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Marvel's Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher cover art and special features revealed

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Marvel's Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher cover art and special features
After debuting the first trailer earlier this week, Marvel has now released the cover art for Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher, the upcoming animated / anime movie produced by Madhouse (Iron Man: Rise of Technovore), as well as a breakdown of the special features:

- Espionage and Punishment featurette: This featurette looks at the exciting versions of these popular Marvel characters as adapted in this stunning style of anime. From early concept art and storyboards to the final film, all aspects of creating the compelling story of this unique anime feature are explored.

- The Vigilante Vs. The Spy featurette: A look at Marvel's Frank Castle (The Punisher) and Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow). Each of these characters feature dark and complex origins that led them to extreme action and extraordinary lives.

Marvel's Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher is set for release on March 25th with a voice cast that includes Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) as Black Widow and Brian Bloom (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3) as The Punisher.



Eric Rohmer: The Forgotten Man Of The French New Wave

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David Woods on Eric Rohmer, the forgotten man of the French New Wave...

It occurred to me after gorging my cinephilic appetite on Mark Cousins’ exemplary document of love to movies, The Story Of Film, that one thing surprised me. Though the coverage of the French New Wave was fabulously rich and immersive, I found myself rather disappointed that one of my all-time favourite filmmakers had not been mentioned even once in passing. That filmmaker was Eric Rohmer.

I feel I should say that Rohmer hasn’t been ‘forgotten’ in a historical sense: his place in cinema is well established. Nor am I criticising the wonderful Story Of Film which for me is a film lover’s dream come true. It just seemed to me that film audiences are in danger of ignoring the legacy of this truly gifted and astute director and are missing out on an influence that can shape both personal tastes and interpretation of intelligent cinematic language.

Language is a good word to use when discussing Rohmer. Aside from his grammar with the camera (which is as good as Godard, Truffaut or any of the other respected auteurs of the day), his films are known for being intellectually contemplative and dialectic. Emphasising dialogue with a naturalistic rhythm, it’s like being dipped in a pot of sophistication which coats your mind with discursive. The debates on Pascal in his superb My Night At Maud’s (also my personal favourite of Rohmer’s) may seem to be high-minded to the uninitiated but open the doorway to fundamental human feeling.

Rohmer may not be as aesthetically provocative as Godard or Truffaut, nor as artistically exacting as Robert Bresson, but he has the rigour of all great artists. And I think Rohmer is indeed a true artist. In composing this piece, it was the perfect excuse for me to go back and re-visit Rohmer’s shooting style, to observe his frames and choice of shots to better understand what motivates him.

Rohmer perfectly understands how to blend his eloquent dialogue with his realist visual methods. He frequently opts for medium and long shots (framing his actors so that the full length or upper parts of the body are constantly on view) which is a technique that allows the conversational nature of his films to flow fully. It provides the audience with an observatory for the word games and innuendos Rohmer’s characters indulge in, as their sexual and emotional passions break through their rigid, upper-middle class veneer. When Rohmer goes in for a close-up, you know he means business (think of Claire’s titular knee when Jean-Claude Brialy just has to let his chinos loosen a little).

This technique has another effect too: it allows Rohmer to ‘paint’ with his actors. Watching Rendezvous In Paris recently, I became enthralled with Rohmer’s movement of Clara Bellar’s Esther in the opening segment ‘The 7 p.m. Rendezvous’. One particular scene where Bellar is with her boyfriend’s unwitting lover in her apartment, keeps her central to the frame and her body movements (playful, coquettish) both show her considerable sensuality and her growing amusement at the realisation her boyfriend is cheating on her. In the final segment, Rohmer again works his actor within a wider frame (slightly tighter this time), to show Michael Kraft’s painter’s innate awkwardness, which some lesser directors might miss in a character with an outward swagger.

It is Rohmer’s use of film grammar that encourages me to believe he is just as an important part of the French New Wave as any other director in that collective. Equally as poignant, he also offers a unique vision that he owns completely. I have often wondered if his preference for location shooting, natural light and unaffected performances has had any bearing on the Dogme 95 movement (I can’t find any evidence that he did but the comparisons are compelling) and this for me adds a thrilling frisson to his work.

Rohmer’s uniqueness could well stem from his academic background as a professor of literature, which gives his work their scholarly dialogues and philosophical musings. There is also a pleasing tendency to allow his films to speak for themselves, rejecting most interviews and public appearances. This gave him an enigma that made his work the most discernible way of accessing the filmmaker’s thoughts and concerns and followed even through his name (a pseudonym concocted from legendary Hollywood director Erich von Stroheim and novelist Sax Rohmer). But I think the deceptively gentle palate Rohmer favours makes him appear dry and demure to some. True, he does not have the command of mise-en-scene Godard had nor the hyper-driven fluidity of Truffaut. The beauty and the appeal lie in his words, his eye for people and the collision of mind and body.

On a purely personal level, I have always most warmed to the Six Moral Tales series which I feel was his most invigorating and expressive. While there were certainly late-career flourishes in A Winter’s Tale (incidentally my first Rohmer) and the Comedies and Proverbs sequence, it was the moral conflict in the face of sexuality and social responsibility that pulled me firmly in. After the admittedly perfunctory shorts Girl At The Monceau Bakery and Suzanne’s Career, which now seem to be little more than test runs for ideas that would grow in stature and form, Rohmer produced La Collectioneuse a.k.a The Collector. Against a picture postcard setting, Rohmer set two preening misogynists off against each other as they toy with the affections of a hedonistic young woman. Its condemnation of masculine brutality is a nice underlying theme to create the dilemma for forbidden attraction.

The crowning jewel in the series is of course My Night At Maud’s where devout Catholic Jean-Louis (the magnificent Jean-Louis Trintignant who is currently enjoying deserved late-career accolades in Michael Haneke’s Amour) sets out to woo a fellow church-goer but finds himself sidelined by the alluring divorcee Maud: a performance of incredible range and feeling by Francoise Fabian. Rohmer’s clear warmth for his female characters is best presented here: Maud is a complex person who desires love and attention but is also scared and lost, just as we all are. Just as Lean-Louis is. As mentioned, Pascal’s notion of gambling on the one thing that could be the most important against all that is expected, safe and simple sets the tone for a deliciously shot and realised exploration of the choices we make in life and the direction we set for ourselves. Ultimately, it’s a film about fate and isolation (referring back to the brilliant opening scene where Jean-Louis stands alone on a balcony, caught in a desperately lonely projection from the lens). Claire’s Knee and Love In The Afternoon were accomplished follow-ups, the latter being a good example of Rohmer developing one of his signature shots of a man wandering the streets, contemplating his dilemma. The confident sexuality of Rohmer is also showcased well in these films.

Rohmer experimented late in his career with relatively minimal success. During the noughties, he made the period drama The Lady and The Duke, spy thriller Triple Agent and the mythical love story The Romance of Astrea and Celadon which was to be his last film in 2007. He died in 2010, aged 89, in Paris. He leaves behind a legacy that I believe has only just started to be re-discovered and enriched the talents of rising filmmakers: British director Joanna Hogg has cited Rohmer as a big influence on her style and his literacy on the human condition has something we can all learn from, both as filmmakers and fans. Eric Rohmer has made films that have spoken to me very profoundly, have made me examine the aspects of my life and loves and have thoroughly entertained me. I own the Six Moral Tales box set and it’s a jewel in my expansive DVD collection. Rohmer himself once said, “We have to show what lies beyond behaviour, while knowing we can't show anything but behaviour.” The crux of this statement should be the height of all great art and, above all, fascinating storytelling.

David Woods

New poster for Muppets Most Wanted

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The Muppets are heading back to the big screen in March for Muppets Most Wanted, James Bobin's follow-up to the well-received 2011 reboot, and thanks to Total Film we've got a new poster showcasing Kermit, his doppelganger Constantine, the rest of the Muppet gang, and the film's human cast of Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey...


Muppets Most Wanted takes the entire Muppets gang on a global tour, selling out grand theaters in some of Europe's most exciting destinations, including Berlin, Madrid and London. But mayhem follows the Muppets overseas, as they find themselves unwittingly entangled in an international crime caper headed by Constantine—the World's Number One Criminal and a dead ringer for Kermit—and his dastardly sidekick Dominic, aka Number Two.


Muppets Most Wanted is set for release on March 21st 2014 in North America and will open in the UK on March 28th.  

Arrow star Stephen Amell issues strongly-worded denial over reports of Justice League discussions

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Arrow star Stephen Amell issues strongly-worded denial over reports of Justice League discussions
Yesterday, Arrow star Stephen Amell was quoting as revealing that he'd held "studio level" discussions with Warner Bros. about taking his Oliver Queen to the big screen alongside the likes of Batman vs. Superman stars Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot in the inevitable Justice League movie, raising fans hopes of cohesion between DC's Cinematic and Television universes.

Well, it seems Amell has been misquoted, and understandably he's none too happy about it, issuing a rather strong rebuttal on his Facebook page...

Something I need to get off of my chest.

When I do press, I try and be open, honest and thoughtful. That being said... I find it incredibly discouraging to see a headline like the ones I've been seeing this morning. Headlines that aren't just a stretch, they're totally fabricated. At no point, have I had "studio level" discussions about any feature films at Warner Bros.

In this particular instance, when I read articles that take a pretty straightforward answer and slap a title on it that has little to no correlation to what I've actually said, it makes it seem as though I'm disrespecting my current position. Which is bullshit. And why would I do that? I mean... I'm not the smartest dude in the world. (After all... I picked a career in acting.) But would I really just casually subvert a process cloaked in secrecy? A process - by the way - being run by the company who currently employs me. C'MON!

We're making a kick ass show. We will continue to make a kick ass show. And I will continue to interact and provide interesting content for our fans. Because I love our fans. If every once and a while, some dickweed wants to pull a headline out of thin air to generate page views, then that's the price we pay.


So, looks like another hit-baiting superhero rumour we can discard. Of course, this doesn't mean that discussions haven't taken place either, but with all of Warner's upcoming DC TV projects, it's looking less and less likely that there'll be any crossover between the movies and television universes.


Comic Book Review - Judge Dredd #15

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Andy Naylor reviews Judge Dredd #15...

Comic Book Review - Judge Dredd #15"'Badges, part 2.' With Judges being assassinated at an alarming rate, and chaos breaking out in various blocks, Dredd is more determined than ever to find the killer-a former Judge who went insane about being cloned and incarcerated.

But the case draws Dredd into the crosshairs of the Special Judicial Squad, who think he's to blame for all the troubles of late.

If you think the Dredd plays rough, wait until you meet the skull-cracking sadists of the SJSÖ the Judges who judge the Judges" 

Judge Dredd #15 continues from where we last saw our fearless Lawman, stuck at headquarters being interrogated some pompous self-serving Judge about his relationship with the perp, Tarjay. All the while he is psychically in communication with Judge Anderson.

The issue flows beautifully between Dredd’s simmering frustration and Anderson’s investigation. The interaction between Dredd and Judge Cal is nothing short of comedy perfection. Dredd’s continued irritation when played against Cal’s self-importance will have you giggling away through the panels. Cal is written quite superbly, a comic baddie in every sense as his obnoxiousness makes it so easy to hate him. Dredd’s arc is a polar opposite to Anderson’s, every step and panel change raises the tension level and the apprehension in the reader. You know what Tarjay is capable of and watching Anderson pursue him is delightfully uncomfortable reading leading up to one of the most gripping cliff hangers I have ever come across.

The story is aided by some excellent hard angular drawing. That style of characterisation, in my opinion, highlights anger and aggression, which there are bucket loads of in the Dredd universe. Combine that with miserable greys and dark dirty greens for the surrounding environments, then it makes for an enjoyable oppressive atmosphere.

I’m glad this run of Dredd has improved since I last read it. Each new issue sent me deeper into despair at what was happening to the famous Lawman. I had serious worries about where his stories were taking him and how he was being used. I’m happy to see that all has improved and Judge Dredd is getting the new stories that he deserves.

Andy Naylor - Follow me on Twitter

Samuel L. Jackson open to extending his Marvel contract

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Marvel Studios raised a few eyebrows when it extended Samuel L. Jackson an unprecedented nine-picture deal to anchor the Marvel Cinematic Universe as S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury, but of course with Iron man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers under his belt and Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers: Age of Ultron upcoming, he's already... well... seven-ninths of his way through the deal. And, according to the man himself, he's open to extending his contract even further.

"Nope, none whatsoever," Jackson told Fandango when asked if he has any idea about the plans for Fury post Phase Two. "I just know that the Marvel Universe is there, that there are things going on, and that I have three pictures left on my nine-picture deal. That's all I know. I've done six of them, and I'm about to do seven, so I'm running out of Marvel pictures – unless they extend my contract." Asked if he'd be up for signing another nine-film deal, Jackson then responded, "Hell, yeah! Why wouldn't I?"

Jackson's Nick Fury will next be seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which opens in the UK on March 26th and in the States on April 4th, while he'll also be linking up with Earth's Mightiest Heroes again this Spring as cameras start rolling on The Avengers: Age of Ultron ahead of its release on May 1st, 2015.


Star Wars: Episode VII will star Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill

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'The original Star Wars trilogy' could mean two things: the three films that comprise it, or the central trio of characters the story revolves around - Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher). Going by comments the latter has made to TV Guide, those three actors look like they will be reprising their roles in J.J. Abrams' (Star Trek) next installment in the science fiction franchise, Episode VII.

Fisher revealed in the interview that she will begin filming with Hamill and Ford in March or April, and that she would love to wear Princess Leia's trademark Cinnamon buns:

"I'd like to wear my old hairstyle again - but with white hair. I think that would be funny."

...what about the gold bikini?

Abrams and his team have not officially announced the original cast's involvement, so this isn't 100% confirmed. But Fisher as the source, it seems more reliable than a few of the other casting rumours that have been floating about as of late *cough* Judi Dench *cough*.

What do you think about the original trio's potential return to the Star Wars franchise? Let us know in the comments section below...

Star Wars: Episode VII is set for release on December 18th, 2015.

Movie Review - August: Osage County (2013)

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August: Osage County, 2013.

Directed by John Wells.
Starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper. Ewan McGregor, Margo Martindale, Sam Shepard, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholson, Juliette Lewis, Abigail Breslin, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Movie Review - August: Osage County (2013)

SYNOPSIS:

A look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them.

Movie Review - August: Osage County (2013)

By all accounts, August: Osage County is nothing more than Oscar gold - of it’s cast, there have been five winners and 24 nominations. Tracy Letts’ play of drug abuse, alcoholism and the blood, sweat and tears of family life treads a careful line on screen, never out-staying its welcome and working almost too close to the original source material. We the audience are plunged into the dirty, venomous environment created by Meryl Streep’s Violet and can’t but choke on the excess of it all.

Wells is incredibly respectful of the source, almost to a fault. Tracy Letts’ play succeeds as a piece of theatre and less as a piece of cinema. The glistening heat of Oklahoma can only be implied enough until it begins to tinge with a sense of depression, clawing at the subtlety it so desperately needs. Any flair seen in Letts’ previous work Killer Joe is abandoned for an uncomfortable sense of dread that leads nowhere and what should be a dirty, ugly undertone lacks any flair.

When Meryl Streep wants an Oscar, she will get that Oscar and Osage County may be her at her most forced. In a film dominated by awkward subtlety, she stands out, chewing the scenery as the pill-popping, cackling Violet. It’s no surprise that she stands out, protruding from the screen, almost spluttering out onto the audience. However, after an hour of cackling, it gets too much, the family begins to fall apart, as does the film. John Wells clearly has a grasp on how to direct such an impressive cast of actors but he fails to balance them, focusing on few and abandoning the rest of the cast.

The curve of the drama follows less of a melodrama, more a pantomime. Villains appear as their companions jeer and spit. Being a pantomime, the film succeeds during moments of comedy. These stand out, sandwiched between awkward moments of dialogue and moments of intense violence, both mental and physical. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Streep’s nephew as broadly comic and Chris Cooper brings a much needed sense of reality. As the cast continues to grow-and seemingly never ends-lefts begins to panic, allowing the characters to abandon the family with no real goal.

August: Osage County can’t rub off its theatrical origins. Of its 130 minute time, only two set-pieces stand out, resulting in an un-even, but entertaining final product. Wells deserves an applause for his subtlety, less for his lack of bravado the film so desperately needs.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ ★ ★/ Movie: ★ ★ ★

Thomas Harris 
 

Rosario Dawson confirms Clerks III return

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Considering Kevin Smith was set to retire this time the last, the cult indie filmmaker certainly has a lot on his plate. In addition to putting the finishing touches to his horror Tusk, Smith also has his kaiju Jesus project Helena Handbag in development, while he's also gearing up for a return to the View Askewniverse, with shooting on Clerks III due to begin in May.

So far, we know that Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson are set to return as Dante and Randall for the Clerks threequel, while it's all but certain that Smith and Jason Mewes will be back as Jay and Silent Bob. And now we have another addition to the cast, with b star Rosario Dawson confirming to Den of Geek that she'll be reprising the role of Becky.

According to Smith, Clerks III will arrive in cinemas this November, so expect to hear plenty of news about the project in the coming months. Meanwhile, Dawson will be seen in another sequel this year, returning to the role of Gail in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, which opens in August.

Special Features - Why The Mandarin was the best villain of 2013

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Anthony Stokes on why The Mandarin was the best villain of 2013...

2013 was a year that showed much promise, and when it came to the Oscar contenders, it delivered in full. Honestly I can't look at a single Best Picture nominee and say it doesn't deserve it, and there were very few snubs (the big ones being Rush and Fruitvale Station). However, where 2013 really dropped the ball was the summer blockbusters. Like clockwork each and every one of them disappointed in some way, while smaller movies sneaked up and made an impression (see The World's End, Pain and Gain, This Is the End, etc.).  Nevertheless, one blockbuster from last year that I believe is under-appreciated is Iron Man 3, and it also happens to have the best villain in The Mandarin.

Iron Man 3 is a classic case of not being able to please the fans. It's darker, more focused, and more character-based then its predecessors, yet people still find the weirdest things to complain about (somebody told me in conversation that it was bad because Tony Stark used a gun). But, the most dividing factor - and something I loved - was how Shane Black and Drew Pearce handled The Mandarin. Both Black and Jon Favreau have been very vocal about The Mandarin and how difficult he is to pull off. I agree. His magical rings given to him by aliens doesn't work in an Iron Man movie. I understand that it's a shared universe, but Marvel movies should have villains with similar powers as their heroes. Every Iron Man villain has been tech or science fiction based, and every Thor villain has been fantasy or magic based.

For me, the comic book Mandarin is a tired and weak character. He's essentially a Fu Manchu stereotype, and in order for a faithful adaptation The Mandarin would have to have been played by Ken Jeong. People are comparing The Mandarin to The Joker or Lex Luthor in terms of stature, which is complete rubbish.  Everyone knows who The Joker and Lex Luthor are thanks to the video games, TV shows, and movies they've featured in.  I've never seen or heard The Mandarin mentioned outside of comic books, except when he's been rumored for Iron Man movies. While I'm not the biggest comic book fan, I'm pretty sure if I haven't seen him mentioned, the casual movie goer hasn't. And that aside, you can name dozens of good Joker and Lex Luthor stories. Not so for The Mandarin. The only good comic book run with The Mandarin seems to be Invincible Iron Man, but even then it's basically a revamp of the character into more of a savvy businessman, much like Tony Stark himself.

But this isn't an article on why The Mandarin isn't as good a comic book villain as fans make him out to be, so let's get on to why he's the best villain of the summer and the year.  The way The Mandarin is introduced is incredible, with Black and Pearce drawing from a number of different sources of inspiration from Bin Laden, Heath Ledger's Joker, and maybe even a little Jigsaw and Hannibal Lector.  Every scene that he's in is tense and relentlessly fascinating.  Marvel knows how to pick its actors and Ben Kingsley performs extremely well and his dialogue was haunting.  And then Black pulls the rug from under his audience...

So The Mandarin is really just a front created by Aldrich Killian as a scare and business tactic.  What makes this twist great is that Guy Pearce is essentially playing director and fabricating a bad guy that people would be scared of. And it worked, for Ben Kingsley's Mandarin was extremely effective.  It held a mirror to what American audiences find scary and consider a good villain.  There's also the idea that fear can be manufactured for financial gain, and I feel that unlike a lot of twists the more you think about this one the better it gets. Ben Kingsley as Trevor is equally impressive, with him rattling off dialogue and still being captivating as a complete ass.  I love Trevor and I cannot wait for his return in the Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King.

Although it's open to debate, my interpretation is that Aldrich Killian is the metaphorical revamped Mandarin from Invincible Iron Man, while Kingsley's terrorist warlord was there to satisfy those fans wanting the stereotyped comic book villain. And if the movie fails it's that Killian simply isn't as threatening as Ben Kingsley's Mandarin.  He plays him too smirky and it seemed like he wasn't taking the role as seriously as Ben Kingsley. This may be the one time I feel that Marvel has miscast somebody. But even so Killian is still a pretty interesting character as he's essentially a deconstruction of his type.

Although his opening would lead you to believe he targeted Tony Stark out of revenge, upon repeat viewings it's pretty clear that Killian only goes after Stark after he threatened his plan. He doesn't initially come as a threat, he comes peacefully, and Killian's lack of motivation is what makes him interesting, along with his plan which is pretty simple by movie standards - he wants to control the President of the United States.  A big problem I have with villains these days, specifically Christopher Nolan ones, is that their schemes require God-like planning, timing, and flat-out luck and the more you think about their plans the dumber they get.  Even Joker knock-offs like John Harrision from Star Trek Into Darkness and Silva from Skyfall have these convoluted, asinine plans that could easily go wrong.  Killian's plan is easily traceable and well thought out and doesn't really on the viewers suspending their disbelief.

So, all in all I think Marvel did a ballsy thing by essentially taking a character who's not as good as he's made out to be and representing him in both his iterations. Between Killian, The Mandarin and Trevor, essentially we get three villains in one movie and while they vary in quality I love each of them for what they have to say about cinema in general.  Yes Iron Man 3 could have been better, but when it comes to the villains it got it right.

Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below...

Anthony Stokes is a blogger and independent filmmaker who also assists with the music blog DopesterMusic and co-hosts the podcast Delusional Losers.

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's Inside No. 9 to start in February

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From the talented minds of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, the duo behind the excellent Psychoville and The League of Gentlemen (with Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson) comes a brand new series entitled Inside No. 9.

Over the next six weeks we will be served six different macabre tales where what appears to be ordinary suddenly turns a little less than ordinary.  The stories range from a country house where a game of Sardines reveals some chilling revelations, a blood-soaked actor’s dressing room, or a one-bedroomed flat of a happy primary school teacher (well apparently happy).  If you're fans of the duo’s work you will know there will be dark comedy woven through these instalments, twists that throw you and horrific turns; for those of us remember Tales of the Unexpected with Roald Dahl this may ring many bells with you.

Our first episode Sardines starts with the engagement party of Rebecca and Jeremy in a grand old county house.  Everybody has turned out to celebrate this occasion and wish them well, while some have just turned up and may not have such good intentions.  The bedroom containing the baggage has been left unlocked and is soon discovered.

Inside No. 9 starts on the on February 5th on BBC2 at 10pm, with Shearsmith (Stu) and Pemberton (Carl) starring alongside Timothy West as Andrew, Anne Reid as Geraldine, Anna Chancellor as Elizabeth, Mark Wootton as Stinky John, Tim Key as Ian, Luke Pasqualino as Kev, Katherine Parkinson as Rebecca, Ophelia Lovibond as Rachel, Julian Rhind-Tutt as Mark and Ben Willbond as Jeremy.


American Horror Story: Coven - Episode 12 Review

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Alice Rush reviews the twelfth episode of American Horror Story: Coven....

American Horror Story: Coven - Episode 12 ReviewIt’s the penultimate episode of American Horror Story: Coven and the story is gearing towards the discovery of the next Supreme being the climax of the season. I must say as finales go it doesn’t seem to grab me as much as violent devil children (season one) or the resolution of an epic story spanning decades (season two). One of my gripes with this season, which resurfaced during this episode, is the lack of a strong narrative. In these last few episodes there has been more of a clear focus, however for the majority of this season I’ve not been able to shake this feeling of fragmentation. Rather than following Lana through the asylum or following the Harmon family through the murder house, there has been a lack of anyone or anything to follow in Coven, as each of the characters sway in and out of importance, seemingly at the whim of the writers. Sure, Fiona has always been the driving force of the series but she’s not the most stable character to connect with as her moral compass is somewhat skewed. ‘Go To Hell’ attempts to reconcile all of these fragments of the series and unite them under one roof, and it does, at points, really come through.

The episode sets about dealing with the straggling storylines leftover after the elimination of the witch hunter threat. Queenie, after her absence, comes into play more in this episode as she sets about finding Marie, who has gone missing. She even takes a trip to Hell to speak personally with Papa Legba, who shows her Marie being tortured, maimed and seemingly killed by Delphine. Legba explains that the two characters are linked and now that Marie has been sliced up by Delphine, Queenie takes it upon herself to see that the Madame is finished, once and for all. It’s a nice touch that Marie and Delphine’s fates are intertwined and that their stories are ended at the same time. Queenie takes a trip to see Delphine, who is now working in her old house-turned-museum and attempting to rewrite a little of her own history. Offering her a chance of redemption, which she refuses, Queenie stabs her, sending her straight to her own personal Hell which is also inhabited by Marie and the two are forced to spend eternity together in a tortuous scene. Whilst I enjoyed the tying off of their stories together, I couldn’t help but feel a little greedy and wanting a bit more of a send-off for Marie. Though that could just be because Angela Bassett, for me, has given a phenomenal performance throughout the series and her character has been one of my favourites.

American Horror Story: Coven - Episode 12 ReviewNow that those two characters are taken care of, the focus returns to where it started, Miss Robichaux’s Academy. Fiona, sensing the end is near, starts to make plans for her demise, however these plans are seemingly debunked by Delia, who with a regained sight discovers she still intends to murder the Coven and escape with her life (There was a specifically brilliant scene where we enter Delia’s head and see this premonition, with bodies aplenty littering the house and blood all over the floor).  Armed with this knowledge, she visits the Axe Man who is distraught to hear of Fiona’s planned betrayal of him. Delia definitely takes charge in this episode, as she also ventures and finds Mistry, bringing her back to the house and letting her lose on Madison, another fantastic scene that sees Madison getting brutally knocked about by a furious Misty. Zoe and Kyle make a predictable return after Zoe resurrected a man during their little trip away and now thinks she’s the next Supreme. It looks like she’s going to have to join a pretty long queue.

The only cliff hanger of this episode that will carry through to the finale next week is the fate of Fiona. Delia sees a vision of the Axe Man killing her, to which she sets the girls lose on him, inviting a fantastically gory and cinematically powerful scene of the witches descending upon and frantically stabbing him, much in the same way that he was originally killed. Though Delia comments that Fiona’s body is slowly rotting in the swamp, as we know from the rest of the series, death doesn’t always mean the end.

The scene is set for the Seven Wonders task next week and the crowning of a new Supreme. At this point it could be any of them, so I’m curious as to what will be revealed. Whilst it’s refreshing to see that the series has a strong focus for once, I am still slightly concerned that it will end with a whimper rather than a bang.

Alice Rush


Garrett Hedlund to play Captain Hook in Pan

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Warner Bros. Peter Pan origin story Pan has secured its first cast member, with The Hollywood Reporter revealing that Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy, Inside Llewyn Davis) has joined the project as in the role of Captain Hook.

Hook will be reimagined in the film, starting out as a friend of Pan's and a crew member aboard Blackbeard's pirate ship, before turning against his pal and becoming the dastardly villain we all know and love. Ryan Gosling (Only God Forgives, Gangster Squad) had been rumoured as a candidate for the part, while Javier Bardem (Skyfall, The Counselor) and Hugh Jackman (The Wolverine, Prisoners) have both been linked to Blackbeard. As for the lead, it's been oddly quiet on the rumour front, with Warner Bros. expected to find their Peter Pan through open casting calls.

Pan is being directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Anna Karenina) and is scheduled to cinemas on June 26th, 2015.

Special Features - Jonah Hill's 'Pay Cut' Oscar Campaign

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Anghus Houvouras on Jonah Hill's 'pay cut' Oscar campaign....

Jonah Hill really wants to win an Academy Award. That statement seems pretty obvious at first. Most actors want to achieve the highest possible honor that can be bestowed upon them and be recognized by their peers. But Jonah Hill wants it a little bit more than his fellow nominees. How do I know that? Because of this story:


You've probably seen this story floating around online. It's popping up everywhere. It seems people are just now discovering that Jonah Hill took a sharp pay cut and only earned $60,000 dollars for his work in The Wolf of Wall Street. It's an interesting tidbit, if not all that unique. Lots of actors take gigs on quality films for a reduced rate because they believe in the project or the talent involved. Maybe it's a vanity project or someone they are excited to work with.

Or maybe they're chasing an Oscar.

This story is the most obvious kind of award season pandering. This entire story was engineered, orchestrated, and timed to achieve maximum media penetration. This is the kind of publicity tactics you normally see reserved for political campaigns.

Is Jonah Hill getting his award season advice from Harvey Weinstein? This is the kind of stunt that has the tinge of desperation. Like last year when Weinstein started pushing the phrase 'An instant classic' in regards to Silver Linings Playbook to anyone who would listen.

Oscar campaigns are often undignified affairs. This story is harmless enough, but to me the offense lies in its blatancy. The entire story which stemmed from an interview with Howard Stern has a feeling of being coached. The humble actor willing to work for peanuts to work alongside a filmmakers whose work he respects. Fine and good, until you realize that nugget didn't really hit big until after the nomination.

Now it's everywhere. Every major and minor outlet has been running with it for the last 24 hours. Jonah Hill is out there trying to win hearts and minds. He wants that Oscar so bad he can taste it. We can respect Jonah Hill for taking the pay cut to work with Martin Scorsese. But we can lose just a little for rampant award pandering.

Anghus Houvouras is a North Carolina based writer and filmmaker. His latest work, the novel My Career Suicide Note, is available from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/My-Career-Suicide-Note-ebook/dp/B00D3ULU5I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371583147&sr=8-1&keywords=my+career+suicide+note

Bryan Singer debuts new X-Men: Days of Future Past footage

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X-Men: Days of Future Past

This coming Monday (January 27th), Empire Magazine is set to deliver an "exclusive reveal" (new trailer?) for 20th Century Fox's upcoming superhero sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past, and to build our excitement director Bryan Singer has taken to Instagram to drop a new video offering up some brief new snippets of footage; check it out here...


The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. The beloved characters from the original “X-Men” film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from “X-Men: First Class,” in an epic battle that must change the past – to save our future.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is set for release on May 23rd with a cast that includes Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (Beast), Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Lucas Till (Havok), Halle Berry (Storm), Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde), Daniel Cudmore (Colossus) and Shawn Ashmore (Iceman) alongside franchise newcomers Evan Peters (American Horror Story) as Quicksilver, Booboo Stewart (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) as Warpath, Fan Binbing (Iron Man 3) as Blink, Adam Canto (The Following) as Sunspot, Josh Helman (Mad Max: Fury Road) as William Stryker, Evan Jonigkeit (Girls) as Toad and Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) as Bolivar Trask.


Movie Review - Devil's Due (2014)

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Devil's Due, 2014.

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.
Starring Alison Miller and Zach Gilford.


SYNOPSIS:

After a mysterious, lost night on their honeymoon, a newlywed couple finds themselves dealing with an earlier-than-planned pregnancy. While recording everything for posterity, the husband begins to notice odd behaviour in his wife that they initially write off to nerves, but, as the months pass, it becomes evident that the dark changes to her body and mind have a much more sinister origin.


Found footage has reached a new low with the release of the turgidly boring and utterly preposterous Devil's Due. If there was a shark, Devil's Due would have jumped it.

The story (or lack thereof) can be summed up quite quickly: a newly wed couple discover they are pregnant only they don't know that their baby is actually the Anti-Christ. One sentence, seventeen words. Yet somehow this simple story takes an amazing 88-minutes to tell with a good 75 minutes of that being inane banter between the happily married couple who are just as unlikeable as you'd imagine. What's even more astounding about the length of the movie though is how little there is in the way of actual horror. There is a period of around 40 minutes where not one scare is attempted or even teased. Not one.

But it's not as if more scares would raised the movie's game, because it's clear neither Matt Bettinelli-Olpin or Tyler Gillett know how to scare an audience. They use the usual found footage tropes and a handful of jump scares but the film's lack of pacing means they have no impact. Instead, the pair feel that if you linger on a shot long enough before launching your 'scare' then you might catch your audience of guard and therefore elicit the correct response. Only instead of screams they get groans. Often you can give director's credit for at least trying, but Devil's Due is quite happy to stay in first gear for the entire running time before driving full pelt into a wall during the last 10 minutes (it comes as no surprise that these two morons also worked on V/H/S). Found footage has never been the height of horror filmmaking and it is a gimmick that has long outstayed its welcome, but even by found footage standards this is awful.

Like most movies that use the format, Devil's Due often gives up on the idea of found footage and resorts to multiple camera set ups so they can film coverage in order to edit together their dreadful movie. There's a portion in which our couple are filmed by 'hidden cameras' which just makes it feel like a second-rate Paranormal Activity and there are several scenes which cut to various camera angles with no rhyme or reason. In the case of the wedding that opens the movie, they even capture reaction shots of the bride and groom during the speeches with not even an attempt to explain how. The whole point of the sub-genre is to convince the audience that what is in front of them is documented footage of real-life events, but that verisimilitude is ruined when you constantly cut to different angles to remind you you're watching a movie made by idiots who couldn't afford a tripod.

Usually when reviewing a found footage movie there's the idea that it would have been better off it if was made outside of the sub-genre's parameters, but Devil's Due is such a bore to sit through that it's a claim that can't be made. The 88 minutes drag at an absurd pace and the lack of character, action and emotion makes the film a chore to reach the end credits. Even when the film descends into utter sillyness during the closing moments, there's no satisfaction because everything leading to it was dreary nonsense. It does embrace the madness of its story, but its more laughable than anything else.

There can't be many films released this year that will be worse than Devil's Due. It's pure crap from start to end with terrible characters, lame dialogue, boring pacing and dreadful excuses for why the camera is constantly on. If ever there was a movie to point to in order to put found footage to rest, it would be this garbage.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★  / Movie: ★

Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth's co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.

Marvel's Ant-Man grabs Batman vs. Superman's original release date

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Marvel Studios has decided to take advantage of Warner Bros.' decision to push Batman vs. Superman back to May 2016 by moving forward the release of its first Phase Three offering Ant-Man, with the film now set to arrive on occupy the Man of Steel sequel's slot on July 17th 2015, as opposed to its original date of July 31st.

Ant-Man will not find itself going up against Warner Bros.' Pan movie, and with a lack of competition from The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel, Marvel Studios must now be quietly confident that the miniature hero will get Phase Three off with a bang, especially coming just two and half months after The Avengers: Age of Ultron presumably shatters all kinds of box office records.

Now, of course, there's still the issue of Marvel's mystery Phase Three movie which is due for release on May 6th - the exact same day as Batman vs. Superman. Will Marvel hold firm and take on DC's big team-up head-to-head? That remains to be seen...

Ant-Man will be directed by Edgar Wright (The World's End), with Paul Rudd (Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues) set to play Scott Lang and Michael Douglas (Behind the Candelabra) portraying Hank Pym.


Casting call put out for Goosebumps: The Movie

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Reader beware, you're in for a scare!

It looks like the R.L Stine's classic 90s book series Goosebumps is finally heading to the big screen. Rockdale News is reporting that the producers have leased a 130,000 square foot studio and a casting call has been put out for "gothic types" between the ages of 20 - 40.

Goosebumps: The Movie has been written by Rob Letterman (Monsters vs. Aliens, Shark Tale) and will feature Jack Black in the lead role. Sources claim that Black will play R.L. Stine who is haunted by the creations he put in his book series.

Goosebumps was a series of children's horror stories released by Schooltastic. First released in 1992, the Goosebumps series released 176 books and would become one of the publishing house's biggest earners selling millions worldwide with titles such as Say Cheese and Die, Stay Out of the Basement and Night of the Living Dummy. The series was turned into a TV show in 1995 which ran for four seasons. A big screen adaptation has been in the works since 1998 with Tim Burton behind the movie but has remained in limbo until now.

Here's the casting call:


If fancy signing up for one of these roles, you can send an e-mail to CLCExtraordinary@gmail.com, with the name of the character you’re applying for as the subject.

Watch the insane first full trailer for Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead

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Director Tommy Wirkola's Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead premiered last Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival, during which it was picked up for U.S. distribution by Well Go USA, and now we have the first full-length - and totally NSFW - trailer for the comedy horror sequel, which you can check out below...

If the worst day of your life consisted of accidentally killing your girlfriend with an axe, chain-sawing your own arm off, and watching in horror as your closest friends were devoured by a zombified Nazi battalion, you'd have to assume that things couldn't get much worse. In Martin's case, that was only the beginning. Picking up immediately where the original left off, Dead Snow; Red vs. Dead wastes no time getting right to the gore-filled action, leaving a bloody trail of intestines in its wake.


As yet, there's no word on a release date for Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead, but expect it to arrive some time this year.

New TV spot for 300: Rise of an Empire

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We've been bombarded with promotional material for 300: Rise of an Empire over the past month, and if this week's third trailer wasn't enough to satisfy your sword and sandals cravings, Warner Bros. has now released a TV spot featuring snippets of previously unseen footage. Check it out below....

Based on Frank Miller's latest graphic novel Xerxes, and told in the breathtaking visual style of the blockbuster 300, this new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield - on the sea - as Greek general Themistokles attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. 300: Rise of an Empire pits Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Artemisia (Eva Green), vengeful commander of the Persian navy.

Directed by Noam Murro (Smart People), 300: Rise of an Empire also features returning 300 stars Lena Headey and David Wenham alongside Jack O'Connell (Skins), Hans Matheson (Clash of the Titans), and Callan Mulvey (Zero Dark Thirty).


300: Rise of an Empire opens on March 7th.
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