DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES will be available on Blu-ray October 23rd from Arrow Academy
Winner of the International Critics Prize at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, Terence Davies feature debut heralded one of Britain s finest filmmaking talents.
Loosely based on the director s own family and upbringing, Distant Voices, Still Lives presents an evocative account of working-class life in Liverpool, England during the 1940s and 50s. Births, marriages and deaths and an expressive use of music provide the underpinning for a film that is beautiful, heartbreaking, resonant but never sentimental.
Now regarded as a masterpiece of British cinema, and boasting a startling performance from Pete Postlethwaite (Romeo + Juliet, Inception) as the head of the family, Distant Voices, Still Lives has been treated to a glorious 4K restoration by the British Film Institute.
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
Brand new 4K restoration, carried out by the British Film Institute
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Original stereo audio (uncompressed LPCM)
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Commentary by writer-director Terence Davies
Interview with Davies
Interview with art director Miki van Zwanenberg
Theatrical trailer
More to be announced!
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jennifer Dionisio
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Christina Newland plus archive essays
This film has me torn between really liking it, and casting it aside…
KILLING BONO is the tale of two Irish in the 1980’s brothers struggling to make it in a rock band. Jealousy rears its ugly head when their friends band, U2, becomes a huge success while they are still struggling on the music scene. Semi truth, semi fictitious, the film follows Neil (Ben Barnes) and Ivan McCormick (Robert Sheehan) on their quest for rock stardom with their band Shook Up as Bono and U2 become more and more famous. The thought of this is unbearable to Neil, causing trouble for him, his brother, and his career.
Anyone old enough to remember the 80’s knows how big U2 were, and still are. They sell out stadiums around the world, and their frontman is known by one single name… Bono…
The film is based on the memoirs of Neil McCormick, and knowing a thing or two about music, this film could be true. That does not, however, automatically make this a good movie. The story was interesting, there were some fun rock-n-roll scenes, but I felt like most of the film just dragged on. It felt like more of a cry-fest about Bono and U2 than it did about Neil McCormick’s story. After watching videos of the original Shook Up, they vastly over-exaggerated their talent in the film.
The story of resentment and angst was a great way to go. I just really feel like they could have told it differently, and by that, I mean the screenplay could have been better. Instead of showing the jealousy in a fiery way, the character of Neil felt like a whiny, self absorbed wanker. U2 wasn’t taunting him, or messing up his life… he was messing up his own life and blaming (crying about) U2. It was pretty funny to see the many different styles of music and wardrobe that they tried on before basically copying U2’s style. The film claims to be a comedy, but there is a really uneven balance of drama mixed in that left me a bit neutral about the film.
Also, just throwing it out there… why would you pass up the opportunity, after years of struggling, to open up for U2. If your ego and jealousy are deep enough to turn down a big opportunity from a widely successful band, then you deserve to fail. Does the film show the character of Bono as a bit of an ass as a teenager? Sure, but most of us were. It didn’t really paint him in a bad light after that, so if they were trying to paint U2 in a negative light, or give us a reason for Neil to hate Bono, they failed.
There were some entertaining parts to the film. Not enough to save the movie, but enough to carry you through. The way they painted the music industry was rather funny. Drugged up guys that were completely full of shit seemed to rule the scene. Also, Robert Sheehan (who played Ivan) held my attention. I really enjoyed his part. Despite rather liking his character, I had no emotional ties between either of them. Their characters were underdeveloped for my taste.
This film is entertaining enough for a one-time view, but I’m still on the fence about KILLING BONO
KILLING BONO was released to Video On Demand October 5, 2011 and hits theaters November 4, 2011.
Here are the first international trailers and clip for IRONCLAD aka BRAVEHEART 2. Guess Brian Cox has been pigeonholed seeing as this is pretty much the only kind of movie he does anymore. What he do, dig his BRAVEHEART costumes out of the closet? See for yourself.
Early Trailer
International Trailer
Clip
Synopsis:
IRONCLAD recounts one of the most violent, pivotal moments in English medieval history – when a few good men fought against insurmountable odds to defend their country from a megalomaniac, blood-drunk king. Torn from the pages of history, the devastating battle for the castle of Rochester is a true story of honour, action and excitement. There will be blood.
The year is 1215. King John (Paul Giamatti) has been forced to sign the Magna Carta, a document that will ensure the freedom of men and form the basis of common law in England. Furious at having been forced to sign it, King John raises a vicious mercenary army and begins a rampage across the country to regain total power. But as the King’s army is on the brink of reaching London and taking back control of the country, one last castle stands between him and inevitable victory: Rochester.
Gathered together by Baron Albany (Brian Cox), a small band of rebel warriors gather inside Rochester intent on holding off King John until reinforcements arrive: a Templar Knight (James Purefoy) whose soul is wracked with guilt over the atrocities he has committed during the crusades and his burgeoning feelings for Isabel (Kate Mara), the beautiful lady of the castle and lonely wife of the aging Reginald de Cornhill (Derek Jacobi); battle-hardened mercenaries such as Beckett (Jason Flemying), who fight not for God and country, but for money and bloodlust; and young soldiers like Guy (Aneurin Barnard), who’ll taste blood and battle for the first time – and perhaps the last.
IRONCLAD stars James Purefoy, Paul Giamatti, Brian Cox, Robert Carlyle, Kate Mara, Jason Flemyng, Charles Dance, Derek Jacobi and Pete Postlethwaite. IRONCLAD opens in the U.K. on March 4th but has yet to find a U.S. distributor.
From Warner Bros. Pictures comes this new poster for Ben Affleck’s THE TOWN starring Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite, and Chris Cooper. Here’s another look at the trailer. Lots of nuns all over the place.
Synopsis:
Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) is an unrepentant criminal, the de facto leader of a group of ruthless bank robbers who pride themselves in stealing what they want and getting out clean. With no real attachments, Doug never has to fear losing anyone close to him. But that all changed on the gang’s latest job, when they briefly took a hostage–bank manager, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). Though they let her go unharmed, Claire is nervously aware that the robbers know her name…and where she lives. But she lets her guard down when she meets an unassuming and rather charming man named Doug…not realizing that he is the same man who only days earlier had terrorized her. The instant attraction between them gradually turns into a passionate romance that threatens to take them both down a dangerous, and potentially deadly, path.
THE TOWN will be in theaters on September 17, 2010. You can find the film on Facebook and Twitter.
Relax all you theater buffs… I said “The Town” not “Our Town“!
Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that THE TOWN will premiere at the 35th annual The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The Gala Presentation and North American Premiereof THE TOWN will take place on Saturday September 11th, 2010. THE TOWN is Affleck’s follow-up to GONE BABY GONE (2007) and the adaptation of the Chuck Hogan novel “The Prince of Thieves.”
Melissa’s Two Cents: Before I display the synopsis, I have to point out that when I first saw this trailer, it looked like the girl was being kidnapped by the band ‘Slipknot’! I am not a ‘Slipknot’ fan, but that made the trailer look ten times cooler… and way more fun!
Synopsis:
Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) is an unrepentant criminal, the de facto leader of a group of ruthless bank robbers who pride themselves in stealing what they want and getting out clean. With no real attachments, Doug never has to fear losing anyone close to him. But that all changed on the gang’s latest job, when they briefly took a hostage–bank manager, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). Though they let her go unharmed, Claire is nervously aware that the robbers know her name…and where she lives. But she lets her guard down when she meets an unassuming and rather charming man named Doug…not realizing that he is the same man who only days earlier had terrorized her. The instant attraction between them gradually turns into a passionate romance that threatens to take them both down a dangerous, and potentially deadly, path.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a GK Films Production, a Thunder Road Film Production. Starring Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite, and Chris Cooper, THE TOWN will be in theaters on September 17, 2010. You can find the film on Facebook and Twitter.
See the comparison???
The film has been rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use.
From Warner Bros. Pictures comes this new trailer for Ben Affleck’s THE TOWN starring Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite, and Chris Cooper.
THE TOWN is Affleck’s follow-up to his amazing GONE BABY GONE (2007) and is the adaptation of the Chuck Hogan novel “The Prince of Thieves.” Looks like were off for another thrilling, tension-filled ride to Affleck’s hometown of Boston as the scenes in this trailer left me with goosebumps.
Synopsis:
Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) is an unrepentant criminal, the de facto leader of a group of ruthless bank robbers who pride themselves in stealing what they want and getting out clean. With no real attachments, Doug never has to fear losing anyone close to him. But that all changed on the gang’s latest job, when they briefly took a hostage–bank manager, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). Though they let her go unharmed, Claire is nervously aware that the robbers know her name…and where she lives. But she lets her guard down when she meets an unassuming and rather charming man named Doug…not realizing that he is the same man who only days earlier had terrorized her. The instant attraction between them gradually turns into a passionate romance that threatens to take them both down a dangerous, and potentially deadly, path.
THE TOWN will be in theaters on September 17, 2010. You can find the film on Facebook and Twitter.
