To celebrate the release of the fantastic 3D, CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas, an Aardman production for Sony Pictures Animation released on November 11th, we are giving away 5 Arthur Christmas Story Books – just in time for Christmas!!

Arthur Christmas reveals the incredible, never-before seen answer to every child’s question: ‘So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?’ The answer: Santa’s exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the heart of the film is a story with the ingredients of a Christmas classic – a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur, with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns. Voiced by James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent and Bill Nighy.

If you haven’t already, you can become a fan of Arthur Christmas on their Facebook page. We’re massive fans of Arthur Christmas and our review is up here and the trailer is embedded below.

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

Which famous James voices Arthur Christmas?

1. James Dean
2. James McAvoy
3. James Marsden

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Terms and conditions

• Competition Close date – 21/11/11
• The winners will be drawn at random from all the correct entries, and only they will be contacted personally. Prize must be taken as stated and cannot be deferred. There will be no cash alternatives.
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Aardman Animation have put 5 new clips online for their latest film, Arthur Christmas, this week.

From the studio behind Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit, Arthur Christmas tells a classic Christmas tale asking the often-wondered, never-answered question, “How does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?” The answer is found through unlikely hero, Arthur, the son of Santa, who must use his father’s ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole to deliver a present to a little girl before Christmas morning dawns.

These latest clips include a scene on how Santa reaches every house in only one night, with the help of his ninja elves, and another where Arthur has to wrap up a bicycle whilst riding it. They will certainly fill you with Christmas spirit, and show you that this isn’t just a film for the younger audience as well.

Directed by Sarah Smith, the cast for the voices of the characters also includes James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, and Ashley Jensen, and the film is set to be released on 11th November in the UK on and on 23rd November in the US.

Watch the clips below, courtesy of Collider, and you can read more about Arthur Christmas here.

For those out there who are still mystified as to how Santa manages that seemingly superhuman feat of single-handedly delivering presents to every child on earth the night before Christmas, this new Aardman/Sony Pictures co-production offers a feasible explanation.

In a position passed down through generations of Clauses, the close-to-retirement Santa (Jim Broadbent, in a role he was born to voice) has relinquished almost full control to eldest son Steve (Hugh Laurie), a Patton-like figure who runs proceedings like a tight military operation He oversees the hundreds of elves manning control desks and providing support to a huge sledge-shaped aircraft which is filled with their co-workers, who perform incredibly orchestrated present drops to homes all around the world.

In the middle of all this, Santa’s other son Arthur, a caring and well-meaning chap (if a little ineffectual), sits in the shadow of his older brother. He loves Christmastime so much he has a 365-day advent calendar in the study where he spends hour upon hour personally replying to children from around the globe who have written in with present requests and other general festive queries.

An opportunity for Arthur to break away from the frustrating role of Christmas Eve bit player presents itself when an undelivered toy is found after the last successful mission has been completed and the elf crew have returned back to the North Pole. Steve is willing to let this mistake slide (he argues that only one child in the entire world will face disappointment that morning) but Arthur has other plans, and enlists the help of his 137 year-old Grandsanta (Bill Nighy) and a cluster of clapped-out reindeer to ensure the present reaches its destination, no matter what.

After a painfully prolonged and sometimes problematic collaboration with DreamWorks (the forgettable Flushed Away was one of the fruits of their labour), there’s a great deal riding on this co-production with Sony Pictures for Aardman. Fortunately, its good news as Arthur Christmas more than succeeds in marrying the vision of both studios together. It’s a winning combination of that Aardman charm and inventiveness, coupled with a Hollywood awe and spectacle sensibility.

This symbiosis is particularly apparent towards the beginning of the film during the aforementioned action set-piece, which see’s the elves resorting to increasingly ingenious ways to create the illusion of a rustic, traditional Santa home visit. It’s a film which bristles with creativity, and framing the narrative within a real-time setting (the on-screen digital countdown is a fun nod to 24) the pace never wavers. Director Sarah Smith (formerly a collaborator with he likes of Armando Iannucci and The League of Gentlemen crew) brings the skills she’s honed in live-action comedy to her first feature-length film, and character interaction and the staging of many scenes often feel pretty life-like, drawing you further into the action and completely engaging you in the world of these characters.

A handsomely-animated tale, the attention to detail here (from Steve’s Christmas tree-shaped goatee to the hundreds of uniquely-styled elves in mission control) is truly stunning. The cast give it their all too and Nighy, in particular, as the wonderfully salty Santa Sr. (who visually, is reminiscent of a thin, slightly deranged Uncle Albert from Only Fools and Horses) is fantastic fun, providing much of the film’s adult-tinged humour.

It may hit many of the same emotional beats associated with films from this season (what it means to celebrate that time of year, family togetherness, etc) but the joy of storytelling and dazzling  momentum found in Arthur Christmas  more than eradicates any feelings of the familiar. This is a rousing, cynicism-free festive treat for all ages.

****½ (4.5/5)

With X-Men First Class finally available on Blu-Ray this week (check out our review here), we got a chance to talk to our favourite teleporting Devil-a-like, Jason Flemyng.

Given how many films the man’s been in over a 20 year long career, the hardest part of interviewing him is staying on the subject at hand and resisting the temptation to ask about Stardust, or Ironclad or Spice World.

Fortunately X-Men First Class, and Flemyng’s relationship with the film’s director Matthew Vaughn, are particularly interesting subjects. That said, we did find the time to ask whether we would be seeing Azazel again in an X-Sequel, and about his desire to produce films as well as act.

And if this doesn’t sate your desire for behind the scenes gossip on X-Men: First Class, check out Children of the Atom, the remarkably frank and forthright documentary on the Blu-Ray. It’s absolutely fascinating.

In a year awash with superhero movies a new X-Men film was in danger of being overlooked, or even avoided altogether given the toxic slap of X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Origins Wolverine and yet here we are with me telling you that X-Men: First Class is tremendous fun and edges up to X2 as one of the best of the series. How did Matthew Vaughn bring this series back from the edge?

Taking us back in time is a smart move and the origins of this film lie in the film’s opening scene which is a continuation of the previously glimsped moment when the young Erik Lensherr enters a Nazi concentration camp. At one point the next X-Men film was to be Magneto’s story and in First Class there is a strong case to be made for a Fassbender led film as he is easily the most interesting character here, but the crucial expansion of the story to include the other original X-Men gives the film a reason to be. We need to see the friendship develop between Xavier and Lensherr before watching it fall apart and the scenes between McAvoy and Fassbender are perfectly pitched and despite the shenanigans in Cuba and the Hellfire Club it is this relationship which fuels the film.

Watching it again on Blu-ray (which looks beautiful by the way, crisp and colourful) the film’s pacing really stands out, as do the dynamics of the characters which are nicely complex and completely true. In contrast Singer’s Superman didn’t work its characters against each other, they all existed in the same space but didn’t spark when they met. Here there is an excellent villain in Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw, and crucially he is the catalyst for the change in fortune for the X-Men. It’s an exciting ride with a stunning visual identity, a keen wit and a genuinely unfamiliar feel to it, and this is a key strength.

It’s hard to imagine a better main cast for the young X-Men and a strength of Goldman as a writer and Vaughn as a director is the charm and intensity of McAvoy and Fassbender respectively. To embody an earlier version of a character so well known, and so expertly played by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan, is no easy trick but the glint in Charles Xavier’s eye and the latent vulnerability of Erik Lensherr is something new and drives the film early on. That the characters evolve over the course of the film, Xavier to learn the responsibility of his power and position and Lensherr to embrace his mutant side wholly, and that this evolution happens so clearly and with the full force of the plot behind it is testament to the success of the film and the care which has gone into it.

Best of all it achieves the same, rare feat as JJ Abrams’ Star Trek reboot in that the new actors easily replace those we’ve come to know in the roles and as soon as the end scene rolls we want to see more. If the next film follows the trajectory of quality of the Singer Trilogy then the next X-Men will be anything other than Second Class.

Film:****~ (4/5)

Special Features:

• Cerebro – The Ultimate Mutant Database replicates what happens when Charles locates mutants through Cerebro and allows you to learn more about various mutants, connect them to key events, decipher connections between them and much more (additional mutants can be unlocked through BD Live).

This is an odd extra but it does a good job of drawing the five films together with an animated ‘Cerebro’ menu taking us through the cast of mutants and then a short montage of their finest moments plays before a fact sheet is pulled up. You could spend a while going through each of the characters but I doubt many people will. It’s not a bad attempt at giving the Blu-ray buying public something a little extra but it’s a cumbersome way to see a video clip and a short bio.

• Children of the Atom–Multi-part documentary on the X-Men including the following elements: Second Genesis, Band of Brothers, Transformation, Suiting Up, New Frontier: A Dose of Style, Pulling Off the Impossible, Sound and Fury and Untitled Closing.

This is where the good stuff is. Over an hour of comprehensive behind the scenes footage and talking heads taking us through the entire process, from first shortlist of directors (which didn’t include Vaughn) to the casting and visual effects sequences. It’s not breaking any boundaries of documentary filmmaking but there’s nothing like a well put together hourlong with contributions from each important voice. Well worth a watch.

• 13 deleted scenes:
  o Erik in Argentinean Airport
  o Shaw with Cuban Generals
  o Charles and Moira’s Tryst, Part 1
  o Charles and Erik Recruit Angel (extended)
  o The Russian Truck (extended)
  o Erik vs. Russian Guards (extended)
  o Shaw’s Plan (extended)
  o Havok Training, Part 1 (extended)
  o Banshee Training, Part 1 (extended)
  o Havok Training, Part 2 (extended)
  o Banshee Training, Part 2 (extended)
  o Hank and Raven in the Lab (extended)
  o Charles and Moira’s Tryst, Part 2

Nothing hugely important was left on the cutting room floor. The relationship between Charles and Moira was hinted at in the film but given a new spin in the deleted scenes. Other than that it’s a mixed bunch but if you’re a fan of the film you’ll enjoy every extra minute.

Disc:[Rating3/5]

On 14th April 1865, John Wilkes Booth walked up behind Abraham Lincoln in his box at Ford’s Theatre and shot him. As this film’s tagline testifies however, although one man shot Lincoln, more than one man killed him. Booth and his accomplices were pursued and for the most part found and arrested, though Booth himself was shot rather than being brought in to stand trial. Booth and many of his co-conspirators met on occasion before the assassination at a guest house owned and run by Mary Surratt (Robin Wright). Her son John is nowhere to be found and so she is tried by a military court as a conspirator in the assassination. Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy), a lawyer and soldier who fought for the Union in the US Civil War is assigned to Mary’s defence and despite his initial reluctance to defend her, eventually comes to see the unconstitutional manner in which the trial is being conducted and resolves to defend Mary to the best of his ability.

*****

Despite the seemingly hint-laden title, this film is not really about conspiracies or outlandish conspiracy theories at all. There are none of the JFK-style attempts to peel back the layers of corruption and complicity, rather a fairly straight telling of an altogether compelling story about justice, the rule of law and the US constitution, with a clear and no doubt utterly intentional resonance with recent events in relation to terror-suspects, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. As the conflicted defence attorney, James McAvoy does an excellent job of transitioning through the gears from disgust and indifference, through vehemence and indignation to desperation and even heroism. He quickly realises that whatever Mary Surratt might or might not be guilty of, she deserves but is patently not receiving a fair trial. His antipathy towards her grows convincingly into staunch advocacy for her rights, picking holes in contradictory and unconvincing prosecution evidence, despite his objections and best efforts being thwarted at every turn by the ridiculously biased (but no doubt historically accurate) David Hunter, who presided over the trial of a civilian in full military regalia.

At one point, driven incandescent with frustration at the injustice of the proceedings, Aiken bellows at the court, “it’s not enough is it?” Every witness has been cajoled, threatened and intimidated, every objection by him dismissed, every objection by the prosecutor upheld. It is to McAvoy’s credit that it does not feel like an explosion out of nothing, rather a simmering fury that builds to the point of eruption.

Kevin Kline and Tom Wilkinson make welcome appearances as Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and US Senator Reverdy Johnson respectively, butting heads constantly over the importance of a fair trial versus the crucial point of maintaining the peace and the fragile integrity of the only-just United States. As Stanton says (and with particular post-9/11 resonance), “the world has changed”, to which Johnson retorts, “but the Constitution must not be sacrificed”. Director Robert Redford subtly, but deftly draws attention to the manifold ways in which civil liberties and constitutional principles have been sacrificed on the altar of the “war on terror” and how our desperation to preserve our way of life can cause us to cast aside some of our hitherto most cherished principles. Stanton is not cast as the villain of the piece by any means – the film wisely portrays its various characters in realistic shades of grey – showing him instead to be a desperate and driven man, but not a malevolent one, merely as conflicted and flawed as any of us.

As the many excellent features show, a lot of care and thought has gone into recreating the era of the trial, with lighting, street scenes, clothing and cityscapes all thoroughly up to scratch. Redford was clearly operating on a modest budget, but the film never looks or feels cheap or half-baked. Instead, something fascinating, informative, intellectually stimulating and politically relevant and resonant has been crafted and it is a considerable shame that the film found less of an audience ($11.5m in the US to date against a $25m budget) and received less of a warm critical reception when it first hit the screens (at least here in the UK) that it seems to have deserved.

Despite the grand, sweeping themes, the running time is relatively tight, coming in at just under two hours (though a few more minutes off that would have helped the film feel a little brisker) and as alluded to earlier, the parallels drawn within James D Solomon and Gregory Bernstein’s script between the events portrayed and those of the past decade are tactfully handled rather than being hammered home.

This is well worth a watch and perhaps is better suited to and will find more of a home on the small(er) screen. You can buy it on DVD or Bluray here.

****~ (4/5)

Extras:

• Short featurettes by the American Film Society titled “Witness History” on everything from production design, to the defendant’s Catholic beliefs, costume design, props, military trials and a couple of the main characters from the story. Informative.
• Making Of Documentary with contributions from Robert Redford. Brief but interesting
• Director’s Commentary. At times Redford has much to say about the quality of the cast, the apparent ease with which British actors find US accents and the challenges of creating an authentic period feel for the film. At other times he falls silent for minutes at a time when it would be nice to hear a bit more from him. Perhaps a two- or three-hander would have helped fill that empty space a little?
• Photo Gallery

**½~~ (2.5/5)

Additional Bluray Extras (not available for review)

• Picture-in-Picture commentary
• Plot to kill Lincoln documentary
• Theatrical Trailer

Robert Redford’s Lincoln assassination drama The Conspirator is out on DVD and Blu-ray on the 24th of October and we’ve been given a clip from the film to share with you.

Redford has assembled an excellent cast for the film, which had a decent, if a little short lived, theatrical release earlier in the year and the extras on the home entertainment formats include a commentary from the director as well as some historical accompaniaments to give you a little of the back story to the film.

James McAvoy​ and Robin Wright lead the cast, telling a story of the fallout of the assassinatin of Abraham Lincoln. Justin Long​, Evan Rachel Wood , Tom Wilkinson , Alexis Bledel , Johnny Simmons, Toby Kebbell , Kevin Kline and Danny Huston​ are in support.

Here’s a synopsis to further advise,

In the wake of Abraham Lincoln ’s assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, Vice-President, and Secretary of State. The lone woman charged, Mary Surratt (Wright), 42, owns a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth and others met and planned the simultaneous attacks. Against the ominous back-drop of post-Civil War Washington, newly-minted lawyer, Frederick Aiken (McAvoy), a 28-year-old Union war-hero, reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a military tribunal. Aiken realizes his client may be innocent and that she is being used as bait and hostage in order to capture the only conspirator to have escaped a massive manhunt: her own son, John (Simmons).

Here’s the clip, check back tomorrow for our review of the film.

Here’s another new poster for Arthur Christmas, Aardman’s movie together with Sony Animation. The movie will be with us 11th November and has a great voice cast which includes James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen and is directed by Sarah Smith.

An Aardman production for Sony Pictures Animation, at last reveals the incredible, never-before seen answer to every child’s question: ‘So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?’ The answer: Santa’s exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the heart of the film is a story with the ingredients of a Christmas classic – a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur, with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns.

You can see all our Arthur Christmas coverage here.

Source: IMPA

To mark the release of The Conspirator on DVD and Blu-ray 24th October, Universal Studios have given us five copies of the movie to give away on DVD. The ovie stars James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Justin Long, Danny Huston, Evan Rachel Wood and is directed by Robert Redford.

Esteemed British actor and Golden Globe® nominee* James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class) leads a stellar cast including Kevin Kline (Wild Wild West) Robin Wright (Unbreakable) and Tom Wilkinson (Shakespeare in Love)in Robert Redford’s compelling drama. Based on the true story and dramatic real life trial of those accused of the assassination of US President Abraham Lincoln, audiences will be gripped by this fascinating and tragic period in American history.

Stunning cinematography and a haunting score are amplified by state-of-the-art Blu-ray^™ and DVD technology which evoke the steely atmosphere of the American courtroom in 1865 perfectly.

McAvoy stars as Fred Aiken, an eager, newly qualified Yankee lawyer in this dramatic film, set within the ominous backdrop of post Civil War Washington. Aiken is convinced by his mentor Reverdy Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) to act as defense lawyer for Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), the only female accused of being involved in Lincoln’s assassination, and the focus of a tense struggle between justice and duty.

The Conspirator features incredible bonus content which will transport you back to 1865 America, including an audio commentary from Robert Redford himself, a behind-the-scenes making-of feature and a series of specially created ‘Witness History’ featurettes, which give an in-depth insight into this fascinating story – from both in front of and behind the cameras. The Blu-ray^™ also features an absorbing 66 minute featurette on the plot to kill President Abraham Lincoln.

Capturing the tone and mood of the era wonderfully, The Conspirator will provoke you to consider the fragility of human rights in desperate circumstances.

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

Who directed the movie, The Conspirator?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 24th October 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!

Film ©2010 Universal Studios.  All Rights Reserved.

Sony have released a new trailer for their forthcoming film Arthur Christmas and it’s the best look yet at what Aardman have in store for us this coming Yuletide season.

The film features the voice talents of James McAvoy​, Imelda Staunton​, Jim Broadbent​, Bill Nighy​, Hugh Laurie​ and Ashley Jensen​ which is probably reason enough to see it don’t you think?

Here’s a synopsis for those who want to know what the film is all about in an encapsulating and pithy paragraph,

Arthur Christmas highlights the technological advances of operations at the North Pole, revealing how Santa (Broadbent) and his vast army of highly trained elves produce gifts and distribute them around the world in one night. However, every operation has a margin of error… When one of 600 million children to receive a gift from Santa on Christmas Eve is missed, it is deemed “acceptable” to all but one, Arthur (McAvoy). Arthur Claus is Santa’s misfit son who executes an unauthorized rookie mission to get the last present half way around the globe before dawn on Christmas morning.

The film is out in a little over a month, filling the same family friendly November to Christmas slot as A Christmas Carol 3D did a couple of years ago. It looks as if the all important Aardman humour is present and correct. Can’t wait.

With mere weeks to go until the really rather brilliant X-Men: First Class hits on Blu-ray and DVD, a new deleted scene from the movie has surfaced giving us an altogether different perspective on one particular moment from the film.

In the sequence where Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender) attempt to recruit Angel (Zoë Kravitz) to their fledgling mutant team, the man who will become Magneto is seen using his abilities to levitate a champagne cooler. In turn, this scene shows how Charles then uses his abilities to … well, just look for yourself.

Sadly, or as the case may be thankfully lest your haunting cries of “MY EYES!” keep me awake tonight, the video isn’t embeddable, so you’ll have to head on over to Entertainment Weekly’s Inside Movies to see it in its entirety. Trust me, you’ll never look at Magneto quite the same way again.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

(via Inside Movies)

In an interview discussing his new book Ecstacy, acclaimed Scottish author Irvine Welsh confirmed that James McAvoy (Atonement), Jamie Bell (Hallam Foe) and Alan Cumming (GoldenEye) are set to star in a feature film adaptation of his novel Filth.

Filth centers on Bruce Robertson (McAvoy), a sex-obsessed, cocaine-addicted, bigoted Scottish police officer who is supposed to be investigating a murder but gets sidetracked by his own peculiarities, worries and hangups.

According to Welsh, Jon S. Baird (Cass) will direct, with filming scheduled to start early next year.

Source: The Playlist

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.

Any film which has Jim Broadbent as Father Christmas has my attention, and throw the name of Aardman Animation into the ring and there’s a ninety percent chance of heavy anticipation.

Arthur Christmas is Aardman’s latest, with James McAvoy, Imelda Staunton, Bill Nighy and Hugh Laurie lending their voices to the production with Peter Baynham aiding director Sarah  Smith with the script. Decent talent therefore, which makes this new trailer a touch disappointing.

It’s not that the character designs aren’t appealing, nor that the voices don’t suit the characters we see – and bear in mind that this is specially created trailer and doesn’t contain any footage from the film as far as I can see – it’s just seems a little uninspired. I like the idea of Full Metal Wrapping Paper army of elves as much as the next man but I’d rather see some magic on screen rather than a knowing nod to teaser traildom.

I’m still looking forward to it, just would like to be hit with the festive. 11th of November is fast approaching…

Trailer and poster follow,

Robert Redford’s Lincoln assassination drama The Conspirator is now out in the UK, although without a huge amount of fanfare so let’s get everyone in the mood with a new poster, shall we?

We’ve seen a few images and had ourselves a trailer and anything with James McAvoy will stir a certain section of the UK audience and there’s a decent cast with Robin Wright, Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood , Tom Wilkinson , Alexis Bledel , Johnny Simmons, Toby Kebbell , Kevin Kline and Danny Huston alongside McAvoy.

In the wake of Abraham Lincoln ’s assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, Vice-President, and Secretary of State. The lone woman charged, Mary Surratt (Wright), 42, owns a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth and others met and planned the simultaneous attacks. Against the ominous back-drop of post-Civil War Washington, newly-minted lawyer, Frederick Aiken (McAvoy), a 28-year-old Union war-hero, reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a military tribunal. Aiken realizes his client may be innocent and that she is being used as bait and hostage in order to capture the only conspirator to have escaped a massive manhunt: her own son, John (Simmons).

Here’s your poster,

Start clapping like impressed sea-lions at the people from IMPA

We’ve gone X-Men: First Class crazy over the past few months for the simple reason that we love it. You can see why by reading Adam’s review of the movie here. Twentieth Century Fox have sent over this brand new clip for the movie which is called Training Montage and does what it says on the tin.

X-Men: First Class is directed by Matthew Vaughn (who we caught up with yesterday and the fruits will appear on HeyUGuys in the next few days), produced by Lauren Shuler Donner, Bryan Singer, Simon Kinberg and stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Oliver Platt, and Kevin Bacon. We should be seeing the film this week and are very excited about it!

Synopsis: X-MEN: FIRST CLASS charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

X-Men: First Class is out NOW and we think you should go and see it!

Last week we managed to tap into our dormant mutant powers and attend the press conference for X-Men: First Class to hear firsthand experiences of the production from key members of the cast and co-scribe Jane Goldman. Our review of the film is here and you can check it out right now as it is released in UK cinemas today.

Everyone appeared to be in a fun and playful mood (probably bolstered considerably by the more than favourable feedback the film is currently receiving) and amongst more general chitchat, the cast was happy to discuss the more outlandish aspects of bringing comic book characters to life on the big screen.

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were first asked about how they tackled the pivotal roles of Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, and how much they looked towards the previous actors who inhabited both roles to inform their own performances:

Fassbender’s initial approach was to follow what came before:

“When I first found I’d got the job, I thought about studying Ian McKellen and getting my hands on anything I could when he was a young man on screen and studding his physicality and voice. Then I sat down with Matthew [Vaughan] and we decided that wasn’t the way he wanted me to go and so I ditched that idea totally and used the comic book source material.”

McAvoy’s take differed slightly:

“It had to be different because the franchise needed to be freshened and new but also there’s no point having that same character played the same way in a different suit as it doesn’t validate the movie. It has to be different. I took a lot of notes on Sir Patrick Stewart’s performance but it was more about seeing how I could make him different, so where Sir Patrick was wise, I’d be foolhardy, where he was chaste, I’d be randy.

If we end up making another couple of film, I’ll end up doing something much more like Sir Patrick Stewart, but it was really important to start from a different place.”

McAvoy was asked if he has any idea how Xavier’s baldness could be addressed in a later film:

“Not sure yet. In the comic books he loses his hair the day his powers are activated but we decided not to do that and maybe it’s a smart move in an origin story. We spend time in this movie explaining why he can’t walk and so we get to see how he loses his hair in another movie. I don’t know what we’ll do it, but we need to embrace the change and not just have him at the start of another movie bald.”

McAvoy in on how the mutant abilities are portrayal in the film:

“At the beginning of the film, a lot of the powers are quite off-hand and flippant, and I like that. It made it much more part of their everyday life.”

Fassbender on who is ultimately right in the duelling ideologies between Charles and Erik:

“It’s up to the audience to decide. That’s what interests me as an actor and also as an audience member when I go to the cinema. Particularly with big commercial film, the audience can be spoon-fed through the entire experience. I believe that you should have to invest something of yourself into films and do a little work, so when you leave the cinema or theatre you should be having those conversations with friends afterwards. There should be an ambiguity and there should be grey areas.”

On using his hands to help convey Magneto’s powers:

“There was an element of me which felt like a bit of an idiot – a grown man trying to bend things, and I wasn’t sure if I should have used my hands at first. The safety net was that the fact that Erik at this point in his life is not really sure how to harness his powers, so it is a little haphazard and random, and it’s only through meeting Charles that he really unleashes his full potential. I was really happy when I watched the film with what Bill [Miner] had done with the young Erik, which was amazing. I was really happy to see in the film I was echoing what he had started off.”

Kevin Bacon is at his most suave and menacing in the role of lead villain Sebastian Shaw, but his knowledge of the X-Men world didn’t stem from childhood:

“I wasn’t a huge comic book fan as a kid, but the great thing was the day I arrived at Pinewood, the guys from Marvel came out with this gigantic bible of everything that had been written about and every sketch of Sebastian Shaw, and that was probably around 75% of my research.”

On playing his character and how to bring a reality to proceedings:

“It was great to be a mutant! When you look at this movie, aside from the powers and mutations all the characters have, compared to many other comic book movies they are extremely human in the way that they feel things. They experience jealousy, hate, and fear. They get drunk together. I think that was the challenge from an acting standpoint – forget about your powers and to constantly bring it back to who am I on the human side.

The chance to get to work with some of the finest, young actors of today who are constantly blowing up or are about to blow up, was also a thrill. It’s just a kickass cast.”

Jason Flemying (who plays the demonic Azazel) is a veteran of director Matthew Vaughan’s film work, in both a directing and producing capacity. He was asked if Vaughan’s working methods had changed at all on a huge production like this:

“I don’t think his methods have changed. He has a team of people who fluctuate between his movies. Unfortunately, I’ve done more because I’m always available (laughs). His working methods stay the same and it’s amazing to be on a movie this big and look out to the stage and see the sound boys and some of the costume people from ‘Lock, Stock’. He likes to work in shorthand. He’s managed to change genres and still nails it each time.”

Co-screenwriter Jane Goldsmith was asked how close the film fits within the X-Men universe:

“I think it would be impossible to write something that completely fitted into the X-Men universe because even the comics don’t have it totally accurate, when different artists and writers have come along and don their own take.

I think the most important thing is to tell a good story but be respectful of the source material and be true to the spirit of it.”

She talked about how much of an input she had into casting:

“I certainly had conversations about it. Of course, ultimately, it’s the director’s final choice, but I like to stick my oar in whenever I can.”

And the film’s period setting:

“I don’t think it was a gimmick at all. I thought it was a terrific ideal of Bryan Singer to come up with a story against that political backdrop.”

Spanish actor Alex Gonzalez’s approach to playing mutant and Shaw henchman Riptide, who can control and manipulate tornados:

“Riptide can control the wind and it was very helpful for me to work with how a tornado functions. When you look at a tornado from afar, it goes very slowly, but inside of it, it’s going really fast. Riptide is the same thing. He’s very elegant and calm but inside of him everything is going really fast. And yes, I was about to throw up several times.”

X-Men: First Class is released nationwide today.

Last week I got to spend some time with Spanish actor Alex Gonzalez who makes his big Hollywood debut as Riptide tomorrow when Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class is released in the UK. Riptide  is the the tornado-conjuring mutant henchman of chief villain Sebastian Shaw..

In the interview, I got to find out what it was like to work on such a huge summer blockbuster and the challenges he was faced with.

Synopsis: X-MEN: FIRST CLASS charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

It’s pretty likely that this article is late. Following on the heels of (at least eight of) our competitors. That’s because we believe that the interesting part of the interview this article comes from is the rest of it.

Frankly, reporting about Mark Millar’s next project, one we’ve already written about seems pointless. We like Millar as much as the next site. In fact, we like him more, but as a film site, any comic book news isn’t so much out of date, as never made it into date.

We are, however, behind his projects. For this reason, we’re giving you the following news on his/Vaughn’s Superspy/Untitled project Q: What about that Superspy thing that you were doing with Mark Millar? At one point he was associating you with that.

MV: I co-created it with him.

Q: Are you still involved in that?

MV: Yes.

Q: Will we hear more soon?

MV: The weird thing is, we came up with a great plot, and great characters, and it’s weird, because I’m telling it to my kids every night. What I do is tell a story to my kids and see what they react to or not. The Superspy thing, I don’t like the name, I don’t know where he came up with that shitty name, but it’s the tone I haven’t figured out yet. I rang up Mark, and said, ‘I’ve got this idea. You know what you did for Kick-Ass, why don’t we do this for spy movies?’ and  we both came up with characters which are cool, but the problem is, I cannot decide which way to go. I could make a really great kid’s film, but I don’t want to be spy kids, or I could make it really hardcore. You know how Kick-Ass did sort of fall between, is this a kid’s movie, or is this an adult’s film or neither?’ That’s the problem I have with the Superspy thing, because the plot is great, and the characters are great, but tone is important, and we haven’t figured out the tone of it yet.

Q: Is it next?

MV: Right now I want three or four months doing nothing, then I’ll start thinking about movies. I’m just burnt out at the moment, so the idea of getting back behind the camera, right now for the first time ever is not exciting me. But we’ll see.

HeyUGuys recently joined several other film news sites at a round table interview with Matthew Vaughn to talk about all things X-Men: First Class.

The interview lasted over 45 minutes, and because it was only for sites that write about film (unlike other round tables where we share with all sorts of outlets), it’s pretty much concentrated on things that should interest you. It certainly fascinates us.

This third section of the interview (3 of 3 that will be published) is about the relationship the film has with the comics., you can read the first part of the interview, which focuses on Writing and Character, here and the second part, concerning itself with the Production, is right here.

On Relation to the Comics

Q: You did a great job sacrificing characters, but was there anything you had to cut out to make the film work?

MV: There was a whole love story between Moria and X, and we cut all that out. Most of my movies, I always cut out one -I normally try to shoot too many things; it’s better to be able to take it down to to not be able to build it up.

Q: X-Men-wise, you’ve got hundreds of characters to choose from, how did you go about chosing the characters?

MV: they were already chosen by Bryan and Fox. The draft they gave me, the characters were in there.

Q: you didn’t cut anyone, you didn’t add anyone?

MV: We cut, is it Quicksilver? No, not Quicksilver. Sunspot. We didn’t have enough time or money, we couldn’t make him work, it was a pain in the arse.

Q: Did you have a favourite X-Men character in this movie?

MV: for me it’s obvious, but Magneto. I sat down with Michael and said, ‘I’ve always wanted to do a Bond movie. Imagine you’re Bond, but you don’t have to have gadgets. Bond would have to use his watch to make it magnetic, you can do shit that other people can’t; you’re sort of the ultimate assassin in a world that no one knows about, you with your powers’. I’ve always loved Magneto, and I don’t know why. It’s weird, because his power’s bloody odd if you think about it, it’s not that great a power, but there’s something about Magneto I’ve always loved.

Q: How much pressure did you have from the hardcore fanbase? Did you read a lot about what the fans thought?

MV: You read about it, but you have to, and don’t take it the wrong way, ignore it, because you’ve got to make a movie. I remember talking to Daniel Craig about this when he was doing Bond, and I was like ‘fuck these fuckwits, it doesn’t matter. They haven’t seen what you’re doing, you’re a good actor. Just let your work do the talking.’ And I always knew when people saw him in Bond they’d say, ‘he’s great’.

It’s very odd. You read, and you do want to hear what the concerns are, and see if you can address them, but at the same time, you don’t know who the hell’s writing it. It could be some eight year old kid. You actually meet these people and you suddenly go, ‘I’m listening to an eight year old about how to construct a film’, but every now and then there can be some valid points.

I was amazed at the negativity though, towards the X-Men world – not really, actually  after watching Wolverine – but there was a whole – it was quite scary thinking, ‘am I going to turn fanboys round to actually enjoy it?’ and I thought the best way of doing it was, try to make a good movie that is respectful to the other X-Men movies, but not reverential to them.

Q: One of the things I really liked was their relationship with Mystique.

MV: Well, Mystique was the catalyst between the two of them as well, the way they both treat her differently, you need a third character…

Q: Watching them change sides like that, you could see the emotion behind it.

MV: It was hard to get that balance right. Tricky character Mystique, as well. We came up with a whole, the idea of – now that I’ve got daughters and stuff – girls not being comfortable in their own skin. You’ve got that thing where Magneto says, ‘does a tiger cover up?’ and Professor X going, ‘are you going to put some clothes on?’ Always trying to show the different attitude towards the sane thing.

You can check out our review of the film here. X-Men: First Class is released in UK cinemas on the 1st of June.