Friday Roundup

So it's been a busy week with quite a few interesting things appearing online. I've not been able to post stuff up as it's happened so I thought I'd just do a 'Friday Roundup' which may become something more regular.

First up is the announcement trailer for upcoming zombie survival horror game Dead Island. The trailer generated a lot of buzz for it's very cinematic style and it is quite an impressive bit of footage. The use of slow motion, reverse chronology and music really sets is apart from other game trailers. The whole thing owes a nod of gratitude to The Walking Dead, which the trailer apes to a certain extent. I have my doubts as to whether the game itself will deliver on the promise set up by the trailer but it'll be interesting to see if it does. Please note that the trailer is probably NSFW and those under 18 as it does contain graphic scenes of zombie attack. The video comes courtesy of the good folks over at IGN.

Next up is the new trailer for Marvel's Thor due to arrive on screens in April. Thor has always been one of my favourite Marvel characters and the film (directed by Kenneth Branagh) looks an interesting prospect. This trailer ups the action and Natalie Portman content which may be a wise move in the run up to the Oscars where she is hot favourite to walk away with the Best Actress statue. I'm looking forward to seeing this film even though I would have preferred Brian Blessed in the role of Odin.

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Brad Bird Annie Award Winner

Ever since I first encounted Brad Bird's work (it was Family Dog on the Steven Spielberg anthology show Amazing Stories) I've been a fan. To me his work has encapsulated everything that is great and good about animation. I've followed his career with great interest and his work has always been outstanding - from the underrated The Iron Giant to his joining Pixar and giving us one of the greatest superhero movies in The Incredibles, his stories and characters have always been superb.

Now Brad has been awarded one of the most prestigious awards in animation - The Winsor McCay Award. His acceptance speech comes direct from the set of the lastest film he's directing, the live-action Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and even in this his humour and creativeness shines through. 

Brad Bird is one of the most creative and inspiring people in Hollywood and this award is long overdue. 

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Arcade Fire Live

Arcade Fire perform live in this Terry Gilliam directed concert from Madison Square Garden in August 2010.

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Super Bowl Film Trailer Round Up

So during Super Bowl XLV some new film TV spots were shown. These are my pick -

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Cowboys and Aliens

Rango

Battle: Los Angeles

Captain America: First Avenger

Thor

Super 8

Pirate of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Kung Fu Panda 2

And the film that could be this years Inception

The Adjustment Bureau

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Rango Theme - Los Lobos

Los Lobos have recorded the theme song to the forthcoming Johnny Depp animated film directed by Gore Verbinski. It sounds perfect for the film with echoes of Ennio Morricone and old western TV shows.

Los Lobos - Rango Theme Song by antirecords

Here's a poster for the film -  I'm quite looking forward to seeing this.

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TMNT - Fight The Foot Fan Film

I've always been a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles having read the original Eastman and Laird comics back in the 80s. I loved the first film but wasn't a big fan of the sequels or the Hero Turtles cartoon. I did enjoy the recent Imagi Animation Studios film from a year or so back. I'd hoped it would kick off some new interest in the characters but that never happened. 

Now comes this fan film entitled Fight The Foot - it's live action and is pretty interesting. I'm curious as to where this could go and would always welcome some future Ninja Turtle action.

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Mummenschanz

I remember seeing Mummenschanz on The Muppet Show way back in the 70s. Their work was something magical and beautiful. But in recent years I've not seen much of their performances. It's something I must correct.

If you've never seen or heard of them before here is a short film of their show at the Luxor Theatre. I do recommend you follow the links to other videos of them - their work is amazing.

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Pale Blue Dot

When I was growing up, man was walking on the moon and I dreamed of space. Carl Sagan was the voice that taught me about what mankind could achieve and that knowledge is one of mankind’s greatest gifts.

The future is here and I still dream of the things Carl taught me about. Yesterday I stumbled across this video – it includes a short reading by Carl Sagan from his book Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space.

These images accompanied by Carl Sagan’s words stopped me dead. In fact it reduced me to tears. The dreams I had as a child still run strong in this older body of mine and I still look up at the sky filled with a sense of wonder.

So I hope you can take the time to sit, listen and watch one of the most powerful short films I’ve seen in a while. Then tonight go outside and look up at the stars and dream.

This version of the piece is by damwse and is based on the earlier work of Michael Marantz whose self-composed piano score can be heard, and it’s a beautiful piece of music.

 

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2010 - A Year In Review

So 2010 is at an end and it’s been quite a year. It’s had it’s up’s and it’s fair share of very rapid downs, but something’s have been great.

Here are some of my highlights of the year in film and music.

Film

 I didn’t get to the cinema as such as I would have liked this year but when I did it was to see something I was really looking forward to seeing.

My film of the year was without doubt Edgar Wright’s fantastic adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It was the perfect combination of visuals and music. If you have not seen this film I recommend you go out now and pick up the Blu Ray or DVD and treat yourself to one of the best films of 2010.

I also enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon, which while not a direct adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s wonderful children’s stories, proved that CGI animation by studios other than Pixar could have heart and didn’t need to be filled with pop culture references and terrible pop soundtrack.

And speaking of Pixar they continued to raise the bar for animated features with Toy Story 3. This was a film that reduced me to near tears in places and cements Pixar’s place as the most creative studio in Hollywood.

Comic book adaptations have been doing well at the box office in recent years and one of the best has been Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman’s take on Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass. A great film, which also saw Nicholas Cage produce a pitch perfect performance as Big Daddy.

Two films, which were only around on limited release this year but I recommend you track down on Blu Ray or DVD, are A Town Called Panic and Exit Through the Gift Show.

The only other films I managed to see at the cinema this year were Despicable Me, Iron Man 2, The A Team and Tron: Legacy. A disappointingly short list but I now have a stack of Blu Rays and DVD’s to catch up on all the films I missed.

 

Music

I didn’t really pick up on much new music this year but there have been a couple of album’s that have really stuck with me.

First Aid Kit’s The Big Black and The Blue was the first must hear album of the year for me and as a result I saw them live twice this year. A magnificent debut album and certainly a band to watch in 2011.

As well as being my stand out film Scott Pilgrim also produced two awesome albums. The score by Nigel Godrich is superb and feature the amazing 8-bit Universal Theme. The album of songs that was also released had some great classic songs from the Rolling Stones and T-Rex as well as song by Metric, Plumtree, Blood Red Shoes and new material from Beck.

Another film soundtrack that I have played a lot since it’s release is Daft Punk’s score to Tron: Legacy. The perfect aural version of the Grid, it is a score that really did enhance the film. I wasn’t a big fan of Daft Punk before but I may revisit some of their older material now.

The Gorillaz also returned this year with their album Plastic Beach. A fantastic album featuring guest appearances by De La Soul, Gruff Rhys, Lou Reed, Mos Def, Bobby Womack and Mark E. Smith.

The Manic Street Preachers also returned this year with their album Postcards From a Young Man that they have referred to as their “one last shot at mass communication”. A great album I played a lot this year.

But my stand out album of 2010 was Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs. This album is nothing short of brilliance. From the opening track this album is Arcade Fire’s finest work. The Spike Jonze directed video for the title track is one of the best videos of the year and I was luck enough to see them perform live in December in Birmingham. One of the years highlights without a shadow of a doubt.

 

So that was 2010 and these are just a few of its good and bad points –

The Good -

• Starting out as a freelance Film Maker, Photographer and Community Artist.
• Seeing First Aid Kit and Arcade Fire live.
• Having my short film ‘Trees’ screened at the Electric Cinema and Hello Digital.
• Having my photographs being used on the web and in print.
• Being featured on the Guardian website as part of Douglas Adam's Towel Day celebrations.
• Having my artwork exhibited in The Birmingham Zine Festival Postcard Exhibition.
• Being part of the Beyond Bricks Programme.
• Having Jonathan Ross follow me on Twitter.
• Becoming an Associate Producer on AD Lane’s fan financed film ‘Invasion of the Not Quite Dead’.

 

The Bad -

• Being made redundant at the start of the year.
• Having my dream project stolen and receiving no recognition for it.
• The current Government and its actions since gaining power.

 

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read by post, follows me on twitter and looks at my photographs, films and artworks on Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and my own website.

Let’s hope 2011 will be a good year.

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The Beauty of Pixar by Leandro Copperfield

Pixar is without doubt one of the greatest movie making studios of all time. No other film maker can touch them for story, character and execution. In fact each of their films could be regarded as works of art.

This incredible mash-up film of all eleven Pixar full length features by Leandro Copperfield takes their best moments and condenses them into six minutes and fifty nine seconds of pure emotional joy. 

The Beauty of Pixar from Leandro Copperfield on Vimeo.

This is why I love film.

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Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III

I'm a big fan of the Robot Chicken Show and their Star Wars Special episodes are one of the highlights of the year.

Here is the latest Episode III.

 

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Olly Moss - Thor and Star Wars Posters

I've been following the work of illustrator and designer Olly Moss for a while now. Olly's work is simply stunning and he has drawn some incredible alternative posters for some of my favourite films and video games.

This week it emerged that Olly had been commissioned by Marvel Pictures to produce an exclusive poster for the cast and crew of the upcoming Thor film. The design is simply breathtaking. The poster has been posted on several other movie sites but I wanted to present it here for you to see.

Olly has also done posters for the original Star Wars Trilogy that are amongst the best I have ever seen. 

You can see more of his work over on his blog and Flickr page.

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Thor Trailer

Always one of my favourite Marvel Comics characters - Thor is the latest to make the leap to the big screen. 

Directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder, the film looks to continue Marvels big screen success. Thor will be followed by Captain America: First Avenger and then all of Marvels Heroes (Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow and Nick Fury) will assemble in The Avengers in 2012.

This first official trailer hits all the right notes for me and I'm looking forward to seeing this film next year.

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The Green Hornet and Source Code

I posted Spike Jonze's latest here the other day and referred to him as one of my favourite and most influential directors. Two other people who also fall into that category are Duncan Jones and Michel Gondry. Both of whom have new films on the way.

Duncan Jones, director of one of my picks of last year 'Moon', is returning with 'Source Code' starring Jake Gyllenhaal. This first trailer appeared online this week and has me counting the days until release.

Then there is Michel Gondry and 'The Green Hornet'. I've loved all of Michel's previous film and television work, but 'The Green Hornet' has not had an easy journey to the screen. Hopefully this trailer will put people's mind at rest in the knowledge that Michel is going to deliver the goods with what looks to a great opener to the year of the superhero. 

Both films look fantastic and I can wait to see both on the big screen next year.

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Arcade Fire: The Suburbs

Arcade Fire and Spike Jonze, two of my favourite artists in their respective fields have been working together on a sci-fi themed short film.

The first fruits of this collaboration can be seen in this new music video for Arcade Fire's latest release The Suburbs.

Jonze's work continues to impress, I loved 'Where The Wild Things Are' and the internet short 'I'm Here' and this music video cements his place amongst the most influential filmmakers working in the industry today. 

Meanwhile Arcade Fire also continue to produce some of the finest music around and I cannot wait to see them live in Birmingham early next month.

 

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TRON: LEGACY Trailer 3

I was lucky enough to see 23 minutes of TRON:LEGACY at my local IMAX just over a week ago. I was impressed by what I saw and this latest trailer continues to build the excitement. 

I only hope that the story will deliver the goods as the visuals and music look and sound amazing, and I hope that having Jeff Bridges onboard will mean we are getting a worthy sequel.

December can't come soon enough.

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Space: 1999 Revisted

Back in the 70s when I was just 7 years old one of my absolute favourite TV shows was Gerry Anderson's Space: 1999. It was pre Star Wars so for a sci-fi obsessed kid this was a weekly dose of heaven. One of my all time favourite Christmas Day's was the one that saw Father Christmas deliver not one but two Dinky Eagle Transporters to the bottom of my bed. Many happy hours were spent reenacting space battles over Moonbase Alpha.

Although the show only lasted two series, with the second much inferior to the first, I've always had a soft spot for the show and have often considered picking it up on DVD. But now Network DVD are releasing a digitally restored version with crisp new High Definition transfers on Blu Ray. Along with a host of special features this could well be the home edition I've been waiting for.

If you've never seen the show before here's a taste - a trailer for the Blu Ray edition.

And did I forget to mention the series also featured one of the best opening themes of all time.

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The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain at The Belgrade

The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain

By Chris Hannan, Directed by Dominic Hill & Designed by Colin Richmond. Belgrade Theatre Coventry 23^rd October 2010

It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to Coventry, having spent time at the Polytechnic back in the 80s. I’d never been to the Belgrade Theatre but after seeing the promotional artwork for The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain, my family and I took the train to Coventry to see the final matinee.

Based loosely on the characters created by Alexandre Dumas, this is an inspired surreal retelling of the adventures of the Musketeers. In what can only be described as a cross between Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge and Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, this production is a triumph of performance and design. The relatively small cast take on multiple roles and provide the musical accompaniment to the play, and each one acquits themselves marvellously. From a beautifully relaxed opening where minstrels roam the audience we are quickly drawn into a world where monsters lurk and heroes are waiting to return and save the day.

The story races along with fights, frights and the occasional kiss, keeping both the children and adults entranced. The design of the production is wonderful, with great use of sets and costume. One of the highlights for me was the use of puppets for both minor and major roles, again performed by members of the main cast. The way these characters came to life on stage was incredible, never lifting you out of the world that has been created.

The script and direction of the play was tight and energetic, never slowing and containing the perfect balance of comedy and tension, keeping the family entertained throughout it’s running time.

My children had this to say of the play –

It was really funny, lots of action and a tiny bit rude!

Ezekiel 10 yrs old.

I like how they used the puppets with people and I thought the monster was very gigantic.

Eloise 6 yrs old.

It’s a pity that we saw the show on its final day, as we would recommend it to everyone, both young of age and of heart. We had a fantastic time and if this is the quality of performances we can expect from the Belgrade, we shall be returning again soon.

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The Hobbit - Peter Jackson Speaks

The Hobbit is having a difficult birth. Problems seem to dog the production at every turn. With a major announcement this week regarding the cast, the film is hitting the headlines again.

One of the main questions is will the film still film in New Zealand - this rather interesting clip from New Zealand TV show Close Up let's Peter Jackson set the record straight.

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Misfits Series 2 Trailer

One of the television highlights of last year was E4's superb superhero series Misfits. It's the story of group of young offenders doing community service who get endowed with superpowers after being caught in an unusual storm. But these are not your run of the mill superheroes and the show was a breath of fresh air in a world of glossy US TV drama's.

Thankfully the series proved to be a success for E4 and we are due to get a second series starting in November. This is the just released trailer to promote the new series and gives you a quick catch up of events from series one. Interestingly the trailer opens with a shot of of a pivotal character who so far only appeared in the last episode of series one. If you've not seen the show go out now and pick up the DVD Boxset - Misfits - Series 1 - Complete [DVD] [2009] - and prepare yourself for one of the best British shows in ages.

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