New Man of Steel trailer features giant mechanical spider?
Written by Ivan Radford
Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:41
If you've ever seen Kevin Smith talk about Superman, you'll be very familiar with the words "giant mechanical spider". Producer Jon Peters was working on the reboot Superman Lives and told Smith, who was writing the script, to include a raft of bonkers ideas - from Superman not being able to fly to - most important of all - a showdown with a giant mechanical spider. According to Smith, he had this thing for giant mechanical spiders. Several years later, after that reboot was binned, Wild Wild West came along. The finale? A showdown with a giant mechanical spider.
Fast forward 14 years and Zack Snyder is directing a new reboot of Superman. Scroll to the 1:06 mark in the new Man of Steel trailer and...
Is that a giant mechanical spider? If not, it's something very similar to Pixar's robot that faced Mr. Incredible. Now, scroll to the end of the trailer. Yep, you guessed it.
Man of Steel is out in UK cinemas next month. Read on for the full video.
A Field in England trailer and poster are fascinating stuff
Written by Ivan Radford
Tuesday, 21 May 2013 17:01
There are many reasons to be interested in A Field of England. For me, the fact that it's the very first UK film to be distributed in cinemas, on DVD/Blu-ray, on video on-demand and on the TV channel Film4 all on the same ruddy day is thrilling.
The fact that it's got Reece Shearsmith, Michael Smiley and Julian Barratt in it? That's a bonus. That it's written and directed by Ben Wheatley, of Kill List fame? That's mildly intriguing. That the trailer makes almost no sense, is shot in black and white and set during the Civil War? That's fascinating.
And this new poster? That's the icing on the cake.
A Field in England is out EVERYWHERE on Friday 5th July. Read on for the very first A Field in England trailer.
If you saw Fast & Furious 6 this weekend, you're probably still laughing at the film's craziest set piece, which could be released as a standalone short titled Car vs Plane: The Movie. Flagged up by the trailer right from the off, it's the movie's signature action sequence - and it's completely bonkers. Not because a team of cars chase an about-to-take-off Russian cargo plane down a runway at absurd speeds - but because they continue to do so for 15 flipping minutes.
Which begs the question: how long IS the runway in Fast & Furious 6? After working out the killcount in The Raid last year, we did some movie maths to find the answer, starting with the take-off speed of the Antonov AN-225...
28.75 miles. That's not just the world's longest runway. Unless they were at an airport on another planet - or they kept driving around in a circle - that runway doesn't exist. And, of course, there's always the chance that my timing of 15 minutes is off. They could've been taxiing down that strip for even longer.
28.75 miles. Let's put that into context. Mount Everest is 5.498 miles high. Most airplanes fly at an altitude of 6.82 miles. Felix Baumgartner broke records last year by free-falling to Earth from 24 miles high, right on the "edge of space".
If the runway from Fast & Furious 6 stretched upwards from the planet's surface, it would tower above all of them. And you thought Vin Diesel's flying headbutt was ridiculous.
Needless to say, this is precisely why I love the Fast & Furious movies.
It's hard to have a favourite thing about Fast & Furious. Is it the dreadful dialogue? The sweaty hairless bromance between The Rock and Vin Diesel that sees them whaling on each other like two psychotic baked potatoes? The fact that you could rename the movies "Car vs Boat"? "Car vs Train"? "Car vs Tank"? "Car vs Plane"? The climax of Car vs Plane, which takes place on the world's first never-ending runway?
Nope, my new favourite thing about this truly dreadful franchise - and let's be clear about this: it is dreadful - is the fact that its quality is summed up beautifully by its titles.
I don't mean 2 Fast 2 Furious (the worst title of a sequel ever, rivaled only by Speed 2: Cruise Control), I mean what it's called in Japan, where, for some reason, the names on the poster oddly reflect the level of badness within.
What do they call Fast & Furious 6? Fast Six? Furious Six? No, in Japan they call it Wild Speed: Euro Mission.
Say something enough times and it begins to lose all meaning. The Great Gatsby, adapted from the classic American novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is essentially two and a half hours of people saying the word “Gatsby” over and over again. By the end, it’s a hollow experience.
Director: Justin Lin Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Luke Evans Certificate: 15 Trailer
If you had to bet on one film from 2001 being turned into a franchise, The Fast and the Furious was never going to be top of the list. But here we are 12 years later and Fast & Furious 6 is pumping its engine full of codswallop and showing no signs of stopping. This is a series where characters say things like “You’ve got serious balls” / “I’ve been told” with a straight face. Where they live by a code that gives them two options in life: ride or die. Not eat. Not sleep. Not wash their hands. Ride - or die. So to call Fast & Furious 6 a bad movie almost seems irrelevant. Bad doesn’t even come into it. It’s ride or die. That’s it.
Flowchart: Am I watching a good Matthew McConaughey film?
Written by Ivan Radford
Monday, 13 May 2013 08:22
The warning signs are all there. The blonde hair. The topless torso. The charming smile grinning at you from every poster on the London Underground. Yes, a new Matthew McConaughey film is out in UK cinemas: Mud, directed by Jeff Nichols, the guy who made the superb Take Shelter.
Ever since the McConnaissance began a couple of years ago, the world has been introduced to something both wonderfully exciting and utterly baffling: the existence of good Matthew McConaughey films. Those impressed by the excellent actor's recent turns in Killer Joe or Magic Mike may well be tempted to catch up on his substantial career history. But as anyone who's seen How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days knows, it's a minefield out there - there are tons of bad McConaughey flicks and only a handful of great ones.
So, to help you in your dilemma of whether on not to see Mud (or any of his other films), we present you with our flowchart to answer that all-important question: am I watching a good Matthew McConaughey film?
Print this chart off for future use - then go and see Mud right away.
Still not convinced? Read our Mud review from the Sundance London Film Festival.
Warning: Gravity teaser trailer not suitable for people who like breathing
Written by Ivan Radford
Friday, 10 May 2013 08:32
The teaser trailer for Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity has finally arrived and it's great - full of stunning pictures of earth, silence and George Clooney in a spacesuit.
Gravity is out in UK cinemas on Friday 18th October. Read on to watch the teaser trailer. Just one tiny warning: you may not be breathe for the next minute and a half.
7 possible reasons why Alice Eve takes her clothes off in Star Trek Into Darkness
Written by Ivan Radford
Thursday, 09 May 2013 09:08
Star Trek Into Darkness is out in UK cinemas today and the Internet is already full of reviews desperate to avoid spoilers, lest they reveal a big plot hole or spoil one of the film's many references to older entries in the series. Likewise, there are no doubt countless sites where these same things are being debated and rationalised.
But one major plot point that hasn't been explained is Alice Eve's Dr. Carol, who in one scene strips down to her underwear. It's a moment that stuck out like a sore thumb in the trailer, which the marketing company tried to turn around by making it a source of a viral campaign. Now that's no longer the case, let's play a quick game of spot the unnecessary shot:
Why does this trained scientist suddenly have the urge to divest herself of all vestments? Here are seven possible reasons for Alice Eve taking her clothes off in Star Trek Into Darkness:
“Hey, do you want to watch a hijacking?” isn’t a phrase people tend to say when they’re looking for a fun evening’s entertainment. It’s quite understandable. Because that’s exactly what Tobias Lindholm’s film feels like: watching a hijacking. It’s gripping, horrible, shocking, sad. It’s great. You know, if you like watching hijackings.
