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Everything You Need To Know About Palme D'Or Winner 'The Square'

By Holly Williams in Movies / TV / Theatre on 30 May 2017

Cannes Film Festival Elisabeth Moss Dominic West

'The Square' is Ruben Östlund's latest masterpiece for Cannes Film Festival.

This weekend saw the announcement of Swedish art satire 'The Square' as this year's Palme d'Or prize winner at the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival. It came as quite the surprise for everyone, given that comedies such as this have rarely been winners of the top award.

Ruben Ostlund at the 2015 BIFA Awards

Directed and written by the genius that is the BAFTA nominated Ruben Östlund (who is following his 2014 masterpiece 'Force Majeure'), 'The Square' explores the boundaries of art and human nature following a manager of a modern art museum named named Christian (Claes Bang) who opens a new exhibiton with an installation that comprises of a square drawn on the floor whereby anyone who steps inside must recognise it as a 'sanctuary of trust and caring'.

Continue reading: Everything You Need To Know About Palme D'Or Winner 'The Square'

Finding Dory Review

Very Good

It's been 13 years since the release of the Disney/Pixar hit Finding Nemo, and filmmaker Andrew Stanton has opted to make a spin-off instead of a direct sequel, shifting the perspective to recount the life story of the forgetful blue tang. Because it centres on a personal quest, it's a very different style of movie, which makes some of the action feel rather contrived. But the characters are still vivid and likeable, and it's packed with meaningful themes.

The film opens with young Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) being taught by her parents (Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy) how to cope with her short-term memory problem. But she still gets lost. Then years later, after her adventure teaming up with Marlin (Albert Brooks) to help find his son Nemo (Hayden Rolence), she has a brief spark of memory and decides to find her family. Accompanied by Marlin and Nemo, Dory crosses the ocean to a California marine sanctuary, where they get separated. Dory gets help from cranky seven-tentacled Octopus Hank (Ed O'Neill), the perky whale shark Destiny (Kaitlin Olson) and a befuddled beluga whale (Ty Burrell). Meanwhile, Marlin and Nemo meet a pair of laddish sea lions (Idris Elba and Dominic West).

Continue reading: Finding Dory Review

Money Monster Review

Excellent

A sleekly made thriller with a sparky sense of humour, this is also a rare action movie that has something important to say. Centred around the corruption in the political and banking systems, the film is just as enlightening as The Big Short, but it's a lot more fun to watch. And it's directed by Jodie Foster as a sharp media satire that seems to be skimming along the surface but is actually taking no prisoners.

It's set on Wall Street, where TV guru Lee (George Clooney) hosts his financial advice show Money Monster, directed by his long-time friend Patty (Julia Roberts). Then in the middle of a broadcast, Lee is interrupted live on-air by Kyle (Jack O'Connell), who is consumed with anger because Lee's investment suggestion resulted in the loss of his life savings. Kyle's real target is the banking executive Walt (Dominic West), who has blamed the wipe-out of share prices on a computer glitch. But something about that story doesn't hold water. While Kyle threatens Lee live, a media storm develops around them. And Patty digs into the story with the help of hackers in Korea, Iceland and South Africa, feeding information to Lee through his earpiece.

As the situation spirals out of control, Foster maintains a terrific sense of balance between the edgy suspense and the jagged comedy. This works because, even amid the virtual globe-hopping, she keeps the focus tightly on the interaction between Lee, Patty and Kyle. Clooney and Roberts aren't hugely stretched by their roles, but they are able to add likeable moments of subtle revelation and interaction along the way. O'Connell is the heart of the film, with an impassioned performance that's surprisingly moving. And of course it's easy for everyone in the audience to sympathise with Kyle's frustration about a system in which bankers and politicians pocket billions while the average person struggles to keep their head above water.

Continue reading: Money Monster Review

Genius Trailer

Thomas Wolfe was a writer who was used to rejection. His constantly lengthy novels didn't seem to appeal to the vast majority of publishers out there and most editors were fazed by his compulsion to write hundreds of pages.

Not willing to give up on his talent, Wolfe send his pages to Maxwell Perkins, the man who originally published Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. When Thomas is summoned to Maxwell's office, he presumes he's once again about to be told that he's been unsuccessful but the chance to meet a man who's had so much literary influence is too much to pass up. The meeting begins as Wolfe thinks it would but he's soon informed by Perkins that the company will take on Wolfe's latest book.

Wolfe and Perkins form a close relationship, Wolfe still delivering copious amounts of words and Perkins seemingly the only man capable of editing them. As their personal and professional relationship deepens, Perkins is taken in more and more by the acclaimed genius.

Continue: Genius Trailer

Finding Dory Trailer

Since Nemo and his father were reunited, the residents living in the coral off the great barrier reef have been the best of friends but Dory keeps on finding herself questioning her past. Now, everyone's favourite forgetful fish is about to set out on a mission to find her own parents.

As Nemo and Marlin are both all too aware of Dory's lack of oceanly experience, they feel that accompanying her on her mission is the only way to make sure she's safe. The two little clown fish and the blue tang soon find themselves in water that they're unfamiliar with.

Dory's search takes her to new locations outside of the ocean too, whilst at the Monterey Marine Life Institute the forgetful fish meets up with some friends - new and old.

Continue: Finding Dory Trailer

Money Monster Trailer

If you're looking for news on what stocks to buy, you switch on the TV and watch Lee Gate's show - he's the most popular presenter on the Financial News Network and is full of good tips for his viewers but what happens when one the stocks he hypes up mysteriously crashes out it leaves some of his ex-viewers penniless.

Kyle Budwell was one of those people when Kyle believes he has no other option, he takes Lee and his production team hostage live on TV. Between the presenter and his producer (Patty Fenn) they must find a way to satisfy both their captor and the special forces put on standby who are ready to storm the set.

Money Monster sees Julia Roberts and George Clooney team up once again and also sees Jodie Foster make a return to directing after her 2011 film The Beaver.

Finding Dory - Teaser Trailer

Dory, everyones favourite forgetful fish from Finding Nemo is back and it looks like she might have finally remembered something! In the long-awaited follow-up to the 2003 animated classic, Dory takes center stage as she sets off on an adventure of a lifetime, with some familiar friends in tow.

Set six months after Finding Nemo, amnesiac blue tang Dory is suffering from a case of sleep swimming that leads her to a life-changing revelation. For the first time in her life, Dory begins to recall her childhood memories and even her long-lost parents.

With a faint recollection of something about "the jewel of Monterey, California”, Dory sets out to finally find her family, accompanied by her friend Nemo and his father Marlin. Travelling to the Monterey Marine Life Institute, Dory soon finds some new companions, Bailey, a white beluga whale, Destiny, a whale shark and Hank the octopus, who become her guides as she sets out to discover her past.

Continue: Finding Dory - Teaser Trailer

Pride Trailer

During the UK miners strike between 1984 and 1985, working families are in desperate need of support. They're feeling victimised and abandoned by society as threats over their livelihood remain imminent. But they're not the only ones feeling ostracised in their own country and that's how the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign was born. Homophobia is rife in the UK, with the National Union of Mineworkers even refusing help from the LGSM campaigners for fear of how people may see them. Instead, they take their support to a small town in Wales where the majority of workers there are miners. In an extraordinary show of acceptance in an unlikely era, the town allows their new supporters to raise funds for their village. The townspeople may be humorously ignorant about life as a homosexual, but they're judging no longer.

Continue: Pride Trailer

Prince Harry Just Slept In A Fridge. Yep, He Did That.

By Michael West in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 17 September 2013

Prince Harry Alexander Skarsgard Dominic West

Prince Harry slept in a fridge, but it's not just another one of his stunts.

You may have thought we were going to report on Prince Harry getting home from a night out in an exotic location and bedding down in a fridge to cool off, but fear not, it's not another one of the royal's famous stunts - well, it is sort of.

The 29-year-old is set to race with a team of injured British servicemen and women against the United States and Commonwealth groups in November - though this is no ordinary race. In temperatures of minus 35C with wind speeds of 45mphs, the teams will trek across the South Pole this winter.

Patron of the Walking With The Wounded charity, Harry spent the night in a giant freezer this week to prepare for the gruelling conditions in Antarctica.

Continue reading: Prince Harry Just Slept In A Fridge. Yep, He Did That.

Brits Take The Lead! 2013 Sees America Ship In Overseas Talent

By Holly Williams in Movies / TV / Theatre on 19 July 2013

Idris Elba Henry Cavill Chiwetel Ejiofor Benedict Cumberbatch Daniel Day Lewis Andrew Garfield Tom Hiddleston Dominic West Ben Barnes Max Irons Nicholas Hoult Aaron Johnson

The biggest Hollywood blockbusters of the past and coming months cast British talent in leading roles.

It used to be that British actors were traditionally cast by Hollywood filmmakers as villains; in endless kids' Disney flicks we'd hear exaggeratedly posh English voices coming out of the most evil of witches ('Snow White'), scary giant octopuses ('The Little Mermaid') and murderous lions ('The Lion King'), and even the creators of some of the biggest blockbusters such as 'Die Hard' and 'The Silence Of The Lambs' scoured the UK for the perfect sinister accent.

However, now the Brits are playing the good guys with a surge of overseas talent showcasing their well-practised foreign accents over the past few years - even one of the most American flicks of 2012, Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln' cast London born Daniel Day-Lewis as the iconic US President. Here are our four biggest British stars that have been making their mark in Hollywood with seminal roles over the past and coming months.

Idris Elba

Continue reading: Brits Take The Lead! 2013 Sees America Ship In Overseas Talent

No More Mr Bean: Rowan Atkinson A Revelation In 'Quatermaine's Terms'

By Michael West in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 30 January 2013

Rowan Atkinson Dominic West

Rowan Atkinson, the British actor best known for his comic turns in Johnny English, Blackadder and Mr Bean, has received astonishingly good reviews for his first serious stage role in 25 years. Atkinson, 58, plays the central character St John Quatermaine in Simon Gray's 'Quartermaine's Terms', about a hapless and lonely English language teacher working at a Cambridge school in the early 1960s.

The Guardian's theatre critic Michael Billington singled out the Blackadder star for particular praise, saying Atkinson, "reminds us that he is a highly capable actor." Charles Spencer of The Daily Telegraph awarded the play five stars, writing, "A great play, beautifully directed and acted by an outstanding cast - but it is also an evening tinged with sadness." Speaking about his unlikely return to the stage, Atkinson told Radio Four's Front Row programme, "I don't like the idea of just having a stab at things. I'd like to play any part that I feel as though I could play well." The play's director, Richard Eyre, said that his leading man could star in "almost anything." The comedy star made a high profile appearance at the Olympics Opening Ceremony in July last year, where he led The London Symphony Orchestra as the hapless Mr Bean.

Revered playwright Simon Gray died in 2008 aged 71. His last play to enjoy success was the West End revival of Butley, starring Dominic West, though he is also known for his memoirs The Smoking Diaries.

Continue reading: No More Mr Bean: Rowan Atkinson A Revelation In 'Quatermaine's Terms'

RECAP: The Hour Series 2, Episode 1, Dominic West Returns

By Contributor in Movies / TV / Theatre on 15 November 2012

Dominic West Peter Capaldi Ben Whishaw

Dominic West and The Hour returned to television screens in the UK last night (November 14) as the show continued to struggle to move away from comparisons to US drama Mad Men.

Set around the fictional news show The Hour, series two episode one saw Dominic West reprise his arrogant character Hector Madden, whose levels of self-confidence had gone through the roof since finally being made presenter of the show. The first episode sees him as a full blown national celebrity, hanging out in West End clubs and being snapped cavorting with an array of girls; this is set against a back drop of rising crime rate and political unrest, with a government under spending on the police and effectively leaving people to fend for themselves. Truly the environment is ripe for a man of Madden’s callousness to rise to the top.

A new addition to the cast though has potential to steal the limelight in future episodes, with Peter Capaldi joining the team as the new head of news Randall Brown, with many hoping he can bring about change in a news room that’s seen Madden’s ego take precedent. His character’s chemistry with foreign desk editor Lix Storm certainly suggested there was more to come from those two and offered a break away from the scene setting taking place with Madden. There was a lack of Ben Whishaw as Freddie Lyon though; he was fired at the end of the last season as The Hour was taken off air and for the first half of the episode he isn’t involved at all.

Continue reading: RECAP: The Hour Series 2, Episode 1, Dominic West Returns

The Awakening Review

By Rich Cline

Good

A nifty twist on the standard ghost story, this British period drama starts extremely well and then slips into overwrought melodrama. And while the plot feels a little too gimmicky, at least it's complex enough to hold our interest.

In 1921 England, Florence (Hall) makes a fortune debunking fake psychics who claim to talk to the ghosts of Brits who died from war and flu over the previous decade. Her latest challenge is to solve a mystery at a private school in Cumbria, working with teacher Robert (West) and matron Maud (Staunton).

Rumour has it that the ghost of a schoolboy haunts the house, so Florence sets out to find out what's really going on. But she has her scepticism shaken to the core by some genuinely bizarre events.

Continue reading: The Awakening Review

The Awakening Trailer

After the traumatic events of the First World War, many devastated people are turning to the supernatural, in particular, the ghosts of loved ones. Unfortunately, many of the grief stricken are being conned by swindlers looking to make quick money. Florence Cathcart is a woman who exposes these frauds for what they really are. Her book on the subject is a bestseller, making her well known all over the country.

Continue: The Awakening Trailer

Johnny English Reborn Review

By Rich Cline

Good

After the painfully unfunny 2003 original, a franchise was highly unlikely. And yet the spoof spy is back, and this film actually has several hilarious set pieces. It's not hugely consistent or clever, but this one's at least amusing.

After a disastrous mission in Mozambique, disgraced spy Johnny English (Atkinson) joined a Himalayan monastery. But MI7 boss Pegasus (Anderson) calls him back into service, and soon he stumbles into a nefarious plan to assassinate China's prime minister. But he's also of course causing havoc. Now the lead suspect, only the agency's sexy shrink Kate (Pike) and his sidekick Tucker (Kaluuya) still have faith in him. And as the murderous plot unfurls at a mountain-top Swiss hideaway, English makes a daring attempt to save the world and clear his name.

Continue reading: Johnny English Reborn Review

John Carter Trailer

Civil War veteran John Carter wakes up in a strange, barren land with no idea of where he is. He soon discovers that he has been transported to the populated Barsoom, which is more commonly known as the planet Mars. He becomes involved in a massive conflict on the planet, with civilisation on Barsoom dying as a result. The beautiful Princess Dejah Thoris tells John that fate has brought him here and that the population and existence of Barsoom depends on him, which John reluctantly accepts.

Continue: John Carter Trailer

300 Review

By Sean O'Connell

Excellent

Everything old is new again in 300, director Zack Snyder's account of the barbaric Battle of Thermopylae, a film that is ridiculously stylish and commendably substantive. I expected the former (Snyder's source material is a graphic novel from cult hero Frank Miller) and was delighted by the latter, as 300 winds up being far more original than I thought possible.

Like Robert Rodriguez in Sin City, Snyder employs cutting-edge visual technology and green-screen effects to essentially photocopy Miller's acclaimed work of the same name. Because Miller's graphic novels have been fountains of inspiration for a handful of recent directors, his style has become overly identifiable. Splotches of crimson (usually blood) stain sun-dried backdrops as impossibly chiseled warriors fight long past their dying breath. That's 300 in a nutshell, though Snyder's tight epic additionally bathes in every tired cliché of the warrior genre, yet somehow makes it all seem fresh.

Continue reading: 300 Review

300 Trailer

300
Trailer

300, one of the highlights of the Berlin Film Festival, had its world premiere last night and received a standing ovation in the sold out Berlinale Palast. The film inspired by the work of graphic novelist Frank Miller, was attended by director Zack Snyder and cast members Gerard Butler (King Leonidas) and Rodrigo Santoro (Xerxes).

300 is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite against their Persian enemy, drawing a line in the sand for democracy. The film brings Miller’s (Sin City) acclaimed graphic novel to life by combining live action with virtual backgrounds that capture his distinct vision of this ancient historic tale.

Hannibal Rising Trailer

In Red Dragon we learned who he was. In Silence Of The Lambs we learned how he did it. Now comes the most chilling chapter in the life of Hannibal Lecter - the one that answers the most elusive question of all - why?

Continue: Hannibal Rising Trailer

Rock Star Review

By Norm Schrager

Good

In his short career, Mark Wahlberg has been most effective when playing characters full of naïve sincerity. In Boogie Nights, The Yards, and even Three Kings, his talent is in making the audience believe he's a good guy with a lot of heart, just trying his best. That honest hopefulness works well for him in Rock Star, a generally entertaining tale of an 80s heavy metal superfan who suddenly becomes his favorite band's lead singer. The problem with the film lies in director Stephen Herek's inability to take advantage of the strengths that Wahlberg displays.

The story is loosely based on metal icons Judas Priest, who, in 1997, replaced singer Rob Halford with an actual fan (so tell me, how would one actually know if Judas Priest replaced a band member?) Wahlberg, as Steel Dragon fan Chris Cole, is just brimming with dedication -- he works hard as a copy machine repairman, busts his ass in his Steel Dragon cover band, tells his parents he loves them, and has a long relationship with his girlfriend/best friend/manager (Jennifer Aniston, still underrated by Hollywood). After being booted from his band for taking things too seriously, Chris gets a call from the real Steel Dragon, who are interested in his pipes. Just like that, he's the new guy out front.

Continue reading: Rock Star Review

A Midsummer Night's Dream Review

By Rob Blackwelder

OK

I've always seen "A Midsummer Night's Dream" as one of Shakespeare's daffier comedies -- what with the fairies and all -- so this film version, adapted by director Michael Hoffman ("One Fine Day," "Restoration"), came as something of a surprise because it takes itself so seriously.

Hoffman seems to hold the Bard's less jestful observations on amour ("The course of true love never did run smooth") in higher regard than his saucy slapstick of miscommunication.

The laughs are definitely present, but they're subdued as two pairs of young sweethearts steal away into the forest (of 19th Century Tuscany in this adaptation) trying to escape the consequences of an arranged marriage, and rush headlong and unknowingly into the domain of impishly interfering immortals.

Continue reading: A Midsummer Night's Dream Review

28 Days Review

By Rob Blackwelder

Good

Director Betty Thomas' name in the opening credits of "28 Days" came as a big relief leading in to what looked like a soft-pedaled, politically corrected comedy about a happy-go-unlucky drunk -- played by button-cute Sandra Bullock -- wise-cracking her way through rehab.

It was reassuring to see that the woman holding the reins was a filmmaker who certainly knows how to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. I mean, if she could make Howard Stern not only presentable but borderline sentimental (and without a hint of saccharine whitewash) in "Private Parts," surely a touchy subject like alcoholism is safe in her hands.

And so it is. Striking a sure-footed balance between its addiction woe and impudent humor, Thomas isn't afraid to scoff at twelve-steppers and include jests of questionable taste while still pulling off a story of a woman's difficult personal journey toward sobriety.

Continue reading: 28 Days Review

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