The Plot

A group of students investigate a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter.

The Thoughts

I got to preview this film at the Empire Big Screen event last weekend, and what a joy – I still haven’t finished singing it’s praises yet!

TrollHunter pays an impressive tribute to Norwegian troll folklore mixing traditional fairytale fiction with very convincing scientific facts for instance explaining the reason why trolls explode or turn to stone when they come into contact with sunshine because their bodies can’t process vitamin D resulting in the ‘calcifying effect’ – all this attention to detail made it extremely believable.

Visually the film will leave many desperate to book tickets to Norway as soon as they leave the cinema, featuring stunning landscapes and scenery and what with the enhanced computer graphics combined with a mockumentary effect means the audience is sucked right into the scene. The great thing is that the mockumentary effect didn’t induce motion sickness like Cloverfield did which was a great relief and left you to thoroughly enjoy the thrilling ride.

We had the opportunity to listen to the director and main actor of TrollHunter talk about the film after we saw it – in which he revealed to us how much he wanted to stay true to troll mythology and that it did. We were given a troll guide with different trolls with name, size guides and ages – fascinating! FYI – when TrollHunter was released in Norway at the time (October 2010), it even beat Inception at the Box Office!

Realistic (I cannot emphasis enough how realistic it is), suspenseful and refreshing with a healthy dose of Norwegian humour seasoned very well with horror – I highly recommend you all to see this film when it hits UK cinemas this September.

The Film Buzz Official Rating: *******½~~ (7.5/10)

Director: André Øvredal

Writer: André Øvredal, Håvard S. Johansen

UK Release Date: 9 September 2011

Starring Timothy Gibbs, Michael Landes and Wendy Glenn.

Don’t get me wrong, I love myself a good paranormal horror (I’m a massive fan of Ringu, Paranormal Activity and everything in between) but this film is a little chilling for me… because I think I’m cursed. The thing is, I see 11:11 more often than I should…on my phone, on my laptop and every other digital clock device that I’ve had the cursed luck to come across. So help me God. I’ve pretty much convinced myself that come this year’s 11/11/11 at 11:11am I will probably be engulfed by raging demons from hell… or was it heaven. I can’t keep up. From the directors of the Saw movies, I think it’s safe to say we can expect this to be a gimmicky gore-fest.

UK Release Date: 11th November 2011

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman

Writer: Darren Lynn Bousman

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: *****½~~~~ (5.5/10)

With a heavily studded cast of Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Winslet  - they really went all out on this one!

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Release Date: 9 September 2011

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: *******~~~ (7/10)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II – the final adventure in the Harry Potter film series. In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer
to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here.

Winnie the Pooh

Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with Winnie the Pooh. Featuring the timeless charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo-and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail. “Ever have one of those days where you just can’t win, Eeyore?” asks Pooh. Owl sends the whole gang on a wild quest to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some honey. Inspired by three stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art style.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

In 19th-century China, seven year old girls Snow Flower and Lily are matched as laotong – or “old sames” – bound together for eternity. Isolated by their families, they furtively communicate by taking turns writing in a secret language, nu shu, between the folds of a white silk fan. In a parallel story in present day Shanghai, the laotong’s descendants, Nina and Sophia, struggle to maintain the intimacy of their own childhood friendship in the face of demanding careers, complicated love lives, and a relentlessly evolving Shanghai. Drawing on the lessons of the past, the two modern women must understand the story of their ancestral connection, hidden from them in the folds of the antique white silk fan, or risk losing one another forever.

The Tree

Blindsided with anguish after her husband’s sudden death, Dawn (Charlotte Gainsbourg)-along with her four young children-struggles to make sense of life without him. Eight-year-old Simone (unforgettable newcomer Morgana Davies) becomes convinced that her father is whispering to her through the leaves of the gargantuan fig tree that towers over their house. The family is initially comforted by its presence, but then the tree’s enormous roots slowly begin to encroach on the abode and threaten their fragile existence.

Lucky

Ben Keller (Colin Hanks) has just won the Iowa State Lotto. The catch? The winning ticket belongs to Leslie Singer, the dead girl in his closet. With $36 million now at his disposal, Ben has the newfound confidence to pursue his life-long crush, Lucy St. Martin (Ari Graynor). But can all the money in the world compensate for the fact that Ben is a fledgling serial killer? As their relationship spirals out of control and the body count rises, Lucy and Ben do all they can to survive love, marriage, and each other.

Salvation Boulevard

Salvation Boulevard is a modern comedy based on the book of the same title by Larry Beinhart about Pastor Dan Day, a charismatic evangelical preacher (Pierce Brosnan) who has captivated a small western American town with his charm – and the promise of a sweet real estate development. Carl (Greg Kinnear) is a former follower – not of Christ, but of the Grateful Dead – who has since become “found” in Dan’s Evangelical community, serving as one of the preacher’s great examples of spiritual and moral transformation. But Carl’s new belief system is turned upside down when he witnesses a sinful act that Pastor Dan’s doughy henchman (Jim Gaffigan) aims to cover up.

This summer, Universal Pictures and producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) invite you to experience Bridesmaids. Kristen Wiig leads the cast as Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colorful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony. Annie’s life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian’s maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she’ll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you’ll go for someone you love.

Countdown to Zero (2010)

Countdown to Zero traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present state of global affairs: nine nations possessing nuclear weapons capabilities with others racing to join them, with the world held in a delicate balance that could be shattered by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident. Written and directed by acclaimed documentarian Lucy Walker (The Devil’s Playground, Blindsight), the film features an array of important international statesmen, including President Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf and Tony Blair. It makes a compelling case for worldwide nuclear disarmament, an issue more topical than ever with the Obama administration working to revive this goal today.

Starring Valerie Plame Wilson, Lawrence Scott Sheets, and Rolf Mowatt-Larssen.

World of the Dead: The Zombie Diaries 2 (2011)

Three months have passed since a viral outbreak wiped out 99.9% of the world’s population, turning its victims into flesh-eating living dead. In the UK, a surviving band of soldiers and civilians have taken refuge at the rural military barracks. Life in this new world is tough and brutal, but hope appears when a high level communication is received from a military base on the coast, telling of sanctuary elsewhere in Europe… But just as salvation appears to be in reach, the base suffers an overwhelming defeat at the hands of the living dead!

Starring Alix Wilton Regan, Philip Brodie and Josh Myers.

Akira (2001)

One of the most influential examples of anime, Akira is based on the manga (comic book) by Katsuhiro Otomo. The story is set in the post-apocalyptic community of Neo-Tokyo. Tetsuo is a fiercely individualistic member of a scroungy motorcycle gang. The despotic authorities, the robot-like police, and even the cycle gang pursue Tetsuo when he’s bombarded with a new, insidious energy source that has rendered him telekinetic. Budgeted at eight million dollars, Akira has become a cult favorite in the States thanks to generous midnight-movie exposure and its availibilty on video and cable TV.

Also starring Jessica Chastain as Mrs O’Brien and Hunter McCracken as young Jack.

Director: Terrence Malick

Writer: Terrence Malick

Release Date: 8 July 2011

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: ********½~ (8.5/10)

Director: Robert Redford

Writer: James D. Solomon (screenplay)

Release Date: 1 July 2011

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: *******~~~ (7/10)

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before.

Also starring Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard and Mark Strong.

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi

See it if you liked: Iron Man (2008), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), Thor (2011)

Certificate: 12A

Release Date: 17 June 2011

Bad Teacher

A booze-swilling, pot-smoking, hard-swearing seventh-grade teacher rallies to get out of the classroom for good by wrangling a rich substitute teacher into marriage in this comedy from director Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story). Cynical teacher Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz) hates her job. She can’t wait for the day she finds a man who makes enough cash to let her walk away from her life of middle-school misery, and when her fiancé cancels their wedding plans, her frantic search intensifies. Just when it starts to look like Elizabeth will have to muscle her way through another semester of skull-crushing hangovers, however, handsome substitute Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake) shows up at school sporting a fancy wristwatch and the promise of a care-free future. But in order to earn her meal ticket, Elizabeth will have to out-cute perky fellow teacher Amy (Lucy Punch). And it won’t be easy, because Scott is crushing on Amy hard. Now, if Elizabeth can just motivate her students to study so that she can win a state contest to earn enough cash for some new breast implants, perhaps she can finally find a means of diverting Scott’s gaze. Meanwhile, much to Elizabeth’s chagrin, wisecracking, self-effacing gym teacher Russell (Jason Segel) refuses to admit defeat despite being turned down for a date by his gold-digging colleague time and again.

Genre: Comedy

See it if you liked: Bad Santa (2003), School for Scoundrels (2006), What Happens in Vegas (2008)

Certificate: 15

Release Date: 17 June 2011

With a star-studded voiceover cast of Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman, Seth Rogen, Jack Black and Jackie Chan.

Director: Jennifer Yuh

Writer: Jonathan Aibel

UK Release Date: 10 June 2011

As he begins seventh grade, Greg and his older brother – and chief tormentor – Rodrick must deal with their parents’ misguided attempts to have them bond.

Starring the original cast Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris and Robert Capron.

Prepare to be tickled pink or perhaps even aching from side-splitting laughter fits, this is a franchise set to take the world by storm by the most adorable ‘wimpy’ kid on the block.

Director: David Bowers

Writer: Gabe Sachs, Jeff Judah

UK Release Date: 27 May 2011