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'Ex Machina' Reigns With Four Wins At The British Independent Film Awards


Alex Garland Domhnall Gleeson Tom Hardy Saoirse Ronan

While the world is waiting with bated breath for the nominations for the Oscars and Golden Globes, the UK is celebrating their independent success as Alex Garland's sci-fi drama 'Ex Machina' takes home four awards at the Moët British Independent Film Awards.

Ex MachinaEx Machina wins big at the BIFAs

It's the innovative independent films that really shape the international film industry, and it's important that they're recognised for their efforts. Starring Domhnall Gleeson, 'Ex Machina' proved to be a huge hit and took home awards for Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Outstanding Achievement in Craft which went to visual effects artist Andrew Whitehurst. As part of a BIFA screening event, the film will be shown at selected cinemas on December 13th 2015.

Continue reading: 'Ex Machina' Reigns With Four Wins At The British Independent Film Awards

Spotlight, The Revenant And Steve Jobs Among Oscars 2016 Predictions


Academy Of Motion Pictures And Sciences Jennifer Lawrence Leonardo Dicaprio Danny Boyle Saoirse Ronan

The odds are on for the predictions of the 88th Academy Award nominations, and it seems to be all about the biopics with four topping the odds for the Best Picture category and the same ones taking over the Best Director category.

There's been plenty of great movies this year but only five can be selected for a Best Picture nomination. Whilst there was unending hype for such flicks as 'Inside Out', 'Mad Max: Fury Road', 'Spectre' and 'The Hateful Eight', they fail to make the top five when it comes to the betting odds.

SpotlightSpotlight is the top favourite for Best Picture

Continue reading: Spotlight, The Revenant And Steve Jobs Among Oscars 2016 Predictions

A Week In Movies: Oscars Are A Hit, Stars Turn Out For Grand Budapest, Trailers Arrive For Transformers 4 And Paddington, Julianne Moore Works The Streets


Ellen Degeneres Matthew Mcconaughey Cate Blanchett Jared Leto Ralph Fiennes Saoirse Ronan Willem Dafoe Tony Revolori Mark Wahlberg Kanye West Snoop Dogg Colin Firth

The Oscars 2014

The Academy Awards drew its biggest TV audience in more than a decade on Sunday night, as the Oscars were shared by a variety of hit films and performances. Ellen Degeneres hosted the ceremony, giving the night a populist touch by serving pizza to the A-listers and taking a star-packed selfie that managed to crash Twitter.

As for the winners, 12 Years a Slave won three top prizes - for best film, screenplay and supporting actress - while the blockbuster Gravity took home seven awards. There were also popular wins for Matthew Mcconaughey, Cate Blanchett, Jared Leto and the animated film Frozen. If you need to catch up on any of the above click to find more info on 12 Years a Slave taking Best Picture, Matthew McConaughey and Cate Blanchett's triumph, Pizza anoyone? and Ellen deciding to get a couple of stars together for an impromptu selfie.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Oscars Are A Hit, Stars Turn Out For Grand Budapest, Trailers Arrive For Transformers 4 And Paddington, Julianne Moore Works The Streets

'The Grand Budapest Hotel' Is An Instant Hit With Critics, In Praise Of Wes Anderson's Delightful New Movie [Trailer + Pictures]


Wes Anderson Saoirse Ronan Willem Dafoe Tilda Swinton Edward Norton Adrien Brody Bill Murray

The Grand Budapest Hotel is preparing to throw its doors open to the world, having premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February. Director Wes Anderson has built his career upon his idiosyncratically quirky, colourful and surrealist movies and the eagerly-anticipated Budapest looks to be no different.

The Grand Budapest Hotel Owen WilsonThe Grand Budapest Hotel Raplh Fiennes
Critics Have Heaped Praise On To 'The Grand Budapest Hotel.'

Early reviews have bathed the movie in a warm glow of praise, loving the kitsch details, kooky plotline, and star-packed cast, which includes (deep breath), Ralph Fiennes, Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Harvey Keitel.

Continue reading: 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' Is An Instant Hit With Critics, In Praise Of Wes Anderson's Delightful New Movie [Trailer + Pictures]

Video - Saoirse Ronan Describes Working On 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' As 'Surreal' At Movie Premiere


Saoirse Ronan explains just how much of a unique experience it was to work with Wes Anderson on the set of his new movie 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' in a red carpet interview at the premiere.

Continue: Video - Saoirse Ronan Describes Working On 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' As 'Surreal' At Movie Premiere

Wes Anderson, George Clooney Taking Movies To Berlin Film Festival [Trailer]


Wes Anderson George Clooney Richard Linklater Bill Murray Matt Damon Cate Blanchett Saoirse Ronan Tilda Swinton

Wes Anderson and George Clooney will both take their latest movies to the Berlin International Film Festival this year. Organizers of the Berlinale, the first of the year's major European film festivals, have released the list of films set to show in and out of competition at the 64th annual event which will take place between the 6th and 16th of February in the vibrant German capital.

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson's 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' Will Show At The Berlin International Film Festival.

Of the 23 films set to screen at the Berlinale, 20 will compete for the top prize, the prestigious Golden Bear Award. Amongst a host of intriguing foreign titles, Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel and George Clooney's The Monuments Men stand out as the big-name movies of the event. Anderson's whimsical new comedy, which stars Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson, will open the festival. Set in the 1920s, The Grand Budapest Hotel is based partly on the writings of Austrian novelist and playwright Stefan Zweig who, after the war, lamented the destruction of Europe.

Continue reading: Wes Anderson, George Clooney Taking Movies To Berlin Film Festival [Trailer]

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Clips


Charismatic but somewhat aloof concierge at the Grand Budapest Hotel, Gustave H, is less than impressed when a seemingly inexperienced new lobby boy named Zero Moustafa is hired for a trial period without his knowledge. However, the pair become thick as thieves when Gustave finds himself wanted by the authorities after the murder of his elderly one night stand Madame D. He does what any honourable hotelier would do under pressure. and runs. When it is discovered that the woman had left a priceless painting behind for Gustave in her will named Boy With Apple, her family is furious and Zero helps to the keep the painting hidden with the help of a charming young girl named Agatha as Gustave attempts to protest his innocence. With enough people despising Gustave for his often inappropriate professional conduct, it becomes harder than expected to clear his name and find out the truth about the death of Madame D.

Continue: The Grand Budapest Hotel - Clips

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Character Promo Trailer


Gustave H is a charismatic and over-friendly concierge at the Grand Budapest Hotel whose conduct has been far from professional over the course of his career, regularly engaging in one night stands with his deeply charmed guests including the elderly Madame D. So enamoured was Madame D about Gustave's interest in her, that she leaves him a priceless painting behind in her will named Boy With Apple. However, following her suspicious death, her maddened son Dmitri accuses Gustave of her murder and attempts to frame him for it, angered by his illicit involvement with her. Meanwhile, Gustave is attempting to train up an enthusiastic young lobby boy named Zero Moustafa who warms to him easily and helps to defend him as Gustave makes a break for it. Moustafa is also becoming very fond of a girl named Agatha, who he enlists to help hide the painting from Madame D's furious family.

Continue: The Grand Budapest Hotel - Character Promo Trailer

Laure Prouvost Takes Turner Prize, Installation Artist Wins With 'Wantee'


Saoirse Ronan

In something approaching a shock result, Laure Prouvest was awarded with the 2013 Turner Prize, and the £25,000 that goes with it. American-Irish actress Saoirse Ronan announced the winner in Londonderry, Ireland, which is the UK’s City of Culture for 2013.

Saoirse RonanSaoirse Ronan handed over the prestigious award

"I'm not ready, I didn't expect it at all," Prouvost said on stage."Four incredible artists here with me and the show. I thought 'It can't be me,' - I was sure it was not me. So thank you everybody," she added, according to The BBC. 

Continue reading: Laure Prouvost Takes Turner Prize, Installation Artist Wins With 'Wantee'

A Dejected Saoirse Ronan Looks Back As Star Wars Moves Forward With Casting


Saoirse Ronan Jj Abrams Harrison Ford Carrie Fisher Mark Hamill Benedict Cumberbatch Chiwetel Ejiofor

Saoirse Ronan may be one of Hollywood’s most promising young stars, but she won’t be yielding lightsabers or galaxy-hopping when the Star Wars franchise is rebooting with Episode VII. The New York-born actor announced that she would be auditioning for the role.

Saoirse RonanSaoirse Ronan missed out on a 'Star Wars' role

"I don't have 'Star Wars.' I don't have the role," Ronan said told Indie Wire's The Playlist, who noted that she sounded “defeated when she told them the news. "I just shouldn't have said anything. I just auditioned for it, like everyone else did."

Continue reading: A Dejected Saoirse Ronan Looks Back As Star Wars Moves Forward With Casting

A Week In Movies: Meryl Streep Takes Action! Daniel Radcliffe Runs! And We Get New Trailers For X-Men, Budapest Hotel And More


Meryl Streep Daniel Radcliffe Jj Abrams Bryan Singer Wes Anderson Ralph Fiennes Jude Law Adrien Brody Saoirse Ronan Owen Wilson Tilda Swinton Bill Murray Zac Efron Miles Teller Martin Scorsese Leonardo Dicaprio Jonah Hill Matthew Mcconaughey

Star Wars Logo

News from the Star Wars universe had fans nervous, as screenwriter Michael Arndt left his Episode VII draft to be rewritten by director Jj Abrams and Star Wars veteran Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote 1980's The Empire Strikes Back. Arndt hinted that the film's release might be delayed until 2016 as a result. Read the full story here.

The biggest rumour this week was that Meryl Streep may join the cast of The Expendabelles, the female spin-off from Sylvester Stallone's Expendables franchise. Cameron Diaz and Milla Jovovich are also up for roles in the adventure thriller. But this would be Streep's first action movie since The River Wild, 20 years ago. See who else is rumoured to join the cast here!

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Meryl Streep Takes Action! Daniel Radcliffe Runs! And We Get New Trailers For X-Men, Budapest Hotel And More

The Grand Budapest Hotel Trailer


Gustave H is a flamboyant and largely charismatic concierge at the Grand Budapest Hotel whose habit of getting a little too close to his guests and keeping them entertained at all hours has earned him legendary status among many of his peers. When he meets enthusiastic young lobby boy Zero Moustafa, Gustave trains him to be the best hotel worker he can and the pair become thick as thieves as they try and defend each other at all costs. When one of his more 'special' guests is found murdered, police accuse Gustave who does what any upstanding gentleman would do - runs. To the anger of the guest's son, he is bequeathed a valuable painting known as 'Boy With Apple' and now he finds himself on a cat and mouse chase with the victim's family and the police. Meanwhile, Zero meets the charming Agatha, who he's also desperate to protect as best he can.

'The Grand Budapest Hotel' is a heartwarming comedy about a very unusual friendship, directed and written by Wes Anderson ('Fantastic Mr. Fox', 'Rushmore', 'The Royal Tenenbaums'). It is based in 1920s Europe and truly reflects the glamour of the privileged in that decade. The movie is due to be released in the UK on February 28th 2014.

Click here to read - The Grand Budapest Hotel Movie Review

What Should You See Tonight, Machete Kills? The Fifth Estate? It's Le-Weekend!


Benedict Cumberbatch Lady GaGa Saoirse Ronan Jim Broadbent

It’s Friday folks – your mundane, work-a-day week has come to an end, and now you’ve got a chance to spend the money you’ve earned on some form of entertainment, be it alcohol, video games, illegal activities or the movies. It’s the latter we’re focusing on: what film should you see tonight?

Machete KillsDanny Trejo in Machete Kills

You could go and see Machete Kills. Danny Trejo’s film started out as a joke trailer in Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse films, and eventually found itself as a fully-fledged feature film. It was okay; people got it, they understood that it was a joke and was intentionally kitsch. What nobody asked for was a sequel featuring Mel Gibson and Lady GaGa, but that’s what we’ve got, and it’s rubbish.

Continue reading: What Should You See Tonight, Machete Kills? The Fifth Estate? It's Le-Weekend!

A Week In Movies: Big Films Hit Britain, New York Premieres For Hanks And The Coens, Statham Fights Back


James McAvoy Saoirse Ronan Kevin Macdonald Tom Hanks Paul Greengrass Carey Mulligan John Goodman Adam Driver Jason Statham Martin Freeman Orlando Bloom

James McAvoy in Filth

Two big British films hit UK cinemas this week. After storming the Scottish box office last weekend and garnering rave reviews across the board, Filth arrives in the rest of the country this week. Based on the novel by Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting), the Edinburgh black comedy stars  in a career-redefining role as a deeply nasty cop. Read our 'Filth' review here.

Meanwhile, Saoirse Ronan stars in the introspective thriller How I Live Now, set in a present-day Britain that's engulfed in war. Opening in the UK this weekend and in America next month, the film is directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland), and the cast includes rising stars George MacKay (Hunky Dory) and Tom Holland (The Impossible). We gave the film 4/5 you can read the 'How I Live Now' review here.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Big Films Hit Britain, New York Premieres For Hanks And The Coens, Statham Fights Back

How I Live Now Review


Excellent

Remarkably bleak for a teen movie, this drama keeps us gripped as it throws its characters into an odyssey that's seriously harrowing. Gifted filmmaker Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) and a fine young cast make sure that we feel every punch of emotion along the way. And the premise itself gets our minds spinning in unusual directions.

Set in the present day, violent uprisings are growing in Europe as 16-year-old Daisy (Ronan) heads from New York to Britain to spend the summer with her Aunt Penn (Chancellor) on a farm in rural Wales. A sullen loner, she tries to avoid her three chirpy cousins: the quiet genius Eddie (MacKay) is her age, while the more adventurous Isaac (Holland) is 14 and the younger Piper (Bird) is clingy and annoying. Then while Penn is away on business, the violence spreads to the UK, which descends into martial law. The cousins are divided and sent into care. But they promise to meet back at the farm, which is going to be an epic journey for Daisy and Piper if they can escape from their new home.

The story is told from Daisy's perspective, complete with glimpses into her troubled thoughts, dreams and nightmares. We're never sure why she is so deeply fearful of everything around her, but Ronan brings out her fragile mental state beautifully, then takes us along as Daisy is pushed to the limits and must find the inner strength to go forward. As a result, the other characters remain less-defined, although MacKay and Holland bring layers of interest to Eddie and Isaac. As Daisy's companion, Bird is much more present on-screen, and we're as irritated by her as Daisy is.

Continue reading: How I Live Now Review

'How I Live Now': Saoirse Ronan's Dystopian Movie Is Too Dark For America [Trailer]


Saoirse Ronan Kevin Macdonald George MacKay

We've been teased by trailers, posters, promo shots and Bat For Lashes soundtrack songs for some months but now it's time to ratchet up the excitement for new Kevin Macdonald movie How I Live Now one last time before it's UK release in just two days (4th October).

Saoirse Ronan
Saoirse Ronan Plays Daisy, A Teenager Visiting From New York.

One glance of the trailer and it's immediately apparent that this isn't your average teen romance but what the trailer doesn't accurately convey is how dark the movie becomes. A jangly indie soundtrack, a moody American Saorsie Ronan rocking up in the English countryside, some teens smooching in a barn; the trailer barely skims the surface of the war-torn desolation the sun-streaked meadows dissolve into.

Continue reading: 'How I Live Now': Saoirse Ronan's Dystopian Movie Is Too Dark For America [Trailer]

'How I Live Now': Natasha Khan Movie Soundtrack 'Garden Heart' Released [Video]


Bat For Lashes Saoirse Ronan Jon Hopkins George MacKay Kevin Macdonald

Bat For Lashes' Natasha Khan and music producer Jon Hopkins have joined their creative forces to bring the official soundtrack song for upcoming war thriller, How I Live Now. Jon Hopkins had been working on the Kevin Macdonald-directed film's soundtrack when he decided to invite the exquisite vocals of Khan.

With an opening akin to The Stone Roses' 'I Wanna Be Adored,' the track is built around a softly thrumming bassline; a beating heart-style rhythm that keeps pace whilst Khan's ever-ethereal, mournful vocals sing of being "far away" from someone.

Natasha Khan

Continue reading: 'How I Live Now': Natasha Khan Movie Soundtrack 'Garden Heart' Released [Video]

A Week In Movies: Jennifer Promotes The Millers, Angelina Goes Evil, Coogan Moves Beyond Alan Partridge


Jennifer Aniston Jason Sudeikis Will Poulter Rachel McAdams Bill Nighy Angelina Jolie Steve Coogan Mark Wahlberg Saoirse Ronan Spike Jonze

We're the Millers

We're the Millers had a huge premiere in London this week, and stars Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis and Will Poulter were all over town promoting the film before walking the blue carpet in Leicester Square. It opened in the US last week, and hits Britain next week. Here's a video of Jennifer Aniston leaving Los Angeles for the London premiere. Here we have pictures of Jennifer Aniston braving rainy London for 'We're The Millers' Premiere.

Also in London, Rachel McAdams attended the world premiere of her new movie About Time, about a guy who travels back in time to find himself a girlfriend. She was accompanied by costars Bill Nighy and Domhnall Gleeson, plus filmmaker Richard Curtis, at Somerset House, where the premiere screening was held outdoors. The film opens next month. Click here for pictures from the premiere and the trailer for Richard Curtis' rom-com 'About Time'.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Jennifer Promotes The Millers, Angelina Goes Evil, Coogan Moves Beyond Alan Partridge

Saoirse Ronan Stars In World War III Adaptation 'How I Live Now' [Trailer]


Saoirse Ronan Kevin Macdonald

Meg Rosoff's Printz Award-winning book, ‘How I Live Now’ has all the ingredients for a great film adaptation: romance, war, an academy award nominated leading actress (Saoirse Ronan) and The Last King of Scotland‘s Kevin Macdonald directing.

Watch the How I Live Now trailer

What’s more, the book has a dedicated fan base; in addition to the 2005 Printz Award, it also attracted attention in England, winning the 2004 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and being shortlisted for the Orange Prize.

Continue reading: Saoirse Ronan Stars In World War III Adaptation 'How I Live Now' [Trailer]

How I Live Now Trailer


Saoirse Ronan stars in 'How I Live Now', a gripping adaptation of the prize winning novel of the same name by Meg Rosoff. Despite being defined as a children's or young adult's book, the adaptation portrays the horrific and damaging effect  war causes on human relationships and the effect it has on an individual, captivating a much wider demographic. 

What starts out as a romanticised coming-of-age, feel good film between two lovers takes a dramatic turn when war breaks out in a remote country village in England where lead character Daisy is visiting. Her recently found love with Edmond is unexpectedly tested when they are forced to part. The couple love is put to the test as they are unsure if they will ever be reunited.

The film stars Saoirse (The Lovely Bones, Hanna) as Daisy and George MacKay (Defiance, Peter Pan) as Edmond and is directed by Academy Award winning Director: Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, One Day in September).

Continue: How I Live Now Trailer

'Justin And The Knights Of Valour' Attempts To Break A Crowded Marketplace [Trailer + Pictures]


Freddie Highmore Saoirse Ronan Mark Strong Antonio Banderas Olivia Williams Charles Dance Julie Walters Alfred Molina Rupert Everett Tamsin Egerton David Walliams

It’s been a pretty solid year for animated features so far; Wreck it Ralph, Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University all performed solidly with the critics and in the box office. But it hasn’t been all plain sailing – films like Turbo and Escape From Planet Earth haven’t gone down too well.

Justin and the Knights of ValourCan Justin, voiced by Highmore, learn the ways of the Knight?

There was a time when all animated films were basically the best films ever: Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, Toy Story(s), Up – but now there seems to be room for some pretty average efforts. Striking up some cute characters with big eyes, pitting them against a baddie and creating a weird little fella for comic relief just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Continue reading: 'Justin And The Knights Of Valour' Attempts To Break A Crowded Marketplace [Trailer + Pictures]

Justin and the Knights of Valour Trailer


Justin is an average boy with big dreams living in a Kingdom where the Queen has enlisted lawyers instead of knights. However, Justin wants more than anything in the world to become one the latter, just like his deceased grandfather Sir Roland. He must embark on a quest to train to become the best knight he can and on the way meets his three mentors, Blucher, Legantir and Braulio, a wacky wizard named Melquiades and the very beautiful Talia. Sooner than he'd hoped, he finds his first challenge; Sir Heraclio and his sidekick Sota are attempting to raise an army to defeat the Kingdom, leaving Heraclio crowned king. Justin must protect the Kingdom he was brought up in and, in doing so, purloin his grandfather's old sword from Heraclio's clutches.

Continue: Justin and the Knights of Valour Trailer

Gemma Arterton And Saoirse Ronan Get A Bit Bite-y In Byzantium


Gemma Arterton Saoirse Ronan

Gemma Arterton stars in the brand new vampire movie Byzantium. No one is all that impressed, but films about bloodsuckers tend to sell these days, so at least it has that on its side. Quick rundown: Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) and Clara (Gemma Arterton) are a couple of young women on the run – initially, you don’t know anything about the reasons behind their flight. Gradually, as they settle into a guest-house on the South Coast.

Here, the ladies’ past begins to unravel and we find out exactly how they got to their current undead-ness and general situation. Also, Clara takes over the management of a brothel, after killing the man who held that job previously, and Eleanor, in a bout of remarkably modern self exploration, signs up for creative writing classes. You could not make this stuff up. Well, actually you could and apparently someone did.

The film is based on a play by Moira Buffini and is getting mixed to negative reviews so far. But while vampire movies are a dime a dozen these days, at least this is one with female protagonists. That’s somewhat of a new twist. In any case, it’s pretty obvious who would find this film appealing – if you enjoy a bit of fangy fantasy, it might be your cup of tea. If not, Byzantium is probably skippable.

Continue reading: Gemma Arterton And Saoirse Ronan Get A Bit Bite-y In Byzantium

Byzantium Review


Very Good

Nearly 20 years after Interview With the Vampire, Neil Jordan returns to the genre to breath some new life into a mythology that has grown stale, predictable and rather mopey  (see Twilight). With a lively script by Buffini, Jordan creates a lushly stylish dramatic thriller that continually takes us aback with off-beat storytelling and complex characters who don't always do what we expect them to.

The story centres on mother-daughter immortals Clara and Eleanor (Arterton and Ronan), who are on the run when they arrive in a fading British seaside town. The resourceful Clara seduces the nervous Noel (Mays) so they can stay in his dilapidated Byzantium guesthouse. To earn some cash, the always resourceful Clara turns the empty rooms into a brothel. Meanwhile, Eleanor befriends the fragile young Frank (Jones) and reveals the fact that she and her mother are actually more than 200 years old and need human blood to survive. Through all of this, they're being chased by two elder vampires, the ruthless Ruthven (Miller) and the more sympathetic Darvell (Riley), both of whom share a tangled romantic past with Clara.

Unusually intelligent, the film holds our interest with an astonishing series of twists and turns plus an array of colourful characters that play on stereotypes. Holding it all together is a fairly simple plot that reveals itself in bits and pieces until the full picture comes into focus. From this point, we pretty much know what has to happen in the big finale, but watching events unfold is satisfying and sometimes both thrilling and moving.

Continue reading: Byzantium Review

Byzantium Trailer


Clara and Eleanor are a mother and daughter, born two centuries ago as vampires and surviving only on the blood of mortal beings. They escape to an English seaside town and are taken into an abandoned guesthouse by the owner, Noel. While Clara takes on a job as a lady of the night who drains the blood from her clients, Eleanor has dreams of being a writer, chronicling her life as a vampire in pages that she usually scatters in the wind. It isn't long before they are discovered, both by the mortal people of the town and by The Brotherhood; an all-male vampire organisation that seek to find and kill Clara. Eleanor meets a boy called Frank, who she develops feelings for and spills the secrets of her world to, angering her mother who fears for their safety. As knowledge of their existence spreads further and further, they are forced to confront their past and the deadly secrets that come with it.

Continue: Byzantium Trailer

The Host Review


Very Good

While the premise of this sci-fi thriller feels like yet another of Stephenie Meyer's two-boys-one-girl fantasies, a superior writer-director and cast make this is a stronger film than Twilight. The plot may be rather contrived, but the actors bring out some sharp intelligence in the script to make it surprisingly involving.

It's set in a future time after aliens have snatched the bodies of 90 percent of humanity, eliminating hunger, crime and the environmental crisis. But secret pockets of rebels have avoided being possessed by these white mini-jellyfish beings, and are seeking ways to fight back. So when the alien being Wanderer is implanted in the resistance leader Melanie (Ronan), the head Seeker (Kruger) hopes to infiltrate her memories and find out where they're hiding. But Melanie is stronger than anyone thinks, managing to remain conscious alongside Wanderer, winning her to the rebel cause. She heads to the human's secret desert hideout, where Uncle Jeb (Hurt) renames her Wanda and accepts her into the fold. But some humans aren't so sure, and the Seeker is hot on her trail.

It's deep in this maze of rather too-sophisticated caves that the crinkled romance develops, as Melanie is reunited with her boyfriend Jared (Irons), but doesn't want him kissing her when Wanda is in control of her body. Then Wanda falls for Ian (Abel), and their kissing makes Melanie even more furious. Yes, like Twilight, this film seems to think that kissing is the ultimate expression of human connection, giving this film a quirky four-sided love triangle at its centre. Meanwhile, the more thriller-like plotline builds as the Seeker gets ever closer. All of this is played out very seriously, with almost no offhanded humour or humanity, but the emotions are intriguingly resonant.

Continue reading: The Host Review

A Week In Movies Feat: The Host, Trance And G.I. Joe: Retaliation Hit Cinemas While World War Z, The Brass Teapot And Hummingbird Trailers Emerge


Channing Tatum Saoirse Ronan Jake Abel Max Irons Greg Kinnear Brad Pitt Dwayne Johnson Jason Statham

G.I. Joe: Retaliation Review

This week's biggest global release is G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and critics were on edge at press screenings earlier in the week, hoping against hope that the sequel maintained the entertaining ironic subversiveness of the 2009 original, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Alas, the news isn't good.

The week's other blockbuster is The Host, based on the novel by Twilight author Stephenie Meyers. Saoirse Ronan stars as Melanie, a young woman facing an alien force that's taking over humanity. In fine Twilight style, there are two leading men vying for her affections, played by rising-star hearthrobs Max Irons and Jake Abel. Despite good early word-of-mouth, the studio hasn't shown the film to critics.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies Feat: The Host, Trance And G.I. Joe: Retaliation Hit Cinemas While World War Z, The Brass Teapot And Hummingbird Trailers Emerge

The Host Trailer


Melanie Stryder, once a tenacious and strong young woman, has been infected by an alien parasite from a race known as Souls. Her personality is almost completely overridden by it, turning her into more of a timid and sympathetic person like the Soul itself who is known only as Wanderer. Wanderer and Melanie struggle against each other as the Soul's reluctance to carry out her assigned mission and completely control her host in order to take over the Earth with other members of her race causes her to become somehow half-human. She develops a bond with Melanie, with members of her family and with her friends and resolves to help the few free humans left in taking back their planet. 

'The Host' has been adapted from the 2008 novel of the same name by the genius behind 'The Twilight Saga' Stephenie Meyer. Directed and written by Andrew Niccol ('The Truman Show', 'Lord of War', 'In Time'), this romantic sci-fi thriller will truly put you in a moral dilemma when it forces you to take sides between two different races - both with desirable qualities and both with dark and selfish  undertones. It is set to hit movie theaters everywhere from March 29th 2013.

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger, William Hurt, Jake Abel, Max Irons, Boyd Holbrook, Frances Fisher, Chandler Canterbury & Scott Lawrence.

Continue: The Host Trailer

Arrietty Trailer


14-year-old Arrietty Clock and her family live under the floorboards of a house in western Tokyo. They are 'tiny people' - or borrowers - whose survival depends on 'borrowing' things that humans won't miss, such as a single sugar cube. But their existence must be kept a secret from humans, which is why they are kept hidden and why they only borrow at night.

Continue: Arrietty Trailer

The Lovely Bones Review


OK

This film is packed with involving performances, even though Jackson takes a bloated approach to what should be a quietly emotional drama. And in the end, the production design is so lush that it swamps the story's themes.

In 1973, Susie (Ronan) is a happy 14-year-old just beginning to blossom. Her crush on a fellow student (Ritchie) is about to culminate in her first kiss, but she's instead brutally murdered by a creepy neighbour (Tucci). Her parents (Wahlberg and Weisz) are distraught, and Grandma (Sarandon) needs to come help care for Susie's younger siblings (McIver and Christian Thomas Ashdale). Susie watches all of this from "my heaven", longing for her parents to recover their balance and aching for some form of revenge.

The central theme is that Susie's yearning for vengeance is preventing her parents from moving on, and it's also keeping her from resting in peace. As the months and years pass, she struggles to let go of her connections to her family and also to dislodge her killer's hold on her. This intriguing idea is more suited to a small-budget filmmaker forced to find subtle, creative ways to depict the interaction between the afterlife and the living world.

Jackson, of course, has no budgetary constraints, and indulges in constant eye-catching effects that are drenched in colour and symbolism. This luxuriant approach seems odd for a story this fatalistic; it's not likely to be a commercial hit no matter how glorious the digital artistry is. While some viewers will connect with the raw emotional tone, concepts of the cruelty of fate and the fragility of life are lost.

Even so, Ronan delivers another knock-out performance packed with nuance and meaning even though many of her scenes only require reaction shots. It's in her eyes that the film comes truly to life, as it were. The other standouts are Sarandon, who brazenly steals scenes in what's essentially a thankless role, and Tucci, who never resorts to stereotype in his portrayal of a sinister loner. Jackson, on the other hand, continually applies cliches around him, from shadowy angles that generate palpable suspense to a ludicrously over-the-top coda that erases any subtlety the film might have.

Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse Ronan Quick Links

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Saoirse Ronan

Date of birth

12th April, 1994

Occupation

Actor

Sex

Female

Height

1.68




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