If you missed part one of the in-depth analysis series, then you need to click here to have a little watch. The first one focused on The Dark Knight and why much of the editing and camera-work in one of the chase sequences really isn’t actually that great, even though the movie has brought in over $1bn.

In part two of Jim Emerson‘s video series, ‘In the Cut’, we get to look at another chase sequence in the Philip Noyce directed movie, Salt which starred Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor and how this sequence is filmed and edited so much better than that of The Dark Knight.

I’ll let the video play here but would love to hear what you think of it. If you’ve missed part one, click here to view and keep your eyes peeled for the third and final part which I’ll post on Friday.

Thanks again for making these videos Jim, they are truly excellent!

Phillip Noyce-directed Salt may not have topped many people’s favourite film lists of last year, but it did turn almost $300m. from a $110m. budget, and now it’s looking like a sequel could well be on the cards, Deadline report.

After leaving the window open for a possible sequel at the close of the first film, Kurt Wimmer, who wrote the first Salt, has officially signed on and is now working on the script for the second film.

Director Phillip Noyce has said that he doesn’t plan on returning to helm the sequel, so with Wimmer now beginning to write the follow-up, Sony Pictures will no doubt be starting to look for a director to take his place. Personally, I think that Wimmer himself would make an excellent choice. Having written the original, he knows the characters, and I thought his directing in Equilibrium was brilliant. The studio may well decide to opt for a bigger name, with more directing experience, but I think Wimmer would be more than capable to tackle the job should he be considered.

Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Salt, Red, Transformers) talked to IGN at the end of last year and said,

“We’re definitely talking about the possibility of Salt 2… Angie, I know, loved that character, and would love to explore the character some more first and foremost.”

Having Angelina Jolie on board is of course of the utmost importance, and the project can’t really work without her approval. But given that she’s expressed interest already in making a sequel, it looks like everything is moving in the right direction for the project. With Wimmer now getting to work on penning the sequel, we can no doubt look forward to announcements of the director and cast in the coming months, and who else will be returning alongside Jolie.

Opinion seems to be divided on Salt. Many critics were very positive about it, though the movie going public seemed to be a little more mixed in their views.

It is possibly a little premature to be planning for a sequel, though the film did gross some $290m worldwide, so it seems likely. Either way, Philip Noyce, who directed Salt will not be back for a sequel.

Talking to Moviehole about his work on the upcoming DVD/Blu-ray release, Noyce said:-

“Those 3 [alternate] Blu-ray cuts [of the film] represent just about everything I have to offer on Evelyn Salt. If there ever is a sequel, better its directed by someone with a completely fresh take on what I believe could be a totally entertaining and complex series of stories.”

He also took the time to spill the beans on what he has got on his mind instead of returning to Evelyn Salt:-

“Christopher Hampton, of Atonement fame, is currently in negotiations to rework the Dirt Music script, with Russell Crowe confirmed to play singer/song writer Luther Fox. Its a film about the transporting power of love and music. I’m also working with Salt producer Sunil Perkash and writer Bill Kelly (Enchanted) on another romantic drama called “Timeless”, being financed by Relativity.”

What do you think? Did you enjoy Salt? Would you like some more? Does it matter that Noyce won’t return? Feel free to comment below.

The fifth annual Richard Attenborough Film Awards took place in London, UK last night and it was quite an occasion!

The Social Network was named film of the year, with Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) and Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) picking up the awards for actor and actress of the year, respectively.

The full press release is embedded below:

13 December 2010 — – UK regional critics today announce their Film of the year, as a highlight of the fifth annual Richard Attenborough Film Awards (RAFA’s). The prestigious accolade goes to The Social Network, which also wins Screenwriter of the year for Aaron Sorkin.

The RAFA’s – the UK’s regional film awards – comprise fourteen categories. Seven are exclusively for UK regional film critics, while a further seven are decided by public votes. In recognition of their achievement, each winner will receive a RAFA award, remodelled for 2010 and engraved with Lord Attenborough’s signature.

Voting in the seven categories for regional critics took place online between 15 November and 6 December 2010. The voting constituency was staff and freelance arts and entertainment writers, critics and editors in all branches of UK regional media.

UK Regional Critics’ Vote Winners:

Film of the year

- The Social Network.

Filmmaker of the year

- Christopher Nolan (Inception).

Screenwriter of the year

- Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network).

Actor of the year

- Colin Firth (The King’s Speech).

Actress of the year

- Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Rising star of the year

- Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Let Me In)

Legend of the year

- Sir Michael Caine CBE.

Meanwhile, the seven people’s choice awards are detailed below. Toy Story 3 picked up three RAFA’s, while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was awarded with the British film of the year award.

UK Public Vote Winners:

British film of the year – in association with The Alan Titchmarsh Show (ITV)

- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

Film star of 2010 – in association with Newsquest Group

- Angelina Jolie (Salt and The Tourist).

Animated film of the year – in association with HMV

- Toy Story 3.

Breakthrough star of the year – in association with HMV

- Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Let Me In).

3D film of the year – in association with Cineworld

- Toy Story 3.

Top film character of the year – in association with MoviePreviewGuide.com

- Edward Cullen (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse).

Family film of the year – in association with The Birmingham Mail

- Toy Story 3.

Lord Attenborough, the curator of the ceremony, was quoted as saying:

“The last year has shown the cinema to be both resilient and innovative, with large audiences eager to enjoy the unique theatrical experience. It has also brought a superb crop of terrific films with compelling performances from both experience and fresh talents. I offer my warmest congratulations to this admirable set of winners.”

Salt is released on Blu-ray today on DVD and Blu-ray and to celebrate, Sony Home Entertainment have been kind enough to give us three copies of the movie to give away on Blu-ray. Salt stars Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, and Chiwetel Ejiofor and is directed by Phillip Noyce.

Synopsis: Angelina Jolie stars as Evelyn Salt, a trusted and loyal CIA operative who is forced to go on the run when a Russian defector convinces her superiors that she’s a double agent sent to assassinate the President of the United States. As the intense manhunt heats up, Salt uses all of her skills as a covert operative to elude capture as she fights to uncover a secret so explosive it could change the course of world history.

Directed by Phillip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games), SALT was written by Kurt Wimmer. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Sunil Perkash produced, with Ric Kidney and Mark Vahradian serving as executive producers.

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, all you have to do is answer the following question using the form below:

What is the name of Liev Schreiber’s character in Salt?

The small print:

• This competition is open to the UK only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close on Monday 20th December at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Extras:

DVD Special Features

• The Ultimate Female Action Hero
• Spy Disguises: The Looks of Evelyn Salt
• Radio Interview and Audio Commentary with Director Phillip Noyce

Blu-ray Special Features

• The Ultimate Female Action Hero
• Spy Disguises: The Looks of Evelyn Salt
• Radio Interview and Audio Commentary with Director Phillip Noyce

Top Secret Blu-ray Exclusives

• Salt Declassification – An Undercover Look at the Secrets of Making SALT
• The Real Agents Featurette
• The Modern Master of the Political Thriller: Phillip Noyce
• False Identity: Creating the New Reality
• Spy Cam Picture in Picture Track
• Movie IQ

Relativity Media have acquired the rights to Timeless, a script by Bill Kelly (Enchanted).

Timeless centers on a recently wed man who loses his wife and discovers she has left him a fortune. Haunted by an unresolved issue between himself and his wife, the man invests the money to build a time travel device, just to see her one last time.

Phillip Noyce, who directed Angelina Jolie in the action-thriller Salt, is currently in talks to direct.

Deadline reported this one.

Angelina Jolie (Salt, The Changeling) is set to make her directorial debut with a low-budget Bosnian war film, a statement from the UN high commissioner for refugees has confirmed.

Written by Jolie, the film, currently untitled, will cost roughly $15M to develop and feature local actors and actresses from the Bosnia and Herzegovina areas.

Jolie, when discussing the film, has been quoted as saying:

“The film is a love story, not a political statement” [...] “I would like to involve as many local people as possible and learn as much as I can.”

Jolie continued:

“After seeing these people and hearing their stories, I cannot overemphasise the need to focus on the well-being of the most vulnerable individuals of the population” [...] “ending displacement and ensuring quality of life, we can help to promote progress and long-term stability”.

The untitled film, a tale of a Bosnian woman who falls in love with a Serbian military man, will shoot on location in the Autumn.

This evening, London’s Leicester Square saw the European Premiere of Angelina Jolie’s latest movie, Salt. The lady herself was in town to promote the movie and our friends from Upbeat have just sent us the official premiere report which you can watch below.

The report contains an interview with Jolie where even she doesn’t let us know the answer to the question we’re all asking – ‘Who is Evelyn Salt?’

Salt also stars Gaius Charles, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Liev Schreiber, is directed by Phillip Noyce and is released in UK cinemas this Friday, 20th August.

HeyUGuys Live was there in the thick of the action, tweeting in real-time about the nights events, guests and questions. Follow us at @HeyUGuysLive on Twitter.

The Expendables has topped the US box office in it’s opening weekend, taking an estimated $35M, surpassing all expectations, while proving these actions stars aren’t past their prime quite yet.

Ryan Murphy’s romantic comedy, featuring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem, landed in second place with a solid $27.7M, while the buddy action-thriller The Other Guys slipped down to third, taking roughly $18M.

Christopher Nolan’s psychological thriller held strong at fourth place, taking $11.4M, benefiting from positive word-of-mouth and repeated viewings. Edgar Wright’s long-awaited, and highly anticipated, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World landed at fifth, opening to an extremely disappointing $10.5. Perhaps making it one of the year’s most anticipated failures?

Rounding off the top ten were Despicable Me ($6.7M), Step Up 3D ($6.6M), Salt ($6.4), Dinner For Schmucks ($6.3) and Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore ($4M).

Figures provided by BoxOfficeMojo.

Despite Angelina Jolie’s Salt not actually having been released yet in the UK, The Los Angeles Times is reporting that a sequel may well be in the works. The film, which has already made $150 million, see’s Jolie’s character accused of being a Russian sleeper spy and follows her attempts to (maybe) clear her name – can you tell I haven’t seen it yet?

The site is reporting that the film’s screenwriter, Kurt Wimmer (Law Abiding Citizen), has “ideas for how to advance the story”, while director Philip Noyce (The Bone Collector) has also showed interest in a sequel. This, the films current box office takings combined with Jolie’s openness to reprising the role, suggest that a continuation of the story may be inevitable (I’m guessing her character makes it out of the first one alive – *spoilers*). With neither actor or director committed to anything else in the immediate future we may not have to wait too long if a part 2 is greenlit.

Sony are purported to be waiting for the film to play to international markets before pushing forward with a sequel and, naturally, we will keep you up to date with any future developments.

Salt opens on the 18th of August in a theatre near you.

Our friends at Upbeat have created this eight minute video with details of what movies are coming out over the 2010 Summer Holiday season. The show, called “Cinema Scoop” and presented by Kylie Olsson, has been commissioned by the Film Distributors Association in which we get to see an 8 min round-up looking at all the movies that are coming out in the UK this summer. Some are already  in the cinema and some are coming shortly.

Cinema Scoop looks at Marmaduke (voiced by Owen Wilson), Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Knight and Day (starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Nicolas Cage), Grown Ups (Adam Sandler), Salt (Angelina Jolie), Going the Distance (Drew Barrymore), The Karate Kid (Jaden Smith & Jackie Chan), The A-Team (Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley), Toy Story 3, The Last Airbender (Directed by M. Night Shyamalan), Step Up 3d, Piranha 3d, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (starring Michael Cera and directed by Edgar Wright), The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Illusionist, Gainsbourg and The Rebound (Catherine Zeta Jones & Justin Bartha).

Check out the video below and pick a few films to watch this summer…… there are many to choose from!

Christopher Nolan’s Inception has topped the US box office for the third week in a row, taking an estimated $27.5M, for a domestic total of $193.3M, whilst fending off competition from Salt, Dinner For Schmucks and Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.

Dinner For Schmucks, the buddy comedy starring Paul Rudd and Steve Carell, opened at second place with a respectable $23.3M, while Angelina Jolie’s Bourne-esque Salt slipped to third, with $19.2M, bringing the domestic total to $70M.

Despicable Me continued to entertain audiences, bringing in an estimated $15.5M, dropping one place to fourth, while new release Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore failed to capture a decent audience, making a disappointing (for Warner Bros. at least) $12.5M.

Rounding off the top ten were Charlie St. Cloud ($12M), Toy Story 3 ($5M), Grown Ups ($4.5M), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice ($4.3M) and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ($3.9M).

Figures were provided by http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/.

This past weekend Salt opened in the US, and is an espionage thriller directed by Phillip Noyce starring Angelina Jolie as Evelyn Salt.

Salt is a CIA operative who, during an interview with a Russian walk in named Orlav, is accused of being a sleeper Russian spy with plans to assassinate the Russian President.  Liev Schreiber co-stars as Ted Winter, Evelyn’s colleague and friend who at first can’t believe the accusations but finds himself starting to doubt her innocence as the film progresses.  Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Peabody, the agent in charge of apprehending Salt before her alleged mission is carried out.

Salt is the Jason Bourne-esque espionage thriller which originally had Tom Cruise attached to it. Apparently Cruise dropped out to do Knight and Day, and I’m wondering if that turned out to be such a good choice for him.  Salt has a lot of the typical traits of your standard espionage thriller; intrigue, action, chase scenes and nifty gadgets, she’s even a bit of a MacGuyver as well.  She packs light, but efficiently and really, that is something most women have trouble doing.  She can handle herself and her weapons and even displays a bit of parkour with out exerting much more than a light grunt.  She also has the smarts to kick off her heels before she runs and after changing her clothes, goes with sensible shoes.  That’s not something you see very often.

This film served up pretty much what I expected, as director Phillip Noyce who is no stranger to the espionage thriller genre, having done Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games previously (but the major win was Blind Fury with Rutger Hauer – not an espionage thriller but full of awesome none the less).  Noyce keeps the action going and doesn’t let the film get stagnant, there are foot chase scenes, car chase scenes, fist fights, shoot outs, explosions, and alternative uses for fire extinguishers.

The leads, Jolie, Schreiber and Ejiofor all handle their roles as they should, each are fine actors in their own right and it’s no different in this film.  Jolie likes to play those female leads that are tough and can kick your ass, she’s good at it and should continue playing those types of roles. However that being said, my one complaint I have with the film lies with her character.

The problem isn’t how she played it, it’s more of an issue of how the character was written.  We don’t get to find out too much about her.  We know she’s CIA and she’s been through some pretty hairy situations in her time with the agency.  She’s married and her husband is the main reason she goes on the run.  But that’s about it.  There is a tad more info, but for the sake of keeping this spoiler free, I won’t mention it.  The film tells the story of their relationship through flashbacks but you don’t get a real sense of how deep their union runs.  Yeah, you know she loves him, but the reasons she does what she does isn’t so much explained as it is implied.  The character of the husband is quite muted and you don’t feel his presence much in the film at all.

I adore both Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor and was very pleased to see them both in this.  For some reason Schrieber gets cast in an agent-type role often.  He’s got THAT look.  He just fits.  The rest of the cast is relatively forgettable as the film is basically centered on the main three.  There is a blink-and-you-miss-him cameo by Andre Braugher, which took me by surprise.

I don’t think it’s any surprise that the studio would like to turn this into a franchise if they could.  The film definitely ended in a way that other stories could be told using the Salt character.  Time will tell however and if the box office doesn’t show it, the studio probably won’t go for it.  If it remained a stand alone film, that would be fine too.  It can really go either way.

While I wasn’t disappointed in the film, I wasn’t overly excited afterwards either.  I can honestly just say, I liked it but I didn’t LOVE it.  It was entertaining and surprisingly complex in parts, but in the end I would have liked a bit more cohesion and motive.  I had tweeted prior to the movie starting that I was getting ready to watch Salt and I hoped it would make me forget that I didn’t have any on my popcorn.  It helped take my mind off the fact, but I still missed it.

Salt opens in the UK on August 20th.

You can find me on Twitter at @baddladd

Four new Salt banners have turned up online. With only a week left until the film is released in the US, Columbia Pictures are presumably pushing the marketing, hoping to cash-in on opening weekend.

The brand new banners are simple, yet strangely effective, creating mystery as to who the title character is, what she stands for, and what she wants.

Salt, starring Angelina Jolie (Mr & Mrs Smith), Liev Schreiber (Taking Woodstock) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (2012), centres on Evelyn Salt, a CIA officer whose loyalty is questioned when she’s accused of being a Russian spy, after which, the only thing left for her to do is run. Every time she attempts to disprove the allegation, it only makes her look more suspicious.

Directed by Phillip Noyce (The Bone Collector), the film has already attracted some moderately good reviews in the trades. In the UK we’ll see this one on the 20th of August.

Check out the banners below.

IMP had these.

Reported by Jamie Neish

We’ve teamed up with our friends at MoviePosterShop.com to bring new a new weekly competition which we have decided to call, ‘Movie Poster Monday’! Each week, we’ll be bringing you a competition to win a poster from a movie that is going to open that week.

About Movie Poster Shop: MoviePosterShop.com is an online retailer of movie posters, TV posters, lobby cards and more. They offer over 600,000 items, including many hard to find foreign-version posters. Head over to MoviePosterShop.com and embrace your inner movie fan!

This week, give you the chance to have Angelina Jolie on your wall! You can read Jon’s review of the movie here. Salt is released in US 23rd July and  & in the UK  20th August and stars Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Yara Shahidi, Gaius Charles and is directed by Phillip Noyce.

We have the chance for three lucky readers to win a poster with the main winner receiving a framed version and the two runners up receiving the poster. MoviePosterShop.com can post to anywhere in the world so feel free to enter, wherever you are! The guys at MoviePosterShop.com have also been kind enough to give all our readers 25% off all posters bought using thecode ‘angelina’ at checkout. This offer expires on 26th July also.

The poster we are giving away can be seen here along with huge batch of other posters from the movie, all available from MoviePosterShop.com. It’s 27″ x 40″  (68.6cm x 101.6cm) and will look great on any wall!

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, you must become a fan of the HeyUGuys FaceBook Page and also the MoviePosterShop.com Facebook page and answer the following question using the form below.

Which movie did Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie star in together?

The small print:

• This competition is open worldwide – you can enter from any country
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close Monday 26th July at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

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

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

It’s always nice to hear about the current state of projects from those directly involved, and the name of Angelina Jolie, whose SALT is out next month (yup – that still sounds wrong), is seemingly attached to any projects calling for a woman over 25 to play the lead.

MTV (via The Playlist) spoke to Jolie regarding SALT and decided to throw a few projects she has been associated with to confirm or deny her involvement.

The Kay Scarpetta project has been on the cards for a long, long time and the way Jolie describes it there’s still a lot of work to do on the development, so perhaps Patricia Cornwell is still on the case with the script. Once that’s in the bag Jolie will presumably get first refusal.

The Cleopatra project is still in search of the right angle, and there’s not a lot of news concerning Darren Aronofsky’s Serena but the Tim Burton directed, live action Sleeping Beauty based film Maleficent is where things get (slightly) more interesting. Jolie doesn’t confirm anything other than her desire to work with Burton and that they are in talks, but I would pay money, and lots of it, to see Jolie in this role.

Here’s the video,

A brand new clip from Angelina Jolie’s new movie, Salt has been released on Yahoo.com. The clip is called ‘Call Me’

Boxed in an interrogation room, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) attempts to elude a CIA tactical team.

Salt also stars Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andre Braugher and is directed by Phillip Noyce. It’s set for release in the UK 20th August and I’ve placed the synopsis below for your reading please. Scroll down to view the new clip.

Accused of being a Russian spy, Evelyn Salt goes on the run, using all her skills as a covert operative to stay one step ahead of the CIA.

One movie that could surprise us as a summer hit is that of Angelina Jolie’s Salt. It’s being released by Columbia pictures and is set for release 20th August. Accompanying Jolie, the movie stars Gaius Charles, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Liev Schreiber.

Helmed by Phillip Noyce, the movie sees Jolie’s character, CIA officer ‘Evelyn Salt’ outed as a Russian sleeper spy who has to evade capture by those who are convinced she’s aiming to assassinate the president. The trailers for the movie have looked pretty good, and this could be the best action movie Jolie’s done since Mr. & Mrs. Smith which was released back in 2005.

Here’s a new poster that has been released by Columbia asking the question: ‘Who is Salt?’

Source: Filmofilia

Columbia Pictures have released a couple of new TV spots for Angelina Jolie’s new spy, action thriller, Salt which also stars Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor and is directed by Phillip Noyce who previously brought us the Clancy classics Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger.

Synopsis: As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt’s efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: “Who is Salt?”

Source: Latino Review /  The Movie Box

Craig put up the new trailer for a new Salt viral game yesterday and to go alongside it nicely, Columbia Pictures have released this brand new poster to go along with it.

Salt stars Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor and is directed by Phillip Noyce. Salt is released 23rd July in the US and in the UK 20th August. Click the poster below to enlarge.

Synopsis: As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt’s efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: “Who is Salt?”