Knocked Up / Superbad

Having recently been introduced to these two films, amongst the major successes in a bumper year of off-beat American comedy in 2007, it was heartening to see that American teen/ 20-something comedy is finally growing up.

Just when we thought the Ferrell/Wilson/Stiller gang was hitting its zenith, along comes the Apatow/Rogen/Goldberg crew to steal their thunder. Of the two films, Knocked Up is undoubtedly superior. It has heart where Superbad just has head (in all senses of the word), and manages to create a far more sympathetic collection of protagonists.

The fat/curly-haired anti-heroes (Seth Rogan - pictured - and Jonah Hill) of both films represent something of a new wave of American comedic leading man - although they undoubtedly have Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly to thanks for setting the precedent. What these chubby charmers achieve is an overhaul of the traditional casting of American 'dude' comedy. The down-to-earth, witty 'not-quite-nerds' are a new breed of comedy character, owing much to the Marx brothers in that the whole premise of their comedy is founded on interplay. Witty lines happily sit beside the ever-familiar nob-gags, and well-roundedness applies to their emotional make-up as much as it does to their waist-lines.

These are the products of a post-pop America. A generation of young men grown weary with high-school stereotypes yet helpless to resist them. But the use of the phrase 'young men' is significant here - for the women hardly get a look in. There is still a sexist core in both of these films that leaves one questioning when it is that these all-male production teams will wake up and smell the oestrogen. The nerds and jocks have been allowed to mature, but the cheerleaders remain shaking their pom-poms at the side. A depressing reflection of a country still riddled with ultra-conservative values and under-currents of religiosity.

Meet The Spartans - The Worst Film Ever Made?

I'm going to cut to the chase. Meet The Spartans is 78 minutes of complete and total, unmitigated shit. Quite how the writers (dreaded spoof-movie 'gurus' Friedberg and Seltzer) manage to achieve such levels of buttock-twinging awfulness is a mystery. If you want to experience the film without forking out the price of a cinema ticket, simply ask a friend to say "isn't 300 really gay" and "boobs" over and over again. Trust me, you'll save yourself much time, effort and cash. In fact, what am I saying? If you really want to replicate the experience of watching this film, ask your friend to hit your nut-sack with a tennis racket for 2 hours continuously - the only difference is that this experience would be slightly funnier.

I'm all in favour of spoofs and love a good boob-joke as much as the next man, but here there is nothing to induce even the faintest of wry smiles. Compared to the likes of Hotshots, Airplane! or Shaun of the Dead, classic spoofs all of them, this looks like a student film shot by a group of drunks who've all had humour labotomies. Sean Maguire (clearly cast due to his impressive back-catalogue of Grange Hill, Eastenders and Holby City) gives the worst comedic performance I've ever witnessed on celluloid, whilst Carmen Electra looks and acts every inch the desperate, leather-faced old slag that she is. Pop-culture references are shoe-horned in at every opportunity, and none of them hit the mark (or even come close for that matter).

If you do for some reason decide to inflict this film upon yourself, you'll leave the cinema in a state of quiet shock (I was glued to my seat by sheer exasperation until the final credit had rolled). And, oddly enough, you might well come to the conclusion that this film actually says more about the state of American culture than any Oscar-winner ever will.

Anthony Minghella - A Huge Loss To The World Of Entertainment

The news of Anthony Minghella's death came as a huge shock yesterday. He was a magnificent film director, whose hit-rate was almost unrivalled by his British contemporaries. Amongst these contemporaries, perhaps only Richard Curtis and Ridley Scott can lay claim to having as big an influence on the industry as Minghella did.

Considering his credits as a writer/director only stretch to 5 films, he had a remarkable career which spanned mediums, genres and collaborators. His breakthrough film Truly, Madly, Deeply displayed a rare understanding of the human psyche (particularly the female psyche), and his follow-up The English Patient needs no introduction. I studied this great adaptation at University, and considering the complexity of the source material it's a testament to his genius that Minghella was able to construct such a lucid narrative. Apparently his methodology involved reading the book several times through, putting it on a shelf and retreating into isolation to work up the screenplay from memory. This approach, to me, was ground-breaking, and proved that in order for an adaptation to be successful it must have a sense of detachment from it's source.

I never met Minghella but I did attend a seminar given by his brother Dominic quite recently. Dominic, like his brother, was warm, intelligent, funny and generous, and I hope we will see more of his work in the future. But either way, the hole left by his more famous sibling is huge, and his death is a loss to us all.

Two Harry Potter Films For The Price Of One

News that the final Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) will be split into two films should come as no surprise. The 'official' reason given is that the book (over 600 pages in length) is simply too long to pack into a single film. Daniel Radcliffe rather bafflingly suggests that the number of sub-plots in previous books made them easier to adapt into single narratives. "The seventh book doesn't really have any subplots" he recently told the Los Angeles Times, "it's one driving, pounding story from the word go."

Now, are we really supposed to swallow this line that it's merely their passionate affiliation to the story that has 'forced' Warner Bros. to make two films where there could've been one? Is it not clear that this is simply a way of milking a few final millions out of this most generous of cash-cows? The BBC, diplomatic as ever, provides this as a gentle afterthought, suggesting the boost in profits will be an "added benefit" of the two-film strategy. This feels a bit like the film world equivalent of the Iraq war - sold to the public as a noble crusade but in fact this is nothing more that a quest for box-office oil.

Ok, so that might be putting it a little strongly, but I hope you see my point.

Review: Eagle vs Shark

You can see this film in one of two ways; either it's a shameless rip-off of Napoleon Dynamite, or the most originial New Zealand comedy ever made (granted, it's probably the only New Zealand comedy ever made). Personally, I think it would be harsh to accuse this film of overt plagarism - after all, it was most likely conceived of before nerd-god Dynamite was released onto the public conscience. So, leaving that issue aside, what you're left with is a charming, slow-burn off-beat rom-com with stacks of great moments strung together with a weak, if functional plotline.

As the lovers-to-be, Loren Horsley as Lily and Jemaine Clement (of Flight of the Conchords fame) as Jarrod both do a great job. Their physicality is excellent, meaning that often it's the moments of silent comedy which pack a greater punch than the scripted gags. The chemistry between the two may be slightly questionable, but by the end you've been convinced that, however bizarre Lily's obsession with Jarrod may be, at least it appears, by her own cookie standards, genuine. Rom-coms usually always take advantage of the rule whereby from the moment the lovers first set eyes on each other, the audience must just blindly assume that they are meant to be, however implausible it may seem to the rational mind. Eagle vs Shark certainly takes this to the extreme, as from the very first scene Lily appears to have an almost pyschotic obsession with the largely awkward and unlikeable Jarrod.

But still, in a film where almost every character appears to be autistic (and I don't say this with any spurious intent), this kind of structural analysis is perhaps futile.

Review: Juno

If you can imagine a cross between Napoleon Dynamite and Little Miss Sunshine, then you've got Juno. Written by rising star Diablo Cody and directed by Thankyou For Smoking's Jason Reitman, this is the kind of pseudo-indie comedy which has become very popular in Hollywood recently. The brilliance of films such as this and Sideways, the film which arguably started the trend, is that the central character is so well constructed and sympathetic that by the end of the film the entire audience wants to grab them out of the screen and take them home.

This is certainly the case with the titular Juno Macguff, played with relentless charm by Ellen Page. She's a teenager in a 'condition' which has now become familiar for the under-twenties - she's pregnant. But, refreshingly, the film does not condemn her. Instead, it places us firmly by her side throughout the entire process, showing us how much more mature she is than her fellow jocks and cheerleaders, and how such an event can actually bring people closer rather than driving them apart. In a typical narrative Juno would be thrown out the house, have to give birth to the child in difficult conditions but then find that the love she has for her newborn galvanises her to start a new life elsewhere. Not here. I won't give any plot-spoilers but suffice to say most of your expectations are likely to be wrong-footed.

Special mention must go to the supporting cast, particularly Michael Cera and Allison Janney who turn in superb performances. Cera plays Paulie Bleeker, Juno's ever-understanding teenage friend and father of her child. His support never wavers, and serves to highlight the fact that age is no guarantee of maturity (Mark, the 30-something adoptive Dad-to-be is a child by comparison). And as Juno's stepmother Bren, Janney manages to subvert the step-stereotype and show us that this family, however dysfunctional society may label it from the outside, actually has more love at it's core than any of those deemed 'functional'.

In our recent EntsNews survey, asking which film deserved to win best film at the Oscars, Juno came top by a country mile, winning 42% of the vote. Although personally I still think There Will Be Blood was the more deserving winner, it's certainly easy to see why this film has cast such a spell over those who have experienced it.

Review: There Will Be Blood

As the camera presents the postcard-imagery of the Californian desert whilst discordant piano and strings blast out over the audience, it's clear this film is anything but introverted. And yet the entire narrative revolves around one man - oil prospector Daniel Plainview - and his inner struggles with bitterness, loss, anger and alcohol. This is an opera on the subject of psychology, an all-guns-blazing melodrama on the ramifications of greed.

We first glimpse Plainview mining for silver down a hand-picked mineshaft. As he claws at the rock for all he's worth, he seems a man possessed, and certainly the allegory that this is a fallen angel crawling back to hell is apt. Soon his attention turns to oil, and with it a tip (from the enigmatic 'Paul') of where he can find lakes of the stuff beneath a Californian ranch. He duly buys up the ranch, but comes into conflict with Eli, Paul's evangelical twin-brother, who takes a very different view of Plainview's intentions. As Plainview builds his rig, Eli builds his church on the opposing hill, the implication being that this is little more than willy-waving.

Both the Church and the oil prospectors are condemned in equal measure by director Paul Thomas Anderson. The message here is clear: the raping of America, both by money-men and churchmen, have caused irreparable damage. As revealed in the brilliant final scene, Plainview and Eli have far more in common than one might first imagine, and the assertion of both of them that money is the holy grail of human happiness is well wide of the mark.

As Plainview, Daniel Day-Lewis gives, as you'd expect, a powerhouse performance. What makes him so great is his unswerving commitment to the characters he plays. You know that when he winces, he is feeling genuine pain, and when he's dog-tired, he's dog-tired. There's something in his guttural roars that is truly 'from hell', yet his sinister charm works as well on the audience as it does on the ranch-owners he's looking to exploit. This is a lesson in film-making, evoking obvious comparisons with films such as Citizen Kane, Gone With The Wind, Chinatown and Giant. There is something Shakesperean about the narrative that makes it all the more compelling - a reminder that the roots of modern-day capitalism are as tragic as anything the bard could dream up. Indeed, for me, the title provides an eerie reminder that the century which followed this black gold-rush was the bloodiest in human history.

For my rant about the UK release date of this film, click here.

Best UK Indie Cinemas?

I'm very lucky in that my local cinema here in London is the Peckham Plex, arguably the best independent multiplex cinema in the UK (ok, so I may be slightly biased...). When I was at uni in Bristol, both the Watershed and the Arnolfini served up great programmes of arthouse film, and when I was a post-grad living in Newcastle, the Tyneside cinema was a second home.

Many blogs are bewailing the death of the independent cinema, drowning up in a sea of commercialism and over-priced popcorn. However, there are still many of them around, from the Duke of York's in Brighton (where I saw a fantastic live-score version of Nosferatu), to the Filmhouse in Edinburgh. In London, the Prince Charles continues to show a varied and commercial programme whilst keeping ticket prices as low as £1.50 (for members), although in order to cut costs it often receives films after they've done the multiplex rounds. However, in a world where the gap between cinema and DVD release times is narrowing to a wafer-thin margin, I'm not sure this matters so much anyway.

So, for me the leader of the pack is the 'Peck-Plex', which maintains a balance of showing early releases and still charging much less than Odeon or Vue. But I'd be eager to hear your thoughts on this - what's your local indie, and is it worth me venturing outside of SE15 to experience it?!

Links:

Peckham Plex
Prince Charles Cinema
Duke of York's Brighton
Tyneside Cinema
Filmhouse, Edinburgh
Watershed, Bristol
Arnolfini, Bristol

Cloverfield Review

If Hollywood can be relied upon to produce anything it’s a disaster movie, and despite months of internet hype behind Cloverfield it was difficult to see how this offering would differ. Nevertheless, from the start things were unlike past attempts. Filmed from the perspective of Hudson Platt (T. J Miller), Cloverfield depicts the devastation caused by the untimely arrival of a giant monster in Manhattan. The reasons for the creature’s arrival are unclear, and it’s this fact, coupled with the Blair Witch-esque camera angles that give Cloverfield a sense of realness that it’s previous competitors have missed. Director Matt Reeves decided not to go with a star studded cast but instead opted for the lower-budget fresh talent of Lizzy Caplan and Michael Stahl David, something that he surely does not regret because both deliver solid performances.

Déjà vu is evoked at certain times (Godzilla anyone?), but nevertheless Cloverfield brings a certain intelligence that previous attacks on New York City have lacked. What is particularly striking about the film is the sense that you are part of what goes on, being embroiled in the chaos and dizziness seems to bring on a real sense of nausea. Add the clever juxtaposition of a past and present relationship by means of a video camcorder, and you’ve possibly pushed this genre to the limit of what it can achieve. Critics and commentators have drawn parallels between the unknown monster and the terrorist threat that New York faces but this sort of conclusion gives the movie a facet that it doesn’t possess. Instead it’s better to view Cloverfield as what it actually is, namely a cracking Saturday night at the cinema. So not quite a modern classic but well worth a watch.

By Lee Crouch

BAFTAS Reaction

So, Atonement was the best film of the last year eh? Well, sorry chaps but I beg to differ. Call me hyper-cynical, but I propose that every single other nomination was actually a stronger contender for the award (There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, The Lives of Others and American Gangster are all excellent, engaging films, strong stories told with technical mastery). However, this is the British Academy awards and I suppose we have to expect a certain Uk-biase. This biase, however, was certainly not in evidence in other categories, with Atonement only receiving 2 awards out of 14 nominations. Surely something doesn't quite add up here? How can a film that has failed to win in 12 of the categories it was nominated then be crowned the 'best'? It's like giving someone a gold medal as a consolation prize. Nevermind, there were certainly some deserving winners amongst the pack - notably Daniel-Day Lewis (I pity anyone that finds themselves nominated in a category with him) and This Is England (which beat Atonement to Best British Film!).

The night was of course never going to be quite the self-congratulatory schmooze-fest it has been on previous occasssions, with Heath Ledger's recent death and the Hollywood Writer's Strike both providing stark reminders that this is an industry riddled with troubles. But still, you can always bank on 'Dickie' Attenborough to restore some pride - the old headmaster presented Anthony Hopkins with a well-deserved lifetime fellowship award, dropping a few prize names in the process (Charlie Chaplin, Laurence Olivier and Alfred Hitchcock are all previous recipients). The mention of these great auteurs reminded me of the way the film industry has changed in it's relatively young life. As proved last night, projects of passion from mavericks on the industry fringes are increasingly usurping the studio blockbusters in the hearts of audiences and critics alike. And this can only be a good thing.

Winner's List:

THE ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
ANTHONY HOPKINS

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA
BARRY WILKINSON

BEST FILM
ATONEMENT – Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster

BEST BRITISH FILM
THIS IS ENGLAND – Mark Herbert/Shane Meadows

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film
MATT GREENHALGH (Writer) – Control

DIRECTOR
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Joel Coen/Ethan Coen

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
JUNO – Diablo Cody

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY – Ronald Harwood

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Quirin Berg/Max Wiedemann/Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

ANIMATED FILM
RATATOUILLE – Brad Bird

LEADING ACTOR
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – There Will Be Blood

LEADING ACTRESS
MARION COTILLARD – La Vie en Rose

SUPPORTING ACTOR
JAVIER BARDEM – No Country for Old Men

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
TILDA SWINTON – Michael Clayton

MUSIC
LA VIE EN ROSE – Christopher Gunning

CINEMATOGRAPHY
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Roger Deakins

EDITING
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Christopher Rouse

PRODUCTION DESIGN
ATONEMENT – Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer

COSTUME DESIGN
LA VIE EN ROSE – Marit Allen

SOUND
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Kirk Francis/Scott Millan/David Parker/Karen Baker Landers/Per Hallberg

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE GOLDEN COMPASS – Michael Fink/Bill Westenhofer/Ben Morris/Trevor Wood

MAKE UP & HAIR
LA VIE EN ROSE – Jan Archibald/Didier Lavergne

SHORT ANIMATION
THE PEARCE SISTERS – Jo Allen/Luis Cook

SHORT FILM
DOG ALTOGETHER – Diarmid Scrimshaw/Paddy Considine

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
SHIA LABEOUF

Christopher Lee's Lessons In Delusion

If you ever want a really good laugh, watch The Many Faces of Christopher Lee. This is the hammiest example of an actor attempting to explain his craft that I've ever seen. Those familiar with Nigel Planer's creation Nicholas Craig will see many similarities here. Lee comes across as not only pompous, arrogant and lacking in all humility, but also as incredibly stupid and perhaps a little bit racist. Here's one of the clips that appears in the interview, of him singing a completely god-awful song about alcohol. He introduces this in the film by saying "I sang it as an opera, as a pop song and as a musical. I think my Grandmother (who was an opera singer) would have been proud."

Christopher, I beg to differ.



To see the full film in all it's glory, here are the links:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Burton/Depp Poll Results

Thanks to all of you who voted in the recent poll, asking which of the Burton/Depp films was your favourite. The results were as follows:

Edward Scissorhands: 35%
Sleepy Hollow: 21%
Sweeney Todd: 14%
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory: 14%
Ed Wood: 7%
Corpse Bride: 7%

Whilst it's unsurprising that the seminal Edward Scissorhands topped the poll, I was quite surprised by Sleepy Hollow's popularity. Perhaps it's due to the fact it had a much more high-profile release than say, Ed Wood, which while arguably a better film, still remains in relative obscurity.

Sweeney Todd Title Sequence Nominated For Best Film And TV Graphics By The British Animation Awards

Th1ng’s Sweeney Todd title sequence has been nominated for Best Film and TV Graphics by the British Animation Awards (BAA). The awards recognise the most memorable examples of animation in the UK and will be held on March 13th 2008.

The Sweeney Todd title sequence is a narrative led combination of live action and animation and was directed by Th1ng’s title director, Richard Morrison and design director, Shay Hamias.

Morrison, who has previously worked with Tim Burton on the memorable opening titles to Batman, said he was delighted at the news and hopeful that the sequence will help the Oscar nominated movie to be a major success in 2008.

“The making of the sequence involved an army of CG and compositing experts and took over three months. We are delighted that this has been recognised by a leading industry panel and look forward to the awards gala”.

Living up to the Burton legacy, the title sequence opens as a suspenseful and eerie narrative with blood oozing pictures. It foreshadows the film’s action and establishes the mood and visual character of the plot.

The sequence, a mini movie of its own, has initially functioned as a promotional trailer to the movie.

Dominic Buttimore, Th1ng’s executive producer said: “The success of this title sequence has once again brought Richard Morrison’s name to the top of the title directors’ league table”.

Read the EntsNews review of Sweeney Todd here

The Best War Films As Voted For By The Armed Forces

There is no better judge of a war film than a soldier. And with that in mind, a new survey by British Forces Broadcasting Service Television (BFBS TV) has revealed the favourite war films as voted for by members of the armed forces. The winner was Zulu, the classic 1964 film starring Michael Caine. The results are quite telling when compared with Channel 4's recent poll of the greatest 100 war films - voted for, of course, by joe public. They only voted Zulu a lowly 8th, while The Cruel Sea (ranked 7th by the soldiers) only managed to scrape 41st.

Much of these differences can be put down to patriotic feelings amongst the forces (six of the top ten films are British). However, it's also noticeable that 'arty' classics Apocalypse Now and Schindler's List are down at 13th and 16th respectively. The implication is clearly that battlefield realism is paramount among the qualities appreciated by the soldiers, and certainly the appearances of Saving Private Ryan and Full Metal Jacket in the top 5 endorse this.

It's also good to see The Longest Day make the top 10. Personally, I feel this to be one of the finest war-films ever made, both in terms of scope and execution, and rarely does it feature highly in critical polls. It's testament to the lasting appeal of films such as this and Ice Cold in Alex that, even though most of those surveyed were not born when they were released, they still feature prominently in the consciences of today's armed forces.

The full list is as follows:

1. Zulu (1964)
2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
3. A Bridge Too Far (1977)
4. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
5. The Great Escape (1963)
6. Platoon (1986)
7. The Cruel Sea (1953)
8. The Longest day (1962)
9. Enemy At The Gates (2001)
10. Ice Cold In Alex (1958)
11. We Were Soldiers (2002)
12. Black Hawk Down (2001)
13. Apocalypse Now (1979)
14. Das Boot (1981)
15. Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
16. Schindler’s List (1993)
17. Cross of Iron (1977)
18. The Dam Busters (1954)
19. Where Eagles Dare (1968)
20. Battle of Britain (1969)

Del Toro To Direct Hobbit Adaptation

Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro appears to have been confirmed as the director of the two forthcoming films of The Hobbit. His entry on IMDB certainly leaves little doubt as to the fact he will be at the helm.

Whilst an undoubtedly hugely talented director, he has a tough act to follow, and he'll have a hard job convincing the army of Peter Jackson-worshippers that he is equal to the task. Jackson showed such a detailed and passionate understanding of The Lord of the Rings trilogy that he is seen by many as Tolkien's representative on (middle) earth. But, as Avram Grant has proven, you don't have to please the masses in order to get good results! Personally I think del Toro is a great choice, and it will be interesting to see someone else's interpretation. With his eye for the fantastical and his ability to create such rich on-screen atmosphere, del Toro is the outstanding candidate for the job, and New Line have shown great boldness in their decision.

Sweeney Todd

Tim Burton adapts Stephen Sondheim. A master of film meets a master of the stage – what can possibly go wrong? Well, on this evidence, not much. Watching Sondheim on the big screen has several things going for it. Firstly, you can hear every last impeccable lyric in full-surround sound, reminding you of the reason he is the greatest exponent of the stage musical genre. Unlike watching Phantom Of The Opera (one of the most ball-shrinking experiences I’ve suffered in a cinema), where the music hits you like a wall of over-ripe stilton, Sondheim’s songs very much follow the grain, and only on a couple of occasions (the very first line being one of them) was I forced to wince.

One of the major make-or-break elements for critics of Sweeney Todd has been the casting of Johnny Depp. Whilst I certainly agree with the assertion that their creative relationship has probably now hit the glass ceiling, I nevertheless feel that in this case, it works well. Depp’s take on Willy Wonka was OTT and lacked comic timing, but here he manages to capture all the pain and bitterness of the infamous barber whilst only changing his facial expression once (ok, maybe twice). As his partner-in-grime Mrs Lovett, Helena Bonham-Carter is sublime, although her physical similarity to Depp is at times alarming, particularly when one considers that her partner is Burton, who in turn has a total obsession with Depp. Anyway, this disturbing ménage-a-trois aside, Sweeney Todd is an assured adaptation of a made-for-film story. Throw in one of Alan Rickman’s best performances in years, a great cameo by Sacha Baron Cohen and a child-star who can actually act, and you’ve got a mixture that tastes almost as good as Mrs Lovett’s.

There Will Be Blood (...But Not Till February)

Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, has taken several top awards from the National Society of Film Critics (for full story click here). However, I for one had barely heard of the film due to the ridiculous discrepancy between US and UK release dates. It's old news for Uncle Sam, where it was first glimpsed back in September, whereas we Brits won't get a piece of the action till...wait for it... February the 15th!!!!

Yes, I realise that this is a situation that has gone on since celluloid began, but surely it's time to start redressing the balance? In a digital age it's simply inexcusable to stagger international release dates to this degree. If anyone has any further thoughts as to the (presumably commercial) advantages of doing this, I'd be grateful to hear them.

Here endeth the rant.

Odeon Reports Record Year For UK Cinema

The UK Box Office is celebrating almost 8% growth in takings in 2007, as the popularity of cinema hits a record high in recent years. The news comes as thousands decided to ditch Christmas traditions and instead grab a film and a box of popcorn with family and friends this Boxing Day.

While one in ten planned a trip to the cinema over the Christmas period, the release of I Am Legend took over £2 million on Boxing Day alone – beating recent box office records for a UK opening on this day. ODEON itself welcomed 187,905 guests to its cinemas up and down the country on Boxing Day, a 60% increase on last year.

Likewise New Year revellers chose to nurse their hangovers with a film as the box office saw a growth of 25% compared to New Years Day 2006. With 111 cinemas nationwide, ODEON saw admissions increase by 10% over the two-week Christmas period with a total of 2.4 million opting for a trip to the cinema.

Rupert Gavin, CEO of ODEON and UCI Cinema Group, said: “This is the perfect way to end what has been an extremely strong year for UK cinema. The last weekend in July saw box office records smashed with the release of Transformers and The Simpsons Movie and now thanks to I Am Legend, Enchanted, Golden Compass, St.Trinian’s and Alvin and the Chipmunks we have had our the biggest Boxing Day and New Year’s Day box office.

“Likewise we’re ever optimistic about 2008, which helped by a number of hotly-anticipated films, is set to be another blockbuster year.”

A poll of over 1,200 ODEON film fanatics found that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Indiana Jones are set to be the must-see films of 2008, closely followed by family favourite Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the latest Batman instalment, The Dark Knight , and of course the imminent return of James Bond.

www.odeon.co.uk

Ghostly Goings On At Student Film Awards

Two friends and Salford University graduates went head-to-head on Wednesday 4 December when their film projects were short-listed for the Royal Television Society North West student awards.

On the night it was The Park by the BA Television and Radio graduate Nick Gillespie which finished ahead of Billy Wright made by his friend Ed Lilly, but both went away happy in the end as the two friends had helped each other out in the production of their films.

Nick’s film, which was successful in the Undergraduate Drama category, is a horror story based on a legend about a ghostly lady who is said to haunt Marbury Park in his home town of Northwich.

Since graduating, Nick has gone on to become a freelance camera operator and has worked on a number of projects including a new film of his own based around the Story of Little Red Riding Hood and work for Steve Coogan’s production company Baby Cow. Ed, meanwhile, has started his own production company producing music videos.

As a result of his success in the North West region, Nick will be taking The Park to compete in the national RTS Student Awards which are held next May in London.

One of Nick’s tutors at Salford, Channel M producer Paul Barron, was responsible for getting the entries into the competition. He said: “Both Nick and Ed were great assets to us on the Channel M project at Salford, so I had no reservations in putting their own films forward for RTS consideration. I had a gut feeling they would make a good impression. It was just a shame that they were both nominated in the same category, being such good friends, but they can both take pride in their achievements. I’m delighted for both of them, and feel sure they will find even greater success in the future”.

Nick, whose win contributes to over a decade of Salford success at the Royal Television Society awards, was honoured to just be nominated. He said: “Everyone involved with the film worked really hard and I suppose it’s a bit of a cliché, but I really wasn’t expecting to win. The whole night was a bit of a blur and having a chance to go to the national awards in London next year is very exciting.”

The Future Of Movie Making: What You See Is What You Internet

The internet is the inevitable way forward. Devolution not revolution.

The rise of the Independent film-maker against cinema’s Goliath (Hollywood) has been held up by the huge costs involved in commissioning, producing and distributing high-quality films. However, significant progress made in digital technology means that prohibitive cost need no longer be an obstacle to future independent film-makers. Devolution Digital (www.devolutionfilms.com) is a new website that was launched during this year’s MIPCOM event in Cannes and provides a platform for budding scriptwriters to upload their scripts onto a global medium to be rated and possibly selected to be made into high-quality feature length films using inexpensive digital filming, production and distribution methods. If you are a budding film maker without a budget then Devolution Digital could see your script made into a commercial success.

The founder of Devolution Digital, Graeme Ballard, explained that his vision for the site was simple – “The internet and advances in digital technology mean that ordinary people, wherever they are and whatever their background, can upload their stories, scripts and home-made movies and show them to the world. Devolutionfilms.com is designed to attract and identify the very best scripts from around the world and to then turn these into potentially award-winning independent features at a tiny fraction of typical Hollywood production costs. For those people who think they might just be the next Stephen Spielberg, or perhaps a new Pedro Almodovar, Devolutionfilms.com is their best chance of being discovered.”

There are three straightforward steps to the Devolutionfilms.com process. First, people that join the site will be able to judge and vote for scripts they and others upload, and they will also be able to suggest changes to storylines and make amendments to scripts, rather like on the hugely popular fanfiction sites (see fanfiction.net). Devolution Digital also employs a team of experienced staff writers to help with the judging process and to assist in maintaining the quality of the scripts submitted by the public. Once the scripts have been judged by the public and staff writers, then the process of turning winning scripts into feature films or a series of shorts can begin - using entirely digital technology. (Here of course the normal tax incentives for film-making will apply which helps to drive down the costs further.)

The final stage is to distribute the finished films or shorts on mobile tv platforms, 3G, the internet and DVD using Devolution’s own digital presence and that of its strategic partners, such as the telcos and existing internet content distributors.

One of the significant advantages of this model is that investors in movie production who are not normally able to invest in large capital expenditure films can spread their risk over a portfolio of smaller-budget movies being marketed and filmed concurrently.

Digital film production – further background

The development of technologies such as HDV, (a new recording format that allows for High Definition footage to be recorded onto standard MiniDV cassettes), and advances in editing software and compression makes the whole filmmaking process refreshingly affordable (think Greg Harrison’s award winning Thriller November and Blair Witch Project) yet still maintains a high quality picture.

The increase in interest in User Generated Content media sites such as MySpace and YouTube greatly assist in Devolution Digital’s inexpensive production and distribution methods. Success of online ‘soaps’ such as Bebo’s new hit phenomenon ‘Kate Modern’, indicates that young consumers are adapting their viewing habits and are open to viewing lengthy content online. The statistics also support this idea: in 1980 box office sales made up 55% of a film's revenues, yet now represents only 15%, largely because of the rise of VHS then DVD. Some 25 years on, YouTube now reaches more of the 18-24 male market than MTV, and Harris Interactive found that 32% of frequent YouTube users say they watch less television.

As long as picture quality is maintained, the opportunity to watch films on video iPods and mobile phones has been welcomed by consumers who are able to download content directly from the internet. With under 25’s being the assumed prime mobile consumer, research is beginning to indicate that an older group of innovators feel just as comfortable with modern technology, and those over 50 are also a growing demographic in the digital mix. Such users actively seek out the content they want to watch on their mobile devices and currently there seems to be a serious gap between what they expect from their video mobiles and what the market is currently offering them. Carmen Menegazzi, former head of Columbia TriStar (UK) emphasises that “the ease of use and title availability will make internet distribution the winner in the next decade." Every single advance is on the independent moviemaker's side who can access a platform to make the most of these modern advances with the help of Devolution Digital.