The official Snow White and the Huntsman Facebook page continues to update us with stonking new images from the new movie which is set for release 1st June and was filmed right here in the UK and Pinewood Studios and we’re very excited to see it.

I think this could well be my favourite image so far and it shows Kristen Stewart who plays Snow White squaring up to a strange huge monster. All that’s written on the site is ‘Friend or Foe’. I’m going to go with the half glass full option and say friend but what do you guys things? The ‘monster’ could be anything as we’ve no idea of the storyline for SWATH yet but time will tell! Keep your eyes peeled for more action from the movie and click here to see all our coverage so far.

Snow White and the Huntsman is directed by Rupert Sanders and also stars Sam Claflin, Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Eddie Izzard, Bob Hoskins, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, Stephen Graham, Ray Winstone, Lily Cole, Sam Spruell, Liberty Ross and Noah Huntley.

In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar(r) winner Charlize Theron) out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power. The breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale is from Joe Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, producer Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders.

Click the image to see it in super high res.

Source: Facebook

Hot on the heels of Kenji’s Mirror Mirror post comes this rather nice new image! No more of that nicey nicey stuff from Twilight, oh no! This new image from Snow White and the Huntsman shows that Kristen Stewart is no push-over and she goes into battle to save her kingdom in her role as Snow White. This new movie is one of the most anticipated of the year and the best thing about it, it was shot right here in the UK at Pinewood Studios.

Snow White and the Huntsman is released 1st June, directed by Rupert Sanders and also stars Sam Claflin, Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Eddie Izzard, Bob Hoskins, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, Stephen Graham, Ray Winstone, Lily Cole, Sam Spruell, Liberty Ross and Noah Huntley.

In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar(r) winner Charlize Theron) out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power. The breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale is from Joe Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, producer Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders.

You can see all our coverage of Snow White and the Huntsman including trailers, images and posters here. Hoping for a new trailer soon!

This new image is huge and comes from the official Twitter feed. Click it to make it grow!

Universal know how to market their movies and this shot shows their strategy by releasing the biggest, closest, high resolution shot of Twilight start, Kristen Stewart than we’ve ever seen! It comes from her new movie, Snow White and the Huntsman which was shot here in the UK at Pinewood Studios. It also stars Chris Hemsworth and the Huntsman and Chalize Theron as the and I’m really excited to see it. I’m not sure this image has done anything for me though!

Snow White and the Huntsman is released 1st June, directed by Rupert Sanders and also stars Sam Claflin, Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Eddie Izzard, Bob Hoskins, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, Stephen Graham, Ray Winstone, Lily Cole, Sam Spruell, Liberty Ross and Noah Huntley.

In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar(r) winner Charlize Theron) out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power. The breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale is from Joe Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, producer Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders.

You can see all our coverage of Snow White and the Huntsman including trailers, images and posters here.

Click it to make it grow epically BIG!

While a solid serving of Equine induced sniffles may be denied to us here in the UK on Christmas Day Steven Spielberg’s second film of the year enters cinemas across the pond in a couple of weeks and there’s a new clip available if you’re currently fence-straddled.

This new clip is introduced by Jeremy Irvine who heads up the bipedal cast as Albert, the young boy who follows his horse to war, and features Benedict Cumberbatch about to lead the troops into battle.

Cumberbatch has had a pretty fine coupld of years himself with the BBC’s Sherlock and a leading role in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy to his credit, and Tom Hiddleston, another young actor who made a good impression in Thor and later The Deep Blue Sea, is also glimsped here.

Here’s the clip all the way from the land of Yahoo,

<

Dreamworks have released three new TV spots for their new movie, War Horse which is released 13th January. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston, Emily Watson, David Kross, Peter Mullan, Eddie Marsan but from all I’ve seen so far, the real star is the horse which isn’t surprising considering the title.

DreamWorks Pictures’ “War Horse,” director Steven Spielberg’s epic adventure, is a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. “War Horse” begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets–British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter–before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land. The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse–an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure. “War Horse” is one of the great stories of friendship and war– a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful international theatrical hit that is arriving on Broadway next year. It now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history.

Check out the new TV spots which come courtesy of Latino Review.

Spielberg seems to be trying another of his “one for the Oscars, one for the multiplex” years, much like 1993′s double-whamy of Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park. That worked out rather well for him, yielding what was then the highest ever grossing film at the box office (supplanting his own ET after some 11 years) and an absolute bucket-load of utterly deserved awards for Schindler’s List. Whether the double-header of War Horse and Tintin will prove as successful remains to be seen, though the response thus far to Tintin would suggest not. The reaction from audiences and critics seems to be good but not great, which leaves War Horse to try to mop up the accolades for which it is clearly aiming.

From what we’ve seen of War Horse, its success is going to turn on whether Spielberg can rein in his much-criticized sentimental streak. A tough call for a film about a heroic horse in the bedlam of WWI, but a necessary one. Some early reports of critic responses seem to be generally warm and positive, but it is too early to say. While we wait with baited breath (or, you know, just wait), here is another bucket-load of stills for you to enjoy. There are dozens, so by all means check out the sample below and then click through here to savour the rest.

Source: IGN.

There are big names both before and behind the camera for The Texas Killing Fields with Ami Canaan Mann’s film being produced by her father Michael, and Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain and Chloe Moretz telling the story of two detectives from very different parts of America joining forces to try and solve a killing spree which has lasted decades.

It’s a fine cast and the trailer we saw recently did its job well and to complement what we’ve already seen our good pals at Upbeat spoke to the cast and crew about the film which is out in the UK this weekend.

Here’s the video,

There’s a new trailer for Steven Spielberg’s latest out today and if you were in any doubt as to the inspirational nature of this one then feast your eyes on this…

Jeremy Irvine is the man Spielberg picked out to lead his adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s novel and while the horse gets top billing it’s hard to imagine a more enticing career move than heading up War Horse.

Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, David Kross, Stephen Graham, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, and Patrick Kennedy join Irvine and the trailer we’ve already seen sets the scene pretty well. It’s War! and horses are thrown into the fierce fighting across the battlegrounds of Europe and this story sees a man signing up to save his beloved horse from certain death.

Here’s the new trailer,

We got a terrific first trailer for Texas Killing Fields back in August that showed some great scenes packed with action and thrills from the upcoming crime thriller, helmed by relative newcomer director Ami Canaan Mann, daughter of director Michael Mann.

We’ve now got an interesting first clip to share, courtesy of Yahoo Movies, in which local detective, Sam Worthington, and NY detective, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, add another person to the growing list of people missing in the Texas Killing Fields.

The film is the writing debut of Don Ferrarone, who’s previously worked as a producer on some big-name films, including Bad Boys II, Man on Fire, and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. And alongside Worthington and Morgan, the film boasts a great cast that also includes Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life), Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass), Jason Clarke (TV’s The Chicago Code), Annabeth Gish (TV’s The West Wing), and Stephen Graham (Snatch).

With only a few weeks to go before its 14th October release here in the UK, we don’t have long at all to wait to see how the final product has turned out, and to give us an idea of whether Ami Mann will be following in her father’s four-time Oscar-nominated footsteps in the years to come. Until then, here’s the new clip, entitled In The Fields, to enjoy.

Until recently, writer-director Nick Murphy’s credits mostly included a few episodes of the odd TV series or documentary. He’s now starting to make a big name for himself with his first feature film, The Awakening, starring Rebecca Hall and Dominic West, due out in November.

Murphy is now set to go behind the camera again for another feature, Blood, which is to be an adaptation of the Bill Gallagher’s TV series, Conviction, which Gallagher will himself adapt, ScreenDaily report.

The project is already taking shape nicely, with three fantastic lead actors attached in the form of Paul Bettany (Priest), Brian Cox (X-Men 2), and Stephen Graham (Snatch), the last of which Murphy has already worked with on the 2009 TV series, Occupation.

Neal Street Productions, whose credits include Jarhead, Starter For 10, The Kite Runner, and Revolutionary Road, has already secured funding from BBC Films and the BFI, which is terrific news, and production is scheduled to begin in January next year.

Blood will be,

“about two policemen who kill a murder suspect and are then plunged into chaos when they are forced to investigate their own crime.”

Those two roles of the policeman, who are brothers, will presumably be filled by the awesome Bettany and Graham, both absolutely fantastic actors, and Cox will likely be playing their father, who, according to Wikipedia, in the original series is fighting a losing battle with Alzheimer’s.

I missed the original TV series when it was shown back in 2004, but I’m definitely tempted to hunt it down and watch it soon, because it sounds pretty awesome. As much as I tend to watch American television and films more than I do British, I must admit that the BBC often gets it so right when it comes to making good television.

Just from that basic premise, I can already see Bettany, who is by far one of my favourite British actors working at the moment, being beyond amazing in this role, and it really can’t come to the big screen fast enough for me. Hopefully with production already scheduled for the start of next year, I won’t have to wait too long to see the final product. This is going to be something to look forward to for sure.

We’ve just been sent the first poster for Steven Spielberg’s latest film, War Horse, and we thought we’d share it with you.

With Spielberg directing his version of Michael Morpurgo​’s novel, itself already well-known as a stage play, we can expect a severe heartstring-tugging in amongst all the horseplay.

The non-equine cast looks pretty solid with Jeremy Irvine leading Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston​ Peter Mullan, Emily Watson​, David Thewlis, David Kross​, Stephen Graham and Patrick Kennedy.

A synopsis? Well, why not…

Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War​, “War Horse” begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land.

The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure.

And while it’s another Blue Vs. Orange affiar at least they’ve got for the setting sun as opposed to, well – you know…

It’s time to return to the high seas with the world’s favourite pirate as Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides hits stores exclusively on Disney 3D Blu-ray, Double Play & DVD NOW!

The fourth instalment of the phenomenal series has already taken over $1 Billion at the worldwide box office and once again delivers thrills, adventure, humour, action and excitement by the keg load.

Johnny Depp is back as the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow in a tale of truth, betrayal, youth….and mermaids! Crossing hearts (and swords) with Depp on this fantastic new voyage is Hollywood beauty Penelope Cruz, Oscar™ winner Geoffrey Rush – reprising his role as the legendary Barbossa – and British acting legend Ian McShane as the most feared pirate of them all; Blackbeard.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Directed by Rob Marshall, Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides was shot entirely in Disney Digital 3D™, taking audiences into Jack Sparrow’s world in a way never experienced before. Now they can immerse themselves from the comfort of their own home as the film comes to Disney 3D Blu-ray with a whole host of extras including Bloopers of the Caribbean and Lego® Pirates of the Caribbean Shorts.

Filled with eye-popping battle scenes, mystery, all-out wit, and complete with a bounty of bonus features, this is one thrilling journey fans won’t want to end.

DVD Bonus Features

• Bloopers of the Caribbean
• Lego® Pirates of the Caribbean Shorts
• Learn How To Take Your Favourite Movies on the Go
• Discover Blu-ray 3D™ With Timon & Pumbaa

Blu-ray Bonus Features

• Bloopers of the Caribbean
• Lego® Pirates of the Caribbean Shorts
• Audio Commentary by Director Rob Marshall and Executive Producer John DeLuca
• Discover Blu-ray 3D™ With Timon & Pumbaa
• Learn How To Take Your Favourite Movies on the Go

To be in with a chance of winning one of three Blu-Ray (Double Play) copies of the film answer the following question using the form below:

Who stars as Blackbeard in Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides?

1. Ian McShane
2. Keith Richards
3. Russell Brand

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides is available NOW on Disney 3D Blu-ray, Double Play & DVD.

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close September 26th 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!

To celebrate the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides on DVD and Blu-ray today, Disney Home Entertainment have given us this new exclusive clip from the movie. You can click here to order your copy.

The fourth movie in the ‘Pirates’ series titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides stars Johnny Depp​, Ian McShane, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Sam Claflin, Stephen Graham, Yuki Matsuzaki and Gemma War, is directed by Rob Marshall.

In this clip, we get to see what happens if you find yourself up against a rather attractive mermaid! Just make sure you’re careful and they’re not all they appear!

Synopsis: Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise–this time in Disney Digital 3D(TM). Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penelope Cruz), he’s not sure if it’s love–or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past. The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs​, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid.

Let the Right One In’s director Tomas Alfredson has bagged a phenomenal cast for his adaptation of the John LeCarre novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and the first poster for the film lists the names proudly.

We’ve already seen a trailer for the film, which is due out on the 16th of September, and Empire have debuted the first poster which has a series of numbers making up the face of Gary Oldman. There are a few words secreted within them too – Witchcraft, Agent, Mole, Smiley, Merlin and so on – all pertaining to the story of George Smiley, who is called out of retirement to uncover a mole within MI6. Can’t wait.

There’ll be a sneak preview of the film this August at Empire’s Big Screen event, details of which are sure to be announced soon, and I’ve seen an extended trailer of sorts and

Here’s the poster, click to get closer and have a butchers at the hidden words in amongst the numbers,

StudioCanal and Working Title have released the official UK trailer for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the feature film adaptation of John le Carré’s acclaimed spy novel.

Directed by Thomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy stars Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Dencik, Toby Jones, John Hurt, Kathy Burke and Stephen Graham.

In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley (Oldman) is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6′s echelons.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy will be released in the UK on September 16.

Watch the trailer below:

Source: Guardian

It’s something of a surprise just how popular the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has become. Eight years on from the release of the first movie, we’ve had two (not quite as good) sequels, more Jack Sparrow impersonators than you can shake a stick at, and Johnny Depp has gone from being the darling of indie filmmakers and horny teenage Goths, to an A-List celebrity.

Last Thursday we spent a day stalking the cast and crew of the film, first at a press conference, and then at the insanity that was the European premiere. And it really was crazy. Three floors of Westfield shopping centre, crowded full of fans, many of them in an absolute frenzy, waiting to catch a glimpse of the stars of the film. It’s now a few days hence and we can still hear the screaming…

We’ve cherry picked the very best, most interesting quotes from both events, and presented them to you here, below this badly written, rambling introduction.

Photos of the premiere also follow,

Johnny Depp – Captain Jack Sparrow

On Captain Jack Sparrow

With all the characters I’ve played, they’re all pretty close to the surface. Each and every one is still pretty accessible. Some of them I have to work up to, and other ones come just a little bit easier. Captain Jack, I’ve played him four times, he arrives pretty quickly. He arrives a little too quickly. He arrives in life a lot. Dropping the kids off at school, and he’ll just show up. It’s weird.

On working with Dame Judi Dench

It was the second time I’ve been lucky enough to work with Dame Judy Dench. Very brief on Chocolat, and very brief on this, but it was wonderful. She’s such a major force. Such a fun, smart, elegant angel. I was dancing with her on Chocolat, and I got to bite her ear on this one.

Geoffrey Rush – Captain Barbossa

On filming on location

In Hawaii we were often on night shoots in fantastical bamboo forests, or crawling through very murky, strange undergrowth, skulking our way into the Spanish camp. The art department could feasibly create, close to scenes like that, possibly, in a studio environment, but when you’re on location it does 90% of the acting for you, because you’re really there, and you do hear, and feel, and smell things lurking around, wildlife, that is silently nearby in the scene with you.

Again, some of the beach locations, it was historically fun, because the shore that we shot on for the lighthouse was where they shot From Here to Eternity. There’s something quite thrilling about knowing that Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster had played there before you.

Kevin McNally – Gibbs

On On Stranger Tides

What’s crazy about this is that I never, ever thought I’d be making it. There was always a sense that we might do three films, but to do four is just a great testament to everyone’s work, that they wanted to make the best films they could. We’re going to keep on going.

On the silver rings he and various other cast and crew members were sporting at the premiere

They were made by our makeup artist, Joel Harlow. We all got one at the end of the second film, I think.

We try not to let [the people only involved with the third and fourth films] have it, so they know we’re superior. They’ve got to know there place, these people.

Stephen Graham – Scrum

How he came to be involved with the film.

I’ve worked with John before, and I think he threw my name in the hat.

On bonding with the crew

I got on really well with the crew. The best thing to do with the crew is, when you meet a new crew, just get pissed with them first, and then you’ve got them then. You have a good night out with the lads and the girls, you’ve got them then.

Reflecting on how things have changed

When I was a kid I used to get on the bus to go to the youth theatre when I was fifteen, and I was on a speedboat, going to the ship in the middle of the Atlantic, and I was like ‘wow, it’s a long way from getting on the bus’. So I’d say, just keep your dream going, don’t give in. Just keep at it. And hopefully, fingers crossed, with hard work and dedication, and a lot of talent as well – there’s too much shit that you see on the telly these days, The Only Way is Essex, and all that  nonsense –people with talent, just keep it going.

On being in lots of projects with a historical setting,

I think it’s just my face. Maybe I’ve got an old face. To me the important thing is the script, and then the director, and then the rest of the crew. As long as I keep getting scripts that are based back then, I’ll keep doing them.

Sam Claflin – Phillip

On filming

It’s a childhood dream, isn’t  it, to be on a pirate ship. The thought of having spent three weeks, despite it being night shooting the majority of the time I was on that boat, the thought of it being, ‘I’m living The Goonies’, stayed with me, and I really enjoyed every single moment.

On the first time he watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

We’d just bought our first DVD player, and [Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was] the first DVD we bought with the player, we all sat down as a family and watched it.  It’s such a special sort of adventure for the whole family to enjoy. I have a younger brother, and older brothers, but none the less, we all enjoyed it as one another, it’s so special.

Astrid Berges-Frisbey – Syrena

On being involved with the project

I felt more than lucky. It’s an honour. I have the opportunity to work with the most brilliant actors ever, and a perfect director. I’m glad they gave me that opportunity. I’m just grateful.

Everybody, cast and crew, were so welcoming with the new part of the team, the family. They were relaxed themselves, and tried to enjoy, and have fun. Johnny, especially, has so much fun acting Jack Sparrow, and I think he just wanted to share that energy. Everybody is really humble as well.

On her accent and her character

[Syrena] is a mermaid, she comes from everywhere. Gemma Ward, the other mermaid, is Australian, and they were looking for a girl from anywhere, English, Australian, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian were doing the audition.

On watching Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, and on seeing the Queen Anne’s Revenge set

I was 16. I was crazy about pirate stories. I remember I got up from the theatre, and a few hours later, I came back to see it. Like Sam, I was such a fan of The Goonies as well, and I remember when I came out, it was like that. The entire movie was well done, and Johnny created a special hero. I’d never seen a hero like that in movies before. When I got the part it was unbelievable. It was like a dream. Every day I ask myself, ‘is it a dream?’

I went to see the pirate ship, because I had no scenes on the pirate ship, and I was like a kid, a five year old girl, jumping everywhere, wishing to see every detail of the incredible ship they made. It’s a real one, by the way.

John DeLuca – Producer

On the differences between this and the earlier films he and Rob Marshall worked on

We always start with a script. We dive into that, then we cast it, then move on. The film, and do the post production, so it’s exactly the same. We were nervous, because it is a different genre,  but we attacked it like we attack anything.

Fewer musical numbers though.

Fewer musical numbers. Although the fights are similar. The way something moves is very musical as well.

On working with Jerry Bruckheimer

Great. Adored him. Positive, calm spirit around. He has the same sort of spirit that Rob and Johnny both have, which is a very positive, nurturing spirit. I’d never met Jerry before working on this,  and he’s this huge, Hollywood producer who does all these big blockbusters. He was just a gentle, wonderful soul.

On his future project with Marshall, a remake of The Thin Man

We’re getting [The Thin Man] ready. We’re working on it already, with Johnny again.  That’s how great this experience was. We decided on this while we were filming. We just thought, we love working with him so much, we have to do it again, and again, and again.

There was the original book, then there was the first film, which was based on the book, then there were five films after that. So it’s kind of going to have a lot of the feel of all of them, of course basing it on the original book. We’re still working on the script. Right now we’re just at the second outline, so we’re just finding out now, which is so great. We all just love the period, and the feel, and the martinis and murder and mystery, we’re excited.

As a big fan of the first movie I was (like most) disappointed with the sequels which followed to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and I do confess I went to this fourth instalment not expecting  great things. For this I am grateful, because I was actually relatively pleasantly surprised. The run-time on this movie is rather epic at a whopping 136 minutes and the shuffling in the seats around me suggested I wasn’t the only one who found that!

I was intrigued at what they might do with the character of Jack Sparrow, who after all is the main attraction to such a film only because he is played by the excellent Johnny Depp. Depp carried the film all the way through, and with a somewhat limited script did almost as convincing a job as in ‘The Curse of the Black Pearl’. The return of Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa was a let-down; it is difficult not to compare after such an incredible performance from Rush in the King’s Speech (see review here) making us wonder why he went back to the franchise at all. His character development was poor from the previous films and he was not believable in his new role as Captain of the Guard in the British Navy. The addition of the beautiful Penelope Cruz as Angelica held both positive and negative points for me. It seemed her character was trying too hard to fit a preconceived ‘mould’ and the only way they came up with to develop her character was to ensure she ticked the ‘sex appeal’ box: a bit lame and too sexy for a kid’s film.

If the target audience is supposed to be teenagers or kids, this film is far too confusing and as I mentioned above, far too long! However it is not as confusing as it’s predecessor, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, which let’s be honest, was so bad that my brand new copy is still in its cellophane wrapper years later. One watch was too many.

Blink and you miss the few cameos in the film; they added interesting little anecdotes but were not hugely necessary to the storyline, nor really the opening London sequence. There were a few throw-backs to the other films, such as a fight sequence with Cruz reminiscent of Captain Sparrow and Mr Turner’s epic battle in The Curse of the Black pearl; similarly the dreaded Island was used again as a ‘drop off spot’ for not Sparrow, but Angelica this time. The return of Kevin McNally as Sparrow’s first mate, Gibbs was intrinsic to the storyline I guess, although not a hugely outstanding performance. The use of large and rather ugly pig was reminiscent of finding Gibb in the pigsty in #1, a little joyous moment perhaps for those loyal fans. Hans Zimmer did a great job with the original score of the movie but this latest instalment fails to offer anything new for us; however I really like the original Score so was not complaining!

On the whole if you don’t take this film too seriously I give it a 2.5 out of 5. It was entertaining and fun, and a scene to watch out for is the Mermaid sequence which is rather spectacular with stunts, live effects and amazing CG work.  New character Astrid Berges-Frisbey was superb I thought, believable and sensitive to the storyline. The relatively attractive Sam Claflin as Philip over played the role of the clergyman a little too much, he came over as just a bit annoying and soppy.

Overall the production design was amazing, the ships were very cool but really, it was such a shame that this chance to reboot the franchise wasn’t capitalised with a better story as unfortunately I found it rather laborious from beginning to end!

A little tip – Do stay until the credits have ended ; it is just about worth the wait (after such a long period sitting in your movie seat) for a little surprise with a possible pointer to POTC5!

**½~~ (2.5/5)

Disney have released this new clip from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides which hits UK cinemas 18th May. The fourth movie in the series titled Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides stars Johnny Depp, Ian McShane, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Sam Claflin, Stephen Graham, Yuki Matsuzaki and Gemma War, is directed by Rob Marshall.

In this clip, we get to find out more about Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Angelica (Penelope Cruz).

Synopsis: Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise–this time in Disney Digital 3D(TM). Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penelope Cruz), he’s not sure if it’s love–or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past. The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid.

Here it is people, the one you’ve all been waiting for! While Ben is on the red carpet at the European Premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in London, we have our premiere report from the world premiere of the movie which took place earlier in the week courtesy of our friends at Upbeat.

They got to speak to Director Rob Marshall, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and all main cast including Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush and Kevin McNally.

Check out the video below for the interviews and keep your eyes peeled for coverage from the European Premiere tomorrow.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is released in the UK 18th May.

I had no idea until Brendon from Bleeding Cool told me yesterday that Kermit the Frog is 56 years old! He celebrated his birthday yesterday and then I come home from watching Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to find this video showing Kermit the Frog interviewing the stars of the movie and it’s a right laugh!

You’ll have to wait until next week for our review of Pirates of the Caribbean 4 but if you want a laugh, check out this video of Kermit interviewing the likes of Jerry Bruckheimer, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Keith Richards, Penelope Cruz, director Rob Marshall and many more celebrities at the World Premiere in Disney Land.