Yesterday I spent the better part of a beautiful afternoon in Southern California indoors at 20th Century Fox checking out clips from Josh Trank’s directorial debut ”Chronicle”. Normally I hate being inside on insanely warm days in the dead of Winter but this was more than worth it. “Chronicle” tells the story of three teenagers and their discovery and subsequent understanding of their new found telekinetic powers. It fits nicely into both superhero and found-footage subgenres but seems poised to rid them both of their stigmas. Director Josh Trank doesn’t seem to be a fan of shaky cams that generally come with found-footage films. He stated during the presentation that most of us have friends that can hold a camera steady and, with tech where it is, most of these cameras have 1080p and image stabilization capabilities built-in. So the camera doesn’t have to look like a vhs tape during an earthquake. What audiences get to see is a film that won’t make you nauseas and frustrated that you can’t see anything. The practical and CG effects will be right up there on the screen for all to see. Right off the bat I really dug everything I saw during the hour long presentation. We were shown a total of 6 clips from the film (one of which we put up earlier today). Some of them were extended scenes from the trailer that offer a bit more context and a few totally new shots that really impressed.

The film really begs the question; “What would you do if you found out you had superpowers?” It approaches that question and deals with the post-power actions of our characters in human 21st Century terms. Would you immediately run out and stitch a cape to your shirt and start saving people? I’m going to say no. I was a teenager not so long ago and as an adult I never go anywhere without a camera in my pocket. So, like the guys in the film, I would probably spend the better part of the discovery period showing my friends my awesome new tricks. The film speaks directly to a YouTube generation of people who film everything. We live in the world of Jackass and cell phone cameras and I think this film is grounded in a reality that makes total sense.

Besides the whole, “look what we can do” aspect of the film, there does seem to be a good amount of drama built in to this stitched narrative that seems to vaguely run through the film. Our three main characters all seem to deal with their powers very differently. At the forefront of the film is Andrew (Dane DeHaan), an introverted adolescent with a pretty awful home life. I mean, we all know what it’s like being a teenager at home. No one understands you and now you have super powers. This is the Peter Parker story if he joined the dark side. (Josh Trank doesn’t mind comparisons so there are going to be a few in this piece) Josh seems to be the center of the film if only because he’s got the camera. I assume he hides behind them as a coping mechanism for being antisocial but soon he turns the camera on himself, filming his exploits as he begins to lose touch with reality and spin out of control. Three of the new clips we were shown were primarily Andrew moments.

Once Andrew learns to control his powers he doesn’t seem to hold much back. In this first clip you’ll see Andrew breaking one of the rules the three guy’s set-up from the very beginning. You start to understand where Andrews mind is. From Machinima:

In a similar clip, Andrew enters a gas station convenience store dressed as a fireman, for identity protection I assume, and quickly punches the clerk behind the counter. With his mind he opens up the cash register and mentally pulls the cash into his backpack. As he walks out of the store the clerk, armed with a shotgun, follows him outside. Just as the clerk pulls the trigger Andrew turns around and swipes away the gun into a large propane tank that explodes and sets fire to not only the storefront but the two characters in the scene. End Scene. The scene plays out with both CCTV Security cameras being utilized AND Andrews new ability to control his camera with his mind. Steady shots folks, steady shots.

One of the last pieces of new footage we haven’t yet seen in trailers is taken straight from the climax of the film. At this point Andrew is in full sith lord mode and has begun wreaking havoc on Seattle and its citizens. Andrew seems to be in the fight for his life as police have targeted his position atop Seattle’s famed Space Needle. However, he has telekinetic powers and they don’t. The scene plays out on camera in the car of Andrews other super friend, and Cousin, Matt, who is on his way to Andrew to try and help or stop him. In the scene Matt and an unseen female passenger speed towards the Space Needle as a helicopter is careening out of the sky towards their vehicle. Matt forces the helicopter in a different direction to avoid collision. Just then a cop appears on the passenger window to warn them to vacate the area immediately. Before he can complete his sentence he is ripped away from the car and thrown through the air. At this point Andrew grabs onto Matts car, lifts it up in the air and pulls it towards him on top of the Space Needle. As the car comes to a floating point just over the Needle, Andrew appears floating above the top of the deck. He smashes out the front window and pulls Matt from the car leaving the woman and the car to fall back down to earth. End Scene. The scene is incredibly chaotic but really well executed as an edge-of-your-seat moment. In all the chaos you can still see everything really clearly but the film still maintains that amateur camera look. I was really pissed when the lights went up on that scene. I wanted to see more.

However, one of my favorite clips, not shown in any detail in the trailers, showcases our three characters and their first brush with learning to fly. It plays out a bit like Tobey Maguires web shooting attempts in the first Spiderman film. However, there’s a unique dynamic as they are friends filming each other and making fun of one another’s failed attempts. You also get to see the moment from a unique first-person perspective. The clip jumps from floating to all three speeding through the clouds like Superman. However, unlike a Superman movie when you’d normally hear an epic film score accompaniment, you hear wind whipping through the mic on the camera. It’s loud and fast and honest in it’s depiction of what three young men would do while flying through the air. It’s an exhilaration moment that brings my teenage daydreams to life.

Trank and screenwriter Max Landis have done a great job shaping a unique idea and bringing it to the masses. I think “Chronicle” is positioned to add a bit of spice to both the found-footage and superhero genre and I can’t wait to see it 1st February (Feb 3rd in the US). It looks like I’ll be attending the films press junket so you’ll no doubt be hearing more about this film from me. Stay Tuned.

I spent the better part of this afternoon walking around the 20th Century Fox lot preparing for the studio to show a few bloggers some new footage from their upcoming found-footage film “Chronicle” We shared the newest 60-second trailer with you yesterday but after today we have been given an exclusive clip to share with all of our wonderful readers.

“Chronicle” tells the story of three male teenagers as they discover they have telekinetic powers.  A full write-up of the Chronicle event is on its way but for now I thought I’d just share this quick glimpse and what you’ll get to see when the movie is released next month.  I have to say that the footage we were shown looks incredibly promising and this clip goes right along with that.  The film is anchored in reality and really feels like it’s showing a world that could exist had a group of teenage boys found out they had powers.  I don’t think most people would immediately start running around saving people but might end up putting clips like this on YouTube.  I feel like this film could really add some spice to both the found-footage and superhero sub-genres.  Take a look and let us know what you think.

While the world (or America at least) is agog with the mighty Muppets back in cinemas there’s another project from Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel on the way, and today we’ve got the first look at a trailer and poster for The Five-Year Engagement.

The film is produced by Judd Apatow, Shauna Robertson, and Rodney Rothman and is perhaps a spiritual sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, something which comments made by Segel and Stoller during the long gestation period have suggested. Note the poster proudly proclaims it to be from the producers of Bridesmaids so expect people to flock.

Segel is joined by Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt, Alison Brie and Rhys Ifans in the story which centres around an engaged couple trying to get married.

The tireless internet pioneer Yahoo Serious dished this one out to us all.

Here’s the trailer,

Although his strike rate is far from flawless (Pelham? Domino? Days of Thunder?) Tony Scott has some solid gold in his back catalogue as well – Man on Fire, Crimson Tide, Top Gun, True Romance – and is very rarely wholly off his game. It is therefore always good news to hear that he has something else in the pipeline, especially since he is returning to the milieu of what could be argued is his previous high water-mark – the afore-mentioned Crimson Tide.

Yes, it’s submersibles again for Tony Scott. Although plot details are hard to come by, the title Narco Sub refers to submersible vessels used by Latin American drug traffickers to get their wares into the US and the suggestion is that tonally the film is reminiscent of Tide and Man on Fire. Frankly, anything even vaguely up those streets will be something to treasure. Fox are producing this one, with David Guggenheim (Safe House, Stolen) on scripting duties.

Source: SlashFilm.

Here’s a nice new clip called ‘Joy’ from the Cameron Crowe Directed movie, We Bought a Zoo which sees Matt Damon packing his family off to run a zoo! It’s based on a true story and also stars Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Peter Riegert, Elle Fanning, Angus Macfadyen. Director Cameron Crowe has previously brought us Jerry Maguire, Elizabethtown and Vanilla Sky to name but a few and I’m really looking forward to this one. It involves animals therefore at some point, it’s a foregone conclusion that i will cry!

Directed by Cameron Crowe and with an all-star cast featuring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Peter Riegert, Elle Fanning and Angus Macfadyen, WE BOUGHT A ZOO is a story about finding joy, the power of family, and the triumph of hope. A widowed father buys a dilapidated zoo in hopes of making a fresh start. While facing enormous odds to keep the zoo open, he must find the courage to recommit to his children and to their new life together. Based on a true story.

We Bought a Zoo hits UK cinemas Spring 2012 and we are very much looking forward to it. See the UK trailer for it here.

OK, so the first 50% of this trailer is identical to to the US one that we put up a couple of months ago but keep watching and the second half will give you a lot of new footage from Twentieth Century Fox’s new movie. We bought a Zoo is almost undoubtedly another movie that is set to make me cry because I am a wimp and because it’s based on a true story! It stars Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Peter Riegert, Elle Fanning, Angus Macfadyen and is directed by Cameron Crowe who has previously brought us Jerry Maguire, Elizabethtown and Vanilla Sky to name but a few.

Directed by Cameron Crowe and with an all-star cast featuring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Peter Riegert, Elle Fanning and Angus Macfadyen, WE BOUGHT A ZOO is a story about finding joy, the power of family, and the triumph of hope. A widowed father buys a dilapidated zoo in hopes of making a fresh start. While facing enormous odds to keep the zoo open, he must find the courage to recommit to his children and to their new life together. Based on a true story.

We Bought a Zoo hits UK cinemas Spring 2012 and we are very much looking forward to it.

Family Guy. The ongoing adventures of Peter Griffin and his wife Lois, together with their teenage children Chris and Meg, their talking dog Brian and toddler/psychopathic megalomaniac Stewie. Assorted adventures also involve paraplegic police officer Joe, sexual deviant and pilot Quagmire and one very tired Santa.

*****

Family Guy has had its ups and downs, having been cancelled at one point before being reinstated and now seemingly having its feet firmly planted at Fox. Relentlessly and remorselessly rude and politically incorrect, it continues to be the antithesis of The Simpsons, to which it has at times been most often (but most inaccurately) compared. Although The Simpsons has its own strong vein of off-kilter and unconventional humour, it is never this sweary, never this violent, never this misogynistic and certainly never features an octogenarian paedophile as a key character.

Season 11 is where we now find ourselves and the well-worn but certainly not tedious formula is very much in place. A seemingly innocuous jumping off point for a surreal or spectacular adventure, laced throughout with asides, flash-backs and assorted digs at the afflicted and famous. The fourteen episodes spread across these three discs are all reasonably solid, with little that really stands out, but nothing that really embarrasses the cast and crew either.

The double-length Christmas special, “Road to the North Pole” features a trip by Brian and Stewie to see Santa (Stewie wants to kill him), resulting in an unexpectedly uncynical denouement which proves as surprising as it does affecting. Other strong episodes include a Hallowe’en special and The Big Bang Theory, where a time-travelling Stewie inadvertently creates the universe and must repair the damage caused by his marauding nemesis, Bertram. There are some great laughs to be had at times in these episodes, but many of the gags have become predictable, the main characters in danger of becoming caricatures of themselves.

Such minor grievances are inevitable with a show as long-running as this one and if nothing else, Seth MacFarlane should be commended for keeping new stories coming through. If you’re a fan, you’ll no doubt find a lot to enjoy. If you aren’t, this is unlikely to win you over. Family Guy Season 11 is available to buy on DVD from 7th November 2011 and you can grab it here.

***~~ (3/5)

20th Century Fox have released the first trailer and poster for We Bought a Zoo.

Directed by Cameron Crowe (Elizabethtown), We Bought a Zoo is based on Benjamin Mee’s memoir and stars Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Elle Fanning, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit and John Michael Higgins.

Synopsis: This holiday season, acclaimed filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) directs an amazing and true story about a single dad who decides his family needs a fresh start, so he and his two children move to the most unlikely of places: a zoo. With the help of an eclectic staff, and with many misadventures along the way, the family works to return the dilapidated zoo to its former wonder and glory.

We Bought a Zoo is scheduled for release in the U.K. on December 23.

Check out the trailer and poster below:

Source: Apple

After all of the shenanigans over who would direct The Wolverine, 20th Century Fox’s sequel to the lacklustre and poorly-performing X-Men: Origins: Wolverine (you put that much punctuation in your title, you have only yourself to blame), all seemed settled for the go ahead for principal photography.

Hugh Jackman would of course star as the lamb-chopped, adamantium-lined grumpy one, with James Mangold directing from Christopher McQuarrie’s script.

Apparently, with much of the shooting to take place in Japan (where the sequel is set), there are concerns over the weather and when might be a good time to set the cameras rolling. Later this year had been the plan, but Fox now seem to want to push that back to Spring 2012, with some of the filming possibly taking place in Canada.

To be honest, with the debacle that was the first film hanging over this project, they need to get this right and a little bit of a delay, as long as it doesn’t start to feel like uncertainty over the quality of the script (see MIB3) can only help make memories of the origin story retreat into the distance. We will of course keep you up to date with all of these developments as they unfold.

Source: Deadline.

Trailer time for Red Tails, and this is the second look we’ve been given of director Anthony Hemingway’s film which has been a labour of love for Executive Producer George Lucas for many years now and you can see his nostalgic touch all over this one.

The thrilling true story of the Tuskegee Airmen buzzes to the big screen in this epic war adventure from executive producer George Lucas and first-time feature director Anthony Hemingway. In the fire and chaos of World War II, the U.S. military recruits a fearless group of African-American fighter pilots to help reclaim the skies over Europe. Discriminated against both as citizens and as soldiers, the Tuskegee Airmen take flight in planes distinguished by distinctive red tails, and fight to defeat the tyranny of the Axis powers. As a result of their bravery, the pilots emerge as true heroes, and prove that all men are truly created equal. Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Bryan Cranston star.

Ice Age – quite possibly the least historically accurate franchise ever – is set to return with a fourth instalment, currently subtitled Continental Drift.

Variety‘s report indicates that the acorn-starved actions of Scrat will trigger a chain reaction which ultimately reunites Sid the sloth with his family.

Along with the usual assortment of prehistoric plot devices, this means that directors Steve Martino and Michael Thurmerier have a family of sloths to cast.

Cue the signing of Nick Frost, Nicki Minaj, Joy Behar, JB Smoove, Heather Morris, Josh Gad, Alan Tudyk and Kunal Nayyar who will join franchise favourites Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Denis Leary, Seann William Scott, Wanda Sykes, Aziz Ansari, Drake and Josh Peck for another dose of textbook defying antics.

20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios have set a July 6, 2012 release date for Continental Drift.

20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm have released the first official trailer for the George Lucas-produced World War II drama Red Tails.

Directed by Anthony Hemingway, Red Tails stars Terrence Howard, Daniela Ruah, Bryan Cranston, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Method Man, Ryan Early, Elijah Kelley, Robert Kazinsky and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Although there’s no official synopsis yet, Red Tails is expected to tell the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during World War II.

As the trailer so valiantly edifies, Red Tails will hit cinemas in the US on January 20, 2012. A UK release date, however, has not yet been confirmed.

Watch the trailer below, courtesy of Yahoo! Movies:

2oth Century Fox brought several films to Hall H this  year, all of them impressive. The following is a round up of a few great moments from the panel including some footage description we were treated to.  Besides “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” Fox hadn’t really announced what other films were being presented.  I will end with “Apes” as it ended the panel, so we’ll just go in order.

Prometheus

In one of the few “only at Comic-Con” moments that I’ve experienced today, legendary director Ridley Scott found a way to join the panel live from Iceland.  Thats right, we are in San Diego but Ridley was standing on top of a waterfall answering questions from moderator Damon Lindelof.  Besides talking about the film and its stellar cast, including Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba and the beautiful Charlize Theron (who was present for the Q&A), Ridley gave us an amazing look at “Prometheus”.

The footage actually looks exactly like “Alien”.  Some might say thats not a good thing, but I loved the hell out of that film so I say bring it on.  A lot of people have been assuming that the film is actually an “Alien” prequel.  Ridley stated during the panel that there is only a bit of DNA from that film that exists in Prometheus.  However, I think it’s safe to say that the DNA shows up at the end of the film giving credence to that rumor. Charlize Theron was on hand to talk about her character, who feels like it could be “new Ripley”.  She states that her character is ‘a suit who slowly sheds that skin through the film’. She is basically warn down to the bone by the end of the film and states that this is unlike anything she has ever done before.  Overall, I have high hopes for it as it looks like Scott is where he belongs.

In Time

This film is directed by “Gattaca” and “The Truman Show” scribe Andrew Niccol and stars Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy.  As much as I love all those actors, I’m most excited about Vincent Kartheiser’s involvement in the film.  Some of you may know him as Pete Campbell from AMC’s “Mad Men” and in this he seems to playing a perfect little weasel, just as in the Emmy Award winning series. The film is about a future world in which people stop aging at 25, and have a year before they die unless they “earn” their time.  Justin Timberlake plays Will Salas who has been framed for the murder of a man who had a lot of time on his hands.  He goes on the run all the while stealing time and giving it to people who don’t have any left.  Yes, it’s a modern day Robin Hood, but it seems really interesting.  I think it walks that fine line where it could be terrible or really good.  So let’s just say I’m optimistic. But with a solid cast and Niccol at the helm, I say bring it on.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

This is Fox’s golden goose this year and it looks better and better every time I see it.  I’ll start by saying that I don’t really care about the “Apes” franchise.  I have never seen the older films and don’t really have a strong desire to. I made the mistake of watching the Tim Burton film, which didn’t help clearly. However, this prequel looks pretty stunning.  I would say that overall it feels a bit generic as far as uprising films go, but it LOOKS amazing.  When you have the folks over at Weta taking care of the Visual Effects, we don’t question their resolve to make a beautiful film.  When you add Andy Serkis in the motion capture suit playing the main character of Caesar, you start to get more than excited.  Serkis was on hand to discuss being back in the suit playing another ape.  For those who aren’t aware, Serkis also played King Kong in Peter Jackson’s film, but revolutionized Motion capture, and should have been nominated for an Oscar for his role as Gollum, in the “Lord of the Rings” films.

We were shown quite a bit of footage included the entire sequence of Caesar protecting John Lithgow from the trailer. It gets very tense and represents the first time Caesar realizes he’s not supposed to be living as a human as he has been doing during the film thus far.  He knows he shouldn’t be there.  The facial features on Caesar are mind boggling.  All the apes look photo-real and it’s wonderful.  We were also giving a really nice long sizzle reel at the end of the panel that includes a lot of action from the third act of the film. Included in the reel was the moment right after that gorilla attacks the helicopter from the trailer. Let me safely say, that helicopter goes down.

Overall, I am really very excited about this film.  It has made me very interested in seeing what happens after this ape revolt portrayed in the film. The film lays down the seeds of the complete takeover and that is really fascinating to me.  I can’t wait to see this.

A remake of the famed 1947 comedy, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, has proved a tough nut to crack in Hollywood for some time. Director Ron Howard toying with the idea for years, and even Jim Carrey’s name was bandied around back then. Now it seems the project is back on track with another comedian spearheading it.

News from Twitch has Ben Stiller down for the lead in the story of a mind-mannered husband who conjures up five heroic and whimsical daydream adventures to escape the mundane tasks he has to undertake to appease his pushy wife. No news yet on any other casting, but the studio behind the film (20th Century Fox, who scored big with both of Stiller’s ‘Museum’ films) is looking at a potential January 2012 start date.

It’s also being reported that Stiller himself will be helming the pic. Although he has proved himself to be perfecting adept at directing big Hollywood productions in the past, this project may have been interesting if it had instead been offered to the young filmmaker whose film was recently co-produced by Stiller’s company, and someone that could potentially work wonders with the material, Submarine’s Richard Ayoade.

20th Century Fox have unveiled the official UK trailer and poster for Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar’s The Skin I Live In.

Based on Thierry Jonquet’s novella Mygale, The Skin I Live In stars Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet, Roberto Álamo, Blanca Suárez, Eduard Fernández, Bárbara Lennie and Fernando Cayo.

Ever since his wife was burned in a car crash, Dr. Robert Ledgard (Banderas), 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…

The Skin I Live In premiered in competition at the 64th annual Cannes Film Festival to enthusiastic reviews, and sees Almodóvar tackle darker subject matter than what we’ve seen in previous years. However, by watching the trailer and admiring the all-together stunning poster, it seems he’s handled this transition with extreme solicitude.

Almodóvar’s latest will be released nationwide on August 26.

Check out the trailer and poster below:

Do click the poster to see it in full size.

The ground beneath the Vue Westfield in West London trembled under the weight of Robert Pattinson fans as his latest film, Water for Elephants, had its UK premiere on Tuesday night.

Pattinson stars with Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz in this circus bound tale of love, loss and elephantine hosing.

Our excellent friends at Upbeat were on hand to capture the spirit of the event and interviewed the stars as they walked the red carpet and as you’ll see Pattinson and Witherspoon put on quite a show.

Here’s their report,

 

The film’s synopsis looks a little something like this:

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson) was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob (Holbrook), now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie.

It was there that he met Marlena, (Witherspoon) the beautiful equestrian star married to August (Waltz), the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an un-trainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate travelling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

and all of our coverage can be found here.

There will inevitably be those weeping into their Sara Gruen novel of the same name after writer Richard LaGravenese’s film adaptation – even though the author swears nothing in the screen version diminishes her best-selling tale. And on the whole, Gruen is right.

Water For Elephants recreates the story’s magical, old-fashioned love affair full of colour, beauty, honour and courage that sweeps you up on a journey of optimism and peril, within the fascinating microcosm of a 1930s circus troupe. LaGravenese’s vision indeed stays faithful to the feel of the 2006 book, even if chunks of the latter have been hacked to bring 14 hours reading time down to nearly two, and some characters have been altered.

It’s a tale of forbidden love: Jake Jankowski (Hal Holbrook), a 93-year-old former circus worker and ex-veterinary student recalls his days at the struggling Benzini Brothers Circus in 1930s’, Depression-era America. A young Jake (Robert Pattinson) falls in love with the circus’s star performer, Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), who happens to be married to the tyrannical and emotionally unstable owner, August (Christoph Waltz), a man who charms one minute and is abusive the next. August thinks he can turn the troupe’s fortunes around after purchasing an elephant called Rosie (played by Tai the elephant). But as Jake and Marlena bond over Rosie’s training and concern over her cruel treatment at the hands of August, they cannot deny their own feelings towards each other, and realise the only way to be free is to run away from the circus, and out of August’s clutches.

For many fans of the book, LaGravenese’s first ‘error’ would be combining the characters of August, who is the head trainer in the book, and the novel’s violent owner, Uncle Al. In fact because the casting of Waltz is absolutely spot on, the film character of August is temperamental, menacing and sadistic enough to comfortably merge the two personalities, and deliver all their nuances – as you’d expect from the brilliant Oscar-winning star of Inglourious Basterds. Waltz triumphs once more, and along with his much larger co-star, Tai, lifts the story off the page, and evokes all the emotion across its spectrum. Yes, the elephant really charms the living daylights out of you in this – even with some CG trickery for some of the abuse scenes. But the stunt moments, where Witherspoon lithely performs with an equally graceful Tai, fully capture the imagination and vibe of a bygone era.

In fact, Pattinson and Witherspoon merely provide the visual beauty and knowing looks, especially the latter, Witherspoon, who seems to capture that timeless, big-screen glamour and intoxicating mixture of fragility and toughness. As a couple in love, the actors’ 11-year age gap does little to distract credibility in their screen union, particularly as Marlena is portrayed as more worldly-wise. Pattinson shows the first signs of leading-man allure from a cinematic era past that, as is the case here, often made allowances for some more wooden acting moments. Indeed, Twilight fans can be guaranteed to get the Edward Cullen swoons again for the very first time after watching him as Jake, who comes up against all odds in the name of love – an act made for Pattinson. It’s grand-hearted, sigh-a-minute Mills and Boon/Jackie Collins-time, but Pattinson does need to lessen the shy schoolboy grins, though, which conflict with his more impressive, serious stand-offs opposite Waltz in this. He still has to shake off the teen-heartthrob angst performance, but is getting there.

As magical love stories go, LaGravenese’s period film is an enchanting watch – part in thanks to the exquisite art direction and cinematography – that stands more than adequately as a standalone film for those who have not read the book. In fact, although set in the 1930s, much like the eternal appeal and romance of Twilight’s vampire existence, Water For Elephants combines nods to a golden screen era, but with all the contemporary relationship gusto of falling for the wrong person. And it keeps things from getting too schmaltzy by keeping proceedings dark and unnerving, thanks to Waltz and the moody and threatening set ambiance. The film shamelessly plays to our love affair with animals, with Tai melting as many hearts as Pattinson in this, that seems to lessen any preconceived ‘violation’ of Gruen’s engrossing original text.

***½~ (3.5/5)

Packed full of retro glitz and glamour, Water for Elephants is released in cinemas on May 4^th, starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon.

Set in 1930s America at the height of the Prohibition, we are celebrating the film’s release and getting you in the mood for Circus high jinks with some gloriously-themed goodies to give away.

Based on the acclaimed bestseller, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS presents an unexpected romance in a uniquely compelling setting. Veterinary school student Jacob (Robert Pattinson) meets and falls in love with Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), a star performer in a circus of a bygone era. They discover beauty amidst the world of the Big Top, and come together through their compassion for a special elephant. Against all odds — including the wrath of Marlena’s charismatic but dangerous husband, August (Christoph Waltz) — Jacob and Marlena find lifelong love.

Five lucky winners will each get a Water for Elephants T-shirt, fan and bookmark!  To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question using the form below:

What is the name of Robert Pattinson’s character in Water for Elephants?

1. Edward
2. Jacob
3. George

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 11th May at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

TM © 2011 FOX

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20th Century Fox have announced that The Skin I Live In will be released in the UK on August 26, 2011.

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar (Volver, All About My Mother), The Skin I Live In stars Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Bárbara Lennie, Blanca Suárez and Fernando Cayo.

Ever since his wife was burned in a car crash, Dr. Robert Ledgard (Banderas), 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…

The Skin I Live In will premiere at the 64th annual Cannes Film Festival next month.

Official Press Release:

Acclaimed Spanish writer/director Pedro Almodóvar returns with his latest film The Skin I Live In, reuniting him with three of his previous collaborators: Antonio Banderas (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down), Elena Anaya (Talk to Her) and Marisa Paredes (All About My Mother, Talk to Her, The Flower of My Secret). The film is produced by Agustín Almodóvar (Broken Embraces, Bad Education) and features music by Alberto Iglesias (Broken Embraces, Volver). Twentieth Century Fox will release The Skin I Live In for Pathé in the UK on 26 August 2011, following its world premiere in competition at the 64th Cannes International Film Festival.

Jeremy Renner (The Town), Jennifer Lopez (Shall We Dance), Wanda Sykes (Over the Hedge), Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee), Aziz Ansari (Funny People) and Aubrey Graham (Charlie Bartlett) have joined the voice cast of Ice Age: Continental Drift.

The new additions will star opposite returning cast members Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Jennette McCurdy and Will Hedge in the fourth instalment of 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios’ hugely successful animation franchise.

One of filmdom’s most beloved trios - Manny, Diego, and Sid – embark upon their greatest adventure after cataclysm sets an entire continent adrift. Separated from the rest of the herd, they use an iceberg as a makeshift ship, which launches them on an epic seafaring quest to find the others. Manny and the gang are challenged like never before to become heroes and do the impossible, as they encounter exotic sea creatures, explore a brave new world, and battle ruthless pirates. And Scrat’s reunion with his cursed nut catapults him to places no prehistoric squirrel has gone before.

Steve Martino (Horton Hears a Who) and Mike Thurmeier (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) will direct from a screenplay co-written by Michael Berg, Jason Fuchs and Mike Reiss.

Ice Age: Continental Drift will be released on July 13, 2012.

Source: THR