that none of us are going to be in our prime forever. This is perhaps best depicted with Matthew McConaughey’s character who is sort of the villain of the piece, but ultimately he is just as troubled and desperate as everyone in the film.

Sadly one of Steven Soderbergh’s last films as he seems to bring the best out of Channing Tatum upon whose experiences this film is based.

The Rocketeer (1991)

Starring: Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin and Timothy Dalton. Directed by: Joe Johnston.

Available on Netflix

There is little doubt in my mind that director Joe Johnston got the Captain America job based on his work with this film.

The Rocketeer is a retrotastic blast of fun and adventure from a time shortly before Hollywood was throwing 100 million budgets at films as routine. It does suffer a bit from the lower budget affecting what they can actually do stunt wise and with a rocket man, but it’s still one of the better and most underrated blockbusters from the early 90s wasteland and a year dominated by Robin Hood and Terminators.

Ravenous (1999) 

Starring: Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, David Arquette and Jeffrey Jones. Directed by: Antonia Bird.

Available on Netflix

Believe it or not, there was a time when 20^th Century Fox was releasing the most subversive product of any of the big studios into the mainstream. Over this two-year period we got Fight Club, Pushing Tin, Monkeybone and this weird concoction of western and horror.

Ravenous theorizes what might have happened to the infamous Donner Party and how they might have succumb to cannibalism and the wendigo myth and then adds lunatic looney tunes style violence into the mix with Damon Albarn and Michael Nyman’s celebrated score. After an almighty box office flop, this films reputation has grown and this is very nearly a masterpiece.

InnerSpace (1987)

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan and Robert Picardo. Directed by: Joe Dante.

Available on Lovefilm

Joe Dante is a director whose work is sorely missed. After Gremlins and before Gremlins 2, Dante directed this comedic riff on Fantastic Voyage with hypochondriac Martin Short being injected with Dennis Quaid’s miniaturised test pilot.

We get memorable characters like The Cowboy played by Robert Picardo and Vernon Well’s handy assassin. Also this was back at a time when PG movies could still be fairly risqué and actually funny. Great effects work and great stunt sequences and a reminder of when Meg Ryan was just as cute as a button.

Fast and Furious 5 (2011)

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Directed by: Justin Lin.

Available on Lovefilm

Or Rio Heist, or Fast Five, or whatever we are calling it now. The Fast and Furious franchise was fairly middle of the road until the fifth film came along, it seemed content to coast on nice cars and wobbling booty to R&B numbers.

Justin Lin in his third go around, rebooted the franchise into a caper heist series using all the familiar characters from previous movies. Lin also introduced Dwayne Johnson’s Agent Hobbs character who exudes testosterone and a film of sweat layering his skin at all times, even whilst sitting down. The action scenes are awesome and all the macho posturing never gets tiresome. An absolute blast from start to finish.

The Hunter (2012)

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill and Frances O’Connor. Directed by: Daniel Nettheim.

Available on Netflix

Going completely under the radar last year was this strange beast of a film from Australia. Willem Dafoe plays a mercenary who is despatched by a corporation down under, to track and kill the elusive Tasmanian tiger for its DNA for genetics research.

Whilst there he meets Frances O’Connor’s catatonic widow and her kids and shady corporate employee Sam Neill. This film is unique and haunting and will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

Essentially it is a character study about a driven man learning to feel something and is completely unpredictable and ultimately moving. Willem Dafoe has rarely been better in a rare modern leading role and this is perhaps the best Sam Neill performance ever. Also has the best use of a Springsteen song since Lawn Dogs.

Desperado (1995)

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Joaquim De Almeida and Cheech Marin. Directed by: Robert Rodriguez.

Available on Netflix

Hard to believe these days but there was a time when Robert Rodriguez was considered to be the saviour of action cinema. He made big noise about wanting to do several promising sounding films most of which never came to fruition and then Spy Kids was the beginning of the end as he settled into mid budget blandness.

For his second film he remade and revamped his own franchise which he started with El Mariachi, but instead cast Antonio Banderas in the main role of the wandering assassin/mariachi and introduced the world to the smoking hot Salma Hayek. The action is over the top John Woo nonsense but it does have a sense of humour about itself and some of the dialogue is very cool.

Sadly the trilogy capper didn’t live up to this film as Once Upon A Time in Mexico was a convoluted mess. Still Desperado is a cool modern-day western (Mexican?) that no action junkie should pass up.

The Quick and the Dead (1995)

Starring: Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio. Directed by: Sam Raimi.

Available on Netflix

In between Army of Darkness and Spider-Man, Sam Raimi made some interesting if not entirely successful films in a bid to go mainstream. One of them was this western made at the height of Sharon Stone’s fame and popularity in the early 1990s.

Stone plays a gunslinging cowgirl who struts into town to take part in a quick draw contest and take revenge on Gene Hackman’s crooked lawman. The film came after Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven had breathed new life and elegance into the genre but this film is more concerned with fun and a side helping of cheese. It features early performances from Russell Crowe as a bad ass ex-gunfighter and Leonardo Dicaprio as a cocksure wannabe. It also features all the signature lunatic Raimi camerawork you could hope for.

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