Tag Archives: Film

The Theory of Everything Review by David Evan Giles

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The Theory of Everything is, quite simply, brilliant.  In the same way that director Steven Soderbergh lifted Erin Brockovich from being a legal procedural TV movie to its position as a major motion picture, Oscar-winning documentary director James Marsh has taken what could have been an awkward mix of impenetrable science and a terrible disease and made a deeply human story that is moving, inspiring and so totally engaging that audiences often sit right through the end credits as they take in what they have just seen.

It is the humanity, the frailty, the warmth, the humour, the kindness and – to use a very old fashioned word for an unfashionable quality – the decency of the story, played by a faultless cast with such little apparent effort or strain, that makes The Theory of Everything the most memorable film in a rich field at this year’s Oscars.

Eddie Redmayne’s transformation from a slightly awkward ‘natural scientist’ (the traditional expression at Cambridge University for a ‘geek’) to the towering brain caught in an unco-operative body is little short of miraculous.  This is not a star turn, where the dribbling is designed to win prizes for being ‘confronting’.  Redmayne plays the man and not the disease.  The character of Stephen Hawking stays vigorously alive as more and more of his body fails and what Jane, his wife played so delicately by Oscar-nominated Felicity Jones, fell in love with is still there in his eyes though his voice is gone, replaced by the American accent in a box that most of us have heard.  His family and friends are brave, supportive and accepting.  As played by Redmayne, Stephen Hawking inspires love because of the man he is, alive and laughing, inside the body he no longer controls.

A recent article in a national newspaper carried a cynical headline, asking that no more films be made about white, male, British geniuses.  It was a painful bit of smartypantsness, because the two movies that could fall into that category this year are both brilliant pieces of filmmaking – the other film is The Imitation Game, for which Benedict Cummerbatch is also deservedly Oscar-nominated. Between them, these two films are likely to do more to wash away prejudice against homosexuality and the disabled than a thousand pages of legislation ever could.  Their heroes are both great men, great minds and in great pain.  They are treated by the writers and directors with enormous respect and played faultlessly by young actors reaching the top of their game.   In the English-speaking world, the film culture has lately been dominated by endless sequels, remakes, stories based on comic books, gross-out comedies and cynical violence.  The Theory of Everything proves that complex stories about real people can still be told and the audience is rewarded by the feeling that the human journey can still be an ennobling experience, in which we are not limited by our bodies, but only by the barriers we set up in our minds.  Don’t miss this film.

 

 

Naomi Watts: I Was Ready To Quit Acting

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acting, acting advice, quit acting, Naomi WattsSome actors find success easy and others struggle for years. Naomi Watts definitely falls into the latter category. The Oscar nominated actress used to drive for hours to pick up bad scripts people refused to send her. She regularly doubted that she would ever have a career after moving to Los Angeles as things were so tough.

“[I went from playing leads] to being someone who had to drive for two hours to get two pages of really bad dialogue in some TV movie, just because they couldn’t be bothered faxing me the pages. And I did that for pretty much ten years. When it was like, you know what, I can’t handle it, I’m giving up. But every time my bags were packed, I’d get a call saying, ‘You’ve got this part.'” she told InStyle magazine.

The 46-year-old actress took anything she was offered when she moved to LA.

“Oh, listen, I did not have any snobbery about anything. I just wanted to work. I always had the attitude that work begets work and one thing would roll to the next, I think I knew I had something. But I certainly had plenty of doubt.”

The star did not get her big break until David Lynch cast her in Mulholland Drive solely from her photograph.

 

If you are an actor then check out How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur. It is available in print and in all eBook formats on both Smashwords and Amazon. 

 

 

‘Damascus Cover’ Starring Sir John Hurt … Filming Begins This Week in Morocco

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Hotly anticipated espionage thriller, Damascus Cover, commences production from this week in Morocco starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Stonewall, Dracula, The Tudors, Mission: Impossible III) with confirmed cast including: Olivia Thirlby (Juno, No Strings Attached, Dredd), recently knighted Sir John Hurt (The Elephant Man, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, Alien), Igal Naor (Green Zone, 300: Rise of an Empire, Munich), Jurgen Prochnow (Das Boot, The English Patient, The Da Vinci Code) and Navid Negahban (Homeland, Brothers, The Stoning of Soraya M, Charlie Wilson’s War).

Produced by UK-based production company, Big Book Media, Damascus Cover is based on the best-selling 1977 novel by Howard Kaplan. Directed by Daniel Berk (Sometimes They Come Back For More, Public Enemies), and produced by Hannah Leader (Lucky Number Slevin, Gosford Park, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Spider), the film is a tense espionage thriller, steeped in historical references and rich colour about the Syrian capital with furious action throughout. The screenplay is written by Samantha Newton and Daniel Berk.

Berlinale 2015 will mark the official sales launch of Damascus Cover when London-based Carnaby International, who are handling worldwide sales, begin pre-sales negotiations. With buyers recognising the film’s appeal as an intelligent action spy thriller, pre-sales interest has already been particularly strong with deals struck in several major territories, soon to be announced.

Jonathan_Rhys_Myers_promo_shot  Olivia_Thirlby__Headshot

Producer, Hannah Leader said: “Damascus Cover is a great script – believable and brilliant. The characters and situations are vividly drawn and the Middle East setting really brings to life this spellbinding moment in history, which is both topical and timely. With Daniel at the helm, it’s going to be a beautiful picture.”

Fresh from filming Stonewall, a hotly tipped Oscar contender, Jonathan Rhys Meyers takes the lead in this fast-paced action thriller. Jonathan said: “I’m enormously excited about this role. This was a hugely significant time in the conflict in the Middle East, post-cold war and with the collapse of the Berlin Wall when an amount of spies were redeployed to the Middle East, where the theatre of covert operations would now take precedence. With a highly thoughtful and intelligent script by Daniel Berk and Samantha Newton I’m thrilled to be a part of this project and can’t wait to start shooting with a very gifted international cast and crew.”

John_HurtOlivia Thirlby added “I’m thrilled to be a part of Damascus Cover. It’s an honour to collaborate with and work alongside such a diverse and talented group of individuals on a project that looks closely at a fascinating time in history. I am extremely excited to begin the shoot.”

Set in 1989, as the Berlin wall falls in Europe, the plot focuses on a veteran spy sent undercover in Syria to smuggle a chemical weapons scientist and his family out of Damascus. Within days of his arrival he realises he’s being followed. His partner doesn’t show, his local contact disappears, and a group of men are trying to kill him. It’s not long before his routine mission unravels to reveal a string of murderous conspirators. Marked for death and caught in a maddening puzzle, he must race for survival. The events and people in the script are based on true life events.

Damascus Cover commences principal photography in Casablanca, Morocco from 5th February – 23rd March. Supporting Big Book Media is local Moroccan production company, H Films, who recently shot Queen Of The Desert starring Nicole Kidman and Robert Pattinson, which has been selected in official competition for Berlinale 2015.

Join in the conversation @DamascusCover #TrustInNoOne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some People Actually Have a Problem With The All-Female Ghostbuster Cast

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all female cast, ghostbusters, sexism, film, Upon hearing a piece of modern music my Grandfather always used the line, ‘You kids today, you don’t even know you’re born.’ Well if you are a young thing and you have not seen Ghostbusters then let me tell you: you don’t even know you are born. The same goes for most 80s & 90s films. The 80s and 90s were great decades for film. Fact. Which is super exciting because not only are they doing a remake of Ghostbusters, but it has an all-female cast. Yes people, you heard it right: an all-female cast. Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones will star in the 2016 remake. Problem is, even though it is 2015, some people actually have a problem with this.

Director Paul Feig tweeted the news of the new cast and confirmed the new Ghostbuster film release date: July 22, 2016.

 

Paul said: “It’s official, I’m making a new Ghostbusters & writing it with @katiedippold & yes, it will star hilarious women. That’s who I’m gonna call.” Not everyone is as enlightened as Paul however. Social media was awash with sexist comments about the all-female cast. Funnily enough, no one had a problem with the all-male cast. Some Tweets were funny:

 

 

The most depressing thing is that in 2015, the new Ghostbuster film having an all-female cast is actually a thing. While I won’t be giving any trolls publicity here there was one important person who gave it the thumbs up: the original Ghostbuster himself, Dan Aykroyd. A statement read:

 

“The Aykroyd family is delighted by this inheritance of the Ghostbusters torch by these most magnificent women in comedy. My great grandfather, Dr. Sam Aykroyd, the original Ghostbuster, was a man who empowered women in his day and this is a beautiful development in the legacy of our family business.” 

 Dan Aykroyd is obviously a very awesome and evolved man. As is (@JohnRossBowie) 

 

 

Bill Murray hasn’t said anything about the project but the other surviving member of the original, Ernie Hudson, doesn’t seem happy about it; he doesn’t think it should carry on the Ghostbusters name as it will have  “nothing to do with the other two movies.” and while he said he was not against the idea of an all-female cast his first reaction to the casting news on Facebook was  “No comment”. There are more brilliant reactions in this excellent Radio Times article.

 

Ghostbusters all-female cast: good or bad idea? Have your say.

 

 

 

Great Movies For a Couple’s Night In

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couple's night in, night in, The daily drag can become rather monotonous at times. Wake up, go to work, come home, eat, sleep, repeat; such a routine could make even the most positive individuals among us screech with boredom. For couples, this monotony can be even more tedious, repetition ruining an otherwise blissful co-habitation. If you need an injection of fun though, getting your fix isn’t difficult- just pop on a movie, tear open a bag of popcorn and have a couple’s night in! Here are some of the top films if you’re struggling which to pick.

 

Romance

 

A genre often reserved for couples that feature a man who is highly permissive, romantic films aren’t all painful watching for guys and there are a host out there that both partners will enjoy. For those dabbling in hipsterdom, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a fun, rock-filled bet, or perhaps you’d both like to go classic with the Woody Allen original Annie Hall. Failing these two, Lost in Translation is a great flick that dabbles in romance whilst still preserving the humour of Bill Murray that any film-lover will enjoy.

 

Action
The opposite of romance flicks, most guys would be stunned if their beloved offered to watch an action film, but the experience doesn’t have to be a Michael Bay explosion-fest. The Bourne Trilogy- they’re all very good- is a great mix of action and espionage, plus a little romance for the ladies, whilst Johnny Depp’s drug docudrama Blow will enthral both of you. Oceans Eleven and Twelve are also two pretty good picks; both paint a very true picture of the high-stakes, dangerous lifestyles of casino thieves, and are naturally a great choice if you or your partner are interested in the new craze of online gambling sweeping the globe! If you’re enthused after watching, a great, fun idea could be to join Euro casino games lounge for a few online rounds of poker together; you won’t be able to card count, but hey- don’t let that ruin the fun!

 

Horror

 

Scary films are a great divider when it comes to date nights. Having one spook-averse member of the couple regularly stops the notion in its tracks, though if both of you love a little scare. The Shining is a classic that’s not too gory, so could be a good choice, plus the performances by Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. 28 Days Later, a haunting zombie flick that still keeps a nice bit of indie filmmaking swagger, is also a lot of fun to watch, Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle not getting too bogged down in zombie killing, gore and action, instead focusing largely on emotion and character development.

 

 

Le Fear II: Le Sequel Review By Jason Croot

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After reading BFI advice on writing a review of your own film I thought why not!

Le Fear II- Le Sequel Review By Jason Croot

Le Fear II: Le Sequel is a 90 minute 100% improvised feature film about the making of a film. Based in London U.K it follows the journey of hapless 22 times film director Carlos Revalos [Kyri Saphirs] who is about to embark on his biggest movie yet Le Fear II: Le Sequel a film noir horror love story. Carlos’s journey starts with a meeting with the shrewd movie executive Dirk Heinz [Andrew Tiernan] who agrees to back Carlos’s film as long as Revalos puts up some of his own cash as collateral, one other condition is that Carlos intertwines his movie with Nollywood  [Nigeria] the fastest growing film industry in the world. Dirks Secretary Helga [Shona McWilliams]does the paperwork and the deal is done commence the movie.

Le Fear II: Le Sequel Review , Catherine Balavage. actress, Scottish actress, actor, British, actor, Scottish, Jason Croot

The world’s worst director Carlos Revalos meets the world’s worst film producer Efi womonbogo [Seye Adelekan] the clash of the titans or rather the clash of the tits, because these guys each are as clueless as the other about filmmaking. Efi has his entourage, Africa special effects [Roxy Sternberg], Femu [Schee Bell] the runner and Witch Dr Charles [Sean Earl McPherson] none of which really have a clue what to do. Carlos has his film crew Jacques the French cinema photographer, [Hadien Mekki], Jessie [Leila Reid], the production assistant Chafarafa the Script Supervisor [Jay Croot] Berwyn [Catherine Balavage] the stunt coordinator and Queenie [Victoria Hopkins] the Makeup artist. Hollywood meets Nollywood this is where the fun begins, and Conflict time! Everything Carlos wants, romance, film noir and horror is not delivered by Efi who has a different take on it with his motley crew. Africa the vibrant special effects girl, who apparently worked on big movies, Efi Tells Carlos “Avatar and Pride and plagiarist”. Africa brings Carlos nothing but cheap sci-fi effects which she believes is the best thing since sliced bread. That’s the problem with the Nollywood guys they believe their shit is good shit, and Carlos the man who has his own money on the line £500000, is in deep lumber. Bring on the Piece de résistance the actors within the film. We have the fiery French actress Racquel [Denise Moreno] and the green drama school first time film actor Oliver[Jack W. Carter] they cause poor Revalos’s pain to deepen not only is he combating of a motley crew from Nollywood he has disgruntled actors to please now can it get any worse? YES. The film set is not a beautiful purposed built location but a make shift set the input of Efi, “I wanted to make a film noir not a camping film” Jacques tells Carlos. The plot thickens and Carlos calls Dirk to sort out this rabble “Dirks going to have your arse” Carlos tells Efi who replies “My ass is he gay?” Dirk arrives and puts Carlos straight, the movie continues we now bring in two other actors within the movie these hired by Efi Vanessa [Vampire] Eleanor James Dr Strange [Julian Lamoral Roberts] Bmovie actor, Vanessa drives Berwyn the stunt coordinator barmy and proceeds to act more like a L’Oreal shampoo advert than scare people. We also have a student filmmaker Mickey [Warren Taylor] who is filming behind the scenes of the film within the film.

Le Fear II- Le Sequel

The night scenes have to be the most classic and funniest ones we have Witch doctors, Lesbian Vampires, Alien Explosions and a very angry actress “SUSHI DE MERDE Carlos you are a piece of shit little man! I’m going back to Paris right now” Carlos now one actress short of a picnic or rather of making his worst movie, and now without a location when disgruntled land owner Tom Dickinson[Ian Cullen] arrives and kicks them off “my land what are you doing in my land are you filming one of those pornographic films?” Efi replies “I swear on my father’s grave and my mother’s goat”

Le Fear II: Le Sequel will go down in history if Carlos can manage to complete it won’t be the classic he longed for but his worst yet. Bring on a new actress Racquel replacement Lucy Lou [Aiko Horiuchi] a Japanese actress brought in by Efi she joins the madness. “Can we use it?” Carlos asks Jacques about the new location, “Yes but I don’t want my name on that movie” Jacques replies “At this stage fuck your name” Carlos tells him the film gets more crazier and continues to deliver humour right until the end.

Summary Comedy is complex some people laugh at Dad’s Army, Fawlty Towers and Porridge all classic British Comedies others won’t get the humour of those classics! some will love Flight of the conchords and Curb your enthusiasm and others won’t, you can’t make everyone laugh no matter how good the comedy is, Le Fear II: Le Sequel has already made a few people smile and laugh and we hope to continue to do so, I’m not going to say we created the best film within film the world but we have made a film that me and the producers are very proud of we are proud of the cast and how hard they worked to create the humour the crew and how hard they worked to get the camera lighting and sound to be as good as it is the editor who has done a great job and the musicians who have supplied us with a great soundtrack.

 

I will leave you with some other funny lines from the film Le Fear II: Le Sequel

Cast Lines

Carlos Revalos [Kyri Saphiris]

“They Buy a bloody blow up doll, stick some sparklers up its arse, and call it special effects of a high budget production”

Dirk Heinz [Andrew Tiernan]

“You’ve got a fucking film to make, so pull it out of the bag”

Lucy Lou [Aiko Horiuchi]

“My English is very little”

Jacques [Hadrien Mekki]

“You’re just crazy fucking English people who want to drink tea; I just want to make a good film”

Racquel [Denise Moreno]

“If we die what happens? Because I don’t feel I’m going to come out this film alive”

Africa [Roxy Sternberg]

“It’s beyond Hollywood, Nollywood, Woody Allen my gosh we have it”

Dr Strange [Julian Lamoral Roberts]

“If Crossed I get cross if cross I need Blood”

Jessie [Leila Reid]

“Can you teach Carlos to keep the fire inside of him”

Vanessa [Eleanor James]

“I’m a professional actress I have been in god knows how many movies”

Queenie [Victoria Hopkins]

“Do you like it wet? I bet you do I bet you like it real moist Don’t you?”

Berwyn [Catherine Balavage]

“Oh I’m swishing my hair like I’m in a 1970’s fucking porn film”

Witch Dr. Charles [Sean McPherson]

“Ring Nigerian now £5, no problem”

 

Twitter https://twitter.com/Lefear2lesequel @lefear2lesequel

Facebook Like Page https://www.facebook.com/Lesequel

Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/163431550389968/
IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1982759/

 

[Editorial note: Frost Magazine founder and owner Catherine Balavage played Berwyn in Le Fear, Le Sequel]

 

 

 

Sleeping Dogs Film Review

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London. Eve spends her days caring for her almost vegetative fiance Tommy while struggling to make ends meet. Tommy’s only hope of recovery is a radical new treatment, but it’s expensive. Running out of time, Eve turns to Tommy’s old friends for help. Little does she know that journeying into Tommy’s murky past will unravel a chain of deception that will prove the ultimate test of her devotion.

This film was shot as a collaborative project by a crew of two and a core cast of five for a production budget of £100. It went on to be nominated for a BiFA.

Floris Ramaekers co-wrote, directed, was DOP, camera operator and editor. Pretty impressive stuff. Now for the film…

Dark and heavy, the film is beautifully shot and looks far more expensive than it is. I cannot tell this is a low budget, scaled back production. The acting is great. While some of the characters are not exactly likeable, each is well-written and the actors do an excellent job. Special mention to veteran British actor Jon Campling who has been in so many great films he has probably lost count himself. He is a star who is destined for great things. Liberty Mills is also amazing in the title role.

Sleeping Dogs is an entertaining, gritty British film in the way only Brits can do. It is no surprise it has received nominations. I loved it and was incredibly impressed at what was achieved. I hope this team of cast and crew make another film as this one really is excellent.

Go and see it.

Imitation Game Film Review

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iimitationgameCast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, Mark Strong

I was very excited about seeing this film. The cracking of the enigma code is one of Britain’s greatest accomplishments, saving millions of lives and ending a war. Alan Turing is one of the most underrated and greatest Britons that ever lived. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Cumberbatch does an excellent job of portraying the man who essentially invented the computer. He could have just done another Sherlock-type performance but his performance is astounding, believable and as good as expected from an actor who is fast becoming one of our true greats. It is just subtle enough. The script is great, the entire film just works very well. Strong performances are given from the rest of the cast too and Keira Knightley’s performance gives Joan Clarke, a woman who did great work and contributed to history when too many were never given the chance, the credit she deserves.

Whilst I watched this film, myself and the rest of the audience were engaged and laughed many times. But the overwhelming feeling at the end was of injustice. The injustice of homosexuality ever being illegal, the injustice of one of our greatest, who helped stop a war and saved tens of millions of lives. is hard to take. Forced to take pills that chemically castrated him. Turing ended his life when he was only 41 after being forced to take these pills or face prison. His ‘crime’ was his sexuality and being caught with a young man. No one helped him or stopped the appalling behaviour. It wasn’t until 2013 that he was posthumously pardoned by Queen Elizabeth II. This film is a must watch. It tells an essential part of our history, but it also says far too much about the brutality of injustice and hate.

Based on the real life story of Alan Turing, who is credited with cracking the German Enigma code, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team at Britain’s top-secret code-breaking centre, Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II. Turing, whose contributions and genius significantly shortened the war, saving thousands of lives, was the eventual victim of an unenlightened British Establishment, but his work and legacy live on.

The Imitation Game is out now.