We are literally just days away from the 3D re-release of the first film in one of cinema’s biggest franchises, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Yesterday, we saw some never-before-seen images that took us behind the scenes of the film. And today, we have a great new featurette, courtesy of Yahoo Movies, in which we see George Lucas and John Knoll, VFX supervisor, discussing the process of the 3D conversion for the re-release.

Listening to them talk, it sounds like they’re going for a different approach to most 3D films these days, and not going for the gratuitous shots of things coming at you out of the screen, but are seeking to use the technology instead to give the image greater depth within itself.

Definitely an interesting take on things, and of course we get some brilliant clips spliced between Lucas and Knoll’s interviews. As Lucas says,

“Whether you see it in 3D or see it in 2D, see it on the big screen. There’s nothing like it.”

Provided the converted film is received well, the expectation is that we’ll get to see a 3D re-release for each of the six Star Wars films once a year over the next six years, which is most certainly something to look forward to.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 3D is released here in the UK on Thursday, 9^th February, and you can catch up on the official trailer for the re-release beneath the featurette in case you’ve missed it. I didn’t get a chance to see the film when it was first released back in 1999 (in my defence, I’d only just turned nine at the time), so I can’t wait to see it on the big screen for the first time.

The adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s critically acclaimed 2001 novel, The Corrections, has long been in the making, and has recently transitioned from its initial expected film adaptation to be turned into a series for HBO.

We heard late last year that the brilliant Ewan McGregor had signed on to join Chris Cooper and Dianne Wiest for the project, which is being co-written by Franzen and the Oscar-nominated writer-director Noah Baumbach.

Now comes the excellent news, via The Playlist, Deadline, and the Daily Mail, that the already terrific casting continues with Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rhys Ifans, Greta Gerwig, and Bruce Norris all in talks to join the project too.

Courtesy of Waterstones, the original novel’s plot looks a little like this:

“From the author of ‘Freedom’, a panoramic vision of America at the beginning of the 21st century, seen through the turbulent lives of the Lambert family. The Corrections is now seen by many as one of the greatest American novels of the last decade. The Lamberts — Enid and Alfred and their three grown-up children — are a troubled family living in a troubled age. Alfred is ill and as his condition worsens the whole family must face the failures, secrets and long-buried hurts that haunt them if they are to make the corrections that each desperately needs. Stretching from the Midwest in the mid-century to Wall Street and Eastern Europe in the age of globalised greed, ‘The Corrections’ brings an old-time America of freight trains and civic duty into wild collision with the era of home surveillance, hands-off parenting, do-it-yourself mental healthcare, and New Economy millionaires. It announces Jonathan Franzen as one of the most brilliant interpreters of American society and the American soul.”

Cooper and Wiest are set to play the parents of the Lambert family; McGregor is to play Chip, the middle son; and Gyllenhall is in talks for the role of Denise, the youngest child, a bisexual Philadelphia chef. Ifans would be taking a cameo as a Lithuanian gangster drawing Chip into his world; Norris would play the eldest son, Gary; and Gerwig would play Chip’s film producer girlfriend.

The exact nature of the project until now has been kept under wraps, but it seems that the intentions are now becoming clear, with a two-hour pilot planned under Baumbach’s direction, and then if all goes well and everyone is impressed, a further four seasons each made up of ten hour-long episodes, which is certainly a significant adaptation. Franzen’s original novel is quite a long book at more than five hundred pages, but a four season-long adaptation suggests that the intention is to add more to the characters’ stories than is in the Franzen’s original, which I’m really excited about.

I’m a really big fan of Gyllenhaal’s, so the news that she’s in talks to join the already brilliant cast is definitely exciting. Getting to see her, McGregor, and the whole cast for four full-length seasons of HBO quality (you can’t deny HBO’s impeccable programming) is a prospect almost too good to be true. More news as we get it.

For our final look at the cast of Steven Soderbergh’s Punch Hard with a Vengeance action thriller Haywire we turn to the man with a rather special beard, Antonio Banderas.

Banderas is one of the many men in the film who betray CIA operative Mallory Kane, played by MMA star Gina Carano, and this means it’s only a matter of time before he’s on the business end of a face pummeling.

Craig reviewed the film and liked it a lot, and if you take a look at the last five days there’s clearly fun to be had here so if you fancy it high you to a cinema as the film is out right now.

All this week we’re bringing you a series of short video introductions to the cast of Haywire, Steven Soderbergh’s latest film which sees Gina Carano as a betrayed government operative on the run, pausing only to kick arse without even bothering to take names.

The film was out in the UK yesterday and Craig reviewed the film for us here. He liked it, which is nice.

Today we show favour to Mr. Channing Tatum, who will be reuniting with Soderbergh for stripperama Magic Mike, and if you’ve seen any of the trailers or extended clips from Haywire you’ll know how he fares in fisticuffs with Carano’s rogue agent.

Here’s your video,

Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire is out in UK cinemas today and all this week we’re running short clips introducing the various members of the cast.

Front and centre today is Gina Carano, the MMA fighter Soderbergh chose to lead his face-punching revenge thriller, and she’s in good company with Michaels Fassbender and Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum and Antonio Banderas all joining in with the fun.

Craig reviewed the film for us here, and he highlighted Carano’s performance, not least the action sequences, which her training would naturally lend herself to, but also in the more nuanced moments of the film.

Here’s the video,

All this week we’re taking a look at the cast of Steven Soderbergh’s new action flick Haywire and it’s the turn of Perth’s finest son Ewan McGregor to step up and avoid a beating.

Gina Carano enjoys a leading role in Soderbergh’s film which centres around her rogue government operative who is being hunted after all manner of assassin stuff goes wrong.*

McGregor plays Kenneth, an unassuming name for a man who trains hired professional killers, and this short video places him right in the line of Carano’s fire when he betrays her.

If you want to know what all the fuss is about, check out Craig’s review on the site here. Haywire is released on the 18th of January.

Here’s your video.

*not official plot synopsis, but it’ll serve.

This week Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire thrusts itself into UK cinemas and every day we’ll be focusing on one of the characters in the film to get you up to speed with who is hitting who.

Soderbergh has, naturally, attracted a formidable cast for the film with newcomer Gina Carano leading his tale of a covert government operative who turns rogue when she finds out her ex-employers are cleaning up their activities and hunting her.

Today’s video focuses on Michael Fassbender, who has a short and violent relationship with Carano – the video does have spoilers but it’s worth a watch just to see Fassbender and Carano get tangled up in a hotel room.

Craig’s review is on the site here, and you can see the video below. Haywire is released on the 18th of January.

You may choose to see the first five minutes of Steven Soderbergh’s latest film with the other eighty-eight when the film is released on the 18th of January but those of you who want to see Gina Carano pummeling Channing Tatum early – this is the video for you.

Craig gave the film an excellent review on the site and he highlighted the scene comprised of Carano and Michael Fassbender in a hotel room which has been shown in many of the trailers and the opening five minutes shown here have a similar feel with the impact of the action greatly enhanced by the soundtrack choices made.

Hulu had this video,

Into a quiet diner walks Mallory Kane (Gina Carano). Following shortly behind her is Aaron (Channing Tatum). Mallory is quick to see him arrive and we get the impression instantly that Mallory is a hyper alert character, Carano conveying this through small physical inflections. Aaron and Mallory clearly have history and as the two begin to talk it is clear that Aaron wants her to leave with him but Mallory’s not interested. The situation quickly escalates beyond this almost light hearted argument into the two having a full blown physical fight.

The fight is brutal, faces are pounded and bones crunch, but it’s also beautifully choreographed, expertly performed and shot and edited with the utmost skill and scalpel-like precision. Using a number of different set-ups Soderbergh, editing the film under one of his usual aliases, cuts between them with enough speed to ensure the sequence is dynamic but slow enough to ensure one’s eyes take in all the necessary information.

The scene is something of a masterclass in the way in which action can be shot and edited, and it doesn’t hurt that Carano, the star of the scene and the film, is an accomplished MMA fighter.

Mallory is a covert operative employed by an agency whose client book includes the US government. The agency frequently carry out jobs that the government would rather not get their hands dirty doing themselves and Mallory quickly comes to the government’s attention. Prior to their confrontation in the diner Aaron and Mallory worked together on a hostage rescue in Barcelona, work that their handler Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) won from US government employer Coblenz (Michael Douglas). Since the mission a lot has changed though, Mallory has ‘gone rogue’ and her former employers are hot on her heels. Following her escape from Aaron, Mallory steals a car, taking its owner Scott (Michael Angarano) hostage. She then begins to tell Scott all the details that led her to where she is now and the film shifts into a series of flashbacks that make up the bulk of the film.

The script, penned by Lem Dobbs (The Limey), is economical enough to ensure that the film, which is at its heart a fast-paced action thriller, never gets bogged down in overly complex plotting but it’s also intricate enough to keep one interested and invested in what is transpiring. Various puzzle pieces slowly fall into place and as the full picture is revealed there are twists and turns but no huge surprises. As we gradually learn what has occurred though we are slowly pulled closer and closer to Mallory’s character, investing more in her plight as we do so.

Carano’s performance as Mallory, her first major role, is highly commendable and whilst she brings all that is needed to the stunning action sequences it is in some of the more subtle moments that she really impresses. A cracked smile or quizzical eyebrow at the right moment is enough to communicate everything we need to know and feel and the film is filled with silent communicative moments that work extraordinarily well both on a character and story level.

Carano is also surrounded by a number of excellent actors in supporting roles, including, in addition to those already mention;  Bill Paxton, Antonio Banderas, Mathieu Kassovitz and the ever reliable Michael Fassbender.

The fight in a hotel room between Carano and Fassbender, which has been at the centre of the film’s marketing, is truly extraordinary and a high point amidst a number of excellent physical sequences. Their relationship, two spies thrown together and made to play at being a couple, makes for some interesting and playful interplay between the two but there is more going on beneath the surface. Haywire is filled with subtle genre twists, evidence that Dobbs and Soderbergh are having fun subverting expectations somewhat, and the way in which the film’s script deals with the gender of the lead character is also more densely interesting than it may first appear.

When Kenneth (McGregor) comments “Don’t think of her as a woman, that would be a mistake.” the dialogue is making explicit an area for discussion that runs throughout Haywire. Carano is, for instance, as forceful beating Aaron to the ground as she is when she pulls him towards her and kisses him in a flashback to Barcelona. She’s in charge and dominant.
Mallory is not a simple ass-kicking alpha female though, a common archetype that is so often just a male stereotype in the skin of a female action hero, and there are crucial moments when her fragility and emotional range is evident. She is hurt at times, both emotionally and physically, revealing a more complex and truer depth to her character. Haywire is not a heavy-handed essay piece though, it’s a super slick action movie which is just thankfully as intelligently thought out as it is entertaining.

Smart, stylish and incredibly well crafted, Haywire is as ludicrously pleasing to the eye as the best of Soderbergh’s recent work and even if you don’t engage with the intriguing thematic subtext the film is a thrilling and riveting action spectacle with plenty of jaw-dropping action set pieces.

Haywire is released in UK cinemas on the 18th of January.

****~ (4/5)

Here’s a nice new UK trailer courtesy of Lionsgate for Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt’s new movie, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. We saw a US theatrical trailer for the movie just before Christmas and although this trailer has the same intro dialogue, it give us rather a lot more footage. Blunt and McGregor star alongside Kristin Scott, Amr Waked, Catherine Steadman and Tom Mison. It’s directed by Lasse Hallström and we can expect to see it 9th March.

Synopsis: A romantic, contemporary fable, SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN is the tale of government employee Dr Alfred, or Fred, Jones (Ewan McGregor), a rather introverted scientist at the Department of Fisheries and Agriculture. Trudging along in his day job, with his marriage stagnating, his world is suddenly thrown into turmoil when he’s drawn into a scheme hatched by a fly fishing-obsessed Yemeni Sheikh (Amr Waked) who dreams of achieving the seemingly impossible — introducing salmon to the wadis of the Yemen.

When the British government, desperate for a good news story in the area, gets wind of the Sheikh’s plan, the Prime Minister’s fearsome spokesperson, Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas), seizes on the idea — it’s a good news story that will deflect attention away from the government’s latest blunder. She appoints Fred to oversee the project, which pleases him not at all. For a logical, rather stuffy scientist like Fred, the idea of introducing salmon to the Yemen is one step short of madness.

Fred, however, is eventually won over by the charismatic Sheikh and his mystical worldview, while he also begins to fall for the Sheikh’s representative, Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt), a gentle and engaging English beauty who joins on him his journey into the Yemen. When Fred is drawn into helping Harriet try and fix the troubles in her life, he learns to cast off his deep-set cynicism. With Emily’s encouragement and support, Fred then rises to the Sheikh’s eccentric challenge, and embarks upon a journey of self-discovery and late-blooming love.

There’s nothing quite like a bit of quality violence to shake the early morning from your bones, and this new trailer for Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire is just the ticket.

In truth this new peek starts out in a similar fashion to the first trailer we saw – people meet, they hit, then all hell breaks loose, but as with most Soderbergh films there’s an excellent cast backing this one this.

Gina Carano leads the film and has Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender along for the ride, and be warned there are some very quick moments in the trailer which do reveal the fates of some.

Eyes down to be hit with a synopsis,

Mallory Kane is a highly trained operative who works for a government security contractor in the dirtiest, most dangerous corners of the world. After successfully freeing a Chinese journalist held hostage, she is double crossed and left for dead by someone close to her in her own agency. Suddenly the target of skilled assassins who know her every move, Mallory must find the truth in order to stay alive.

Using her black-ops military training, she devises an ingenious—and dangerous—trap. But when things go haywire, Mallory realizes she’ll be killed in the blink of an eye unless she finds a way to turn the tables on her ruthless adversary.

Here’s your trailer,

Today we give thanks to Crave, for ’twas there who gave us this.

Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona’s last film, The Orphanage, was very well-received when it was released a few years ago and found a large audience beyondSpain, earning praise from English-speaking critics as well, and taking almost $80m. at the international box office, an impressive feat for a horror film, particularly one in Spanish.

With The Impossible, Bayona makes what looks to be an impressive English-language debut, with the terrific Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts in the leads, and , reuniting with The Orphanage writer Sergio G. Sánchez. We saw the first poster for the film over a year ago at the end of 2010, and we’ve now got the first teaser trailer to share with you, via Collider.

“MARIA (Naomi Watts), HENRY (Ewan McGregor) and their three sons begin their winter vacation inThailand, looking forward to a few days in tropical paradise. But on the morning of December 26th, as the family relaxes around the pool after their Christmas festivities the night before, a terrifying roar rises up from the center of the earth. As Maria freezes in fear, a huge wall of black water races across the hotel grounds toward her.

Henry grabs the two youngest boys, SIMON and THOMAS, but it’s too late: the wave smashes into him with incredible force and dislodges his grip. Maria is pushed underwater, where she is crushed and battered by debris to the brink of death. She finally surfaces in a raging black sea, which has completely submerged her three-story hotel and the surrounding landscape. Maria gasps for breath while she tries to understand what has just happened, convinced that her family has been obliterated in the blink of an eye. But then, her eldest son, LUCAS (Tom Holland), surfaces a few meters ahead in the wild flood. Face-to-face with something unexpected and incomprehensible, she must fight against all odds for her child’s survival. And her own.”

The film is based on the true story of this family, who were caught in the tsunami and the aftermath that hit Thailandon December 26^th, 2007, and from the scenes we see in this teaser trailer, I can’t imagine what it must have been like to go through. It looks to be a powerful film.

The trailer has been dubbed into Spanish, promoting the film in Bayona’s native country, and Twitch have kindly translated the text we see between the footage:

“On December 26, 2004, a devastating tsunami hit the coast of Southeast Asia.
The lives of thousands of families around the world changed forever.
This is the true story of one of these families.”

The Impossible hasn’t yet got a release date scheduled here or in the US, but hopefully it’s just a matter of time before it gets announced, because this looks like a film to look forward to.

One of the highlights of this Summer’s Big Screen event was the screening of a scene from Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire. It featured lead actress Gina Carano and Man of the Year Michael Fassbender going at it after a romantic dinner in a hotel. The difference is that the ‘it’ I mean and the ‘it’ you’re thinking of are very different things.

The scene was very powerful, and did a lot to set up expectations for the film which opens in the UK on the 18th of January. We’ve heard some very good things about it and today we’ve got an exclusive image from the film below.

Haywire stars Channing Tatum​​, Michael Fassbender​​, Ewan McGregor​​, Michael Angarano​​, Antonio Banderas​​, Michael Douglas​​, Gina Carano​​ and Bill Paxton​​.

This dynamic action-thriller directed by Oscar® winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) boasts a talented cast that includes Channing Tatum (GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra), Ewan McGregor (The Ghost Writer​​), Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class), Antonio Banderas (The Legend of Zoro), Bill Paxton (“Big Love​​”), Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), Michael Angarano (Almost Famous​​ ); and introduces mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Gina Carano as Mallory Kane, in a demanding lead role that has her performing her own high-adrenaline stunts.

Mallory Kane is a highly trained operative who works for a government security contractor in the dirtiest, most dangerous corners of the world. After successfully freeing a Chinese journalist held hostage, she is double crossed and left for dead by someone close to her in her own agency. Suddenly the target of skilled assassins who know her every move, Mallory must find the truth in order to stay alive.

Heading up the gallery below is the exclusive image,

Lasse Hallström‘s follow up to the untroubled waters of the Nicholas Sparks adaptaion Dear John is more of the same it would appear, you can judge for yourself with the new trailer for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

The trailer is charming enough and benefits from Kristen Scott Thomas looking as if she’s having the time of her life while Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor falls slowly in love. It makes a nice change from the slap you round the face with explosions we’ve seen recently and frankly, it’s nearly Christmas when charm is always on the menu. Hell, I’m sold, sign me up for some Blunt McGregoring.

Those fishing for a synopsis need fish no further,

When Britain’s leading fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor) is approached by a consultant (Emily Blunt) to help realize a sheikh’s (Amr Waked) vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert, he immediately thinks the project is both absurd and unachievable. But when the Prime Minister’s overzealous press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas) latches on to it as a “good will” story, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.

Here is your trailer, all the way from the United States of Yahoo,

Warner Bros. Pictures have released the debut poster and trailer for Jack the Giant Killer, a modern take on the fantasy-adventure fairy tale of the same name.

Directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men), Jack the Giant Killer stars Nicholas Hoult (A Single Man), Eleanor Tomlinson (The Village), Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones), Ian McShane (Death Race), Bill Nighy (Hot Fuzz), Ewan McGregor (Perfect Sense) and Eddie Marsan (Happy-Go-Lucky).

Jack the Giant Killer tells the story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack, into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend—and gets the chance to become a legend himself.

Jack the Giant Killer will be released in the U.K. on June 15, 2012.

Check out the poster and trailer below:

Source: Apple

A very different end of the world is imagined in David Mackenzie’s Perfect Sense, one far removed from the meteor storms and solar burps.

Instead it is a slow burning apocalypse for us this time with the gradual diminishing of sensory perception on the cards and in the film, which was out here in the UK in early October after a successful festival run, we have the human plight captured perfectly with Ewan McGregor and Eva Green falling in love at precisely the wrong moment.

Jamie saw the film for us at the Edinburgh Film Festival earlier in the year and it’s well worth checking out the review, as this one may not have the CG budget equivalent to the GDP of a small country but it has far more to engage and effect.

Coming Soon ripped this from the walls of the internet and we’ve pasted it up on our little corner.

Here’s the first UK poster for Steven Soderbergh’s new movie, Haywire. The movie looks absolutely fabulous in all the trailers we’ve seen and I cannot wait to see it. It hits UK cinemas 12th January so not too long to wait! If you missed the trailer for it, have a little look here and let us know if you’re looking forward to it in the comments below.

Haywire stars Channing Tatum​, Michael Fassbender​, Ewan McGregor​, Michael Angarano​, Antonio Banderas​, Michael Douglas​, Gina Carano​ and Bill Paxton​.

This dynamic action-thriller directed by Oscar® winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) boasts a talented cast that includes Channing Tatum (GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra), Ewan McGregor (The Ghost Writer​), Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class), Antonio Banderas (The Legend of Zoro), Bill Paxton (“Big Love​”), Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), Michael Angarano (Almost Famous​); and introduces mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Gina Carano as Mallory Kane, in a demanding lead role that has her performing her own high-adrenaline stunts.

Mallory Kane is a highly trained operative who works for a government security contractor in the dirtiest, most dangerous corners of the world. After successfully freeing a Chinese journalist held hostage, she is double crossed and left for dead by someone close to her in her own agency. Suddenly the target of skilled assassins who know her every move, Mallory must find the truth in order to stay alive.

Haywire hits UK cinemas 12th January.

Click the poster to enlarge.

Source: Empire

One of the handful of British talents well known and loved on beyond our shores, and in my opinion one of the finest actors working at the moment, Ewan McGregor is now set to join Oscar-nominated writer-director Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s acclaimed novel, The Corrections, Deadline report.

The adaptation has been set up at HBO, with the first episode already scripted by both Franzen and Baumbach, and the latter is set to direct the pilot, which is brilliant news. McGregor is joining Chris Cooper (American Beauty, The Town) and Dianne Wiest (Edward Scissorhands) in what is shaping up to be a fantastic cast.

Published back in 2001, Franzen’s original novel,

“revolves around the troubles of a Midwestern couple (Cooper and Wiest), and their three adult children as they trace their lives from the mid-20th century to “one last Christmas” together near the turn of the millennium. McGregor will play Chip, the middle child, a Marxist academic who lost his tenure-track position over an affair with a student and now works for a Lithuanian crime boss defrauding American investors.”

Baumbach and Franzen are also serving as producers alongside Oscar-winning producer Scott Rudin, whose credits include The Social Network, Moneyball, and No Country For Old Men (the last of which he won his Oscar for), and who’s worked with Baumbach several times in the past, including on his most recent films, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Greenberg.

Though I’ve not yet read Franzen’s novel, I have coincidentally enough just had it come through the post after ordering it a week ago, and am now looking forward to reading it even more. It’s meant to be a brilliant novel, and it’s shaping up to be a brilliant adaptation by the sounds of it.

McGregor will next be seen in Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire, due out on 20th January next year, followed by Salmon Fishing in the Yemen on 9th March, both very much anticipated. With The Corrections expected to air on HBO in 2013, the next two years are looking pretty brilliant for the actor.

EW have just released the second trailer for Steve Soderbergh’s new movie, Haywire which is very much one that we cannot wait to see here at HeyUGuys. We’ve seen a clip and another teaser trailer for the movie but this one gives us a lot more.

Haywire stars Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Michael Angarano, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Gina Carano and Bill Paxton.

This dynamic action-thriller directed by Oscar® winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) boasts a talented cast that includes Channing Tatum (GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra), Ewan McGregor (The Ghost Writer), Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class), Antonio Banderas (The Legend of Zoro), Bill Paxton (“Big Love”), Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), Michael Angarano (Almost Famous); and introduces mixed martial arts (MMA) superstar Gina Carano as Mallory Kane, in a demanding lead role that has her performing her own high-adrenaline stunts.

Mallory Kane is a highly trained operative who works for a government security contractor in the dirtiest, most dangerous corners of the world. After successfully freeing a Chinese journalist held hostage, she is double crossed and left for dead by someone close to her in her own agency. Suddenly the target of skilled assassins who know her every move, Mallory must find the truth in order to stay alive.

Using her black-ops military training, she devises an ingenious—and dangerous—trap. But when things go haywire, Mallory realizes she’ll be killed in the blink of an eye unless she finds a way to turn the tables on her ruthless adversary.

Haywire hits UK cinemas 12th January.

To mark the release of Beginners on 14th November starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and directed by Mike Mills, Universal Pictures (UK) have given us three copies of the movie to give away on DVD. As well as that, you could also win the official soundtrack to the movie.

Beginners imaginatively explores the hilarity, confusion, and surprises of love through the evolving consciousness of Oliver (Ewan McGregor). Oliver meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna (Mélanie Laurent) only months after his father Hal (Academy® Award nominee** Christopher Plummer) has passed away. Throughout the film Oliver shares his woes with Arthur, the Jack Russell terrier he inherited from his dad with the dog’s contributions to their “dialogue” appearing as subtitles.

The new love Oliver finds with Anna floods him with memories of his father who, following 44 years of marriage, came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life. The upheavals of Hal’s new honesty brought father and son closer than they ever had been and ever imagined possible. Now Oliver endeavours to love Anna with all the bravery, humour, and hope that his father taught him.

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

Who directed the movie, Beginners?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 14th November at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received
• No cash alternative is available

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