Invictus

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went to see Invictus. Was it a sports film or a political drama? Well it’s both and the two genre’s work surprisingly well side by side.

Actor turned director, Clint Eastwood, once again proves himself as a competent storyteller with his film about Nelson Mandela’s struggle for a united post-apartheid state having just been elected South Africa’s President.

Nelson Mandela, played by Morgan Freeman, uses the 1995 Rugby World Cup as a tool to promote racial harmony across South Africa with the aid of the national rugby team, the Springboks. A bulked up Matt Damon plays the team captain, Francois Pienaar, whose conservative outlook is cracked by Mandela’s optimism.

Mandela invites Pienaar to tea, joins the rugby team in training and famously strides on to the pitch at the South Africa v New Zealand final wearing the same Springboks shirt that a year earlier was a divisive symbol of the old nation.

He writes out a copy of ‘Invictus’ (the poem by WE Henley that helped to sustain Mandela during his 27 years in prison) to Pienaar in his bid to boost the team’s morale. Its lines declare: “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” Words that surely bring hope to even the most cynical and leaves Pienaar astonished at the idea that they can dare to dream about winning the World Cup.

Matt Damon employs, at least to an outsider’s ear, an impressive accent, and manages to blend in beautifully with his fellow players.

Critics have called it “naïve” in its belief that sport can unite or heal a nation, but I see it as a moving tribute to a genuinely great humanitarian. It’s not often that a film can move and inspire so much even after leaving the cinema. A must-see.

Robert Downey Jr as Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie’s latest blockbuster is doing very well in the movie charts currently at number two in the UK, beaten only by James Cameron’s massive hit - Avatar. However if you are expecting to see something similar to Snatch or Lockstock, you may be disappointed.

Guy Ritchie - famous for his nonchalant approach to narrative - adopts a more conventional storytelling style in Sherlock Holmes. Only when he flashes a trademark freeze frame do u realise that this is his film.

The classic British detective, played by Robert Downey Jr, is given a new lease of life in a medium which has previously been accused of cheapening the original books. Credit is due to Ritchie for his unconventional portrayal of Holmes and his successful attempt at broadening his usual demographic - even though this may come at the expense of his gangster-loving fans.

Sherlock Holmes seems to be an attempt to branch out and attract a wider audience and it looks like it’s working, given the amount of money it has already made in ticket sales. It is probably safe to say that many of those tickets were bought by women - a new audience that Ritchie has gained thanks to his aesthetically pleasing male leads. That is not to say that Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr just provide eye candy, their performances are also worthy of a mention. Jude Law is particularly good as Dr Watson.

The film has a restless quality that keeps you on your toes and makes the 128 minutes fly by. Ritchie proves to be a competent teller of this classic tale and does well mixing danger with humour making it a film worth seeing.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all, - if this is what you’re thinking as you stand laboriously in front of the mirror than it seems you’re not the only one, as its been selected as one of the top 10 memorable movie misquotes of all time.

The list of misquotes was compiled by the website lovefilm.com which followed a poll of 1,500 filmgoers. Darth Vader fans will be pleased to know that the dark lords infamous quote topped the list- famously remembered as “Luke, I am your father,” the actual quote from the movie is “No, I am your father.”

Disney fans will also be surprised to discover that the evil queen from the 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs did not say ”Mirror, mirror on the wall”, but in fact said “Magic mirror on the wall.”

Other misquotes to make the top list include a quote from the film Dirty Harry in which Clint Eastwood dangles a threatening challenge; “Do you feel lucky, punk?” but again this is not the quote and the actual line is: “You’ve got to ask yourself on question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well do ya Punk?”

Perhaps the best known movie misquotes comes from the 1942 timeless movie Casablanca. Here Ingrid Bergman coaxes pianist Dooley Wilson with, “Play it Sam. Play As Time Goes By.” This quote is a little off the mark as the closest Humphrey Bogart gets to saying these words are as follows: “You played it for her, you can play it for me. If she can stand it, I can. Play it!”

Further down the list there is Hannibal Lecter’s misquoted, “Hello, Clarice, in the 1991 thriller Silence of the Lambs- the actual spin tingling quote deliverd by Anthony Hopkins is, “Good evening Clarice” and Star Trek’s William Shatner never uttered the words “Beam me up, Scotty” but in fact said “Scotty, beam us up.”

Darren Bignell of Lovefilms.com said: “Iconic film lines are part of everyone’s vocabulary these days, but it’s interesting how years of quoting have had a Chinese whisper effect on accuracy.”

So here are the top 10 misquotes of all time:

1. “Luke, I am your father” - Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

2. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

3. “Do you feel lucky, punk?” - Dirty Harry (1971)

4. “Play it again, Sam” - Casablanca (1942)

5. “Hello, Clarice” - The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

6. “Beam me up, Scotty” - Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

7. “Frankly, Scarlett, I don’t give a damn” - Gone With the Wind (1939)

8. “If you build it, they will come” - Field of Dreams (1989)

9. “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto” - The Wizard of Oz (1939)

10. “Mrs Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?” - The Graduate (1967)

Long wait anticipated for The Dark Knight sequel.

Based on conversations coming from within industry insiders as well as the apparent schedule for Inception, Christopher Nolan’s latest film, it looks almost certain that The Dark Knight sequel will be released in summer of 2012. This is because the preproduction, shooting, and postproduction from Inception which will be released in 2010 will take a total of 18 months to two years.

Firstly, let’s take a quick look at a little Nolan history.

We know now that the script for The Dark Knight was finished before the end of 2005 about a half a year after Batman Begins was in theaters. Nolan worked on The Prestige during the latter part of 2005 on into 2006, with the film ultimately being released in October 2006. In July of 2006 while the director was still working on The Prestige, Warner Bros officially announced that Chris would helm TDK, it would be released in the summer of 2008, and that Heath Ledger had been cast as The Joker. Once The Prestige hit theatres in Fall of ‘06, there was then a six month gap before filming began on TDK.

Right now, Inception is in preproduction. From what I’ve heard through the grapevine (internet forums, fan sites, official statements) filming will take place from mid-2009 and finish late in the year. Nolan and co. will most likely be involved with post production for most of the first half of 2010, readying the film for its mid-July release.

It looks as if there will be no way that BATMAN 3 can go through pre, filming, and post during the second half of 2010 and the first part of 2011 and be ready for a Summer ‘11 release.

Doing the math, the timeframe between The Dark Knight to Inception is nine months later than it was between Batman Begins to The Prestige so that’s nearly a year folks. Thus it appears that Batman 3 will come four years after TDK.

I know a four year gap is a bummer, but cheer up — at least we know a Nolan-directed Batman 3 is coming!

(And that’s more than we could say back in ‘97 after BATMAN AND ROBIN.)

Directed by Steve McQueen, an English born artist better known for winning the Turner Prize in 1999, Hunger is a debut that has already won two awards one of which was at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008.

The film is set in Maze prison, Northern Ireland just outside of Belfast in 1981 under Margaret Thatcher’s conservative rule.  It follows the life of Bobby Sands, a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), played by Michael Fassbender, and his fellow in-mates as they protest to win political status.

The first scene introduces prison guard Raymond Lohan, played by Stuart Graham, as he prepares to go to work. We see him get dressed and eat breakfast watching slowly as breadcrumbs cascade onto his lap, it is these camera angles that give away McQueen’s artistic history. Later a wide long shot shows Graham’s character smoking a cigarette, the harsh stone wall he is leaning on contrasting the pure white snow that falls around him. It showcases McQueen’s meticulous attention to detail and his flair of combining art with film.

As the focus shifts to the prisoners we see the harsh treatment and living conditions they endure and we witness their resistance to the prison regime as ‘non-conforming’ prisoners. At this point I would like to point out it is not advisable to take in any snacks as walls smeared with feces and crawling with maggots is surely enough to put anyone off their toffee popcorn.

It is definitely a thought provoking film and has a way of dragging out the pain you see on screen with few cuts and minimal dialogue. However this can be tiedious at times with one scene in particular lasting over twenty minutes with the camera in the same position for the duration. Other than that it is a visually impressive film that will stay with you for long after you’ve left the cinema.

Dream Works newest creation

From the makers of Bolt and Kung Fu Panda, comes a 3-D animated feature which promises a combination of Doctor Who, Star Wars and Star Trek.

Monsters vs. Aliens targets all ages, with its high empowered story for kick ass kids and references to B-movie sci-fi horror that will have the adults chuckling in their seats. It’s definitely a movie for all the family to enjoy.

The story begins when a meteorite hits California on the very day that Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is to marry local TV weatherman Derek (Paul Rudd).

In a classic Fifties B-movie scenario Susan expands to 10 times her normal size, is captured by the government and imprisoned in a secret facility run by General WR Monger (Kiefer Sutherland).

Her fellow freaks of nature include mad scientist Dr Cockroach (a droll Hugh Laurie), fish/ape hybrid The Missing Link (Will Arnett) and a gormless gelatinous blob called Bob (hilarious Seth Rogen).

But when evil alien Gallaxher (Rainn Wilson) sets his sights on planet Earth, Susan and the monsters are the only ones who can save the day. Fast-moving and sweet-natured with some healthy messages about tolerance and female empowerment, Monsters Vs Aliens is a lot of fun. In Witherspoon’s Susan, the movie offers a spirited heroine for girls while the enigmatic spectacle is aimed at boys and the monster movie reverence is for the benefit of the older movie fan.

Whilst the majority of the movie has been executed well, there is one slight glitch- the film lacks uniformity and doesn’t flesh out any of the ideas it plays with. It’s clearly trying to please everyone in the audience, and at times is does feel that the movie is trying to fit as many gags in to one scene as possible. But with seven writers on deck it’s not surprising.

The film is screened in both 3D and 2D, but aside from a handful of impressive 3D effects, you’d be equally well-served opting for the two-dimensional version.

Green hopes to star in The Green Lantern

Brian Austin Green, famous for his role in Beverly Hills 90210 (and most recently as Derek Reese on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is trying to land the role of Hal Jordan in The Green Lantern. But before taking the role he wants to know how fans feel about the idea.

Whilst campaigning for the role, he  has continously emphasised that  he wants to gage the fans excitement and earn their approval. But if history is anything to go by, actors who have campaigned for superhero roles in films don’t always work out-Sean Young for Catwoman or Thomas Jane for Jonah Hex come to mind. But there are exceptions which include Tobey Maguire, who auditioned several times for Spider Man, or even more recently with Oscar nominated Jackie Earle Haley- who reportedly sent in a homemade audition tape for the role of Rorschach in Watchmen.

 Green is also producing a live-action version of the Fathom at Fox- Atomic with Transformers Megan Fox set to play the lead role. Fathom, is the story of Aspen Matthews, a mysterious girl with amnesia that is discovered to be a member of a race of aquatic humanoid called the Blue, who posses the ability to control water.

 In an interview with CBR News, Green was quoted to have said: “I’m just intrigued and curious to see what the fans think. Ultimately, fans of the comic and the history should decide. If I’m not the right guy then I shouldn’t be playing the character but if people think that there’s something there, then let’s see where it can go.”

Green went on to talk candidly about his campaign for Green Lantern, his love for the character, how he would approach the role of Hal Jordan, and what fans can expect from the film version of “Fathom.”

Read the rest of the at Comic Book Resource.com