Movie Emporium

2012 is shaping up to be one hell of a year for film. Directors return to the genres that made their names, some concluding an epic series, others beginning new ones. A musical maestro adapts an American literary classic, whilst a comic book writer fulfils every nerd’s dream with an ensemble of the greatest heroes the world has ever seen. Our favourite characters return, ring-bearing and with a license to kill. A boy wizard turns into a haunted adult, and a webslinger in red and blue is brought to life on the big screen – yes, again. With so much rich and exciting material out there, picking a selection of films to discuss in this article has been ridiculously difficult. I have to confess, in my desperation to narrow it down I’ve picked out the eight films that not only most excite my personal interest, but also those which I feel will have a particular impact on the future of film. They may not all be Oscar-winners, but these are the eight films of 2012 that I think may just be game-changers.

The Familiar Face in a New Role

Moviegoers worldwide already know Daniel Radcliffe as the boy actor who has brought our favourite young wizard to life on screen for the past ten years, but now it’s time to see him post-Potter, in a new and somewhat surprising role. In The Woman in Black, an adaptation of a hugely successful play that itself was adapted from a Susan Hill novel, Radcliffe plays lawyer Arthur Kipps. Kipps must travel to the estate of a recently deceased client, where he meets with an unexpected challenge; the ghost of a woman, intent on enacting vengeance, the titular woman in black. Radcliffe and co. are going to have a hard time shaking off their characters in this life-after-Potter, and this first performance from the actor will be observed with much scrutiny. The first of our eight, The Woman in Black is due for release on February 10^th.

Daniel Radcliffe will have to prove that he’s not a one trick pony if he is to succeed post-Potter.

The Assembly

When the first teaser and trailer were released, the cast assembled and director on board, it suddenly dawned on us every move that Marvel have made over the past few years has been leading up to this. Iron Man and its sequel; Thor; Captain America and its rather inconspicuous subtitle: nothing but mere stepping stones on the path to The Avengers. In a bold move, Marvel are assembling all their finest heroes on screen at the same time, and with the charismatic personality of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans’ powerful presence as the Captain, and Chris Hemsworth with his shirt off (I can’t help it) as Thor, this is going to be the best superhero movie ever. Probably. These aren’t the only stars; there’s a new Hulk to deal with, Samuel L. Jackson as one-eyed Nick Fury, and Scarlett Johanssen representing kick-ass ladies as the only female member of the group. And the icing on the cake, filled with all that potential goodness, is the presence of Buffy and Serenity creator Joss Whedon at the helm. Having written comics for Marvel, Whedon is uniquely qualified for the role. Hopefully come April 27^th this fantastic formula will prove a huge success and satisfy comic book and superhero fans worldwide.

The Return of the Architect

The world of the Alien franchise has been developed and expanded since Ridley Scott’s original film was released in 1979. With an extended universe incorporating three sequels, all with different directors, as well as crossovers with Predator, novels, comic books and video games, the universe that Scott first laid the seeds for has grown into a huge realm of amazing (and some not so amazing) content. Now, the director returns to the world he left behind, not with a sequel but a prequel of sorts. Prometheus is said to be a film with definite, identifiable “strands of Alien DNA”, but it will also be a solid film in its own right. Speculated to tell at least some of the story behind the mysterious Space Jockey figure, glimpsed in the first film and the subject of intense curiosity, Prometheus is estimated for a release date of June 1^st, 2012.

Ridley Scott will now finally address this mysterious alien figure.

The Reboot of a Franchise

Hollywood simply can’t resist the urge to reboot, especially now they have Nolan’s Batman to cite as successful inspiration, so 2012 will also be the year that another recognisable superhero returns to cinema screens. The lanky Andrew Garfield will don the suit of spidey in The Amazing Spider-Man, whilst rising star Emma Stone will play Peter Parker’s love-interest: not the red haired Mary Jane, but original sweetheart of the comic books, Gwen Stacey. Although this young pair have demonstrated their acting chops and proven to be capable talent, bring Spiderman to the screen again when most moviegoers will still remember Tobey Maguire in the role could spell trouble. Nolan succeeded with his reboot because he completely reimagined the character and the tone of the films, and he’s also one talented director. No offence to Marc Webb, but the trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man just looks way too familiar. We’ll have to wait and see if the film itself does the same on July 4^th.

The Conclusion of a Trilogy

Speaking of Christopher Nolan, 2012 also brings the third and final instalment in one of the most successful reboot series… well, ever. Nolan’s reimagining of Batman began with Batman Begins in 2005, followed by The Dark Knight in 2008 and culminating in this year’s The Dark Knight Rises. Not much development work on the title, perhaps, but it certainly looks like a lot has been happening in the world of the film. Taking place eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Nolan’s final Batman flick features Tom Hardy as terrorist leader Bane, famous in the comic book canon for breaking Batman’s back, and that film favourite Selena Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman, portrayed this time around by Anne Hathaway. They will be joining Christian Bale as the dark knight himself, with Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman in two of the best supporting roles in cinema. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also joining the cast, with Gary Oldman reprising his role as Jim Gordon. The dark knight will rise for the last time on July 20^th.

Bane spells trouble for Batman in the upcoming series finale.

The Literary Adaptation

Baz Lurhman is well known for having made two extremely successful films; Moulin Rouge (2001) was a musical masterpiece, whilst his artistic adaptation of Romeo + Juliet (1996) is a unique take on Shakespeare that combines the elegance of his language and storytelling with a modern setting. He is also well known for making one disappointing follow up, 2008’s Australia, which failed to turn heads. Now Lurhman has set his sights on one of America’s great literary classics, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Literary adaptations are already walking slightly dodgy ground, and with Luhrman’s last effort so mediocre, one may worry for the fate of the novel. However, with Leonardo Di Caprio and Carey Mulligan in two of the lead roles, the film certainly has star quality, both established and rising. We’ll see whether that’s enough come autumn.

The Return of Bond

After a lengthy period of production issues and problematic processing, Bond 23 is finally definitely going ahead. Daniel Craig reprises his role as Agent 007 in this year’s Skyfall, although information about the film itself is still somewhat lacking. Director Sam Mendes has taken over duties from Quantum of Solace’s Marc Forster, and with a resume that includes American Beauty it seems that the franchise is in safe hands. Judi Dench is back again as M, whilst various other names join the Bond world for the first time including Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes. The 23^rd on screen adventure for the world’s most famous British spy should arrive in cinemas around November 9^th.

Daniel Craig is back in the role he first adopted for 2006’s Casino Royale.

And finally, to finish off an already rather long list…

The One We’ve All Been Waiting For

It is, of course, Peter Jackson’s return to Middle Earth in the first instalment of the two Hobbit films. The secondary title of this first half is An Unexpected Journey, due to be followed a year later by There and Back Again. Whilst Guillermo del Toro was in the director’s seat for a time and no doubt would have done a good job, it’s profoundly reassuring to know that our favourite hobbits, elves, and of course that one particular wizard are in the hands of Peter Jackson, who brought them to life so perfectly for The Lord of the Rings. Ian McKellan returns as Gandalf, whilst Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom and even Christopher Lee appear in brief cameos as their LOTR characters. More substantial are the returns of Hugo Weaving as Elrond and Andy Serkis taking on motion capture duties once again for Gollum, his iconic creation. The amount of British talent that has been brought in to flesh out the film is absolutely staggering: Richard Armitage (Robin Hood, Spooks) is dwarven leader Thorin Oakenshield, whilst Aidan Turner (Being Human) and James Nesbit (Cold Feet) are just two of his numerous companions. Whilst Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch will be the man behind the dragon, Smaug, his co-star Martin Freeman is taking on the role of lead hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Peter Jackson himself has expressed his immense faith in Freeman, saying that he is everything they wanted from their main (little) man. Brian Blessed is even rumoured to be making an appearance, although this has yet to be verified! An Unexpected Journey will be released in December, 2012.

There were obviously many trailers I could have chosen to include at the end of this article, but it almost goes without saying that this is of course the one I settled upon.

So that’s the eight, as promised: but it seems only fair to also give a brief mention to a few other films that could turn out to be 2012 highlights. World War Z sees Brad Pitt fight zombies in a dystopian future; Breaking Dawn Part II will be out in November to conclude the entire Twilight saga, whilst The Hunger Games attempts to match its success and start a series of its own. Not one but two adaptations of Snow White are due for release this year, the colourful playfulness of Mirror Mirror and the darker, grittier tone of Snow White and the Huntsman, whilst one of 2012’s bigger why-did-they-bothers is Wrath of the Titans, the follow up to the utterly unspectacular Clash. Perhaps Sam Worthington will have more than one facial expression this time around, and we’ll get to see some actual Titans. If we’re lucky.

It’s going to be a fun year.

- Kat Humphries

Sources and further information:

Future Films – empireonline.com

UK Cinema Release Dates – filmdates.co.uk

Movie Times – Upcoming Hollywood Movies 2012 Release Dates List – moreinews.com

Upcoming Movies 2012 – movieinsider.com

The 32 films to look out for in 2012 and beyond… – timeout.com

Christmas is a great time to get together with friends or family and watch a good film. As with almost every holiday, there are plenty of movies out there that are entirely focused around Christmas and the festive season; there are hundreds to choose from, ranging from child-friendly animations to adult humour and even Christmas horror. So to help you navigate the wide variety of titles out there, here is a basic guide to the different types of Christmas movie and advice on which are the best of the bunch.

Essential Christmas Classics

There are those Christmas movies that are broken out every year, showing on TV no matter what else might be available. These films are absolutely essential Christmas viewing for the family, and you simply have to watch them if they’re on. Those are the rules. First up is 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life; a perennial classic that offers a different take on the traditional Scrooge tale. Instead of the ghosts of Christmas, it is an angel who visits businessman George Bailey to help him appreciate his life. A year later came the first iteration of Miracle on 34^th Street, although the 1994 remake is a similar success, with Richard Attenborough stealing the show as a lovable Kris Kringle. Finally, no Christmas is complete without the classic animated short The Snowman: less than thirty minutes long, the beautiful pencil drawn animation of this film more than makes up for its lack of dialogue as it tells the story of one boy’s Christmas adventure.

This classic style of animation has been lost in modern films.

Festive Family Favourites

Christmas is all about spending time with your family, and that usually means some younger, more innocent viewers. If you’re looking for some good clean family viewing there are a great many films out there, including classics such as the Home Alone series, starting with the original in 1990. These films preach a fundamental Christmas message about the importance of love. Another popular series of films started with The Santa Clause in 1994, in which Tim Allen stars as an accidental Father Christmas. Adaptations of children’s books have not always been hugely successful, but 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas exhibits Jim Carrey at his best when it comes to improvisation and comedic timing. A more recent addition to the Christmas canon is Elf, which presents Will Ferrell as an adorable helper from the North Pole and stole the hearts of audiences when it came out in 2003.

CG Winter Wonders

The above films are all child-friendly but we’ve yet to mention some of the best animated Christmas movies, and there are a couple that really top the list. Firstly, part of the genius of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) is that it’s a great film to watch any time between Halloween and Christmas, as it fits both occasions perfectly. Tim Burton’s story is beautifully realised in stop motion, and the musical numbers are infectiously catchy. As technology has advanced so has the sophistication of film animation; 2004’s The Polar Express was one of the first major motion pictures to utilise motion capture for numerous characters. Tom Hanks plays six distinct characters throughout the film, bringing a boy’s adventure to the North Pole to life.

Although often billed as Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, the film was actually directed by Henry Selick.

Advent Action

Christmas movies aren’t limited to child-friendly family fun, however, with several of the world’s most famous action films actually taking place at Christmas and therefore widely considered “festive”. Lethal Weapon (1987) and Die Hard (1988) are both hard-core action flicks, but the action takes place in amidst a backdrop of Christmas lights, tinsel, and pine trees. Lethal Weapon begins to an introductory rendition of Jingle Bell Rock! Perhaps you might disagree that these can truly constitute Christmas films, but the general public certainly seem to think so. Both placed on Empire magazine’s list of the top 30 Christmas flicks, and Die Hard was top of the list at number one!

Top 3 Alternative Christmas Films

With all of these fantastic festive titles to choose from, it might help to give a special mention to three of the most unusual and yet stand-out entries into the Christmas canon. First off is a holiday horror: Steven Spielberg’s Gremlins (1984) kick started the festive monster movie, with the titular creatures causing plenty of mayhem and mischief over the Christmas period in the small town of Kingston Falls. Puppets of a friendlier nature appeared in 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol, in which all of Jim Henson’s most famous creations joined forces with Michael Caine’s Scrooge in order to retell the traditional Dickens tale. Finally, to finish off this list, the Christmas film with the most universal appeal of all time has to be 2003’s Love Actually; a host of rom com stars get together to tell a series of interweaving narratives of family, friendship and love over Christmas. As much as it may sound like a chick flick, Love Actually is a perfect mix of romance and comedy that will appeal to both genders. Oh, and it also features a great cameo from Rowan Atkinson.

Love Actually’s formula for combining some of the most famous romantic comedy actors and actresses has been imitated in films such as Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve.

To finish off, you might actually find that you feel like heading out for a film this Christmas instead of staying in: if that’s the case, one of the most seasonal films in cinemas right now is the animated Arthur Christmas, which imagines that the role of Father Christmas is passed down generation to generation, like a family business. In this quirky Christmas tale, the younger son of Father Christmas is the only one who can save the holiday – check out the trailer below.

- Kat Humphries

Sources and further information:

Top 10 Christmas Movies – collider.com

The 30 Best Christmas Movies Ever – empireonline.com

Christmas Movies – film4.com

Top 20 Christmas Movies – movies.uk.msn.com

Best Christmas Movies – rottentomatoes.com

It’s that time of the year again – Halloween is here, and what better way to celebrate than to roll out a few of your favourite horror movies and set your hearts racing, your spine chilling and your bones tingling? Deciding what to watch, however, may be a point of consternation for you and your friends with the huge range of different horror movies out there. Do you go for the slightly dated original, or the overly gory remake? The unsettling psychological horror, or the blatantly ridiculous yet highly entertaining slasher? To help you make this important choice, I’m going to give you a basic guide to several of the most popular horror sub-genres, and stellar examples of each. Just make sure you watch them in the dark while your parents are out – what could possibly go wrong?

The Slasher

No list of movies for a Halloween marathon is complete without a good slasher. After all, the original slasher movie that reinvigorated the genre in the late 1970′s was John Carpenter’s film named after the holiday itself. 1978′s Halloween inspired many copycat films, the most famous of which are Friday the 13th (1980) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Each of these films introduces an iconic killer whose names remain infamous even today – Mike Myers, Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger. Each film also upped the ante on the last in terms of gore, violence, and highly imaginative death scenes that contributed to modern horror by inspiring franchises such as Final Destination and Saw. All three of these early slashes have received the remake treatment, the curse of our generation, but on Halloween you should be sure to remain true to the originals – they’ll still make you jump.

Jamie Lee Curtis became the ultimate scream queen after her iconic role in Halloween, facing off against Michael Myers.

The Creature Feature

Often providing a good laugh as well as a good scare, creature features are sure to have you squirming in your seat. A development of the old monster movies, which saw the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein (both 1931), The Mummy (1932) and The Wolf Man (1941) take to the screen, the creature feature focuses more on horrific monstrosities of nature now that we seem to prefer our vampires and werewolves shirtless and brooding. The iconic creature feature is, of course, Jaws (1975), and although it remains a steadfast classic there are many more out there to be explored. Not one but three killer sharks are present in Deep Blue Sea (1999), or for a different sharp-toothed beastie, a giant crocodile disturbed the waters of Lake Placid in the same year. If you prefer your creature features with maximum levels of ridiculousness, Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus is an intentionally appalling riff on the genre, whilst 2010′s remake of Piranha 3D throws more sex, nudity, blood and gore into one movie than ever before. Of course, Mega Shark has to be commended for its inclusion of what is possibly the greatest movie scene ever…

The Supernatural Horror

The genre that generally creeps everyone out is the supernatural horror – ghosts, ghouls and other unexplained phenomena may seem to be an irrational fear if you don’t believe in the supernatural, but just wait until you go to bed after watching a good scary movie. You’ll be checking under the covers for the invisible presence of the demon from Paranormal Activity (2007), waiting for Samara from The Ring (2002) to crawl out of your television, and hoping that death doesn’t come calling as in Final Destination (2000). The unseen and unstoppable forces of these movies are frightening because you cannot escape – this genre is closely linked to that of religious horror, featuring possession movies such as The Exorcist (1973) and the influence of the devil in films like The Omen (1976). But surely you’ll be safe – as long as you don’t watch the cursed video tape, or attract the attention of the demon, or escape a fatal accident… Right?

In this iconic scene, Samara climbs out of the well on the television screen before slowly crawling towards the screen itself, breaking the third wall and exiting the TV to claim her next victim.

And finally…

The Self-Referential Horror Movie

There’s only one film series to really mention in this concluding section – the Scream franchise began with the original Scream in 1996, and its successive sequels continued to parody the horror genre as a whole, right up to the recent release of Scream 4 (2011) which references the remake and reboot trend of the industry today. Remember – you have sex, you die. Don’t say be right back, because you won’t be right back. Oh, and always double tap, because the killer you just shot/stabbed/electrocuted WILL get back up.

Ghostface is a famously incompetent killer - he falls over, staggers around and is generally a clumsy character.

Happy Halloween!

- Kat Humphries