IFC Films & Mandalay Vision have released the first trailer for their new movie, Salvation Boulevard which is directed by George Ratliff and stars Pierce Brosnan, Ed Harris, Jim Gaffigan, Marisa Tomei and Jennifer Connelly.

Synopsis: Pastor Dan Day is a charismatic evangelical preacher who has captivated a small western American town with his charm — and the promise of a sweet real estate development. Carl is a former follower — not of Christ, but of the Grateful Dead — who has since become “found” in Dan’s Evangelical community, serving as one of the preacher’s great examples of spiritual and moral transformation. But Carl’s new belief system is turned upside down when he witnesses a sinful act that Pastor Dan’s doughy henchman aims to cover up.

Salvation Boulevard hits US cinemas 15th July. No UK release date as yet.

Source: Yahoo

The last Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear two-hander (comedy drama The Matador) didn’t exactly set box office tills a-ringin’, but they’re back again for another dark comedic outing, Salvation Boulevard, the poster of which (courtesy of IMP Awards) , you can see below.

Here the IMDb blurb:

“Set in the world of mega-churches in which a former Deadhead-turned-born again-Christian finds himself on the run from fundamentalist members of his mega-church who will do anything to protect their larger-than-life pastor.”

Sure hope this unimaginative poster isn’t a reflection on the film (it looks like a really bad 90’s DTV feature), and with solid support in the form of Jennifer Connelly, Marisa Tomei, Ed Harris and that evil little ‘Orphan’ Isabelle Fuhrman, maybe there’s the possibility of be a fun experience to be had here, no matter if the film’s marketing department are trying to suggest otherwise.

To celebrate the release of The Dilemma, on DVD and Blu-ray on 30^th May, we are offering three lucky readers the chance to win a Blu-ray copy!

Synopsis: Vince Vaughn and Kevin James headline an all-star comedy from director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer about a man who finds out that what you don’t say to a friend is just as important as what you do.  Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah join them in The Dilemma, a story of how far you can bend a brotherly bond before it snaps.

Since college, confirmed bachelor Ronny (Vaughn) and happily married Nick (James) have been through thick and thin.  Now partners in an auto design firm, the two pals are vying to land a dream project that would launch their company.  With Ronny’s girlfriend, Beth (Connelly), and Nick’s wife, Geneva (Ryder), by their sides, they’re unbeatable.

But Ronny’s world is turned upside down when he inadvertently sees Geneva out with another man and makes it his mission to get answers.  As the amateur investigation dissolves his world into comic mayhem, he learns that Nick has a few secrets of his own.  Now, with the clock ticking and pressure mounting on the biggest presentation of their careers, Ronny must decide how and when he will reveal the truth to his best friend.

To win this amazing prize all you have to do is watch the clip above and answer this simple question using the form below:

What does Vince Vaughn’s Ronny dupe Kevin James’ Nick into thinking?

1. His girlfriend is pregnant
2. His competitor had a near death experience
3. He is quitting his job to become a fulltime comedian

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 30th May at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

Whether it’s the baffling soundtrack (tracks by Iron Maiden and Motorhead are out of place and far too loud in certain scenes), the girl controls insects plot, Donald Pleasence in a wheelchair with a Scottish accent or perhaps the monkey servant, Phenomena has always stood out for its strangeness, even in a career as fascinatingly odd as Argento’s.

Jennifer Connelly plays the lead named, in what is perhaps the film’s only unimaginative moment, Jennifer. Jennifer is daughter of a famous actor and is sent away from home to a rural boarding school where she is immediately treated unfairly and like an outsider by the school’s strict principal. The area she moves to is also being terrorized by a serial killer who is preying on young girls from the school. Very soon after moving there she befriends Professor John McGregor (Donald Pleasence), an expert in bugs and other creatures and the trainer of the aforementioned chipanzee servant. The UK cover for the film, at the time released as in a heavily cut form as Creepers, even featured an image of the chimpanzee wielding a blade in a incredibly memorable but misleading cover. This cover, designed by Graham Hmphreys, is replicated here in Arrow’s release along with three other covers in a four-panel interchangeable sleeve.

After the death of more young girls Jennifer begins to come close to finding out who is responsible and in the film’s thrilling and crazed climax she comes face to face with the disturbing truth. On the way to this revelation she also comes to understand the special power that she holds over insects and the film features many striking scenes as swarms of insects are commanded by Jennifer.

Arrow’s release is filled with interviews with key members of the film’s production, Connelly is absent from these though, and some of the most entertaining and interesting moments concern the lengths that the special effects team needed to go to in order to create the insect shots.

Connelly clearly had to suffer in Phenomena to achieve some of these effects and it is clear from the interviews that everyone in the crew was impressed with her commitment to the role and the level of professionalism for someone so young. Her hard work pays off as Jennifer is a thoroughly engaging character and Connelly portrays the strong and dynamic but vulnerable character incredibly well. It is her solid performance that helps centre the film and stop it from derailling too much, despite its many twists and sudden plot reveals.

Unfortunately Connelly is not quite enough to completely hold together the out of control plot though and the script is one area where the film falls down. The third act feels almost completely detached from the rest of the film and even though these bizarre turns are enjoyable and elicit many what the..? reactions, a tighter execution and a more ruthless edit could have actually made for a film which still retained the excess and absurdity that adds to the enjoyment of Phenomena but also succeeded in being a more convincing and compelling piece of storytelling.

Although not quite representative of Argento’s most impressive period, Phenomena is still striking and Argento’s eye for startling horror scenes and his ability to create a strong atmospheric experience is evident here. Phenomena is more memorable for the early performance by Connelly though and its more bizarre elements than the quality of the filmmaking, Phenomena is not one of Argento’s finest but it is an enjoyable and inventive film and falls very far from being grouped in with his lesser works.

The quality of Arrow’s HD transfer is reasonably good but there are definitely issues with the picture. In an early slow motion sequence there is a very noticeable dip in quality and there are other sections where the quality varies greatly scene to scene. As with previous releases Arrow have chosen to provide the option of watching the film with the complete Italian or incomplete English audio track, with the audio switching to Italian (and subtitles appearing) where no English is available. It’s certainly not the best way to watch a film but due to the unavailability of materials Arrow have definitely made the right decision in doing it this way. The Italian track is reasonably clear and of course complete but the English is certainly preferable as one can then hear the actors, Connelly and Pleasence in particular, delivering their own lines.

The extras included are very good with a selection of interviews culled from a stock of footage that Arrow is selecting from for each Argento release and the candid recollections of Daria Nicolodi are certainly a highpoint of the talking heads included. With Bird with the Crystal Plummage, Cat O’Nine Tails and Tenebrae all on the horizon from Arrow this is another entry in what is quickly becoming an essential string of Blu-ray releases for Argento fans and horror fans in general.

Phenomena is available to buy or rent on Blu-ray or DVD now.

Film ***½~ (3.5/5)

Blu-ray ****~ (4/5)

Have you ever seen a bromantic dark comedy? No? Nor had I until director Ron Howard and writer Allan Loeb teamed up with Vince Vaughn and Peter James, resulting in the bizarre and incongruous concoction that is The Dilemma.  With drama-movie gold such as A Beautiful Mind and Frost/Nixon under his belt Howard isn’t exactly known for his comedic prowess so whilst The Dilemma appears to reflect the director’s flair for the dramatic the film strains to realize its full and in my opinion mis-advertised potential as a buddy-comedy against the wave of unexpectedly dark emotions thrown up by the characters.

Self-conscious smarty-pants Nick Brannen (Peter James) is the yin to Ronny Valentine’s (Vince Vaughn) silver-tongued and handsome yang. They’re best friends as well as independent business partners whose enduring love is supported by their doting and beautiful love-interests Beth (Jennifer Connelly) and Geneva (Winona Ryder). Ronny is a smooth-talking but self-centred romantic who views Nick and Geneva’s 20 years of marital bliss as something of a miracle and a personal inspiration until by chance he witnesses Geneva’s giggly, saliva-swapping infidelity with a young stud called Zip (Channing Tatum). To make matters worse he discovers Geneva’s affair at a pivotal moment in the duo’s careers as they are on the brink of signing a deal with Chrysler which will push their small electric-automotive company into hardcore business success. Ronny is thus faced with The Dilemma of when, where, how and whether or not he should confront his best friend with the crushing truth. Obviously, we all know Nick has to find out but Ronny is immature and egocentric – a most dangerous combination – and as far as we can make out until this point completely incapable of making committed and adult decisions that may influence his own life (for instance proposing to the wonderful Beth) let alone taking responsibility for his best friend’s happiness.

Now if you don’t like Vince Vaughn then don’t watch The Dilemma because it is in effect a two hour Vaughn marathon. This obviously has its downsides and creates a few glaring flaws, for instance in what universe could all 6ft and 5inches of Vaughn’s behemoth form go unnoticed by the various characters he ‘sneaks’ after whilst he plays private detective? But in many ways Vaughn is in his element and luckily the charm and appeal which has secured his place as one of the popular comedy titans shines through his otherwise quite unlikeable character. Saying that, Ronny rakes in a lot of the laughs and is the only character that appears to grow at all during the course of the film’s meaningful offerings. Sadly they are all under-developed.

Peter James’ Nick is an emotionally weak ergomaniac who is almost entirely obnoxious, his other half Geneva is an astonishingly manipulative piece of work whilst Beth is beautiful but bland.  This under-development means that although we understand what Howard is working towards, big grown-up emotions and real-life resolutions we just can’t subscribe to it. When Geneva proves that Nick is an indifferent and frankly rubbish hubby it is impossible to feel anything for her or justify her deception and it’s not helped particularly by the fact that we don’t really give a damn about Nick either. Howard has presented us with a melting pot of themes, intrigues and character traits which are too conflicting to rest comfortably within a comedy framework. Luckily, it appears myaudience and I all realized in the first 20 minutes that this wasn’t going to be the light-hearted, formulaic flick we’d anticipated which resulted in a steady stream of generous reactions.

Visually the film is quite rich and in places stunning due to a handful of choice locations and a clearly talented art director. Queen Latifah provides a refreshing (if regrettably short) piece of unrestrained comic brilliance in the cringe-worthily shameless role of Susan Warner, after-all, a bit of no-frills immodest fun is what we expected from the trailers… And I even quite enjoyed Channing Tatum’s fleeting and mostly naked presence but this is definitely due to Zip and Ronny’s ridiculous fight sequence which I must admit did tickle a few ribs. I am disinclined to dissect The Dilemma piece by piece because from the word go it’s not exactly what anybody expected but it does deliver a few decent laughs, a couple of feel-good moments and a rare opportunity to see mainstream comedy actors juggle a dark script and some deliberately difficult characters to relate to. But it is best to ignore the advertising hype, this film is not a simple comedy because it does bring a lot more to the table but whether the result is an appealing mixture or an unconvincing mess is hard to say. Overall I enjoyed The Dilemma and its attempt to break the mould but as I’ve mentioned, I was part of an indulgent audience and we were quick to spot the saving graces.

**½~~ (2.5/5)

The Dilemma hits UK cinemas today, January 21st

We’ve got two exclusive interviews for you today and the first is with legendary director, Ron Howard for his new movie, The Dilemma which hits UK cinemas this Friday. Our lovely friends Simon Thompson from the fabulous Upbeat conducts the interview where he talked to Howard about what we can expect from the movie as well as picking up on the subtle nods to the late John Hughes which he spotted in one scene.

The Dilemma stars Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Vince Vaughn, Queen Latifah, Kevin James, Channing Tatum and Talulah Riley.

Synopsis: Vince Vaughn and Kevin James headline an all-star comedy from director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer about a man who finds out that what you don’t say to a friend is just as important as what you do.  Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah join them in The Dilemma, a story of how far you can bend a brotherly bond before it snaps.

Since college, confirmed bachelor Ronny (Vaughn) and happily married Nick (James) have been through thick and thin.  Now partners in an auto design firm, the two pals are vying to land a dream project that would launch their company.  With Ronny’s girlfriend, Beth (Connelly), and Nick’s wife, Geneva (Ryder), by their sides, they’re unbeatable.

But Ronny’s world is turned upside down when he inadvertently sees Geneva out with another man and makes it his mission to get answers.  As the amateur investigation dissolves his world into comic mayhem, he learns that Nick has a few secrets of his own.  Now, with the clock ticking and pressure mounting on the biggest presentation of their careers, Ronny must decide how and when he will reveal the truth to his best friend.

Check out the video interview below:

Universal Studios have just sent us this brand new behind the scenes featurette which gives us a better look at their new movie, The Dilemma which is directed by Ron Howard and stars Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah.

It’s scheduled for release in the UK January 21st and if you watch the video below, you’ll get a better idea about the movie and what it’s all about.

Synopsis: Vince Vaughn and Kevin James headline an all-star comedy from director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer about a man who finds out that what you don’t say to a friend is just as important as what you do.  Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah join them in The Dilemma, a story of how far you can bend a brotherly bond before it snaps.

Since college, confirmed bachelor Ronny (Vaughn) and happily married Nick (James) have been through thick and thin.  Now partners in an auto design firm, the two pals are vying to land a dream project that would launch their company.  With Ronny’s girlfriend, Beth (Connelly), and Nick’s wife, Geneva (Ryder), by their sides, they’re unbeatable.

But Ronny’s world is turned upside down when he inadvertently sees Geneva out with another man and makes it his mission to get answers.  As the amateur investigation dissolves his world into comic mayhem, he learns that Nick has a few secrets of his own.  Now, with the clock ticking and pressure mounting on the biggest presentation of their careers, Ronny must decide how and when he will reveal the truth to his best friend.

It looks like Ron Howard’s semi-controversial new comedy, The Dilemma, starring Kevin James and Vince Vaughn has finally got a poster to represent itself.

The poster isn’t anything special, just a shot of the two stars grinning and smiling with the title down the middle.  Perhaps it is actually splitting the two in half suggesting that Vaughn is going to be splitting their relationship up which, I guess, is pretty clever for those with a keen eye.

The film, which will start its release schedule on January 14th, is a comedy “about a man who finds out that what you don’t say to a friend is just as important as what you do…[and] how far you can bend a brotherly bond before it snaps.”

The Dilemma also stars Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum, Queen Latifah in supporting roles.

If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, you can watch the international version here.

Universal Pictures have just sent us the brand new trailer for the Ron Howard directed, Brian Grazer produced movie called The Dilemma. It  stars Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah.

Synopsis: Vince Vaughn and Kevin James headline an all-star comedy from director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer about a man who finds out that what you don’t say to a friend is just as important as what you do.  Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah join them in The Dilemma, a story of how far you can bend a brotherly bond before it snaps.

Since college, confirmed bachelor Ronny (Vaughn) and happily married Nick (James) have been through thick and thin.  Now partners in an auto design firm, the two pals are vying to land a dream project that would launch their company.  With Ronny’s girlfriend, Beth (Connelly), and Nick’s wife, Geneva (Ryder), by their sides, they’re unbeatable.

But Ronny’s world is turned upside down when he inadvertently sees Geneva out with another man and makes it his mission to get answers.  As the amateur investigation dissolves his world into comic mayhem, he learns that Nick has a few secrets of his own.  Now, with the clock ticking and pressure mounting on the biggest presentation of their careers, Ronny must decide how and when he will reveal the truth to his best friend.

I think this trailer looks great and I cant wait to see the movie when it’s released January 21st, 2011. Here’s a few images for you too and scroll down to view the new trailer.

Yahoo have released the second trailer (first here) for Universal Pictuers’ new movie The Dilemma. It stars Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum and is directed by Ron Howard.

Synopsis: Since college, confirmed bachelor Ronny and happily married Nick have been through thick and thin. Now partners in an auto design firm, the two pals are vying to land a dream project that would launch their company. With Ronny’s girlfriend, Beth, and Nick’s wife, Geneva, by their sides, they’re unbeatable. But Ronny’s world is turned upside down when he inadvertently sees Geneva out with another man and makes it his mission to get answers. As the amateur investigation dissolves his world into comic mayhem, he learns that Nick has a few secrets of his own. Now, with the clock ticking and pressure mounting on the biggest presentation of their careers, Ronny must decide what will happen if he reveals the truth to his best friend.

The Dilemma is scheduled for release in the UK 21st January.

Apple have posted the exclusive first trailer, and poster, for Ron Howard’s new comedy The Dilemma.

Featuring performances from Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Queen Latifah, Talulah Riley and Channing Tatum, The Dilemma centers on a man (Vaughn) who discovers that his best friend’s wife (Ryder) is having an affair.

The film has an interesting premise, and the trailer certainly looks promising, but it remains to be seen how the film as a whole will come together. After all, it has been a while since Howard has made a comedy film.

Check out the trailer, and poster, below:

Universal will release The Dilemma in January 2011.

The first image has emerged of Ron Howard’s new comedy The Dilemma (courtesy of Collider).

The film stars Vince Vaughn who is faced with the titular dilemma when he discovers his best friend’s wife (Winona Ryder) is having an affair. Should he reveal all to his buddy (Kevin James) and risk putting an end to their friendships, a circle which includes Vaughan’s girlfriend, played by Jennifer Connelly.

Young heartthrob Channing Tatum rounds out the cast as Ryder’s lover.

Howard’s output has been mixed of late (for every inspiring Frost/Nixon, there’s a sloppy Da Vinci Code and sequel), but with Vaughan on board and his appealing everyman quality, this one could a good match.

The Dilemma opens in the US January 2011. We’ll keep you updated when the UK release date is announced.

I was looking forward to watching Creation as I hoped it would illuminate the facts and enable me to examine my views on Evolution. As a Religious Studies teacher I get many
questions about how the universe came into being, and I was hoping that as a film lover, (and understanding that many of my students would see this film), it may answer some of
those questions.

Creation stars Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Jeremy Northam, Toby Jones, Jim Carter, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martha West and is directed by Jon Amiel.

Sadly, as the film unfolded I became more and more disappointed. it was useful to understand the plight of Darwin himself, his own wrestle with faith and perhaps God himself, however it did not reflect his theory of Evolution and Natural Selection as I would have wished. I was hoping to see his experiments and procedures come to life on the screen, and see how he explains what he wrote in “Of the Origin of Species” way back in 1889. However it was not this that gripped the screenwriter, but his personal struggle with his family, specifically with the death of his eldest daughter, Annie (played excellently by Martha West).

I thought the set, costumes, and indeed the actors themselves did a grand job of visualising this as a period drama, but that was what it was in the main. I also got a bit confused as I was sure that Darwin was very upset at the thought of what he had done, (“you have killed God Sir”), but this was not magnified in the film. In an interview with Richard Dawkins for the BBC he explains that “Yes, Darwin lost his faith gradually. As a young man he was destined for the church. He was training to be an Anglican clergyman at Cambridge [University], and then gradually throughout his life he lost his faith, partly because of personal tragedy – losing children and things like that, and partly because his science led him to see the superfluousness of a creator. He never described himself as an atheist; he ended up describing himself as an agnostic – the term which was coined by his friend T H Huxley”.

An interesting thought, that throughout all his discoveries he did not turn his back on God himself, and one can only guess at the reason for this. Also interesting that it was a friends of his that coined the phrase that I use many a time, “agnostic”.

As a film this is one worth watching but if you want to find out how Darwin made discoveries and then wrote about them, this one is not for you.

Creation is available to buy on DVD and Blu Ray now.

Over the last few years, animated family movies have begun to embrace increasingly adult themes and storylines. Led by Pixar, they began by including more grown-up jokes in movies aimed at children, attempting to increase box office figures by making movies that parents could get some enjoyment out of alongside their kids.
 
Then last year, Pixar picked it up a level with WALL-E. Dealing with themes of loneliness and gluttony, and taking a look at the way mankind has treated this planet, Adults arguably enjoyed it more than the younger audience. Then this years Up dealt with missed love and lost youth in a poignant story of an Septuagenarian making one last journey. Now, Shane Acker’s 9 has come along to further the trend of using animated film to explore adult ideas.
 
When i first read about 9, i felt like i should know the director. After all, when a director’s name is included with the title of the film, like John Carpenter’s The Thing, it immediately gives the film an illusion of a big event. 9, however, is Acker’s first feature, so why the name? The answer lies in the proliferation of nine titled movies this year, which include the film Nine based on the musical, and District 9.
 
This 9 started off as a short film, an animated film school project of Acker’s which took four years to complete. The quality of the animation and an exciting storyline meant the film was brought to the attention of producer Jim Lemley, who immediately fell in love with it, and showed his complete faith in Acker’s vision by commissioning a feature length version. Directors Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov jumped aboard as co-producers. And now, four years later, it hits the big screen.
 
Though it isn’t stated as such, 9 appears to be set on Earth after an alternative history World War II. I can state this with a reasonable amount of confidence based on the abandoned period weaponry, and the brilliantly put together war propaganda film clips we are shown in the middle of the movie. The titular 9 is a small robotic being, clothed in sackcloth who suddenly awakes in a derelict building. He picks up a strange object, then opens a huge window to survey his surroundings. What he sees is an apocalyptic wasteland, a large city with big buildings reduced to rubble.
 
The only sign of life he sees is another small robot of his ilk, who turns out to be number 2. He discovers there are another seven more like him, but before 2 can tell him more they are attacked, and his new-found friend is taken away by a robotic beast. 9 must seek the others 2 spoke of, so that together they can track down the metallic monster, and liberate their captured brethren. The feature-length 9 is very much an extension of the short. The structure and plot is very similar, a couple of scenes are almost an exact copy. The biggest difference is that there was no dialogue in the original short, with the characters communicating everything through their actions.
 
From the outset, the animation of the world of 9 is truly breathtaking. The graphic styling is wonderfully mature, and hugely distinctive. The numbered beings, far from being cute, have a fantastic steam punk look, with their mechanical parts and basic stitched coverings. These graphic images give a real sense of atmosphere, with great use of perspective for background and foreground settings. The post-apocalyptic world is beautifully realised, and chillingly authentic. The remains of the man versus machine war are clearly evident.
 
It’s a shame we don’t see more of the world that existed before mankind was wiped out. In just a few minutes of historical film footage, Acker has created a vision of the struggle between mankind and their own creations far more compelling than Terminator Salvation managed in two hours. The action sequences are one of the best things about 9. Good use is made of the oversize environment around the stitch punk protagonists. The action is fast, exciting and very well choreographed. Each of the Numbers uses their unique skills to great effect.
 
This isn’t a perfect film however. The storyline, and the characters are a little two-dimensional (excuse the pun). Each of them has their particular trait, the strong one, the wise one, the warrior, but not much more is explored other than that. As the story is effectively that of human created mechanical beings against each other, it’s a little hard to relate to the heroes of the story. With the human race wiped out, do we really care if a small group of mechanical beings wins or loses a post-apocalyptic battle against another group? These issues are addressed somewhat in the anti-climatic conclusion, but it would have been better to have been drip-fed more of this information earlier in the story, allowing us to empathise more with these characters.
 
Less forgivable is the thread of the main character, number 9 himself. The hero is supposed to be likeable, but 9 is the cause of a lot of the disasters that beset the little survivalists, and you can’t help but think at times that they were better off before he turned up. It also doesn’t help that he is voiced by the whiny sounds of Frodo Baggins, Elijah Wood. Better are the voice talent’s of John C. Reilly as 5, the loyal everyman with a big heart, and Christopher Plummer as the authoritive and cautious leader, 1. Support is provided by Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Crispin Glover and Fred Tatasciore.
 
Overall, a good start from Shane Acker. Great animation, in a brilliantly designed world. I’m genuinely interested to see what comes next from Acker. A prequel maybe, charting the more interesting human against machine war? Personally, i’d love to see a Shane Acker animated adaptation of H G Wells War of the Worlds. Now that idea, i’d give a perfect 10.

9 is released this Friday 30th October.

Bazmann

We’ve been sent some very cool interviews from the cast and crew of 9. We’ve got an interview with Elijah Wood who plays the lead character, #9 in the film of the same name. We also have a video interview with director and writer, Shane Acker and finally an interview with producer and all round movie legend, Tim Burton. We also have a small piece of footage of Christopher Plummer recording lines for his character #1.

9 is scheduled for release in UK cinemas on the 28th October and follows the adventures of a small sapient rag doll called 9 who finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world when he first comes to life.

9 also stars John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover and Martin Landau. You can view the interviews below…

Interview: Elijah Wood (9)

Interview: Producer – Tim Burton

Interview: Director – Shane Acker

Christopher Plummer Records his Lines

I mentioned in a previous post that there are a few movies coming out at the moment with ’9′ in them… and here’s the latest!

We’ve just been sent the theatrical trailer in high definition for Shane Acker’s ’9′. The name of the movie is where the similarity to the musical ‘Nine’ ends.

’9′ features the voices of Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer and John C. Reilly and is directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov. ’9′ focuses on a group of dolls in a post apocalyptic world – sounds naff, looks amazing! Early signs from trailers and posters make this movie look beautiful and is defintely one to look out for.

Check out the trailer below. ’9′ will be at a cinema near you 28^th October.

Synopsis: Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton (The Corpse Bride, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Nightwatch) join forces to produce wunderkind director Shane Acker’s distinctively original and thrilling tale. 9 stars Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer and Crispin Glover and features the music of Danny Elfman. When 9 (The Lord of the Ring’s Elijah Wood) first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. All humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good. They must take the offensive if they are to survive, and they must discover why the machines want to destroy them in the first place. As they’ll soon come to learn, the very future of civilization may depend on them.

With news constantly hitting my RSS feed that major studios are cutting back funding due to lack of money, studies like this one start to become very relevant for the studio chiefs. Forbes have conducted a study to determine which Hollywood actresses have brought in the most money at the box office compared to the amount that they were paid. The number one may surprise you unless of course you’ve already looked at the title of this post!

Australian, Naomi Watts has been named by Forbes as the number 1 actress bringing the best return. For every $1 she was paid, Watts managed to bring in $44. Other actresses to perform well were Jennifer Connelly ($41 / $1) , Rachel McAdams ($30 / $1) , Natalie Portman ($28 / $1) and Meryl Streep who brought in $27 for every $1 she was paid.

The next five to complete the top ten list are Jennifer Aniston ($26 /$1), Halle Berry ($23/ $1), Cate Blanchett ($23 / $1) Anne Hathaway ($23 /$1) and finally Hilary Swank who brought also brought in $23 for every $1.

Notice that Angelina Jolie doesn’t feature in the list at all. So I guess just because you have a major name in a movie, doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to make as much as the box office. Why pay Jolie $10m+ when you can pay Watts or any of the other actresses above half as much and get a better bang for ya buck? After seeing this list, I don’t expect to see Watts out of work much in the near future!

Head over to Forbes for more details on each actress and how they’ve made the studios their money…..