Sounds like we might have a date for the announcement of the iPhone 5 people!

News reports have just bounced around the interwebs that Tim Cook (the new CEO of Apple who took over from Steve Jobs last month) will hold a media event on October 4th. What isn’t confirmed yet (and probably wont be until he’s on stage) is that the event is to announce the iPhone 5 although all signs point to that being the case.

The news comes from All Thing Digital (via Mashable) who also say that other key Apple execs will be present to make the announcement and they go on to say that source suggest that the phone will be rolled out a few weeks after the announcement is made.

While Apple could certainly change its plans anytime, sources said that the October 4 date has been selected by the company to showcase the iPhone 5. Sources added that the plan is now to make the new device available for purchase within a few weeks after the announcement.

More as we get it iPhone fans!

Reviewing this box set when it is out in stores and in all probability snapped up by eager Star Wars fans seems a little unnecessary. The promise of a shiny high def transfer and the long awaited deleted scenes from the Original Trilogy conspire to tempt you to part with your cash once more, to enjoy the long time ago all over again.

But there’s a problem. A wave of negative reaction to some of the changes made by Lucas for this box set became clear a few weeks prior to the release as rumours of some important scenes ruined by needless additions and more handy work by the CG Replacement Bureau. Then video clips were uploaded to confirm the changes and boycotts were threatened and those unhappy with the Special Editions and 2004 DVD ‘improvements’ found new voice and dusted off their VHS copies and chided those who had their pre-orders booked.

So, who’s right? Are the changes too much for those who loved the originals, or is the HD transfer and wealth of extras enough to make the purchase worthwhile? As with many things, both are right, from a certain point of view.

We’ve already looked back over the films this past week in our Video Vault series, so if you’re looking to find out more about Episodes I to VI then click here to read them; there is an assumption that you’re not going in totally blind here. If you’ve never seen the films at all and can spare the cash then this box set is an instant recommendation – just make sure you watch them in the order they were made, don’t be tempted to start your journey to the dark side and out again with The Phantom Menace.

The more pertinent question is perhaps asked of those who already own the DVD set (and probably the VHS copies as well): Do I need to buy this set too?

The HD transfer is most obvious in Episodes IV to VI, and what I found strange were the additions for the 1997 Special Editions and how they showed their age. The advancement of computer technology is so rapid and is  noticeable when some of the visual effects which impressed in the late nineties now look very out of place. The additions to Mos Eisley are not as polished as the 1977 footage, with some very messy compositing of the newer elements over the old and some problems with the focus in certain shots. It surprised me as the original footage looks incredibly sharp for the most part, occasionally there is a very muddy shot in between the crystal clear original footage which itself isn’t completely free from problems.

Looking on the positive side there are moments when I saw things I had never seen before, and I’ve watched these films a lot. In truth I’ve never seen the sparks that fly off the colliding lightsabers in the duel between Vader and Kenobi. At first it looks a little like CGI sweat and it may have always been in there but this was new to me. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s new scream to scare off the Sandpeople is a strange addition to those of us who have known the original but isn’t a huge offence overall. It was a genuine thrill to see the detail and the dirt of the first film in particular, not least in contrast to the clinical green-screenery of the prequels; the forests on the moon of Endor look lush and verdant and the ice planet of Hoth is so sharp you could shave a Wookie with it. The occasional transfer quirks aside this is the most beautiful version of the films we’ve seen and when I first saw the discs at the Big Screen event I was sold.

The additions will irk some, and infuriate others. I’m sure a lot of people may not even notice the newly CGI Yoda in The Phantom Menace or question Vader’s new, and controversial, cry of ‘Noooooooo.’ just before he saves Luke from the Emperor’s final attack, but you’ll know which applies to you. In all honesty the films remain some of the most exciting science fiction films we have and they have never looked better. I’d question the need to buy this new set if you already have the DVDs and aren’t too fussed about the HD, but as we’ll see there is a reason to keep your old copies around even if you do.

The menu system on the main discs are simple and won’t blow your mind but they are a vast improvement over those found on the three discs of extras which invite you to select a film, then a location (Tattooine, Hoth, Bespin etc) and then to select a category (interviews, deleted scenes etc) and then a further click to play them. It’s not fun to navigate this menu every time you want to see a particular special feature. The interviews to introduce each film’s extras are short and drawn from cast and crew and are a nice addition. The deleted scenes are a lot of fun, with the early scenes of Luke and Biggs on Tattooine being the most substantial. The scene with Han and a female companion in the Cantina is here, as is an extended scene in the land speeder with Luke and C3PO searching for R2D2 and while most of these have been seen before on various multimedia releases it’s good to have them all in one place.

What I alluded to earlier about keeping the DVDs handy is one of the more puzzling elements of this collection as the deleted scenes for the Prequel Trilogy do not include those found on the DVD releases. This is a strange omission and a real shame, nice though it is to see a brief cameo by Dominic West as a Naboo guard pushing over a defeated Battle Droid there were some substantial scenes excised from the original cut that would have fitted alongside the new scenes perfectly. Maybe there’s a definitive box set coming our way – maybe when the 3D version are put out…

When I was a kid the only way you could have Star Wars in your own home was as part of the documentaries made and televised at the time of release of the Original Trilogy films. These are included on the final disc of extras and proved a highlight for me as I was hit by a wave of nostalgia. Also included, and perhaps the most intriguing extra, on the disc was The Masters – a discussion of the making of The Empire Strikes Back with the late Irvin Kershner proving a wonderful guide through the difficult second movie.

So in the end I was won over by the new transfer and the decent, if limited, set of extras. If you have the DVDs and are annoyed at the constant tinkering by Lucas then be warned – this won’t light your saber. If you’re a fan and want to see Star Wars in the best way possible then the choice is clear. The galaxy far, far away has never looked better.

So yeah, George Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy was one of the biggest pop cultural icons of all time. It was well-known early on that A New Hope, Empire and Jedi were part of a much longer story, so there were constant rumours that more movies would make their way to the big screen. Eventually came the announcement we’d all been waiting for – George Lucas was working on a new film, and it would be Part I.

Even if you weren’t caught up in it at the time, you can well imagine the frenzy this caused. Rumours ran rife. An army of Boba Fetts, an army of Wookiees, our first glimpse of their home planet of Kashyyyk, amongst numerous others. The first solid piece of news, as i recall, was that the first ‘all CGI’ character would appear, named ‘Jar Jar Binks’. Oh, how excited we were…

Anyway, without labouring the point, The Phantom Menace (Urrgh) was one of the most highly anticipated movies of all time. Yes, even more than The Dark Knight Rises (again, urrgh). So much hope, from so many people. Episode I could never possibly live up to all the expectation. As a result, it took as big a mauling as any movie ever released. Now, it comes to HD Blu-ray for the first time. Was it really the worst thing to happen a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away?

The galaxy is run by a republic of planets, all represented in a universal senate. There is, however, a dark shadow looming over the (relatively) peaceful galaxy. The usually meek Trade Federation have begun a blockade of a small, seemingly insignificant planet. The Jedi council have sent a couple of representatives to negotiate, but all is much more complicated and far-reaching than it seems on the surface. The Federation are under the orders of a Sith lord, and the Jedi are flying into a trap.

The Phantom Menace is, perfectly in keeping with the Star Wars tradition, a chase movie in essence. A young Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Jedi teacher Qui-Gon Jinn arrive just in time to escort the Naboo Queen Amidala to Coruscant, as the Trade Federation’ droid army invade the peaceful planet. Their journey to Coruscant to seek out a diplomatic solution does not go smoothly, however, as damage caused during their escape forces them to land on an outer rim planet, the desert planet of Tatooine.

That young Anakin Skywalker is an unassuming young man living out a dull existence on the same planet as his future son is poetic, though some complained it was all a bit too cute. It was important, however, to establish some canonicity with the original series. The vehicle designs in Menace are fantastic, but most are very, ahem, alien to fans of the original trilogy. A look at Tatooine, with some familiar locations and characters allowed the viewer to make that connection to Starwars and Jedi. The ensuing pod race is thrilling, if a little cheesy, and the character of Anakin’s master Watto is a great character addition to the universe. My biggest problem with the Tatooine portion of the movie is that whilst you can, just about, accept that Anakin’s force abilities enable him to fly his pod so well, too much obstacle is put in his way, making it that little bit too hard to swallow that he is successful. Having never even finished a race, and stalling on the starting line, it all just becomes a little too ridiculous, even for a Lucas movie.

The plot really kicks in on Coruscant, as Senator Palpatine’s political maneuverings and machinations begin to become clear. This is no simple tale of good and evil, the story is far more complicated than that, and whilst it is dressed up in and disguised by plasticine and slapstick, it is important to remember this. A film like Avatar receives great critical acclaim, but has a story that could be written by a Primary School child. The politics and subtle story set-ups in Menace are actually far more complicated, and intelligent, a fact that many conveniently forget.

Writer/Director Lucas clearly has to take some of the blame for this, of course, as that all then takes a back seat to the movie’s finale, which could almost be labelled an homage to Return of the Jedi, and has a fair amount in common with the afore-mentioned Avatar too. The more primitive indigenous population go to battle with a technologically advanced army, and though Jar Jar’s antics are cringeworthy, the battle itself is actually well choreographed, and the battle droids make satisfyingly disposable fodder, keeping your sympathies firmly with the sentient Gungans. It is Anakin’s antics in orbit above the planet that really grate, as he almost single-handedly wins the battle against the entire Trade Federation whilst seemingly being almost completely oblivious to it all. If his future arrogance had been hinted at from the very beginning,  and he had been shown to have been far more complicit with his own actions during the final battle, it would have been far more acceptable to the maturer members of the audience.

This is all probably so much more obvious as it is intercut with the best sequence of Menace, and the best lightsabre battle of the entire series, as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan do battle with the best of the newly introduced characters, the awesome Darth Maul, and his double-ended lightsabre. Backed up by the sounds of Duel of Fates, the only memorable new piece of music from the entire film, the action is breathtaking, and the outcome, though predictable for the most obvious of reasons, does pack some emotional punch. There were complaints that the speed of this fight made those from the original trilogy look pathetic, but there is logic to this. Luke Skywalker’s training was much abridged, and Vader hadn’t needed to pick up a lightsabre in anger for many years, so clearly neither were on top of their game. Conversely, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are members of a very active Jedi Council, and Maul has been intensively trained by the most powerful Sith lord specifically for the events that are transpiring.

The Phantom Menace is not a great film, by any means, but in comparison to comparable movies of recent years, of which there are very few, it is actually very good. An interesting and surprisingly complicated political plot as the backdrop, some beautiful locations. A fantastical underwater city, a high-speed chariot race, queens, sword fights, aliens. It combines the best of the adventure blockbuster movies that Lucas loved as a child, and packs in far more action, pace and sheer variety than any sci-fi movie in recent history. The Phantom Menace, despite all that has been said about it, is actually a very good Star Wars movie. It just isn’t the Star Wars movie that WE wanted. When the main character of a story is ten or eleven years old, it should not be a surprise that the sensibilities on show are more geared towards an audience of a comparable age. There are very few movies that combine infantile and adult orientated elements well, and whilst the combination here can be quite jarring, The Phantom Menace does have a bit of something for everyone.

So what is missing? The Phantom Menace very clearly shares much of it’s structural and storytelling DNA with Return of the Jedi in particular, yet is much more maligned. For me, perhaps the biggest problem is that everyone is following the rules. It is clear at the outset, as the leader of the Trade Federation, one of the main villains of the piece, puts it. This blockade is perfectly legal. Maybe not completely true, but this idea of playing it straight continues throughout. Jar Jar is allowed free of the Gungan’s because their law demands it. The Jedi can only protect Amidala, they cannot fight a war for it, as that would be against their code. The sole reason for the journey to Coruscant is to seek a diplomatic solution, in accordance with the laws of the land. Anakin is freed thanks to a convoluted series of bets and bargains that, whilst pretty shady, are clearly in accordance with the Hutt’s way of doing business. The whole political subplot of the film, Senator Palpatine’s manipulation of the political system, show’s the biggest villain in the universe stretching, rather than breaking the rules. You could argue Darth Maul, the most interesting character, is the only one not governed by regulations, but even he is following the boss’s orders.

Conversely, whilst the original trilogy had the same mix of Jedi, royalty and political intrigue, the one character who really caught the imagination was the one to whom the rules didn’t apply. The Phantom Menace, and indeed the prequels as a whole, do not contain a character with the strength or appeal of a Han Solo. It could well be this fact, more than any other, that works against the popularity and draw of the prequels.

Like most, I was disappointed when The Phantom Menace was released. I still am disappointed by it, and it has, in tandem with Attack of the Clones, diminished my interest towards the entire franchise. That is, however, my problem, and I know for a fact that there is a new generation of Star Wars fans that love these movies just as much as we enjoyed the adventures of a farmboy, a Corellian smuggler, an Alderaanian princess, a crazy old wizard, a Wookiee, and two robots every bit as silly and annoying as Jar Jar. Whether you spend the money on the prequel Blu-rays is your choice, and I certainly would not urge anyone to do it. I do think it is time, however, to let the anger go, and allow the prequels to find their place with whatever audience is going to find and love them.

Bazmann – You can follow me on Twitter at

www.twitter.com/baz_mann

Open Road Films have committed to U.S. distribution of the latest Stephanie Meyer book-to-film sci-fi thriller, The Host, and given us a release date of March 29th, 2013.

The Host, set in a time where Earth has been invaded and a majority of our bodies have been taken over by an alien race of “souls”, follows one soul named Wanderer, as she attempts to use her recently inhabited human body to locate the small band of uninhabited humans left. What Wanderer does not anticipate is that Melanie Stryder isn’t ready to give up her body without a fight.

Written and directed by Andrew Niccol (Lord of War, Gattaca) with the only confirmed actress being the ever-impressive Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Hanna) starring as Melanie Stryder, The Host is shaping up to be a highly anticipated film.

For those of you who have had the chance to pick this book up this will comes as great news as this story made way more of an impression on me than Twilight series. If you haven’t taken the time to give it a read yet, give it a chance if you’re into that sort of thing. We’ll keep you posted as the details of the film continue to unfold!

Over the last week or so, we’ve seen yet more casting rumours for the third installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman series. Most recently, we’ve heard that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is being primed to take on the part of The Riddler, based on as little as a supposed conversation on the set of Inception between Levitt and director Christopher Nolan. We’ve also been given an apparent start date. Seeing as the script probably hasn’t even been finished, the naming of actors for unwritten parts seems ludicrous. A release date may be easier to swallow, but really, how can these kind of unfounded rumours continue to spread?

These are not the first casting rumours regarding Batman 3 of course. Soon after the release of The Dark Knight, its huge financial success meant that ‘news’ stories regarding the next installment were everywhere. Just weeks after it opened, there were rumours that Batman’s producers had singled out Johnny Depp and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the stars they wanted for the third movie, as villains The Riddler and The Penguin respectively. Considering how paramount great casting has been to the quality of Nolan’s work, it’s impossible to imagine him ever again letting a studio dictate his casting, particularly for main roles. It was shortly after this that Angelina Jolie was being named for Catwoman. This before director or studio had even acknowledged the potential of a third film being developed.

The rumours have continued since, with a parade of characters being named, with The Riddler seemingly being the most popular. Actors have been mooted with just as much regularity, again a favourite has emerged, with Johnny Depp being the one most frequently referred to. There are numerous reasons why this is all so ridiculous.

As far as we know, the screenplay for ‘Untitled Batman Project’ hasn’t been completed, and without a clear storyline in place, even Nolan and Warner Bros don’t know who they are looking for. David S Goyer has been working on the story, and is writing the screenplay with Jonathan Nolan, but with Christopher Nolan tied up for the last several months with work on Inception, it seems highly unlikely that there has been any talks based around casting. It is quite possible that even character decisions are yet to be finalised. The only ‘guarantees’ are that Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman will  be back. Certainly, without scripting and storyboards, a clear shooting schedule is unlikely to have been established, which again makes casting difficult due to potential scheduling conflicts.

Perhaps more importantly than this, is the fact that Nolan is habitually very secretive with his filmmaking. Both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were made under false working titles, The Intimidation Game and Rory’s First Kiss respectively. With his most recent film, Inception, the storyline has been kept almost completely under wraps until very recently, and is only now coming to light because it would be impossible to promote the movie without revealing some plot details. Based on the sheer number of rumours and stories that have been thrown around, the director would have had to have undergone a complete personality transplant for even a small percentage of them to contain any truth. The talented filmmaker will take the selection process very seriously, and would not want any details leaked until he was sure of his decisions first.

With Nolan now doing the rounds on the Inception promotional trail, it’s natural for questions to be asked of him regarding Batman. Any answers he gives are going to be open to interpretation, so there are obviously going to be numerous stories doing the rounds again. But Inception is the reason i think the stories need to be put on hold. By fixating on a movie not due for release for a couple of years, we are very much undermining Nolan’s latest film. Inception is just a month away. It is a highly anticipated film, one of the biggest releases of the year, with some fantastic actors, and right now it deserves all our attention.

Asking Nolan questions about a future project when he is trying to sell his latest vision to the public is actually pretty unfair. He wrote it himself, and based on the appearance of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in the promotional pictures and trailer, it looks to be a very personal piece of work. Unlike Batman, it is a completely original concept. In a time when franchises, reboots and sequels are taking over our multiplexes, we should be falling over ourselves for the chance to promote this kind of movie. Nolan has never made a bad film, and his original stories and ideas have made him one of the most popular filmmakers of his generation.

The interest in Batman is inevitable, and once Inception has been released, i have no problem with looking ahead to the next, and probably last, installment in Nolan’s series. But for now, ignore the easy hits, let Batman 3 marinate, and anticipate the potential beauty, and brilliance, of Christopher Nolan’s Inception.

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

About ten years ago, three promising young actors were working to secure a place amongst the Hollywood A-list. Natalie Portman had finished her first major acting role, as Mathilda in Luc Bessons Leon. She would go on to make her major breakthrough in the Star Wars prequels. Tobey Maguire had small roles in respected films like The Cider House Rules and Wonder Boys, then also got his major break in a high budget franchise, winning the role of Spiderman. Jake Gyllenhaal came to public attention through his role in sleeper Indie hit Donnie Darko, then hit the big time through a combination of big budget popcorn in The Day After Tomorrow, and critically acclaimed drama in Brokeback Mountain. Next week in the US, these three actors, firmly A-List, come together for Jim Sheridan’s brothers.
 
Brothers is a remake of Susanne Bier’s Danish film Brodre. Tobey Maguire plays Captain Sam Cahill, a family man, married with two young daughters. Sam is sent overseas to Afghanistan on his fourth tour of duty, and goes missing during the fighting. Maguire showed he was capable of good dramatic work early on, with parts in The Cider House Rules and Wonder Boys. He hit the big time with Spiderman and it’s sequels, but has struggled since to land good serious roles. With a compelling drama like Brothers in his hands, he’ll be hoping to use the chance to re-establish himself as a talented, well rounded actor.
 
Natalie Portman plays Sam’s wife Grace, who has to struggle to take care of daughters Isabelle and Maggie when her husband is overseas. Portman in contrast has done a great job of shaking off the stigma of the underwhelming Star Wars trilogy, in which she played a major role. Since Revenge of the Sith she has shone in movies as diverse as The Other Boleyn Girl, The Darjeeling Limited and V for Vendetta.
 
Jake Gyllenhaal plays Sam’s drifter brother Tommy, a charismatic rogue fresh out of prison. Gyllenhaal has continued to mix dramatic and commercial roles since he came to the fore, including great performances in Sam Mendes’ downbeat Jarhead, and Zodiac. Tommy moves in to the family home in Sam’s absence, to take care of his brother’s family. However, with no way of knowing if Sam will ever return, a relationship develops between Tommy and Grace.
 
The ill-advised union raises eyebrows amongst their extended family, and is sure to tear the family apart if Sam does ever come back. Brothers also stars An Education’s Carey Mulligan, tipped to become the next big thing in the coming year, with roles in Wall Street 2 and Never Let Me Go also on her slate.
 
Irishman Jim Sheridan is no stranger to dramatic movies, having directed the critically acclaimed My Left Foot in 1989, then later 1997′s The Boxer. Having helmed the ill-advised Get Rich or Die Tryin’ with Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson four years ago, Sheridan will be hoping this latest film will be a return to his past excellent form.
 
The screenplay has been adapted from the original Danish picture by writer David Benioff. Benioff has a past record of mixed quality. He was responsible for so-so epic Troy, and the awful X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It’s not all bad news however, as the scribe also produced cinematic gold in well received drama The Kite Runner. With a good source film to work with, all are hoping this script will be more comparable to the latter.
 
As a small dramatic piece, box office could run very slow for Brothers. Sheridan doesn’t have a lot of name value amongst mainstream movie-goers. Furthermore, despite having had lead performances in movies that grossed hundreds of million dollars, none of the three young actors are a proven draw. Spiderman and Star Wars are big franchises that would have grossed big with any cast. Similarly, Emmerich’s big budget disaster flicks have a history of making lots of money with almost B-list casts. Disney will certainly be hoping that Gyllenhaal shows some kind of cache here, as he is the star of their next big franchise hope Prince of Persia, due next year.
 
Sheridan has had a taste of Oscar with nomination for My Left Foot as best director. He’ll be hoping all the elements will come together to enable him another stab. Certainly he has the talent, as do the young cast he has put together. Decide for yourself if it looks like it has what it takes with the trailer here,  the TV Spot here, and some images here.

Brothers is released in the US next Friday 4th December, and in the UK on 22nd January.

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