Vincent Cassel and Rosario Dawson are in negotiations to fill the other lead spots, alongside James McAvoy, in Danny Boyle’s follow-up to this year’s fantastic 127 Hours, Deadline report.

Boyle will be directing the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, so production on Trance will start this autumn in London until he switches projects in January, and then he’ll return to the film once the Olympics are over with an eye to release in March 2013.

The script for Trance has been penned by Joe Ahearne, nominated for a BAFTA for his work directing Doctor Who, and past frequent Boyle collaborator, John Hodge, who has worked with Boyle writing Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary, and The Beach. The pair haven’t worked on a project together in over a decade, so it will be great to see them back together on Trance, which is thought will have the same feel as Boyle’s earlier films, Trainspotting and Shallow Grave.

According to Deadline,

“McAvoy’s in talks to play the inside man in an art heist that goes wrong. He runs afoul of an accomplice (Cassel), and Dawson will play a woman who develops an unusual relationship with both men”

Dawson was last seen here in Unstoppable opposite Denzel Washington and Chris Pine in a role she was brilliant playing, and will next be seen in Zookeeper, opposite Kevin James, and Ten Year, opposite Channing Tatum and Kate Mara. Cassel was last seen here in Black Swan, which he did fantastically, and will next be seen in David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method alongside Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, and Keira Knightley.

Boyle is a director who has had tremendous success with his films to date, and there’s no reason to expect that Trance will be any different. Always working on a modest budget, he nevertheless manages to make a little money go a very long way, and his projects are definitely something to look forward to. The cast for Trance is shaping up nicely, and March 2013 is a month we should all pencil into our diaries.

New poster time for Ariel Vroman’s big screen telling of the story of Richard Kuklinski, a contract killer whose prolific career as a hitman on America’s East coast spanned four decades and, Kuklinski claimed, claimed the lives over 250 men.

Based on Anthony Bruno’s book The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer Vroman’s film has an excellent cast with Michael Shannon taking the lead with James Franco, Benicio del Toro and Elias Koteas in support.

Where the film is being sold is on the curious circumstnace that during his time as a contract killer he had a wife and family who knew nothing of his activities until his arrest and trial.

There’s no firm release dates so far, but this may well be one to look out for.

IMPA gave up the goods.

It was reported last month that ahead of his Olympic duties next year Danny Boyle had signed on to direct on heist-gone-up-the-swanny thriller Trance with recent X-Men alumni James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender taking up leading roles. The film is a remake of Joe Ahearne’s 2001 TV movie starring Neil Pearson, Susannah Harker and Philip Davis about a robbery, a fortune and amnesia.

It appears that this casting isn’t to be as Twitch have provided an interesting update on the film, claiming that Fassbender is out of the project due to scheduling difficulties. Currently ensconced in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus as a golden blonde rent-boy of sorts (so he says, slight spoilers etc) the next film Fassbender has going on is Good Vibrations with Robert Sheenan and Steve Coogan, and it is either this film or his time with Scott that is preventing him joining Danny Boyle if the rumours is true.

Those sorry to wave goodbye to Mr Fassbender will have to console themselves with the potential casting of Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson, Firth to replace Fassbender and Johansson to come on board in one of the relatively few female roles. Nothing is signed yet, no official confirmation but it’s a strong ensemble Boyle is bringing together.

This week sees the Blu-ray and DVD release of Danny Boyle’s follow up to the Oscar grabbing Slumdog Millionaire and with his retelling of the true story of Aron Ralston he has given us an intense and divisive film, with a fierce, magnetic central performance from James Franco.

127 Hours is not an easy watch, when I reviewed the theatrical release I praised the visual invention with which Boyle chose to embellish the relatively simple story of the canyoneer who becomes trapped when he falls with a boulder trapping his right arm. Suffering dehydration and diminishing options Ralston had to steel himself to make the incredibly difficult decision to free himself the only way possible.

I liked Danny Boyle’s film very much when it played at the London Film Festival last October, and I had not seen it again until the Blu-ray arrived and I wondered if the film would hold up to a repeat viewing. Turns out that it does, and the extras on the Blu are designed to go deeper into the story of Ralston himself as well as looking at the production and particularly the relationship between Ralston, Franco and Danny Boyle.

It’s a challenge for any director to work with only one actor for most of the running time and Danny Boyle’s greatest films have relied on an ensemble cast, yet Boyle chose his lead actor wisely. Franco’s Ralston is not always a likeable character; self-absorbed yet with a gregarious nature and in his whimsical jaunt through the extreme Utah landscape he does meet fellow travellers but there’s no real connection. This sets up Ralston’s emotional transformation as the minutes fall away and he realises that his free-wheeling nature is giving way to a more permanent and satisfying need for connection with friends and family.

There is a grim momentum to the film, indeed most people will know where the story is heading, but the heart of the story which surprised me. Stick a camera on a confined man in mortal danger for five days and you’ll have the audience gnawing their own limbs off to pass the time, but this is about a man whose lackadaisical attitude to his future is profoundly changed when his dash for the next horizon finds him with no horizon to chase and possibly no future at all.

If you missed this at the cinema its well worth picking up. Boyle’s style turned a lot of people away from the film but I’m a huge fan of the invention on show here. It’s prescriptive certainly, and certain emotional beats are forced but to my mind Franco’s captivating performance is only enhanced by Boyle’s visual choices and they do deliver a respectful and engaging film. The Blu-ray satisfies the desire I had to know more about the actual story of Aron Ralston, and with the more generic features do offer something to complement a fine film.

Film: ***½~ (3.5/5)

Disc: ***~~ (3/5)

Special Features

• Audio commentary
• Deleted scenes
• Search and Rescue featurette
• 127 Hours: An Extraordinary View
• God of Love–Best Short Film 2011 Academy Award® winner

You may also have heard that part of the campaign for the film involves putting ZOO putting a man in a shop window at HMV in London’s Oxford Street for 127 Hours (although there’s no boulder pinning him down) in order to raise money for Everyman Cancer Charity. You can check on his progress right here, donate to the Everyman cancer charity here: www.justgiving.com/ZOO127hours. So, when you’re on your way into HMV to buy the Blu-ray consider tipping a few coins to Everyman.

To celebrate the release of the Danny Boyle directed movie 127 Hours, (released on DVD and Blu-ray 6th June), Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have given us three copies of the movie to give away on Double Play (Blu-ray + DVD). It stars James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, Sean Botta and Lizzy Caplan and is based on the true life story of Aron Ralston’s most amazing 127 Hours.

Synopsis: A triumphant true story from Danny Boyle, director of Slumdog Millionaire. The incredible true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a falling boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated slot canyon in Utah. With only a day’s worth of water, a blunt penknife and an unwavering will to survive Aron does everything he can go make it out alive.

Special Features:

• Audio commentary
• Deleted scenes
• 127 Hours: Movie Special
• Search and Rescue featurette
• 127 Hours: An Extraordinary View
• God of Love–Best Short Film 2011 Academy Award® winner

To celebrate the release, Zoo Magazine will be spending 127 Hours in the window of HMV Oxford Street from Sunday 5^th June.  Head over to www.facebook.com/127Hours for all the latest info and to follow his progress.

To be in with a chance of winning the movie, simply answer the following question using the form below:

In the movie, 127 Hours, who plays the character Aron Ralston?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 13th June at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

Danny Boyle (Shallow Grave) has signed on to direct heist-thriller Trance.

Boyle will reunite with his 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire producer Christian Colson, and are in talks with Fox Searchlight and Pathé for finance and distribution.

The film is described as an art heist gone wrong, with the dark, sexy, hard-edged tone of previous Boyle films. It will shoot in September, before Boyle turns his attention to the London 2012 Summers Olympics opening ceremony

Trance is then expected to be released in March 2013.

Source: Deadline

Last night HeyUGuys had the pleasure of attending the 31^st London Critics’ Circle Film Awards.  Hosted at the BFI Southbank, it was a great evening, featuring talented names aplenty all supping from complimentary miniature bottles of Moët served up classily with bendy straws.

It might not have the same profile as this weekend’s BAFTA ceremony, but with its awards voted for by more than 120 members of the London Circle – including critics, broadcasters and writers – it’s certainly not an event to be ignored. And with this article, accompanied by our own personal photographs from the occasion (click any image to enlarge), you can feel like you were there.

First to arrive on the red carpet were Lesley Manville, who would pick up British Actress of the Year for her performance in Mike Leigh’s Another Year, and actor Thomas Turgoose, nominated for Young British Performer of the Year for his part in The Scouting Book For Boys. Though it turned out that Turgoose was to miss out on this occasion (the award going to Conor McCarron for his role in NEDs), he was more than happy to discuss his upcoming work with us.

Known for his collaborations with director Shane Meadows, we inquired as to whether Thomas had any news on the latest This Is England sequel, this time set in 1988. “It’s like a Christmas special,” the actor revealed, giving a nice hint at when we can expect to see it on air, “But I’m not allowed to say what happens in it! Literally only about seven people have the script at the moment, but I think you can expect some surprises. In fact, you should definitely expect some pretty major surprises. It’s going to do well, I think.” What a tease!

But with all Turgoose’s projects to date being set in familiar English territory, would the actor ever consider the move across the pond? “No, definitely not. Well, to be fair, I guess I’d consider it if it was a good offer, but I still live in Grimsby at the moment – I’ve never been to America. I won an award at Tribeca once, Robert De Niro’s festival, but I had to do my maths exam!”

Shortly after Thomas left us, a wave of excitement rippled through the autograph hunters on the other side of the carpet. “Danny!”, the shouts came, “Danny who?”, we wondered, flicking through our list of attendees. Turning around, it soon became apparent than one certain Mr Danny Boyle (nominated for British Director of the Year for 127 Hours) had apparently sneaked into the ceremony unannounced, using a back entrance and avoiding the pomp of the red carpet. Dressed casually in jeans and a zip-up jumper, he posed for some publicity shots with a bottle of Moët before making his way back inside.

Next to come our way was Gareth Unwin, co-producer of The King’s Speech.  Speaking about the film, he had nothing but praise for how his colleagues approached the screenplay. “We always knew the script had humour,” Unwin explained, “but it wasn’t until Colin and Geoffrey started vibing off each other on set that we realised we had this kind of comedy bromance in the making.  If you watch the film, I think there’s this wonderful ebb and flow between high drama and real humour, which Tom Hooper manages wonderfully.”

The film’s screenwriter David Seidler followed soon after and expressed how grateful he’d been to hear about those audience’s that burst into spontaneous applause at the end of their screenings. “When it started happening in America, at the film festivals, I was really blown away by it,” he shared. “And when we were at Toronto and two thousand people stood as one and applauded, I completely lost it. I disgraced myself – tears rolling down my face – and then they put a spotlight on me!” Clearly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of praise the film has been drawing, Seidler added; “I keep on looking over my shoulder waiting to see the guy who really wrote it! I’m waiting for the alarm clock to go off and to realise that it’s all been a dream.”

When asked about the current situation regarding the film’s American certificate battle, the writer responded that “the film would have to be re-cut anyway eventually for aeroplane use and for television, so that was always going to happen.” Speaking honestly, Seidler added that he thought that “the possible error of judgement was to talk about it before the Oscars, amongst the general public. Harvey Weinstein’s a very bright man, he loves film and he’s a great marketer, but I think announcing it this early was not one of his best ideas.”

With Colin Firth being whisked past before we got a chance to lunge in with any questions about the upcoming Gambit remake, the only thing we did manage to overhear at this point was the Sunday Mirror attempting to grab an exclusive scoop of Colin’s favourite party trick. “I don’t have any party tricks, I’m afraid. I’ll have to get back to you on that one!” Drat. Though after winning his award, the star did later reveal to the News of the World that he’d been having a little jam on his guitar just the day before. Asked whether he’d ever like to set up his own band, Firth grinned as he replied; “Who says I haven’t?” King George VI rocking a six string? You heard it here first! And there’ll be more from Mr Firth later on.

Incidentally, Mrs Firth – better known as Livia Giuggioli – dazzled many of the press with an eye-cathing Henrietta Ludgate structured dress and multicoloured heels. For pictures, see the gallery at the end of this article.

With Aaron Sorkin also slipping through our fingers on the red carpet (don’t worry, we got a hold of him later on), it was time to head inside to the Winner’s Room, where we were visited by the successful gong collectors after they had received their awards.

Among the first to join us was Olivia Williams, picking up the award for British Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in The Ghost. Williams had no trouble relating what had first drawn her to the project. “Well, there’s the obvious attraction of being married to Pierce Brosnan and shagging Ewan McGregor,” the actress quipped, much to the delighted agreement of the female attendees, “but there’s also the attraction of getting to work with the greatest living auteur, possibly the greatest ever auteur, Roman Polanski. I’m still looking for the down side.”

Sharing her experience of Polanski’s directorial style, Williams suggested that the director was frank, but fair. “He tells you what he wants you to do and if you don’t do it right then you go back and do it again. But he’s always right, so if you don’t do what he tells you, you’re a fool. He’s the master of suspense and it was an honour to work with him.”

Speaking to us after receiving her award for British Actress of the Year for her part in Mike Leigh’s Another Year, Lesley Manville paid tribute to to the other actresses in the film, including Ruth Sheen who she was nominated against. ”There have been some great parts for women this year,” Manville told us, “and especially women over 40, which I think is a good move.”

Relating her fondness for Leigh, whom the actress has worked with on six occasions, Manville said; “he’s great director. The work you do with him so collaborative. You really do get asked to work with him and create the characters from scratch. With Another Year, I think he’s made a great film about the human condition and how difficult it is for all of us to try and form those relationships that can last throughout a lifetime.”

Next came the return of the man of the moment, Colin Firth, fresh from receiving his prize for Actor of the Year.  It is the second year in a row that Firth has won the award having won last year for his role in A Single Man. Speaking in a similar vein to screenwriter David Seidler, Firth suggested the response to the film had been humbling, explaining that “to hear that people are actually standing up or clapping or expressing a personal response is probably as good as it gets.”

Going on to praise the validity not only of the Critics’ Circle, but every audience, Firth commented that “films like this depend entirely on what people say about them. They don’t depend on the money because there wasn’t much, they don’t depend on a big studio machine or a big financial apparatus.” Asked about reports that the Queen has both watched and enjoyed the film, he said that “it means a very great deal to me if that is the case.”

But despite the success of The King’s Speech, it was The Social Network that came out on top, winning Film of the Year. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin was on hand to claim all four of the film’s awards – including his own for Screenwriter of the Year. “Andrew [Garfield] won tonight, David Fincher won tonight,” Sorkin summarised, “but of course the one we’re most proud of is the one we all won together.”

The key to the film’s success, Sorkin suggested, is the number of ways it can be interpreted. “I think if you line up ten people and ask them what they just saw after seeing The Social Network, you’re going to get ten different answers,” he said, “One of those answers is going to be that old media was sticking it to new media. Now, that certainly wasn’t my intention, but I don’t think it’s any less valid to take away than any of the other nine.”

When we asked him if he ever felt weary during the writing process as to how audience’s would take to a project about the founding of Facebook, Sorkin gave us an insight into his process. “I try to write what I like, what my friends would like and what I think my father would like. After that you keep your fingers crossed,” he explained. “I think if you try to write for what you think everybody’s going to like, that’s a good recipe for a bad movie.” Not wishing to take all the credit, however, Sorkin suggested that there were still “about a hundred different ways to make this movie badly. David [Fincher] managed to avoid every cliché.”

But before Mr Sorkin left, we seized the opportunity to try and wangle any exclusive news we could about his upcoming HBO series, which is set to portray the goings on of a cable news network.  ”It’s coming along well,” he shared, “I’ve written the pilot and we’re at the beginning of casting now.” The title? “More As The Story Develops.” And until we find out more, it seems very apt.

So, there you have it – the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards – done and dusted for another year! Click here to read a full list of the night’s nominees/winners and please feel free to look at the remainder of the night’s photos in the gallery below, including appearances by Will Poulter, Dexter Fletcher and winner of the Outstanding Contribution to Film award, Kristin Scott Thomas.

See you next year!

Tonight saw the fall of the 31st Critics’ Circle Film Awards, which was held for the first time at London’s BFI Southbank. Our full report will be online later today with all the red carpet gossip and winner’s reactions. Want to see Danny Boyle advertising Moët, hear about Aaron Sorkin’s upcoming HBO series, or find out whether Colin Firth has a favourite party trick? Then don’t miss out!

To whet your appetite in the meantime, though, we can now give you a full list of all the night’s winners. It was The Social Network and The King’s Speech which came out on top, grabbing four and three awards respectively, with Another Year, NEDs and Monsters also scooping rewards for their British talents.

The list below shows winners in red whilst blue text indicates the “Runners Up” as ruled by the critics board, so you can know who came close.

BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER

• Banksy- Exit Through the Gift Shop
• Clio Barnard – The Arbor **Runner Up**
• J Blakeson – The Disappearance of Alice Creed
• Gareth Edwards – Monsters **Winner**
• Chris Morris – Four Lions

YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR

• Jessica Barden – Tamara Drewe **Runner Up**
• Conor McCarron – NEDs **Winner**
• Will Poulter – The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• Saoirse Ronan – The Way Back
• Thomas Turgoose – The Scouting Book For Boys

BRITISH ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• Helena Bonham Carter – Alice in Wonderland
• Christine Bottomley – The Arbor
• Minnie Driver – Barney’s Version
• Rosamund Pike – Made in Dagenham **Runner Up**
• Olivia Williams – The Ghost **Winner**

BRITISH ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

• David Bradley – Another Year **Runner Up**
• Pierce Brosnan – The Ghost
• Andrew Garfield – The Social Network **Winner**
• Tom Hardy – Inception
• Peter Wight – Another Year

BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

• Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
• Lesley Manville – Another Year **Winner**
• Rosamund Pike – Barney’s Version
• Ruth Sheen – Another Year
• Tilda Swinton – I Am Love **Runner Up**

BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR

• Riz Ahmed – Four Lions
• Christian Bale – The Fighter **Winner**
• Jim Broadbent – Another Year **Runner Up**
• Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
• Andrew Garfield – Never Let Me Go

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

• Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right **Winner**
• Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
• Natalie Portman – Black Swan **Runner Up**
• Noomi Rapace – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
• Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit

ACTOR OF THE YEAR

• Jeff Bridges – True Grit
• Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
• Colin Firth – The King’s Speech **Winner**
• Ryan Gosling – Blue Valentine
• Edgar Ramirez – Carlos **Runner Up**

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

• Dogtooth
• I Am Love **Runner Up**
• Of Gods and Men **Winner**
• The Secret in Their Eyes
• Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR

• Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg – The Kids Are All Right
• Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – True Grit
• Chris Morris, Sam Bain, Simon Blackwell & Jesse Armstrong – Four Lions
• David Seidler – The King’s Speech **Runner Up**
• Aaron Sorkin – The Social Network **Winner**

BRITISH DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

• Clio Barnard – The Arbor
• Danny Boyle – 127 Hours
• Tom Hooper – The King’s Speech **Winner**
• Mike Leigh – Another Year **Runner Up**
• Christopher Nolan – Inception

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

• Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan **Runner Up*
• Joel Coen & Ethan Coen – True Grit
• David Fincher – The Social Network **Winner**
• Christopher Nolan – Inception
• Apichatpong Weerasethakul – Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR (THE ATTENBOROUGH AWARD)

• 127 Hours
• The Arbor
• Another Year **Runner Up**
• The King’s Speech **Winner**
• Monsters

FILM OF THE YEAR

• Black Swan
• The Kids Are All Right
• The King’s Speech **Runner Up**
• The Social Network **Winner**
• Toy Story 3

And finally, the Critics’ Circle named their TOP 10 FILMS OF 2010 as follows:

1. The Social Network
2. The King’s Speech
3. Black Swan
4. Toy Story 3
5. The Kids Are All Right
6. Another Year
7. True Grit
8. Inception
9. I Am Love
10. Winter’s Bone

And that just about wraps it up for the night’s accolades. Let us know what you think of the winners and don’t forget to check back later on for our full report of the evening’s event, complete with pictures and words from the guests themselves.

Danny Boyle’s latest movie is currently up for awards in both the BAFTAs and the Oscars which we can see in the next couple of Sundays. We’ll be covering both the awards in as much detail as we can. We’ve not been invited to the Oscars as yet but we WILL be at the BAFTA Awards blogging live from both the red carpet and the media centre followed by the Afterparty!

Boyle’s movie was not just a well directed, well told story, it also featured some cutting edge special effects to immerse us deeper into the action.

The special effects house responsible for the movie was Union VFX which is based right here in the UK. While Union FX was starting out, they were helped out by Escape Studios which allowed them to create these stunning effects that we saw in the movie.

We were able to chat with one of the men responsible for these amazing special effects shots, Tim Caplan who talks us though how they worked with Boyle to create such a great movie.

127 Hours is out in UK cinemas now.

———————————–
HeyUGuys: This is most definitely not a Michael Bay film so many of the visual effects can go unnoticed – was there anything you were particularly proud of that people may not realise was an effects shot?

Tim: I think the fact that no-one knows there are over 350 effects shots is the thing to be most proud of. The effects are there to help the audience fully share Aron’s experience, often resulting in spontaneously applauding on Arons release, which is a tribute to their success.The pull out of the canyon after the accident has become the shot most associated with the film. It appears in all trailers and twice in the film itself. I’m not sure people know this is a full CG environment, which is a good thing.

HeyUGuys: Did Danny Boyle give any overarching instructions to you – or offer any notes to you while you were working?

Tim: Yes he would regularly give us feedback. He would come to Union to review the work in our screening room and gave each of the artists direct feedback which helps the creative process enormously. We were also given the freedom to experiment with certain sequences to see how they played out in the cut.

HeyUGuys: In a wider context are you fans of VFX heavy films, or are you more impressed with movies with more subtle effects?

Tim: Tim: I think if the story and the characters engage you in a story then generally I will enjoy it, whether it has a lot of obvious VFX or not.

HeyUGuys: What was the most challenging effects to pull off, and how did you overcome the challenges?

Tim: When Aron turns to dust during the latter stages of his decline was the most time consuming, and involved a lot of work with fluid and cloth simulation. We had a cyberscan of James Franco which helped and also a lidar scan of the canyon set to ensure the fluids interacted correctly with the surroundings. The shots of James Franco swimming at the end posed a few interesting challenges with the arm removals down to the amount of bubbles and no where to hide the joins of the CG arm.

HeyUGuys: The most impressive thing to me was the camera manoeuvres in such a cramped space – with the preservation of the deep canyon surrounds – can you tell us about the process of working with that particular challenge?

Tim: We had very small SI 2k cameras being expertly operated by Anthony and Enrique on custom made rigs, in very crammed spaces. All the canyon shots required some extending when we saw off the set, this was a challenge due to the free reign of the camera and the lack of green screen. All these things stemmed from the restrictions dictated by the landscape Aron was stuck in. It was made clear by Danny Boyle to all of the crew early in the planning stage this was an important part of the process in making this film and there were no easy ways out of problems, but it shows in the final movie I think. If we could have moved walls or fit an entire camera crew into the space we would have lost a lot of the feelings of claustrophobia and isolation.

HeyUGuys: What’s the most important attribute for a visual effect’s artist?

Tim: Enthusiasm, flexibility and pride in his/her work. We had buckets of that with our crew on 127 hours.

HeyUGuys: What films inspired you to turn to VFX?

Tim: Close Encounters of the third kind was always one of my favorites and of course the Star Wars movies in the 70′s and 80′s before they started messing with them.

HeyUGuys: What will you be working on next?

Tim: We are part of creative team planning the ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics. Its a great project to be involved with and we are very excited about it. We have just finished a film called Will. We are also looking forward to some exciting film projects later in the year.

—————————

Thanks to Tim for his time. You can check out all our coverage of 127 Hours right here and keep your eyes peeled for it at the upcoming awards ceremonies.

Following the critical and commercial bonanza of Slumdog Millionaire with 127 Hours was a bold move for Danny Boyle.

No doubt the director was offered all manner of scripts bookmarked with blank cheques but he wisely chose to use the Oscar momentum to tell the story he wanted to and now his film, and its lead actor James Franco, have been nominated for this year’s awards. Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy has, along with Boyle,  been nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar and news comes today of what may be their next collaboration.

Speaking with Tom Brook for BBC America Beaufoy spoke about a project he is currently working on, a gangland saga with a lycanthropic twist, and mentions that if it all works out then director Danny Boyle is interested in signing up.

Here’s what Beaufoy said,

It’s an adaptation of a book by a writer called Toby Barlow and it’s a very extraordinary mix of gangland Los Angeles, really, really rough — a lot of shootings — and the difference with this particular piece of work is that these gangs can shape-shift at will into packs of dogs

If I write it well enough, [Boyle] will direct it.

Here’s a synopsis for you,

An ancient race of lycanthropes has survived to the present day, and its numbers are growing. Bent on dominance, rival factions are initiating the down-and-out of L.A. into their rnaks. Caught in the middle are Anthony, a kindhearted, lovesick dogcatcher, and the object of his affection: a female werewolf who has abandoned her pack.

Want videos? Here you go,

This week, I was cordially invited to attend a See Film Differently event in Edinburgh on behalf of HeyUGuys.

See Film Differently is a concept established by Volkswagen and Little White Lies. The idea is to hold unique and immersive film screenings, where press and members of the public can enjoy classic films in the places where they were shot.

Past events have included screenings of An American Werewolf in London, lit by torchlight at the London Zoo, and Get Carter, held at the distinguished Newcastle Racecourse.

This time the spotlight was on Trainspotting, a crime film directed by Danny Boyle. Focusing on a group of heroin addicts in a late 1980′s, the film traces each characters’ individual passage through life, how they deal with drugs, poverty and the trials and tribulations of their immediate friendships.

The unorthodox screening, which included complimentary snacks and drinks, was held at the Royal Scottish Academy, with the exhibition, showcasing rare photography and original promotional material from the film, held straight after at the Ingleby Gallery – both locations only footsteps away from where the film’s most iconic scenes were shot.

It was a night of appreciating film on a different, more intimate level: watching Boyle’s most noteworthy film; mixing with fellow film journalists; enjoying fish & chips and an Irn Bru; appreciating the rare film memorabilia on display at a prestigious city gallery; and of generally soaking up the marvelous, vibrant atmosphere. It’s a night I’ll be sure to linger on for a very long time.

A special thanks to See Film Differently and Little White Lies for a truly unforgettable evening celebrating a truly illustrious Scottish film in the reverberant city of Edinburgh.

Trainspotting is available on to buy on DVD, or to rent from LoveFilm.

Danny Boyle’s Oscar winning success with Slumdog Millionaire must have led to floods of offers, but Boyle chose to take on the story of Aron Ralston and the 127 hours he spent at the bottom of a canyon with his arm trapped by a falling boulder.

The film is out in UK cinemas tomorrow and in this interview Boyle talks about the challenges of shooting, as he puts it, ‘an action movie where the main actor doesn’t move’.

I reviewed the film here, and I liked it more than most, and it’s worth seeing in cinemas, if for nothing else than to enjoy the audience react to the more visceral scenes in the movie.

Here’s the interview, conducted by our good friends at Upbeat.

Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours closed the London Film Festival last October and finally gets a release in UK cinemas this week.

The true story of adventure seeking extreme sports nut Aron Ralston who, in 2003, became trapped in a canyon when a boulder fell on his arm leaving him with limited supplies and no way of contacting anyone.

With resources and hope dwindling we experience the loneliness, horror and the grisly release with James Franco, on screen for pretty much the entire film, giving a great performance as Ralston. The will to live against immutable odds and to overcome the failings which have led him there is the essential theme of the film and Boyle makes spending five or so days at the bottom of a canyon far more interesting than it sounds.

The claustrophobia inherent in the bare bones of the story is fleshed out by a brief rendezvous with two young woman before the fateful event and a series of flashbacks and imagined futures while trapped make clear the exact nature of the self realisation which kicks Ralston into action. It is a remarkable story of survival, told with invention and flair from Boyle; it is a dizzying display from a director as capable of successfully turning his hand to zombie outbreaks as to tales of survival like this one, and while the emotional attachment of the film comes slowly when it pays off, at journey’s end, it comes with surprising force.

James Franco’s performance needs to sustain the film and engage the audience emotionally from the first shot and as the hours wear on and fantasy mixes with the cold reality of the situation Franco keeps us focused on the hope as well as the horror. His portrait of the wounded Ralston veers from intense self belief to heartbreaking vulnerability; he isn’t the most sympathetic character and for the film to work at all on an emotional level you need to buy into his moments of self reflection – between the two of them Boyle and Franco make it work.

Entrust a relatively simple story to Danny Boyle and it’s a case of sitting back and letting his visual invention run you through the story. There’s a shot with a bone that will have you in equal states of repulsion and enjoyment, likewise he makes great use of the vast, harsh landscape, giving us a real feeling of the textures of the elements at play. We feel the warmth of the meagre sunlight as it finds Ralston in his canyon, we leap through the twisting canyon labyrinth with the same speed and hunger as he, and the key to this film is in the dissonant details of Ralston’s life – seen anew from the enforced vantage point.

Franco and Boyle combine to convey a sense of love for the moments when hope is rekindled, likewise in the darkest of the 127 hours Franco’s hosting of his own morning TV show breaks the tension and heightens the tragedy of the events. I wanted to listen to A. R. Rahman’s score all the way home, it’s yet another powerful Danny Boyle soundtrack with a neat touch of irony.

Boyle’s latest film has all the energy of his very best work to date, his visual virtuosity is held back, then let off like a firework, and when you stumble from the cinema it will be breathless, glad for the sun, and eager to see what both James Franco and Danny Boyle will do next.

***½~ (3.5/5)

Danny Boyle’s latest, 127 hours, divided audiences when it played at the London Film Festival this year, few could deny the powerful performance from James Franco but Boyle’s visual flourishes were deemed by some as incongruous with the intimate nature of the film. For what it’s worth I really enjoyed it.

While we await the Uk release on the 7th of January Empire have posted some pretty decent on set pictures of Franco and Boyle hard at work in the beautiful surroundings of Moab, Utah.

If you’ve seen the film then it’ll be easy to imagine the logistical constraints of the shoot, and in these pics we get to see a little of how Boyle and Franco worked together. Telling the true story of Aron Ralston, Franco is certain to pick up a Best actor nomination come awards season and the film is certainly an original and, at times, extremely grisly, story well told.

Here are the pics,

Vanity Fair have broke the news that Kelly MacDonald (Choke) will be playing The Gray Lady, aka the Ghost of Ravenclaw in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Despite the fact filming on the final installment has now wrapped, the casting news has previously been unreported.

Kelly MacDonald made her acting debut in Danny Boyle’s gritty crime drama Trainspotting and has since appeared in a wide range of film and TV series’, including the widely-acclaimed No Country For Old Men and Martin Scorsese’s HBO drama Boardwalk Empire.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – starring Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint – will open in both 2D and 3D on July 15, 2011.

A movie I simply can’t wait to see is that of Danny Boyle’s new, 127 Hours. It closed the London Film Festival last week and Jon got to see it and loved it. You can read his review here. Unfortunately those of us who didn’t get to see it at LFF will have to wait until it’s on general release on 7th January next year.

While we wait, we have some treats for you in the form of a new poster from IMPA and this new featurette which showed up on Apple a couple of days ago. In the featurette, we get to hear director, Danny Boyle and star, James Franco’s thoughts on this real life story which sees a man trapped in a chasm for, you guessed it, 127 hours! They talk about filming, and the challenges they faced.

127 Hours also stars Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Clemence Poesy, Kate Burton, Lizzy Caplan.

Check out the poster below which you can click to enlarge and then scroll down to view the featurette.

We saw Danny Boyle’s latest film a few days at the close of the 54th London Film Festival and while Craig and I differed in our opinion of the film we both agreed that James Franco’s performance is one of the best things about the film and this new clip gives us a little look at the man.

It’s spoiling nothing to say that this clip comes from early on in the film and this jolt is nothing compared to the fate of Aron Ralston (the real life adventurer whose story Franco and Boyle are telling). and you can catch the film when it hits UK cinemas on the 7th of January next year.

You can read our review here and enjoy the clip below,

ComingSoon had it coming sooner than us.

As previously reported Danny Boyle was honoured last night with the BFI Fellowship on the eve of the London Film Festival’s close, with his latest 127 Hours set to play to eager crowds at the Closing Gala screening tonight.

Boyle was handed the award by Stephen Daldry, and as part of the Festival awards Martin Scorsese celebrated the 75th anniversary of the BFI National Archive, whose work in restoring Herbert Ponting’s epic silent film The Great White Silence was a festival highlight.

How I Ended This Summer by Alexei Popogrebsky won the Best Film award while the Grierson award for Best Documentary went to Janus Metz for Armadillo.

The big winner of the festival however was director of The Arbor, Clio Barnard, who won the award for Best British Newcomer, as well as winning the Sutherland award for Best British Film Debut. The Arbor is undoubtedly a brave take on a troubled cycle of self-hatred, domestic dispassion and moral lethargy and much has been made of the lip-syncing technique employed by the cast to bring this story to the screen. It should find a wide audience after the two awards tonight and it’ll be extremely interesting to see which direction Barnard goes in next.

It’s hard to believe Twentieth Century Fox’s indie offshoot Fox Searchlight is 15 years old this year.

Ed Burn’s debut The Brothers McMullen was the first production for this multiple award-winning company, whose input has successfully straddled the line between audience pleasers and work of a more serious nature, as The Full Monty and The Ice Storm (two features released towards the end of the nineties), exemplifies.

The studio’s productivity in the next millennium has included Sexy Beast, Sideways, 500 Days of Summer, Little Miss Sunshine and 28 Days Later (a relationship with the latter’s director Danny Boyle, which has continued through to his award-winning Slumdog Millionaire and this year’s London Film Festival closer, 127 Hours.)

To celebrate this anniversary, /Film reader Kees van Dijkhuizen put together a short video highlighting some of the studios best work, and you can watch it below.

Looks like we got ourselves another TV spot for James Franco’s new adventure drama 127 Hours.  The film, which is directed by Danny Boyle tells the true story of Aron Ralston, a mountain climber who has to amputate his arm in order to escape death after a climbing accident.

Below you will find the fourth TV spot for the film which shows some real quick flashes of new footage as well as old.  Fox Searchlight will be releasing the picture on November 5th.  Enjoy!