Film Reviews - Cinema

Igor

Igor in cinemas nationwide on October 17th.

Featuring the voice talent of John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese and Eddie Izzard, Igor is a hilarious story of a talented hunchback who’s determined to prove his worth at the annual Evil Science Fair.  With help from his wise-cracking sidekicks Scamper, a grumpy lab rabbit, and the not so brainy Brain, he plans to create the greatest invention the world has ever seen and win first prize. However the fiendish Dr Schadenfreude is also making plans: to steal Igor's crazy creation and take over the land. Can Igor and friends stop him and truly save the day?

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The Fox and The Child

The creators of

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS

invite you on a new journey…

Two worlds, which seem separated by everything,

meet through an unforgettable story of friendship.

After the worldwide success of MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, Luc Jacquet invites us on a journey to the heart of a marvellous tale, the extraordinary meeting of a fox and a little girl. Through an exceptional relationship, each reveals its world to the other... A pure emotion, shown in unforgettable images.

The story

One autumn morning, at the bend on a path, a little girl catches sight of a fox.  Fascinated to the point that she forgets all fear, she dares to go up to him.  For an instant, the barriers that separate the child and the animal disappear. 

It is the beginning of the most amazing and of the most fabulous of friendships.  Thanks to the fox, the little girl discovers a wild and secret environment.  And so begins an adventure which will change her life, her vision and ours…

RELEASE DATE: 08 AUGUST 08

RUNNING TIME: 95 MINS TBC

CERTIFICATE: U TBC

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The X Files I Want To Believe

This is a great film for all X Files fans and for new visitors to this great franchise; it contains all the suspense and thrill of the original series without ignoring the new audience.

Scary, funny and reminiscent at the same time – and the question on any fan's tongue is do they kiss……. well you will just have to see the film to find out!

A film that should be seen by all who loved the original series and those interested in the unexplained

Review by Nick McLean

THE X-FILES™: I WANT TO BELIEVE is a new motion picture based on the phenomenally popular, award-winning series The X-Files.  Long-anticipated, the film reunites series stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson under the direction of series creator Chris Carter, who co-wrote the screenplay with Frank Spotnitz.

In grand The X-Files tradition, the film’s storyline is being kept under wraps, known only to top studio brass and the project’s principal actors and filmmakers.  This much can be revealed:  The supernatural thriller is a stand-alone story in the tradition of some of the show’s most acclaimed and beloved episodes, and takes the always-complicated relationship between Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) in unexpected directions.  Mulder continues his unshakable quest for the truth, and Scully, the passionate, ferociously intelligent physician, remains inextricably tied to Mulder’s pursuits. 

Months after shooting had wrapped, Carter remained as circumspect about the story as he was during its development and production.  “Mulder and Scully are drawn back into the world of the X-Files by a case,” is all he’ll add about the plot. 

Perhaps more clues…to something….can be found in the film’s title.  “I Want to Believe” is a familiar phrase for fans of the series; it was the slogan on a poster that Mulder had hanging in his office at the FBI.  “It’s a natural title,” says Chris Carter. “It’s a story that involves the difficulties in mediating faith and science.  It really does suggest Mulder’s struggle with his faith.”

Carter is much more revealing about his goals for the film.  “Simply put, we want to scare the pants off of everyone in the audience,” he says.  While the scale and scope inherent in the medium of film allowed the filmmakers to take the story and characters where the show couldn’t go, Carter says THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE also marks a return to the series’ roots, when it was the a lone beacon on television for fans of thrillers, supernatural tales, and of horror stories.  “The film encompasses all the best things people loved about the show.  It’s scary, creepy, and has a good mystery.  With The X-Files, we often scared people by what they didn’t show, and we use that device for the movie.”

Adds writer-producer Frank Spotnitz:  “I think the best part of The X-Files was that it could make you afraid of anything.  They didn’t tell typical horror stories or adhere to popular genre conventions.  And this movie is in that tradition of showing things that you would not see in most scary movies.”

Unlike the first The X-Files motion picture, released in 1998, Carter and Spotnitz’s story for THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE does not require audiences to understand the series’ complex mythology that stretched across its nine seasons on the air.  “The first movie was kind of an epic episode of the show, but THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE is a real, stand-alone movie,” explains Carter.  “If the show hadn’t existed, this is a story that still would have found its way to the big screen.”

Film Certificate: 15

Film released 1st August 2008

Visit the official website:  www.xfilesmovie.co.uk

For your chance to win some great film goodies - click here

Meet Dave

Starring Eddie Murphy (Trading Places, Coming To America, Beverley Hills
Cop) and Elizabeth Banks (Definitely Maybe, Fred Claus) MEET DAVE is a hilarious family fun filled comedy.

Dave Ming Chang (Eddie Murphy), newly arrived in New York City, may be the ultimate fish out of water. There's something about him that's not quite right - for starters, he seems remarkably out of place and uncomfortable in his own body. And for good reason: "Dave" is not a man at all, but a ship made in the image of its miniature-sized captain.

It's Eddie Murphy in Eddie Murphy in "Meet Dave".

Release date: July 18th 2008

Certificate: PG

Official UK site: www.meetdave.co.uk

Try your hand at our Meet Dave Quiz - Click here

For some other fascinating facts - click here for information on the Crew or

click here for information on the Dave

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Shutter

After a teeth-rattling hit-and-run car accident, photographer Tun (Ananda Everingham) starts seeing vengeful ghosties popping up in his pictures, his darkroom – even his bed.

It’s a natty concept, and this terrifying Thai chiller is so well crafted even the exemplary extras (including a chat track, production bumpf and alternative cuts)unnerve.

With interior design by Oppressive Urban Spaces Inc, a torturous backstory and a lank-haired, pasty-faced phantom forever prowling past the camera, the makers of Ringu and Ju-On might want to alert their lawyers.

Certificate 15

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What Happens In Vegas

Two strangers awake in Vegas to discover they've got married during a night of debauchery.

All set to annul the marriage, one of them hits the jackpot after playing the other's quarter.

The newlyweds devise ever-escalating schemes to undermine each other and get their hands on the money, only to find themselves falling in love amid the mutual backstabbing.

The official website is www.whathappensinvegasmovie.co.uk where you can see a trailer, get downloads and more.

Certificate 12a

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Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Cate Blanchett

Everyone's favorite archeologist adventurer returns for another globe-trotting trek as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg team with screenwriter David Koepp to bring Indiana Jones back to the big screen after nearly 20 years.

Click here to view the trailer

NIMS Island

Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler

Anything can happen on Nim's Island, a magical place ruled by a young girl's imagination. It is an existence that mirrors that of her favorite literary character, Alex Rover - the world's greatest adventurer. But Alexandra, the author of the Rover books, leads a reclusive life in the big city. When Nim's father goes missing from their island, a twist of fate brings her together with Alexandra. Now they must draw courage from their fictional hero, Alex Rover, and find strength in one another to conquer Nim's Island.

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Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr, Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges

From Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures comes Iron Man, an action-packed take on the tale of wealthy philanthropist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), who develops an invulnerable robotic suit to fight the throes of evil. In addition to being filthy rich, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark is also a genius inventor. When Stark is kidnapped and forced to build a diabolical weapon, he instead uses his intelligence and ingenuity to construct an indestructible suit of armor and escape his captors.

Once free, Stark discovers a deadly conspiracy that could destabilize the entire globe, and dons his powerful new suit on a mission to stop the villains and save the world. Gwyneth Paltrow co-stars as his secretary, Virginia "Pepper" Potts, while Terrence Howard fills the role of Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes, one of Stark's colleagues, whose military background leads him to help in the formation of the suit.

Click here to view the trailer

WALL-E

Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Sigourney Weaver, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy

After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL-E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen. Joining WALL-E on his fantastic journey across a universe of never-before-imagined visions of the future, is a hilarious cast of characters including a pet cockroach, and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.

Click here to view the trailer

SHINE A LIGHT

 Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood

The film is directed by Martin Scorsese.  The producers are Victoria Pearman, Michael Cohl, Zane Weiner and Steve Bing.  The executive producers are Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood.  The co-executive producer is Jane Rose.  The director of photography is Robert Richardson, ASC.  The film is edited by David Tedeschi.  The concert sets are designed by Mark Fisher.  The concert lighting is designed by Patrick Woodroffe.

In Autumn 2006, Martin Scorsese assembled an award-winning camera team to capture the raw energy of one of the greatest rock ‘n roll bands on stage. Using sixteen cameras and shooting more than half a million feet of concert footage, he has created an extraordinary musical event.  With performances from the White Stripes’ Jack White, Christina Aguilera and Buddy Guy and integrated with rarely seen archival footage, SHINE A LIGHT gives audiences unprecedented access to the Rolling Stones in a unique cinema experience.

Release Date – 11th April 2008

Certificate – 12A

 Running time - 122 minutes

Click here to visit the film's website

The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia and embark on another adventure with Aslan and return rightful heir, Prince Caspian, to the throne.

Release date: 27th June 2008

Certificate: PG

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Earth

Five billion years ago an asteroid crashed into the Earth. The impact tilted the planet at an angle of twenty three and a half degrees. This cosmic accident created the world we know today.

Using the Sun as a guide, we set out on an epic global journey. In the Arctic, a polar bear family wakes to the first sunlight of spring. Will they find food before the ice starts to melt?

Half a world away, an elephant mother and her calf must share precious water with a pride of lions. Will their uneasy truce last?

For the final leg of the journey, we follow a humpback whale mother.
She must keep her calf safe on their 6000 km migration to Antarctica.
This remarkable breath-taking story is narrated by Patrick Stewart and filmed with high definition cameras to create an unforgettable journey through the changing seasons and daily struggle for life across our planet, from rarely seen stunning landscapes to the smallest details in the lives of our best loved, wildest and most elusive creatures

Certificate: PG

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Bee Movie

A comedy that will change everything you think you know about bees. Having just graduated from college, a bee by the name of Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) finds himself disillusioned with the prospect of having only one career choice - honey. As he ventures outside of the hive for the first time, he breaks one of the cardinal rules of the bee world and talks to a human, a New York City florist named Vanessa (Renée Zellweger). He is shocked to discover that the humans have been stealing and eating the bees’ honey for centuries, and ultimately realizes that his true calling in life is to set the world right by suing the human race for stealing their precious honey.

Certificate: TBC

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