Frame of Mind – a short film by Zornitsa Petkova, Trailer

I came across a little known director, who’s first short film has stood out from the crowd,  So far this film has been selected for the Marbella film festival and various independent film screening venues like the Roxy Screening Bar and Kino London.

I have included a trailer below “Frame of Mind”

“Frame of mind” is a visual short film based on a true story. A story of the unexpected romantic encounter of a boy and a girl. An almost forgotten way of flirting…….

Please lets us know what you think…

Enjoy.

www.zornitsafilms.com

Cherry Tree Lane – Film review

Paul Andrew Williams, is a very interesting up and coming British Director for me. He makes choices in this film that are reflective of today’s british culture and raw in terms of putting together a film which has thrown together a working middle class family and todays street gang culture. Except the gang are uninvited and completely unexpected.

It’s is essentially about a family who’s son gets involved in gang culture. Their son has done something which has made the gang leader mad! The gang bust into their house hold and physically, emotionally destroy this family. It has a really good unexpected twist at the end, which leaves you with a few unanswered questions!!

Given the script and the location i think it’s cleverly put together and not for the faint hearted as this is a good british horror opening the imagination and giving us an insight as to what is happening in Britain today.

Verdict? – Go seek out!!

Paul Andrew Williams, is the man behind films such as London To Brighton and The Cottage

Enjoy!

Knight and Day

This looks like it’s going to be great.. I can’t wait to see it, I have pre-tickets.. Anyone?

OPENING IN CINEMAS ACROSS THE UK & IRELAND ON AUGUST 6, 2010

Enjoy!

Lebanon – Film Review

A few weeks ago, I went to see an israeli independent film called Lebanon, directed by Samuel Maoz. This film is based on personal experiences of being in a war tank in Lebanon. Yes, it scared me all the way through and at some point I coudn’t watch. This film is so real it’s almost a documentary. It shows strength and type it takes to go to war, be in war and sitting in a battle tank for weeks on end with no communication with the outside world, except for the radio which goes back to the control center. This film is not for the faint hearted or for the guys and girls out there who like romcoms. This film is about the breakdown of communication and a team who start out with no experience of war in the fields of Lebanon, except that they end up being lead down the wrong path and communication gets disjointed and the fear of death starts to creep into the guys in the tank..

Lebanon will give you a brilliant insight to what it’s like being a real Israeli soldier at war. The storytelling is brilliant and it’s clearly on a small budget, but for what they have done, I salute them in bringing the harsh realities of the real people in war to the screen!

No wonder it won the Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival.

Watching the evening news in the same way again!

Production companies: Metro Communications, Ariel Films, Arsam International
Sales: Celluloid Dreams
Cast: Yoav Donat, Italy Tiran, Oshri Cohen, Michael moshonov, Zohar Strauss, Dudu Tassa, Ashraf Barhom, Reymonde Amsellem
Director: Samuel Maoz
Screenwriter: Samuel Maoz
Producer: Uri Sabag, Einat Bikel, Moshe Edery, Leon Edery, David Silber, Benjamina Mirnik, Ilann Girard
Director of photography: Giora Bejach
Production designer: Ariel Roshko
Music: Nicolas Becker
Costumes: Hila Bargirel
Editor: Arik Lahav-Leibovich

British Independent Film Awards taking place 6 December 2009

Supported by The UK Film Council

SIR MICHAEL CAINE ANNOUNCED AS VARIETY AWARD WINNER

FOR THE 12TH BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS

ON 6 DECEMBER 2009

Sir Michael Caine has been confirmed as the recipient of the Variety Award at this year’s British Independent Film Awards to be held on 6 December at The Brewery, Chiswell Street, London and to be hosted by James Nesbitt.  With a distinguished career spanning five decades, Sir Michael Caine is one of the most celebrated actors to focus the international spotlight on the British film industry.

 

Steven Gaydos, Executive Editor at Variety says: “Michael Caine’s versatility and durability have been hallmarks of his art over decades, making his continuing pursuit of excellence and his passionate and generous commitments to new filmmakers and edgy film projects all the more impressive.”

 

As previously announced, Daniel Day-Lewis, one of the most exceptionally talented and enigmatic actors in the industry, will also be honoured with the Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Film by an Actor.

 

BIFA also welcomes Production Designer Kave Quinn and Actor/Director/Writer Nick Moran to this year’s jury, comprised of professionals and talent from across the British film industry including: Actress Jodie Whittaker, Actors Idris Elba, Liam Cunningham, Eddie Marsan and Actor/Director/Writer Peter Mullan, Directors Sarah Gavron and Eran Creevy, Producers Dixie Linder, Anita Overland and Adrian Sturges, Documentary Filmmaker Kate Blewett, Film Marketing Consultant Robert Mitchell, Projectionist Paul Speed and Head of Distribution and Exhibition at The UK Film Council Peter Buckingham.

 

BIFA are proud to announce the following nominees for this year’s awards:

 

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM

An Education

Fish Tank

In the Loop

Moon

Nowhere Boy

BEST DIRECTOR

Sponsored by The Creative Partnership

Andrea Arnold – Fish Tank

Armando Iannucci – In the Loop

Duncan Jones – Moon

Jane Campion – Bright Star

Lone Scherfig – An Education

 

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]

Armando Iannucci – In the Loop

Duncan Jones – Moon

Peter Strickland – Katalin Varga

Sam Taylor-Wood – Nowhere Boy

Samantha Morton – The Unloved

 

BEST SCREENPLAY

Sponsored by BBC Films

An Education – Nick Hornby

Fish Tank – Andrea Arnold

In the Loop – Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche

Moon – Nathan Parker

Nowhere Boy – Matt Greenhalgh

BEST ACTRESS

Sponsored by M.A.C

Abbie Cornish – Bright Star

Carey Mulligan – An Education

Emily Blunt – The Young Victoria

Katie Jarvis – Fish Tank

Sophie Okonedo – Skin

BEST ACTOR

Sponsored by Stolichnaya Elit

Aaron Johnson – Nowhere Boy

Andy Serkis – Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

Peter Capaldi – In the Loop

Sam Rockwell – Moon

Tom Hardy – Bronson

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Anne-Marie Duff – Nowhere Boy

Kerry Fox – Bright Star

Kierston Wareing – Fish Tank

Kristin Scott Thomas – Nowhere Boy

Rosamund Pike – An Education

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sponsored by Stolichnaya

Alfred Molina – An Education

Jim Broadbent – The Damned United

John Henshaw – Looking for Eric

Michael Fassbender – Fish Tank

Tom Hollander – In the Loop

 

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER

Sponsored by Optimum Releasing

Christian McKay – Me & Orson Welles

Edward Hogg – White Lightnin’

George MacKay – The Boys Are Back

Hilda Péter – Katalin Varga

Katie Jarvis – Fish Tank

 

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION

Bronson

Bunny and the Bull

The Hide

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Katalin Varga

RAINDANCE AWARD

Sponsored by Raindance

Colin

The Disappearance of Alice Creed

Down Terrace

Exam

They Call It Acid

 

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios

Bright Star – Cinematography – Greig Fraser

Bunny and the Bull – Production Design – Gary Williamson

Fish Tank – Cinematography – Robbie Ryan

Moon – Original Score – Clint Mansell

Moon – Production Design – Tony Noble

 

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Sponsored by Chapter Media

The Age of Stupid

The End of the Line

Mugabe and the White African

Sons of Cuba

Sounds Like Teen Spirit

BEST BRITISH SHORT

Christmas with Dad

Leaving

Love You More

Sidney Turtlebaum

Washdays

 

BEST FOREIGN FILM

Il Divo

The Hurt Locker

Let the Right One In

Sin Nombre

The Wrestler

THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution to British Film)

Daniel Day-Lewis

 

THE VARIETY AWARD

Sir Michael Caine

 

THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE

Sponsored by The UK Film Council

Announced at the British Independent Film Awards on Sunday 6 December

 

Proud supporters and patrons of BIFA include Mike Figgis, Tom Hollander, Adrian Lester, Ken Loach, Ewan McGregor, Helen Mirren, Samantha Morton, Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Trudie Styler, Tilda Swinton, Meera Syal, David Thewlis, Ray Winstone and Michael Winterbottom.

 

BIFA would like to thank its Sponsors: The UK Film Council, 3 Mills Studios, BBC Films, Chapter Media, The Creative Partnership, M.A.C, Optimum Releasing, Raindance, SohoHouse, Stolichnaya, Variety.

500 Days of Summer – Film review

From the “kick ass” trailer I was really looking forward to seeing 500 Days of Summer, as I’m a complete sucker for romantic comedies. Well… At least I though it was! This is about a boy, that meets a girl, boy falls in love ,and girl… well… she does what she likes. This drives the poor boy insane, enough to write a full feature film about his breakup with Summer and achieve world wide success!  In most romantic comedies you will find that it’s the women who ends up with her heart broken. Not this flick! In this cases you will find that it’s the man who gets his heart broken and discovers himself on the path he should have always been on! This is based on a true story.. It’s so good, it has the build up, the progression, the wit, and the final delivery all in the right places. Go and seek out this movie Zooey Deschanel, is misleading, footloose and sooo HOT!

Directed by: Marc Webb

Written by: Scott Neustadter & Michael Weber

Produced by: Mark Waters, Jessica Tuchinsky, Mason Novick, Steven J. Wolfe

Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Clark Gregg, Minka Kelly, Matthew Gray Gubler, Rachel Boston, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Moritz

This post modern love story is never what we expect it to be – it’s thorny yet exhilarating, funny and sad, a twisted journey of highs and lows that doesn’t quite go where we think it will.  When Tom, A hapless greeting card copywriter and hopeless romantic is blindsided after his girlfriend Summer dumps him, he shifts back and forth through various periods of their 500 days “together” to try to figure out where things went wrong.  His reflections ultimately lead him to finally rediscover his true passions in life.

Orphan – trailer

I went to see Orphan a weeks or so ago, I can honestly say that I was quite intrigued with Esther‘s secret. The advertising campaign questions “What is wrong with esther?” Well I can’t tell you that, but if you wanna get scrared go and seek out and see it. Isabelle Fuhrman’s performance was incredible. She is definetly one to watch for up and coming horror movies. It took me a few days to take the film in and understand what happened here. It’s definetly creepy and has an effect which is quite hard to shake off.  Its a very simple storyline with a very complex character.

Orphan hits the big screens this Friday 7th August. Enjoy!

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE – Trailer

This month sees the release for the X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, which is a massive follow up to X-Men: The Last Stand released in 2006. No need to introduce this spinoff as the comic book as been around since the 60’s and Wolverine first appearing in the popular comic books in 1974. This tells me that x-men have a massive following. The trend is a dark thrilling movie which begins with the first chapter in the X-Men saga, unites Wolverine with several other legends of the X-Men universe in an epic revolution that pits the mutants against powerful forces determined to eliminate them.

Hugh Jackman reprises the role that made him a superstar as the fierce fighting machine who possesses amazing healing powers, adamantium claws and a primal fury known as berserker rage.  Directed by Gavin Hood (Tsotsi, Rendition) and released in cinemas across the UK on Wednesday 29th April 2009.

 The film also introduces several mutants whose appearances in the movie series have been long anticipated, including Victor Creed, aka Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber – Defiance, The Manchurian Candidate), a feral being of unimaginable power; Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds – Definitely Maybe, The Nine), a high-tech mercenary skilled at swordplay; Fred Dukes, also known as The Blob (Kevin Durand – Smokin’ Aces, 3:10 to Yuma), a morbidly obese and super-strong behemoth; and Gambit, aka Remy Etienne LeBeau (Taylor Kitsch – TVs Friday Night Lights), a Cajun card shark who can manipulate kinetic energy with explosive results.  Also featured is William Stryker (Danny Huston – The Aviator, The Proposition), a figure introduced in “X2” but whose origins and motives are now fully explored. It is Stryker’s complex relationship with Wolverine that defines much of Logan’s past …and future. 

Release Date: 29th April 2009

Certificate: 12A
Running Time: 107 mins
Director: Gavin Hood
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Will.i.am, Danny Huston, Lynn Collins, Taylor Kitsch, Dominic Monaghan and Ryan Reynolds

I will be reviewing this on Monday the 27th of April, so more to follow on this very exciting film! I can’t wait!!!!!

Enjoy!

KNOWING – film trailer

Nicolas Cage takes center stage in this much talked about action packed thriller called KNOWING. It’s about a new generation of students who examines these time capsule contents. The point of the movie is that the research makes for a shocking discovery that pinpoints the accuracy of dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years.

Box office shows that it has grossed $14.7, so it’s not the biggest box office smash, but it has certainly got something to prove.

In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one mysterious girl fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead.

Fifty years later, a new generation of students examines the capsules contents and the girls cryptic message ends up in the hands of young CALEB KOESTLER. But it is Calebs father, professor JOHN KOESTLER (Nicolas Cage), who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As John further unravels the documents chilling secrets, he realizes the document foretells three additional events the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve John and his son. When Johns attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place.

With the reluctant help of DIANA WAYLAND and ABBY, the daughter and granddaughter of the now-deceased author of the prophecies, Johns increasingly desperate efforts take him on a heart-pounding race against time until he finds himself facing the ultimate disaster and the ultimate sacrifice.

Release Date: March 25th 2009
Certificate: TBC
Running Time: TBC
Director: Alex Proyas
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne

www.know-move.co.uk

SOUNDS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT – review

Quirky, light hearted, fun and an adventure into the world of eastern european pop culture. This pop-umentary or documentary follows parents from eastern europe who have entered their children into a “Junior eurovison song contest.” What’s funny, is that it’s all true, It’s not fiction.  Director Jamie J Johnson, has done brilliantly well in spotting this little jem and follows a few families from around Europe and documents their build up to the competition.

What’s lovable is that most of us in the UK have never heard of this competition and yet it seems to be well supported and some of the children take it quite seriously. The fun part is just the participation and going on the journey with these quirky families.  It’s hilarious watching these children practise for the competition and listening to their ideas on who is going to win.

The release date is 8th May 2009

http://www.soundsliketeenspiritthemovie.co.uk/

Here is the trailer:-