The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Director: Peter Jackson; Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis

The Hobbit is one of my favourite books of all time, and The Lord of the Rings is without a doubt my favourite movie trilogy. Though I would have loved to have seen Guillermo Del Torro’s vision of Middle Earth, I’m tremendously happy that Peter Jackson is back in the directors seat. Adapting arguably Tolkien’s best book, with a phenomenal cast comprised of LOTR veterans and some talented new blood, I can’t wait to see what Peter Jackson and company have in store! It simply isn’t Christmas without hobbits, dwarves, wizards and one bloody epic-battle…

Release Date: December 2012

Skyfall

Director: Sam Mendes; Cast: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw

It’s felt like an eternity since we last saw Bond on the silver screen in Quantum of Solace (2008). Now that the MGM’s financial troubles are finally behind them, the world’s favourite secret agent is set to return with a vengeance in Skyfall – a brand new adventure, not directly tied to the events of Casino or Quantum. With Javier Bardem as the main villain, Ben Whishaw as the new Q, and Oscar winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) taking over directing duties, Skyfall promises to be a whole new class of Bond film – with a capital B. Which begs the question, greatest Bond movie ever?

Release Date: October 2012

Much Ado About Nothing

Director: Joss Whedon; Cast: Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Reed Diamond, Fran Kranz

Okay, the first curveball on the list. An adaption of Shakespeare’s immortal play, Much Ado About Nothing is a film written and directed by Joss Whedon – yes, the Joss Whedon: the creative mind behind Buffy, Angel, Firefly & Serenity, Dollhouse and Dr Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog, and director of this summers tent-pole blockbuster The Avengers.  With a cast made up almost exclusively of alumnus from Whedon’s past shows, the film was shot in just 12 days on location in Whedon’s Santa Monica home during a break from filming The Avengers. Once completed the film is headed for the festival circuit “because”, and I quote, “it is fancy.” Hopefully, it will be picked-up by a distributor and we’ll get the opportunity to watch it later in the year.

Men In Black 3

Director: Barry Sonnenfield; Cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin

With a great story and a strong chemistry between its two leads, the original Men In Black was one of the most enjoyable films of the late 90s. The third instalment in the series see’s Agent J (Smith) travelling back in time to the 1960’s to stop the assassination of his partner Agent K (Lee Jones) – which he must do with the help of a younger Agent K (Brolin). The film also stars Emma Thompson, as the new head of the MIB, Alice Eve as her younger 1960s counterpart, and the hilarious Bill Hader as Andy Warhol. The new trailer looks like a promising return to form for the series. At the very least, MIB 3 will give us the opportunity to watch Josh Brolin’s do an eerily spot on Tommy Lee Jones impression! Seriously, it’s really quite good…

Release Date: May 2012

The Dark Knight Rises

Director: Christopher Nolan; Cast: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway

After the phenomenal critical and commercial success of The Dark Knight, writer and director Christopher Nolan returns to Gotham to give the Dark Knight his final swansong. Set eight years after the last film, Gotham has been experiencing a new golden age of tranquillity whilst Batman (Bale) has gone into hiding, having taken down the Joker and taken the fall for Harvey Dents murderous rampage. However, the arrival of the mysterious Selina Kyle (Hathaway) and the villainous masked man Bane (Hardy) force the Dark Knight to rise up, one last time…

Arguably the most eagerly anticipated film of 2012, I’m pretty sure I don’t need to convince anyone to get excited about this film. I urge those of you who haven’t seen it yet to watch the six-minute prologue attached to IMAX screenings of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, hopefully, this will tide you over until July…or make you even more excited and make the wait all the more unbearable!

Release Date: 20 July 2012

Looper

Director: Rian Johnson; Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt

In this intriguing time-travel thriller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a Looper, a killer who works for a crime syndicate based in the future. All is well until he realises that one of his next targets is his future self (Willis).  With Rian Johnson, the writer-director behind Brothers Bloom and phenomenal Brick, at the helm, count on things getting mighty complicated before the end credits role. Definitely, one to watch out for…

Release Date: 28 September 2012

The Avengers

Director: Joss Whedon; Cast: Samuel L Jackson, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlet Johansson, Jeremy Renner

Having spent years and multiple films laying the groundwork, the stage is finally set for Marvel’s Avengers to finally hit the big screen. When a new threat emerges that jeopardises the fate of the entire world, Nic Fury (Jackson), director on the international peace keeping organisation SHIELD, brings together the earth’s mightiest heroes to combat it. Marvel Studios has a phenomenal track record with comic book movies, and I think they’ve made an excellent decision giving directorial duties to Joss Whedon. I’m confident that he will be able to tell a great story and juggle this impressive, dysfunctional ensemble of super-heroes.

Release Date: 27 April 2012

Prometheus

Director: Ridley Scott; Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron,  Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Patrick Wilson

A team of explorers travel to the darkest corners of the universe to search for the origins of humanity. There, they must face a terrifying battle to save the human race. Whether this much-hyped film takes place in the same universe as the Aliens films or just a universe that’s Aliens-adjacent, isn’t clear yet – but who cares, it’s Ridley Scott back in space with an all-star cast. Be happy!

Release Date: 1 June 2012

The Bourne Legacy

Director: Tony Gilroy; Cast: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Wiez, Edward Norton, Joan Allen

Set within the same Bourne universe, Legacy is a brand new spin-off featuring a whole new cast of players. Jeremy Renner stars as Alex Cross, a CIA-trained spy, dealing with the ramifications of the previous films and a whole new conspiracy. Though I was initially apprehensive about a new Bourne films without either Matt Damon in the lead role or Paul Greengrass behind the lens, I’m getting more and more excited about the prospect of Legacy. I couldn’t think of a better choice to take on this lead than Jeremy Renner; he’s a fantastic actor and that has proven that he can do action well in Ghost Protocol. With an amazing supporting cast – including Rachel Wiez, Edward Norton and Joan Allen, returning to play Pamela Landy – and long-time series scribe Tony Gilroy taking on writing and directing duties, Bourne Legacy looks set to become a worthy addition to this spy brilliant series.

Release Date: 17 August 2012

The Amazing Spider-Man

Director: Marc Webb; Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Sally Fields

Full confession, I’m a huge Spider-man fan. I have been ever since I was a kid, when I would engorge myself on the comics and cartoons. So the prospect of a brand new Spider-man film puts a smile on my face (seriously, there is an earnest/disturbing grin plastered on my face right now, whilst I write this). Though I doubt the debate over whether it was necessary to re-boot the franchise will ever cease, these is no reason not be excited about The Amazing Spider-man. Andrew Garfield is an incredibly talented actor, and his heart-felt speech at comic-con, dressed in a cheap Halloween Spider-man costume, has endeared him to the comic book community. The uber-taleneted Emma Stone will play Peter Parker’s first love, Gwen Stacey, Welshmen Rhys Evans gets double duty as Dr Connors and The Lizard, whilst Martin Sheen will get to say that immortal line – “with great power comes great responsibility” – as Uncle Ben. Check out the official website, where you’ll get a better look at the cast and the costume.

Release Date: 4 July 2012

Special mentions

The Raven

In The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe spends the last days of his life working with the police to track down a serial killer whose crime scenes mimic those found in the writers stories. Staring John Cusack as Poe with James McTeigue, the director V For Vendetta, at the helm The Raven could be one of 2012 dark horses.

Release Date: 9 March 2012

The Cabin in the Woods

Joss Whedon has teamed up Drew Goddard, the writer of Cloverfield, to create Cabin in the Woods – a film that takes the old clichéd horror story of a mysterious cabin in the woods and flips it on its head. Starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and some Whedon alumnus, Cabin in the Woods is finally going to be released in 2012. Expect an intelligent plot and big scares from this.

Release Date: 13 April 2012

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter:

The title says it all…

The Plot

Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily Weaver (Julianne Moore) started out as high school sweethearts and have been married for almost twenty-five years.  As the years have passed, the spark in their marriage has all but died out.  Cal however, content and oblivious to the lack of passion in their marriage is stunned to discover that his wife has been unfaithful when one night, she confesses her indiscretion to him.

As Cal moves out of the family home with divorce proceedings looming, he is devastated that he didn’t see it coming and spends his time drinking vodka cranberry’s in a bar, whining to anyone who will listen about his failed marriage.

Then in walks Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling), serial womaniser, charmer and all round ladies man.  His only goal in life is chat up women and take them home.  Jacob sees Cal’s despair and offers to help him sort out his life and regain his manhood by teaching him the tricks of the trade.

With Jacob’s help, Cal becomes the unlikely charmer, but run-ins with the wrong women and taking advice from his young son Robbie (Jonah Bobo), Cal comes to realise that only person he will ever love is Emily and he needs to do anything he can to win her back.

Meanwhile Emily has started moving on and tries to date the man she cheated with, David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon) from her office.  David is hopelessly in love with her but Emily can’t help but feel that things are not quite right with him.

In a rather complicated love triangle, young Robbie Weaver has become infatuated with his babysitter Jessica (Analeigh Tipton) while she unfortunately is secretly in love with Robbie’s father, Cal.

As for Jacob, life’s a ball but when on one of his nights chasing women he approaches Hannah (Emma Stone) a beautiful and smart girl that is under-appreciated by her career driven lawyer boyfriend.  Hannah combats Jacob’s flirtatious advances and goes home alone.  But circumstances change and Hannah decides to see where a night with Jacob will take her and soon serial womaniser Jacob is confronted with the dangerous realisation that Hannah could be the one turning his whole perspective on life upside down.

With more complicated love triangles than you can shake a stick at, how do we really know if it is love or just infatuation?  Who will make the leap of faith to be with their true soul mate?

The Thoughts

Crazy Stupid Love was a laugh-out loud romantic comedy with a very interesting and different story line it kept the audience guessing, even with the twist in the plot.  It also had more heart than your average run of the mill Hollywood RomCom making it quite a poignant and complete story.

With a solid cast and well thought out plot, Crazy Stupid Love is likely to win praise from viewers and critics alike.  Although the script was not perfect, this was more than made up through the excellent acting and complex story.  Steve Carrell (The Office, The 40 Year Old Virgin) is usually known for his comedic roles, however a series of roles in emotionally touching films such as Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and Dan In Real Life (2007) have proven that Carrell is a gifted actor that can do both slapstick and serious.  It is refreshing to see him in more serious roles as we are shown Carrell’s versatility across the board in this film.

Academy award nominated Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine, The Notebook) is on the other end of the spectrum with this being his first comedy role.  Normally seen in serious dramas with edges of dry dark humour, Gosling shows that he can easily play ‘that guy’ that others do so well and far too often.  His role choices are integral to the success of his career so far.  Carefully picking his roles and directors to work with, I personally do not think Gosling has made a bad film yet.  So many actors are capable of playing the Jacob Palmer role (the other Ryan, Ryan Reynolds being one of them) but few possess such a range as Gosling to perform well in other, more serious genres.  Gosling also appears in Drive (2011) this year, his first action film and again produces an outstanding performance.

As for the leading ladies and supporting roles.

Seasoned actress Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right, The Hours) as Emily Weaver finds herself in a less strenuous part than usual.  Though the role required a fair amount of emotion, I felt this character barely touched the surface of what Moore is clearly capable of and I look forward to seeing her in other, more serious roles in the future.

Similarly, up and comer Emma Stone (Zombieland, Superbad) provides a good supporting role and her acting style complimented the other characters well.  She has the endearing look of the girl next door, which is a refreshing change from some of the Hollywood stars of today.  Her next movie The Help (2011) coming late October will test Stone’s acting prowess in a powerful film discussing the racial relationships between white and African Americans.

For the ladies, it is academy award winner Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler, The Lincoln Lawyer) who gives a short but stand out appearance.  Her character Kate, the desperate lonely school teacher, out the on the prowl for a man, finds herself as Cal’s first experimental flirt and initially winds up more offended than charmed.  Tomei has some of the best dialogue and laugh-out-loud scenes and absolutely steals the show for the girls, as Gosling does for the boys, though not forgetting some great lines from Jonah Bobo (Zathura) as the young, but wise Robbie Weaver whose infatuation with Jessica the babysitter (Analeigh Tipton) provides some light hearted humour and makes you remember back to when you were that age and fancied someone so much to the point that you thought it was love.

The story itself brings up interesting questions as to what is love compared to infatuation and explores the journey that we must go through in order to fall in love and stay in love.

Not your average RomCom, Crazy Stupid Love will sweep you off your feet.  A RomCom that’s actually genuine for once, it’s funny but touching at the same time.  See it now, better yet, buy it when it comes out (if not just for the Gosling shirtless scenes!)

The Film Buzz Review Rating: 7.5/10

Cinema Release Date: 23^rd September 2011

Directors: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa

Writers: Dan Fogelman

Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1570728/

http://crazystupidlove.warnerbros.com/index.html

By day, ‘Driver’ (Ryan Gosling) is a Hollywood stunt man, but by night he makes his real money in the criminal underworld as a top-flight getaway driver. When pretty but very married next-door neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan) is menaced by hoods, he steps in to protect her and her little boy, only to find himself in an escalating conflict between the local thugs and the Mafia.

The Thoughts

September has always been the period after the summer blockbusters in which films that are left on the studio slate get dumped. It is also the start ‘serious’ movie season in which movies start vying for Oscar consideration.  Drive is definitely of the latter category.

Adapted from a crime novel, the film is based on a premise where a stunt driver by day, moonlights as a getaway driver by night. Ryan Gosling plays the aforementioned driver, a silent brooding hero of few words akin to Clint Eastwoods ‘man with no name’. Just as the spaghetti western hero, we never actually learn the driver’s name.

However we do learn that he is and introverted and socially isolated indivudual, a man of little words that excels at what he does. His world then changes when he meets Irene, his pretty but married neighbour.

Refn, already gaining reputation as a talented up and coming filmmaker cements himself here, as a bonafide auteur. The opening scene is the most tense and suspenseful scene you will see this year. This is a film that is stylishly in no hurry to get anywhere.  Drive is an absorbing, atmospheric neon-noir drenched film that has little dialogue and driven by nuanced performances of its actors.

Goslings star has been rising for a while now playing social outcasts with a specific purpose, is perfectly cast as the silent brooding hero full of tension and controlled aggression. He is quite simply a revelation, subtly balancing, tough, silent yet caring. There hasn’t been a character this cool for quite some time.

Mulliagan, also a dependable rising star with a resume of nuanced, subtle, but powerful performances also seems perfectly cast but actually has little to do here. You could however see a less gifted actress overacting the part. Less is sometimes more.

The most surprising element of the film is the violence. For a film where the characters display immense restraint, when the violence hits, it is loud, graphic and messy.  Not since Tarantino has a point blank shot to the head scene been so memorable.

The cinematography here is lush, sweeping across the LA backdrop from the main streets to the desert. Combined with a mesmerising synth score and lots of slo-mo, this creates an absorbingly, atmospheric, hyper-stylised, hyper-violent film that is just too cool for school.

The Film Buzz Review Rating: *********~ (9/10)

UK Release Date: 23rd September 2011

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Writers: Hossein Amini

Directed by Lone Scherfig, the award-winning director of An Education, One Day is the heartbreaking tale of love that is known to us all.

The Plot

The story follows the lives of Emma Morley (Anne Hathaway), a down-to-earth Yorkshire girl from a working-class background full of drive and ambition to do something meaningful with her life, and Dexter Mayhew (Jim Sturgess) a wealthy playboy who has it all, women, sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Having known each other in passing at university, their real meeting on graduation day, July 15^th 1988 is when they actually spend any time together.  Emma, who has always secretly liked Dexter, is so excited that something might develop between them that she drunkenly takes him back to her place to seduce him.  In the early hours of the morning, with a dodgy record playing for background noise, Dexter tries to leave, only to be hounded by Emma.  They come to the resolution to remain friends and spend the night together, but do not sleep with one another.

From then on, we visit them in snapshots over a span of twenty years on the anniversary of that day, July 15^th.  We see the time they spend together and the time they spend apart, and how their lives differ and clash, with careers, love, family and loss.

Following graduation, Dexter has landed himself a job on TV as the presenter of a show called Late Night Lock-In.  It doesn’t really involve any talent or interview skill, just a lot of shouting at the cameras and being at ease with having scantily dressed women dancing around him, (many of which are his girlfriends).  It’s his dream job.

Emma, meanwhile, is a waitress at a Mexican restaurant, staffed full of other graduates that haven’t quite found their path in life and other wannabes that are failing to live their creative dream, including admirer Ian (Rafe Spall) a would-be comedian, if only people could find him funny.

She dreams of being a writer but life keeps getting in the way and before long, she’s offered a management position at the restaurant.  Dexter drops by to convince her to leave or if she accepts the position, her life is officially over.

The years pass by and Dexter is a mess.  Fame and fortune has brought him nothing but trouble, he is taking illegal drugs, drinking heavily, going through copious amounts of women and falling out with his parents.  Throughout his troubles, the person he always turns to is Emma, the only person in the world who loves and accepts him completely, that is, until one day she decides she’s had enough of being ignored, used and walked all over and promptly tells him their friendship is over.

Years pass again and they do not see each other.  Dexter has matured, is planning to marry the woman he thinks he loves and even have a child with her, but all the time he still wonders about Emma.

Then when a mutual friend from university gets married, they finally meet again at the wedding and years of emotions come pouring back.  Their friendship is rekindled, but for how long?  And where will it lead?  Will they?  Won’t they?

After all, how long can happiness truly last?

The Thoughts

One Day was a thoroughly enjoyable rollercoaster ride of emotions and an equally watchable film.  It had substance and the plot of the story, falling in and out of love is familiar to us all and obviously relatable.  It may have men running for their lives from accompanying their female cohorts to see this film, because on a tear jerking scale of one to ten, this is a ten and easily on par with The Notebook.

Though I thought it had a shaky start, with the young jock Dexter being the most disagreeable and dislikeable character ever and the two leads not really seeming to gel, as Dexter’s character matured and became enlightened, so did the film.  It became much more complex and well rounded and far more enjoyable to watch, with funny moments as well as pocket tissue popping ones too.

Fans of the book will know how the story ends but for the rest of us who had not read the novel, it was a semi-surprising shock.  A shock in the sense that the end was saddening, but only semi-surprising because I could see it coming, after all, sad films can never end with happily ever after, can they?

As for the two lead actors, Jim Sturgess plays his finest character yet.  Loud and obnoxious to start with in his younger years with little regard for anyone but himself, he develops into a complex and troubled character, sensitive, longing, hurting, with the desire to understand why?

Anne Hathaway continues to surprise me in her skill and portrayal.  Gone are the days of The Princess Diaries, she has really stepped out and is determined to make a name for herself as a serious actress and already having been nominated for an academy award, she is not far off from doing so.

As for the accent: There has been much criticism over the accuracy of Hathaway’s Yorkshire accent.  In truth, it was not the best, she seemed to slip in and out of her native North American accent, into Yorkshire and then finally land on a generic English accent, with the occasional Yorkshire twang thrown in.  But in all honesty, this did not bother me at all.  In my opinion, as long as she had an ‘English’ accent, that is all it needed for the story to be convincing.  Yes, her character is supposed to be from Leeds and I suppose fans of the book will have wanted her accent to be more precise, but I really only noticed it, or the lack thereof when she slipped back into her American accent.

Not all actors are brilliant at maintaining an accent which is not natural to them.  Hathaway may have disappointed on this level, but excelled in bringing Emma Morley to life on screen.  In essence, I was enraptured by the story enough to ignore the Yorkshire accent coming and going.   In contrast, it was wonderful to see Sturgess speaking with a posh playboy Southern accent, when he is in fact from Liverpool.

The direction by Lone Scherfig should also be praised.  Though uncomfortable at times, she has a way of bringing a scene to the consumer and engulfing you in it.  When Emma cries, you feel her pain, when young Dexter does something irritating, you feel angry and annoyed and when they are both happy, you do feel genuinely happy for them.  Her skill in directing One Day, most certainly carefully crafted through An Education, shines through completely and the way the story is compiled, jumping from year to year, might make some viewers feel nauseated with confusion if directed by someone else, but you don’t with Scherfig’s clear cut direction.  Though it is based on a novel, the story is convincing because the material is so relatable and this in itself, makes it a cinematic triumph.  Store it in your DVD collection when it is released, sandwiched between The Notebook and Blue Valentine.

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

UK Release Date: 24^th August 2011

Director: Lone Scherfig

Writers: David Nicholls (screenplay and novel)

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)

The year is 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Daniel Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). It’s a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky.

The Thoughts

Upon first hearing the concept of Cowboys & Aliens I was a tad excited shall we say, said film being directed by Jon Favreau who previously brought us Iron Man, even amidst below-par reviews. Having seen the film at the Empire Big Screen event at the O2 last Saturday I can say with great relief, that those fears can be put to rest and you too can enjoy the heavyweight action Cowboys & Aliens as I did when it opens in theatres nationwide this week.

For a ridiculous concept melding Western with science fiction, it works – for me anyway. Die hard Western fans will not necessarily agree but for most I think you’ll find the concept original and a breath of fresh air from the recent Hollywood superhero blockbusters. 2 hours whizzed by and before I knew it I was excitedly discussing Daniel Craig’s cleavage in the last scene and how this film made me fall in love with Sam Rockwell all over again.

Daniel Craig takes on the menacing ‘give me any crap and you’ll be sorry you were born‘ role with ease, you could say he was made for this role – breaking noses, shooting Indians, jumping off galloping horses onto an alien spacecraft – all whilst keeping the chiselled cheek pout composure and not batting an eyelid. Ford, who hits the big 7-0 next year plays the far too clichéd Colonel Dolardhyde, but still makes the character enjoyable to watch whilst Olivia Wilde takes on the role of eye candy, though she fell flat in delivering a solid, believable character as was the case with Sam Rockwell who is a stellar actor but wasn’t given enough to develop.

The reptilian aliens weren’t original in any way, although did hit some scary notes as they had a few extra hidden limbs shall we say. The story is pretty straightforward: aliens try to kill people; people try to shoot them with near-useless guns; Cowboys vs Indians; Cowboys & Indians vs Aliens but with such a wacky hybrid of elements – rustic vs futuristic – it almost doesn’t matter.

A few minor faults aside, I enjoyed Cowboys & Aliens immensely – drawing the audience in with a curious plot and brilliant, realistic effects, a bit cheeky at times and some pretty cool sci-fi tech to boot. If you’re a serious Western or Sci-Fi fan, you may want to look away but I say go see this film with an open-mind and be blown away!

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

UK Release Date: 17th August 2011

Director: Jon Favreau

Writer’s: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman (screenplay), Steve Oedekerk (screen story) & Scott Mitchell Rosenberg (graphic novel)

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.

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

UK Release Date: 28th October 2011

Director: Tate Taylor

Writer’s: Tate Taylor, Kathryn Stockett (Book)