On Thursday, The Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley, London played host to an evening showcasing the surreal and esoteric talents of one Crispin Hellion Glover.

The 46-year-old actor/filmmaker will be immediately recognisable to many as Marty McFly’s weedy, put-upon father in Back to the Future, and as the creepy and silent henchman in the film adaptation of Charlie’s Angels, and its sequel. He also appeared last year in the 80’s-inspired comedy, Hot Tub Time Machine.

Scratch the surface however, and Glover’s interests and ambitions clearly lay outside the mainstream. Having directed two films (2005’s What Is It? and it’s sequel from 2007, It is Fine. Everything is Fine!), the latter was included in Thursday evening’s line-up, which began with Glover narrating stories from his self-penned books.

This visual presentation (entitled Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Slide Show) involved pages from his various volumes of work being projected on screen as the actor both narrated and highlighted illustrations and photos from his books in the style best described as that of a demented TV weather forecaster. It was an utterly bizarre yet hilarious performance piece. One book in particular (Rat-Catching, written in 1988) presented an old-fashioned looking instructional guide to eliminating vermin, with a prose that quickly lapsed into the surreal and abstract.

If this work indicates Glover’s skewered perspective of life, It is Fine. Everything is Fine! represents the motion picture counterpart to that. Having been scripted a couple of decades back by the late Steven C. Stewart, the film is a haunting psycho-sexual fantasy melodrama featuring Stewart as the protagonist in the story of a disabled man’s revenge on a variety of females.

Born with severe cerebral palsy, (and as Glover described in the post-film Q&A) Stewart had been misdiagnosed and mistakenly confined to a nursing home for over a decade of his life before he was able to express himself artistically. The film itself is a truly unique viewing experience and is unflinching in it’s depiction of disability and the sexuality of that subject matter. Stewart (who sadly passed away soon after filming ended) clearly had abandonment issues and resentment towards women and some of the content is indeed shocking and uncomfortable to watch, but crucially, it never feels like Stewart is being exploited. His condition is never presented in a sanitised way and more importantly, his “character” and actions are often far removed from what could ever be described as saintly. The film is worlds apart from what other actors-tuned-directors usually crank out within the Hollywood studio system.

During the Q&A, one audience member was clearly distressed at what she had seen, and expressed her annoyance in a very verbal manner towards Glover, whom she accused of exploiting women. Glover heartily defended his film but also expressed an understanding of her issues and declared that he welcomed criticism, although the majority of the room didn’t share the woman’s grievances. Glover talked pretty much non-stop for over an hour, and was still going strong as it was fast approaching midnight. The many points and issues he talked about were both enlightening and insightful. By breaking down social and cinematic taboos, Glover has created a powerful work of art whose subversiveness also lies in the fact that he was able to fund himself by taking on roles in mindless, passive Hollywood fare like Charlie’s Angels.

Glover proved to be a fascinating figure who (rather amusingly) possessed more than a passing resemblance to George McFly in terms of his vocal inflections and mannerisms. His ability to flit between the mainstream and projects like It is Fine. Everything is Fine! is an achievement which deserves praise and recognition.

The evening was part of the actor’s intentions on taking this undistributed film on the road (clearly minus the ego-centric intentions behind Kevin Smith’s recent announcement of a similar plan for Red State) and he added that he hopes to return with his first feature sometime soon. Having purchased a 16th-century chateau in the Czech Republic to act as a studio to make the third in his intended trilogy of films, Glover aim of retaining an independent vision and having complete autonomy over his work, cement his reputation as a true original who works in an environment and culture where possessing a unique outlook isn’t particularly embraced with open arms.

Open Season 3 is released on DVD and DVD Box Set 14th February and to celebrate, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have give us 3 copies of the movie to give away. The movie features a voice cast which includes Steve Schirripa (Open Season 2, “The Sopranos”), Crispin Glover (Back to the Future franchise, Open Season 2), Ciara Bravo (TV’s “Big Time Rush”), Dana Snyder (TV’s “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”) and Karley Scott Collins (TV’s “The Class”).

Synopsis: When Boog’s buddies can’t make their annual guys-only getaway, he decides to take a trip by himself. Stumbling across a visiting circus, Boog switches places with a look-alike circus grizzly and takes over his part in the act. But when the circus decides to go back to Russia, it’s a race against time for Elliot, McSquizzy, Mr. Weenie and the gang to rescue Boog before its too late!

This wonderful tale is sure to be a hit with children and adults alike!

To be in with a chance of winning one of three copies of the movie, all you have to do is answer the question using the form below:

Who voices the character of Rufus in Open Season 3?

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 14th February (release date at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Today is the day we can finally enjoy the entire Back to the Future trilogy in high definition. The trilogy box set not only gives you a wonderful transfer of each film, but it has a load of extras including the holy grail for BTTF fans, footage of Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly.

So, how about winning one of these fine Back to the Future Re-Release posters then?

If you went to see the re-release of Back to the Future in the cinemas earlier this month then you’ll have seen one of these on display, and very handsome they look too.

We’ve got five to give away, to be in with a chance of winning one of these posters all you need to do is answer the following question using the form below:

What speed (in mph) does Doc Brown’s DeLorean have to reach to travel through time?

The small print:

• This competition is open to the UK only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close Monday 1st of November at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

If you want a little preview of the brand new remastered Back to the Future Blu-ray, you’re going to love this. Universal Pictures have just sent us this rather fancy new interactive trailer for the Blu-ray where you can select different portions of the trailer to find out about different parts of the movie. Back to the Future is released 25th October and you can click here to have the chance to win a super duper special edition of the movie.

To celebrate the forthcoming and highly anticipated release of the widely acclaimed Back to the Future Trilogy on Blu-ray™, Universal Pictures International Entertainment has produced a series of interactive promotional assets to be experienced, shared and enjoyed by online users.  This Academy Award®-winning franchise, will release internationally from October 25th, 2010 in eye-popping high definition featuring new restorations for perfect picture and the purest digital sound.

Interactive Trailer
Fans can watch and interact with the trailer to the Blu-Ray release of the Back to the Future Trilogy to discover incredible behind-the-scenes goodies, interviews and character bios from the films. As the trailer plays, more assets become available for the user to click on and experience. The trailer can also be grabbed and shared on social networking sites and profiles.

Next week the Back to the Future trilogy gets a release on shiny Blu-ray having just completed a limited run in cinemas across the country to celebrate the film’s twenty-fifth anniversary.

Seeing the original film twenty-five years ago was one of my formative cinematic experiences and recently Dave and I had a sneak preview of the film on the big screen and it was a triumphant return for a film that has more than stood the test of time.

Creator, producer and co-writer of the series Bob Gale is still passionate about the trilogy and we got the chance to talk to the man whose chance discovery of his Dad’s high school yearbook provided the spark for one of the most endearing and enduring films of recent years.

HeyUGuys

It must be exciting having Back to the Future coming back into the cinemas.

Bob Gale

I tell you…I saw the movie projected eight days ago and it looks so good, so much better than it did in 1985. When they did the remastering for the Blu-ray they spent over 400 hours doing dirt cleanup, and almost another 200 hours doing colour correction, so the movie looks better than it ever did. You have the print going through the projector, it picks up dirt, gets scratched and with the digital technology these guys fixed almost all of that stuff, and it just looks breathtaking.

HeyUGuys

I saw the trailer [for the Back to the Future re-release] in the cinemas recently and got chills, I remember seeing it in 1985 and it was a seminal moment for me, I can still play Johnny B. Goode on guitar because of the film…

Bob Gale

…Well we’ve got people trying to invent hoverboards, Nike just patented the self-lacing shoes…

HeyUGuys

And people talk about it with such love. Having been the creator of all this, what do you attribute this love of the film to?

Bob Gale

Well, it was a perfect convergence of a fantastic script, of an outstanding, perfect cast, Bob Zemeckis’ great skill – all that stuff came together and at its heart it is a very human, emotional story. Past all the trappings of the special effects and the gimmicks and the action, it is a tender story about a kid and his parents. And there’s a moment we all have in our lives when we are children where we suddenly understand that our parents were children too, and that’s kind of a cosmic moment that everybody experiences, and to my knowledge no-one had ever done a movie about that. Not every joke translates into every language but that core aspect of the story that we’re all in control of our own destiny, I think that all comes together and it’s something that really touched me.

HeyUGuys

There’s a real Twilight Zone feel to the first film in particular, were you a fan of science fiction of that era?

Bob Gale

Oh, Bob Zemeckis and I were both huge Twilight Zone fans. That experience you had watching Back to the Future when you were a kid, I was having those kinds of experiences watching The Twilight Zone every week and Zemeckis too. Another movie that affected us was George Pal’s The Time Machine, so I was a huge science fiction fan, so Ray Bradbury – he helped warp my mind. So, it’s really cool for me to hear from people who say that my work did for them what The Twilight Zone or what Ray Bradbury or Robert Heinlein did for me, it’s great.

HeyUGuys

As a kid, I really enjoyed the action and adventure elements of the film, but there are deeper, more subversive elements and the idea at play. Did you have to compromise those at all to get the film made?

Bob Gale

No, no – we didn’t compromise anything. The movie was rejected over forty times, nobody wanted to make the movie. The time travel aspect was something people were scared off because no time travel movie had ever been a hit and while there was a very nice, sweet comedy – they wanted to do raunchier comedies, so they told us to take it to Disney. So, we heard this half a dozen times or more and finally we were out of studios and Bob and I shrugged and said ‘What the hell, let’s take it to Disney…’ So we did and the executives looked at us like we were out of our minds! They said, ‘Are you guys insane? There are kids…and the Mother in the car…We’re Disney! We can’t touch that. That’s insane.’

HeyUGuys

Just for curiousity’s sake it would be great to see what Disney would have made of the film!

Bob Gale

[Laughs] No it wouldn’t!

HeyUGuys

With the success of the first film, a sequel was inevitable and the final scene suggests you were thinking of that too?

Bob Gale

No, no no no. The end of the first movie is a joke, ‘There’s something that’s got to be done about your kids!’ It’s funny, and the characters get in the DeLorean and go off to another adventure, like the cowboys riding off into the sunset. If we had known if we were going to do a sequel, let alone two sequels, we NEVER would have put Jennifer in the car because they we had to figure what we were going to do with Jennifer! So, she gets knocked out! She’s unconscious for the two movies!

HeyUGuys

When the sequels came up for discussion did you have certain ideas you wanted to explore?

Bob Gale

Here’s what happened – when the studio said they wanted a sequel we had certain parameters. As long as we had Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd we will figure out a sequel – we didn’t know what it would be, but those guys have to be locked in. And we had to go back and get the rest of the cast and they all said yes, except for Crispin Glover. So we had Marty, Doc, Lea Thompson and Thomas Wilson had said Yes, so that was instrumental in saying ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting to create an alternate world of 1985 where Geroge McFly is a tombstone and Lorraine is married to Biff?’ It’s like those Superman comics where Lois Lane is married to Lex Luthor so it was those limitations and those elements that we had to balance.

HeyUGuys

The story of Back to the Future centres around Marty but as the trilogy goes along it seems Doc Brown is at the heart of the story – his ambition, his flawed successes and then, at the end, finding true happiness – would you agree with this, or is this Marty’s story?

Bob Gale

The first is really George McFly’s story if you think about it. He’s the character that undergoes the big character arc, and part of the success is how well drawn the characters are and we thought it would be interesting if Marty and Doc changed places. So in the third movie Marty is the one giving Doc advice – he says ‘We don’t belong here,’ and ‘What’s the right thing to do in your brain, not your heart’ and it is represented where Marty says ‘Great Scott!’ and Doc says ‘This is heavy…’

HeyUGuys

We’re five years away from Jaws 19 and sequels and remakes are doing better business than ever, putting the talk of remakes aside for a moment I believe you’re moving into the video game arena?

Bob Gale

The video game thing is an interesting avenue for us to explore alternate Back to the Future realities – and the budget is obviously a whole lot less than it would take to make a new movie, so it’s a way of giving the real fans something new about Back to the Future which we hope will be in the spirit of the three movies.

HeyUGuys

So, these are all new stories?

Bob Gale

Yeah. We’re not talking about a remake, we’re not talking about a reboot, no Part 4, no 3D, no re-imagining of it…

HeyUGuys

No part for Justin Bieber?

Bob Gale

Oh God! Every once in a while those rumours go round…

HeyUGuys

I think it’s because Back to the Future is the exception where no-one is interested in seeing a remake, people may want to see more of it, but in the middle of these, predominently 80s, remakes going on at the moment, Back to the Future stands up as something which people don’t want to see touched.

Bob Gale

We’ve been so vociferous in interviews about it that people don’t even ask now. ‘No’ really means no. If we changed our minds they’d all be on us like a cheap suit…It’s laziness, in my opinion, that Hollywood is remaking or redoing everything. Wouldn’t it be better to do some original stuff? We’ve all seen those sequels where they’ve gone back to the well one too many times, I’m not going to mention any names… We all know what they are… Has there ever been a sequel made more than ten years after the original installment that really held a candle to the original – I can’t think of an example.

HeyUGuys

And what’s next?

Bob Gale

Beyond the video game stuff, I’m writing scripts but the problem of Hollywood not being so receptive to original ideas and that’s what I like to do. That why I was so delighted that Inception was such a big hit – I had some problems with the movie, but it was original and audiences want that. Maybe having Back to the Future back in the cinemas will lead people to think they need to make something original. Or maybe they’ll just think, ‘Oh MAN! We gotta REMAKE this!’

We want to thank Bob Gale for his time speaking to us.

Photo: DeLorean Time Machine

Is Back to the Future REALLY coming back to the cinemas? OH YES!

We’ve been boasting for the past month or so that we’re getting a theatrical release of one of the greatest movies of all time, Back to the Future where the US weren’t! Today however, we can no longer be so glum for AMC Cinemas have announced that they’ll be showing Back to the Future in their US cinemas for a limited time only.

All this exciting Back to the Future news comes to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movie whereby Universal Studios have digitally remastered it and it looks and sounds amazing (we were lucky enough to see an early screening a few weeks ago)! They’ll also be releasing the digitally remastered version on Blu-ray 25th October and you can pre-order your copy here.

Keep you eyes peeled on HeyUGuys in the coming weeks as we’ll also be giving away a very special edition of the movie and it will definitely be a prize you’ll want!

If you’ve not seen the new full HD trailer that we debuted for the Back to the Future re-release, you can check it out here and we also have the full list of UK cinemas which will be showing it here.

According to AMC:

To help celebrate this classic film’s anniversary, AMC Theatres is bringing back the film for 2 special screenings on Saturday October 23rd at 12:30PM and Monday October 25th at 7:00PM on 158 screens over 40 cities!

All guests will receive a full-sized poster commemorating the 25th anniversary limited release of the movie with their ticket purchase, while supplies last.

Each theatre will also have special movie-related giveaways prior to the movie as a part of the experience.  We’re excited to bring this digitally remastered film back for a new generation to see the film as it was intended.

You can buy tickets for the US event here or go to this post for UK cinemas listings and then go to the appropriate cinema website. Shoot us a comment or email if you can’t find it.

This is all getting rather exciting!

If you didn’t already know, Back to the Future is coming back to UK cinemas October 1st. Jon and I got to see it last week at the Empire Leicester Square and it absolutely blew our minds. It’s now been 4 days since I saw it and on reflection, I cannot remember a time when I enjoyed being at the cinema so much. Seeing one of (if not my all time) favourite movies on the big screen, let alone Empire Leicester Square where the premiere was held 25 years ago was something special.

Seeing Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd go through their epic journey again was like I was there on the ride with them and I was so excited, I cannot describe!

We’ve previously put this trailer on the site but it was a very small version and now Universal Studios have sent me the full HD version for us to enjoy. You’ll see from the trailer that the picture quality is far superiors to that  of the DVDs and you MUST MUST MUST go to the cinema to watch it as your minds will be severely blown!

So, without further ado, check out the new Back to the Future 25th Anniversary theatrical re-release trailer in all it’s high definition glory and go and see it when it’s out in cinemas, October 1st. The Blu ray release will follow on 25th October and you can pre-order your copy here.

Now, click the full screen button, select 1080p and enjoy!

Never in my days did I expect to see a brand new poster created for one of the greatest movies of all time but today, Empire have just released the brand new poster for the 25th anniversary theatrical re-release of Back to the Future.

If you missed the news, last week a trailer was released for the movie which is going to be back in cinemas for a limited time in October. Check out the new poster below and get excited! Cos we are!!!

Here’s some rather exciting and wonderful news that I think is going to go round the web faster than a fake ‘Future Day’!

Universal Pictures have just released information that Back to the Future is going to have a theatrical re-release in UK cinemas. What does this mean? Well, it means that Back to the Future is coming back to the cinema!!! I was 5 years old when Back to the Future was released in 1985 and I may be wrong but I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen it in the cinema.

Back to the Future was directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Steven Spielberg. The movie starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson  who were all made famous (or more famous in some cases) in one of the biggest and best movies of all time. So many people love it and this is why Universal have decided to bring it back to the big screen. If you’ve never seen Back to the Future before, now is your chance to see it as it was meant to be seen.

Back to the Future is to be re-released in cinemas October 1st with the Blu ray box set following October 25th and according to Empire Online, will contain two hours of new extras including a retrospective documentary with the cast and a discussion about the film’s physics and a storyboard alternate ending sequence.

I am SO excited!!!

Check out the new trailer below.

E1 Entertainment have just sent is this rather awesome new poster and trailer for their latest movie starring Rhys Ifans, Mr. Nice. The movie is directed by Bernard Rose and also stars Rhys Ifans, Chloe Sevigny, David Thewlis, Luis Tosar, Crispin Glover, Omid Djalili, Christian Mackay, Elsa Pataky, Jamie Harris and Jack Huston. It was shown recently at the Edinburgh Film Festival and you can read our review of the movie here.

Synopsis: 43 aliases, 89 phone lines, 25 companies worldwide and over one million books sold.  Among his associates are members of the Mafia, CIA, IRA and MI6.  Nuclear physicist, marijuana connoisseur, school teacher, money launderer, gentleman, fugitive and spy; raconteur, travel agent, writer, philosopher of science, rock promoter, public speaker, board game appreciator and the biggest dope smuggler on the planet… meet Howard Marks, A.K.A Mr. Nice.

From the small town of Kenfig in South Wales to Oxford University, Germany, London, Ireland, Pakistan, Amsterdam, Thailand, Ibiza, Majorca, Manila, America and jail we follow Howard’s prodigious rise.  And fall.  This is the frequently hilarious, occasionally sad, and often surreal story of Howard’s life so far.

Check out the new poster below (click to see it rather massive!) and the trailer is below it.

Yesterday, to coincide with Ridley Scott’s adaptation, starring Russell Crowe and released this week, i looked at the legend of Robin Hood, and why so many movies and TV shows have been based around the popular character. The story of the outlaw that robs from the rich and gives to the poor is certainly compelling, but it got me to thinking. Surely there must be other characters from English folklore that are conducive to great storytelling, and fantastic filmmaking? So i had a bit of a look around, and chose five other legendary characters that have, to date, been unfairly ignored by the Hollywood machine.

Spring Heeled Jack

 The Lore

 According to various folklore sources (or as i like to call them, Wikipedia), Spring Heeled Jack existed in Victorian London, and was so called because of his unique ability to jump very high. There are many descriptions of his appearance, the generally accepted one was of a tall, slim built man, dressed in black. Sometimes said to have claws, he was apparently a terrifying figure to behold. Jack’s MO differs in numerous accounts. Some involve simple feats of leaping, in some he attacked and groped women, and in other stories he was said to jump up and slap people in the face, quickly disappearing into the night.

 The Pitch

 Due to its macabre content, and Victorian setting, this project is perfect for the gothic king Tim Burton. His dark, creepy take on the streets of Olde London Town would set the perfect tone for this tale. Spring Heeled Jack himself, a dark, mysterious figure with obvious psychological issues, is the perfect role for Crispin Glover. What’s that? Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter? Oh, go on then. Bonham Carter plays a victim that Jack has taken a particular interest in, and he begins to revisit her, developing an obsession. Johnny Depp is the newspaper man on the trail of the shadowy figure, desperate to uncover his identity in order to further his journalistic career. The trail leads him to Carter’s doorstep, and he finds he must try to protect her whilst discovering the deep, dark secret at the heart of Spring Heeled Jack’s actions.

Brute of Troy

 The Lore

 Brute was either the great grandson, grandson or son of the Trojan Aeneas, depending upon which source you follow. Born in Italy, as a young boy he accidently shot and killed his father with a bow and arrow. He was subsequently banished from the country, and formed a small army with a group of Trojans enslaved in Greece. He apparently travelled through India, and after many battles in Gaul sailed to Britain. There, his army kill a population of Giants, and Brute becomes the first king of Britain.

 The Pitch

 Michael Bay could bring his distinctive brand of high voltage action to this ancient mythic story, with Gerard Butler as the mighty Brute. We’d be treated to his early years, the accidental death of his father, played by Liam Neeson, and his subsequent adventures. Along with his Trojan followers, he would battle great CGI armies, Giants and other mythological creatures. Following a heavy defeat at Gaul, the army retreats to the seas, and as all their skilled navigators were killed in battle, find themselves at an unknown island. They begin to explore, and are forced to fight for their lives against the vast giants that call the land home. Eventually emerging victorious thanks to Brutes leadership, his followers make him king, and he names the island Britain, a derivation of his own name.

Hereward the Wake

 The Lore

 In the 11th century, Hereward was supposedly part of the Anglo-Saxon resistance to William the Conqueror, and his Norman army. He is said to have initially rebelled against Edward the Confessor, resulting in exile to Europe, and being named an outlaw. He returned to England to try and help repel the Normans, along with a small Danish army. He was part of an alliance based on the Isle of Ely, and participated in attacks on the enemy around the Fen region of England. The Normans eventually launched an attack on the Isle of Ely, which ended in victory, though Hereward and and a number of others escaped, continuing the doomed resistance.

 The Pitch

I would be interested to see Paul Greengrass take on this kind of historical story. The guerrilla style attacks of the outlaw’s band, filmed in Greengrass’ traditional shaky-cam would be awesome, truly conveying the brutality of these brutal skirmishes, and the horror inherent in this kind of uncivilised warfare. Who else but Matt Damon to play Hereward, initially forced to live as an outcast, bravely returning from Europe with the Danish army to take on William and the Normans. Winning over his fellow warriors through valour and great leadership, Hereward quickly rises to General of his own squad, and his successful ambushes raise the ire of William the Conqueror, played by Hans Lander. William orders the attack on the Isle of Ely to end the constant harassment of his troops. We are treated to a Helm’s Deep type battle, but through the unique lens of director Greengrass. Hereward fights bravely, but is forced to retreat. He continues in vein to attack the Norman forces, and his legend begins when he is eventually killed in battle.

Guy of Warwick

 The Lore

 Guy was apparently a commoner who fell in love with a woman above his station, Lady Felice, a woman of noble birth. In order to prove he is a worthy suitor, he travels the land, fighting giants, dragons, a Dun Cow and various other mystical creatures. He becomes a knight, and returns for the Lady’s hand in marriage. However, overcome with guilt for his killings, he travels to the Holy Land to make amends. Eventually he returns, and lives as a recluse in a cave over the River Avon.

 The Pitch

 The various and obscure creatures involved in this story make it ideal for a filmmaker like Guillermo Del Toro. He has great skill at mixing fantastical beings with personal, emotional drama, and he is a uniquely gifted storyteller. The part of Guy could be played by an actor like Aaron Johnson. The Lady Felice is the kind of part that Gemma Arterton would be perfect for. Regular Del Toro collaborator, the fantastic Doug Jones is highly skilled at portraying wondrous, fantastical creatures. As such, he would be a great choice to play the creepy, unworldly beings Guy has to face.

So Guy, in our movie, falls in love with the Lady of higher standing. Her father, the Earl of Warwick (played by Michael Gambon) sends him out to prove his mettle. He does not want his daughter to marry a common man, however, as he has planned to marry her off to a rich nobleman in a position of power, as his own fortune has run dry. So he tells the nobleman, played by Mark Strong, to follow Guy, and ensure he is hampered in his quest. If the nobleman succeeds, he will win the Lady’s hand. After several complications arise during his quest, Guy eventually realises what is afoot. He allows Strong to be killed by the Dun Cow, before slaying it himself. When he returns and Strong doesn’t, the Earl is forced to allow the marriage. Guy however jilts Lady Felice at the altar, overcome with remorse at not saving the nobleman, and sales off to the Holy Land, leaving the franchise open for the inevitable sequel…

The Pedlar of Swaffham

 The Lore

 The titular pedlar, who indeed lived in Swaffham (or Soffham) in Norfolk, is said to have had a dream that if he travelled to London, and stood at London Bridge, he would receive beneficial news. He ignored the first dream, but as they persisted he decided to make the trip to London for better or worse. Once there, he spent several days at the bridge, but nothing happened. Eventually, a curious shop owner approached him, and asked why he had been at the bridge waiting for so long. The pedlar explained his story, and the shopkeeper thought him a fool. He told the pedlar about his own dream, in which he travelled to Swaffham, and dug underneath a tree, behind a pedlar’s house, discovering great treasure. He explained to the pedlar that he was too wise to embark on a similarly foolhardy errand in the opposite direction, in pursuit of a nonsensical dream. The pedlar returned to his home, and found sure enough the treasure under the tree. With his new found wealth, he paid for the rebuilding of the crumbling Soffham church. His effigy can be found to this day in stained glass windows in the town.

 The Pitch

 This story is suited to a quirky, personal drama, perhaps directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The dream sequences would be surreal, then we would follow the Pedlar’s journey, played by Jude Law,as he set out to London. Once there, he could meet an odd selection of different people who live and work around London Bridge. The pedlar would interact with their lives, getting to know them, helping them out, all the while chasing the thought that anything they say could be the news he is waiting for. It would allow for some hilarious situations, as several times he could get involved with some sort of mis-adventure, believing it will lead to the information his dreams prophesised. Once he finally gets the news, and subsequently the treasure, he could pay for the Swaffham church, then move to London to live amongst his friends. Using his newfound wealth to help them with the trials and tribulations he became a part of during his three days there, he discovers the real treasure is the people he has met, and the new life he has found.

So, what do you think? What other folk tales would make great Hollywood movies?

 Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann

The early word of mouth on Disney’s latest, the live action Tim Burton directed Alice in Wonderland, was not overwhelmingly positive, and the curious news cycle of a possible cinema boycott in the UK and the US may have kept Alice in the news in the weeks running up to the film’s release yesterday, but the reports coming out of the US this morning of the film’s huge box office projections must be music to Disney’s big ears.

We’ve been all over Alice in the last few months and you can see our coverage here, but nothing we saw indicated that Tim Burton’s dark, adapted Alice would do so well.

Variety are putting the box office take so far at $30 million and Deadline Hollywood have $41 milion as the figure, with both predicting a $100 million weekend result.  Such a strong opening will have several consequences, not least it will add weight to the 3D advocates, as a post production conversion into the third dimension must have made a difference to the takings. Maybe people are hungry for another 3D offering after Avatar, or maybe it’s the combined forces of Disney and Burton fans racing to see how this film turned out.

Whatever happens in the next few days this is a dream start for the film, and it will be interesting to see if this trend continues here in the UK. Also the drop off may be severe next week but this will not be too worrisome for Disney as the DVD will be out soon anyway…

This Friday, Alice in Wonderland will be available to watch in all chains of cinemas throughout the UK! Yay!! In the meantime, here’s a great behind the scenes look at how Tim Burton’s new movie was made. It’s rather an odd experience watching the likes of Anne Hathaway & Johnny Depp with giant green screens behind them while in full makeup.

Alice in Wonderland has an awesome cast which includes Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Matt Lucas and Mia Wasikowska as Alice.

HeyUGuys’ coverage of Alice in Wonderland is rather extensive and you can check it out here and Jon’s review here.

Those expecting a straight up adaptation of the Wonderland novel will be disappointed, instead the trick here is to make this film a sequel of sorts and Burton has Alice on the verge of womanhood with only a few illusive memories of a place of talking caterpillars and floating cats, bolting at the first sign of a highly dubious marriage proposal and finding herself down a familiar rabbit hole.

Much of the early part of the film is ostensibly a retelling of the classic tale with rabbits and waistcoats and tiny doors in rooms with tables, upon which lie bottles with Drink Me labels, whose telescopic effects are seared into our collective consciousness; it is a well re-told tale and in the beginning is far more Disney than Burton.

It is only when Alice opens the tiny door and enters Wonderland proper that Burton shows his hand, with an orchard of charred trees straight out of the haunted woods of Sleepy Hollow and the colourful scenes shown in the trailer and posters are covered in shadows and into this Underland Alice steps and stumbles across the Wonderland regulars.

Matt Lucas’s Tweedledum and Tweedledee are Weebles come to life, and bicker in distinct Carrollian quarrells, the Dormouse, voiced by Barbara Windsor is a short, sharp distrusting presence and Michael Sheen’s White Rabbit is perfectly pitched and redolent of a nervous civil servant – in short, the British troupe are all well cast and their characters brought to the screen with great panache by Burton’s team of technical wizards.

Two other characters deserve a mention here, Helena Bonham Carter’s Red Queen with her outsized head is channeling Miranda Richardson’s Queenie from Blackadder II, and is great fun to see, though a little diluted through caricature, and modeling the behaviour of the irritant Queen on her two year old toddler is a nice touch from Bonham Carter. The CG work undertaken to make her head enlarged is a startlingly well done piece of work, sadly the same cannot be said of Crispin Glover who, as the Knave of Hearts, is undone by the patchy CG integration of his head on a fake, elongated body. It rarely works well and does distract from his scenes.

In the mercurial hands of Johnny Depp the Mad Hatter sweeps across his scenes, becoming a roman candle of personalities and oddities and adding a well needed charge to the proceedings, indeed his recounting of the scorching of Wonderland at the hands of the Red Queen is a very nice moment. While he may tip the scales for some, and claims of indulgence laid at the hands of Depp and his regular directing cohort, the beauty of Wonderland is the characters, who always orbit their own centre of logic and morality, and Depp’s Hatter is a well drawn wanderer of Wonderland and brings a sense of the ridiculous to the world.

Sadly the character of Alice, played with fervor by Defiance’s Mia Wasikowska, is relegated to a series of reactions based on the notion that she may or may not be the ‘real’ Alice who came to Wonderland all those years ago, and I couldn’t engage with her journey from put upon dreamer to Vorpal sword wielding Champion of Wonderland, donning a suit of armour to go off to attempt to slay the Jabberwocky at the end of the film. Wasikowska is a decent actress but isn’t given the opportunity to engage on an emotional level; she doesn’t have the confused curiosity or assertive nature of the Alice in Carroll’s books and as our avatar in Wonderland this role is crucial – otherwise it is only a dream.

The story which unfolds is something akin to a collection of Lewis Carroll’s greatest hits, with a nice Burtonesque twist to the Wonderland/Underland landscape, but it missed the charm and replaced it with a quirky, haunting facade through which the promise of a Tim Burton directed Alice in Wonderland story is occasionally glimpsed. Burton deals best with outsiders and the extremes of character and conflict, and in bringing a more mature Alice to Wonderland there was a chance to engage with the ultimate outsider, not only with a character rooted in society’s rigid structure traveling to a strange, unruly place but also in bringing an adult perspective to a world, familiar to us all since childhood. It is a chance which it never fully taken, and in the undying obedience to the plot of this film the characters play their parts and utter their catchphrases, never freeing themselves of the shackles which a passionate love for the source material engenders.

A word about the 3D. Unnecessary.

Lewis Carroll’s Alice stories are timeless and the team of Disney and Burton have created a film which is both respectful and evocative of the source but which never decides how to make best use of the talents involved. In the press conference Burton stated clearly that this is ‘a Disney film’ and no other studio has the cultural legacy this statement implies. Burton’s earlier films, and some of his later works, are noticeable Burtonesque, content to revel in the dark side of the world and it is the fusion of the two ‘house styles’ which undo the cohesion of the film. Too many legacies come into play here – Carroll’s complexities and Burton’s darkness compete with Disney’s fairy tale staples to arrive on the screen like the group of sycophants at the side of Bonham Carter’s Red Queen – their distortions and eccentricities are false and are present to comply with a strict sense of propriety.

I am a huge fan of Tim Burton and I’m pleased we had the chance to see his version of Alice, the ‘vacuum’ of shooting almost entirely on green screen may have resulted in a detatched feel permeating the film, but Burton’s designs of a dark Wonderland are beautiful and haunting. It is a curious mix of a few great performances with a smattering of exceptional touches, but as a whole it is devoid of the magic which is inherent in the stories and which the sterling cast and crew are more than capable.

Well, we’ve seen the film now, and each week for the past month or so Disney have taken us deeper into the rabbit hole, giving us glimpses of what to expect when the film opens on the 5th of March.

While most of the Alice news this week has been around the hoopla of cinema chains boycotting (or not) the screening it’s good to get back to the business in hand, and Disney haven’t disappointed with this week’s goods. There’s another new video available below.

We’ll be at the press conference and on the red carpet at the royal premiere tomorrow, and our review of the film will be up on Friday morning. Tonight there’s an excellent event at the British Library in London, the highlight of which will be readings from the Alice books by stars of the films Christopher Lee, Matt Lucas and Michael Sheen (I’m posting this from the event and have just seen Sir Christopher Lee)

We’ll bring you news and pictures from all of these events and there’s lots to look forward to from Tim Burton’s Alice.

Sitting in the Empire Leicester in London last night there was a tangible sense of anticipation for Tim Burton’s adaptation of Alice In Wonderland for Disney.

I’m under the embargo blanket until the 26th and I have a lot to say about this film, what it does well and what it doesn’t, but I stand by my tweet after the event, which went along the lines of ‘If you’re looking forward to this film, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy it’.

It was a dizzying spectacle and great to see the multifarious marketing images and trailers coming together as a whole, and now there’s a new clip which MTV (via Latino Review) have hoisted online for us all to enjoy.

Set in the courtyard of the Castle of the Red Queen Alice and the Maroon Monarch come face to face for the first time. It’s a great scene although I realise now that much of the marketing plays heavily upon our collective consciousness surrounding Alice, and this is an obvious thing to do, but there’s a lot more Wonderland in Burton’s film.

Our review will be up on the 26th of February, here’s the clip…

Trailer Park Movies | MySpace Video

Roll up, roll up for another wonderful Wonderland Wednesday and among the choice offerings this week are a couple of videos, one taking a look at the world of Wonderland and a look at the Avril Lavigne music video.

With only a couple of weeks until Tim Burton’s take on the classic Lewis Carroll tale unfurls like a psychotic butterfly onto the big screen we’ll be bringing you all the news from the rabbit hole, they’ll be our review of the film as well as coverage of the Royal Premiere and we’re hoping to sit down with Tim Burton himself and the rest of the cast for some exclusive interviews.

Alice in Wonderland also stars Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Marton Csokas, Tim Pigott-Smith, Lindsay Duncan, Geraldine James, Leo Bill, Jemma Powell, Mairi Ella Challen and Mia Wasikowska as Alice and is released 5th March.

Enjoy the videos below.

With the release date of Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland drawing ever nearer every little step down the rabbit hole reveals new wonders and the two new characters posters we’ve got for you here show off two Wonderland favourites.

Voicing the Cheshire Cat is one Stephen Fry, a Grade 2 listed national treasure and a man with a voice so silky smooth you imagine him dining on velvet truffles all day long, and while there’s something decidedly sinister about the fixed grin of the enormous feline, you can’t argue with the other character on offer here. The White Rabbit, whose tardiness and pink eyes also have something of the disquiet about them, has another epic British talent providing vocals, the one and only Michael Sheen.

MTV had these first, and you can click on them below to get all excited..

It’s Wednesday and you know what that means! Even more Alice in Wonderland goodies to enjoy! You can catch up with the first two parts of Wonderland Wednesday here and here.

We hope you enjoy it all as much as we do. Alice in Wonderland is directed by Tim Burton and stars Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Marton Csokas, Tim Pigott-Smith, Lindsay Duncan, Geraldine James, Leo Bill, Jemma Powell, Mairi Ella Challen and Mia Wasikowska as Alice and features voices from Stephen Fry, Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Christopher Lee, Paul Whitehouse and Barbara Windsor. It’s out in cinemas 5th March.

Today we have a real treat which includes:

• An Alice Featurette Video including an interviews with Mia Wasikowska
• Character descriptions for The White Queen, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, The Bandersnatch, The Bloodhound and the Dodo
• More Concept Art (click them all to enlarge)

MIRANA, THE WHITE QUEEN (Anne Hathaway) is the younger sister of the Red Queen, and while she appears to be all sweetness and light, beneath the surface there’s a hint of darkness to her character. “She comes from the same gene pool as the Red Queen,” says Hathaway. “She really likes the dark side, but she’s so scared of going too far into it that she’s made everything appear very light and happy. But she’s living in that place out of fear that she won’t be able to control herself.” When Alice returns to Underland, the White Queen takes her under her wing, offering her protection, although her motives aren’t completely altruistic.

TWEEDLEDEE and TWEEDLEDUM (Matt Lucas) are rotund twin brothers who constantly disagree with each other and whose confusing chatter makes little sense to anyone but them. When Alice arrives in Underland, she looks to the Tweedles for guidance. Innocent and infantile, adorable and sweet, they mean well but are of little real help since they speak in weird rhythms and riddles. “I imagine them as naughty Victorian children, with their hand in the honey jar,” says Lucas, the British comedian and actor who plays them both. “And so I have made them quite child-like, which does come naturally to me, because I’m a big kid anyway.”

THE BANDERSNATCH is a disgusting, drooling, foul-smelling creature with a big filthy body and the squashed, teeth-baring face of a rabid bulldog. A swipe of his long claws leaves Alice with a rather painful reminder of the Red Queen’s horrible reign.

BAYARD THE BLOODHOUND (voice of Timothy Spall) is an unwilling accomplice to the Red Queen’s forces, fearful that his imprisoned wife and pups will be injured if he doesn’t do Stayne’s bidding. He proves to be secretively loyal to the Underland Underground resistance, becoming both Alice’s ally and a rather convenient transportation system.

THE DODO (voice of Michael Gough) is one of the first residents of Underland Alice sees upon entering the fantastical world. One of the oldest Underland inhabitants, the Dodo wears eye-glasses and carries a walking stick. Both quiet and wise, he stops his friends bickering over Alice’s true identity by suggesting they bring her to the even wiser Absolem.

A couple of days ago, Jon posted a new image from Alice in Wonderland of the Mad Hatter and today, ComingSoon.net have a brand new image of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in this awesome new art which ties in nicely with the posters that Disney have released for the movie.

Alice in Wonderland is directed by Tim Burton and stars Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas,  Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Christopher Lee, Paul Whitehouse, Barbara Windsor and is released 5th March 2010.

Click the image below to view even larger!