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 Bandit, Flynn Rider voiced by Chuck’s Zachary Levi is running from the law and ends up taking refuge in a mysterious tower, he’s then taken hostage by Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) and her 70ft long golden hair.

I haven’t really been interested in many Disney flicks of late, but this one looks like it could hold my attention, looks like mighty impressive with plenty of laughs for the whole family.

Tangled is directed by Nathan Greno & Byron Howard who between them have worked on the movies: Bolt, Pocahontas, Lilo & Stich, Meet the Robinsons and more, let’s see if Tangled will meet the same great standards of some of their earlier work.

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

UK Release Date: December 2010/Jan 2011

Director’s: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard

Writer’s: The Brother’s Grimm

Links: IMDB, Official Site

So what can we expect to be different from the other hundred times this story has been told? Perhaps it will be somewhat like 2004′s King Arthur - darker, bloodier more savage than any story of King Arthur that was told before.

All the characters that we associate with Robin Hood such as Maid Marian, Little John, King Richard, Prince John, Sheriff of Nottingham, all make an appearance in this story, so it’s more than likely that we can expect a retelling of this classic tale –  the story of how the archer Robin becomes Robin of the Hood.

Robin Hood

I personally love these new modern re-envisioning of old stories. I think modern technology has finally got to a point where it’s possible to make these old stories seem far more believeable than they did before. So I can’t wait for this to hit theatres this year.

Russell Crowe is joined by Cate Blanchett, Matthew Macfadyen, Danny Huston, Mark Strong and Kevin Durand and of course none other than Ridley Scott directs.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 7.5/10

UK Cinema Release Date: 14th May 2010

Director: Ridley Scott

Writer’s: Brian Helgeland, Ethan Reiff & Cyrus Voris

Links: IMDB, Official Site

UK Cinemas

Disney want to shorten the time it takes to release a film at the cinema to its DVD release. At present the interval from movie theatre to DVD is 17 weeks, Disney want to shorten this to 12 weeks.

So what does that means for consumers, well we get those films a few weeks quicker. What does that mean for Disney? They get more money in their pockets earlier a few weeks earlier. The cinema chains aren’t liking this idea, they want to keep the current interval between the releases as they feel this will reduce cinema goers appetites to see films at the cinema.

Alice in Wonderland

Just so you know these three cinema chains combined represent 95% of the UK’s 3D screens –  that’s an awful lot of cash Disney will be missing out on if Disney flicks don’t make it to the cinema. Disney distributors and the cinema chains are currently in discussions to resolve the situation.

So were you planning on going to see Alice in Wonderland at the cinemas upon its release from March 5th? Some have suggested that if UK cinema goers cannot see Alice on the big screen they may just turn to piracy instead.  Let’s hope they can resolve the situation.

TRON is one of those movies back from the 80′s that they show every now and again on TV. The likelihood is you’ve probably seen TRON and not even realised that you’ve seen it. Jeff Bridges (The Men Who Stare at Goats) played Kevin Flynn an arcade owner who wants to hack into his former company’s Encom computer system to find evidence that his former employer stole several of his game ideas. Flynn with the help of some friends manages to hack into Encom’s system but is thwarted by Encom’s powerful artificial intelligence program the MCP or Master Control Program. Flynn is then digitzied by the MCP and turned into a computer file….wait it does gets better, if you can get past all the 80′s cheese.

Flynn is imprisoned by the MCP along with TRON a security program written by Flynn’s friend, and the two together undergo tasks or games set by the MCP. Do they triumph and manage to stop the MCP? Well I won’t ruin it for you, you can find out by watching TRON which is available on DVD, for now let’s get back to Tron Legacy.

Tron Legacy Film Poster

So not great deal is known on the plot of Tron Legacy, but Disney did release a synopsis of Tron Legacy, to sum up: Kevin Flynn’s son Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund – Murtagh from Eragon) looks into his father’s disappearance and is himself thrown into the same world of computer programs and gladiatorial games that are far more advanced than what his father faced 25 years earlier.

Also revealed was that Tron Legacy will show us at least “three or four things that have never been seen before in this movie” says director Joseph Kosinski said. Ah Joe how we are going to hold you to your word. We now expect this film to not just be good but to be awesome.

Tron Still 1

Tron Legacy Poster 2

TRON was also recently immortalised in the popular role play game Kingdom Hearts 2, where Tron himself is playable character. So for those of you who can’t wait till next year for Tron Legacy you can immerse yourself in Space Paranoids, the name of the playable ‘world’ in Kingdom Hearts 2 that the TRON characters feature.

Tron Legacy looks stunning, just check out some of the stills alone. We’re excited for Tron 2 at TFB. It looks like a stellar cast, that joined with some notable writers and visionaries Tron Legacy will surely be a feast for the eyes.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 7.5/10

UK Release Date: December 2010

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Writer’s: Adam Horowitz, Richard Jefferies, Edward Kitsis, Brian Klugman, Steven Lisberger, Lee Sternthal

Links: IMDB, Official Site

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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a well known video game. I even remember the original released back in the late 80′s, a simple scrolling platformer where you play as the prince jumping from wall to wall and facing hidden traps in order to save the princess from the evil Jaffar.

Prince of Persia Video Game Series

Now we can see the Prince of Persia in a live action film. Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer’s production company have taken it upon themselves to turn The Sands of Time into an action packed adventure. Jake Gyllenhall (Donnie Darko) plays the prince along with Gemma Arterton (St Trinian’s) as the princess Tamina.

Since The Prince of Persia’s original video game release there have been several sequels to date, namely the most recent Prince of Persia (2008) and the first that revived the franchise back in 2003, the very well received Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. It’s this version that has been adapted for the big screen.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Prince of Persia series The Sands of Time is about the Prince of Persia who is tricked intro releasing the ‘Sands of Time’ using the ‘Dagger of Time’ by the Vizier of the Maharaja. The ‘Sands’ affect everyone in the city turning them into monster like creatures. The prince sets out along with his love Farrah to restore the ‘Sands of Time’ to the hourglass and thus return everything to how it was before the ‘Sands’ were released. The Prince of Persia was a truly gripping adventure story to get stuck into, let me assure you.

This new Disney version will feature Gyllenhall as Dastan who is adopted by the king to be his future heir. Together Dastan and princess Tamina (Arterton) join forces to stop the evil villian Nizam (Ben Kingsley) from possessing the ‘Sands of Time’.  Slightly different from the original video game storyline but we won’t complain.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Poser

Having said that, I can see several reasons why this adaptation may not work. One: Gyllenhall does not look ‘Persian’, in fact from the stills and trailers available I would say they all look pretty ‘white’. Second: it stars Gemma Arterton, she has to be one of the world’s most irritating actresses. Third: Gyllenhall doesn’t ‘feel’ like the Prince of Persia, the poster alone makes him look like he’s trying to hard to be part of 300, and fourth: I’m not excited about it, it doesn’t give me shivers, it doesn’t leave me wanting more, in fact it all feels rather lukewarm.

Let us know how you feel about the new Prince of Persia Film below. Mike Newell from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire fame takes the director’s chair and we can all find out how the Prince of Persia fairs in May of next year.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 5.5/10

UK Release Date: 28th May 2010

Director: Mike Newell

Writer’s: Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard, Jordan Mechner & Boaz Yakin

Links: IMDB, Official Site

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The much anticipated computer-animated comedic adventure film, Disney and Pixar‘s collaborative brainchild has finally come alive in cinemas from 9 October and boy, has it hit the box office hard.

Ranking number one at the box office in it’s opening weekend, and eventually Up proved to be Pixar‘s second highest grossing film following behind Finding Nemo. Right now it is holding 1st place in Top Ten London Films, 98% on the Tomatometer  on Rotten Tomatoes, and has even made the IMDB Top 250 scoring in at a sweet #46.

With earth-shattering reviews and votes – this film cannot possibly disappoint.

The Plot

This film starts with a young Carl Frederickson realising his dream to be an explorer, aspiring to his hero Charles Muntz  the famous explorer, he chances upon his dream when he meets a young, bubbly and slightly peculiar adventurer named Ellie. As their spectacular friendship grows, they start to focus in on a common goal – to venture to the Lost Land in South America to Paradise Falls and eventually they fall in love and get married.

70 years later, Ellie has died and Carl feels devastated that they did not fulfil their true dream to visit South America together, and as he is forced to go to a retirement home he decides it’s time to take things into his own hands – for Ellie.

He ties thousands of balloons to his house and takes right off into the sky – his aim to fly to South America and perch his and Ellie’s house on the cliff of Paradise Falls, as pictured in Ellie’s Adventure Book.

However mid-flight, he hears a knock on the door and bewildered, he opens it to reveal 8 year-old Russell – the overly enthusiastic and not-so-bright Wilderness explorer. Russell is Carl’s biggest nightmare come true as all Carl wants to do is be left alone to complete his mission however things don’t go as planned and soon Carl realises he needs Russell more than he thinks…

Brought to you by Academy Award®-nominated director Pete Docter (Monsters Inc), Disney Pixar‘s Up will bring you humour, joy, adventure, tears on a journey into a lost world with the least likely but most likeable duo on the planet.

Featuring star voices including Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai and Bob Peterson.

The Thoughts

Even in the very first minute, I was captivated unlike any film had captivated me in a very long time. The first five minutes made me grin so hard it hurt, but also managed to reduce me to tears. The rest of the film was golden, pure Disney and Pixar magic unlike any other Disney Pixar film yet. They have definitely outdone themselves this time. Breathless action, endless humour, penetrating emotional depth and the most lovable, believable and brilliant characters all packed into a vivid, dream-like and fluid story being told in the most beautiful colours and graphics, there is nothing to fault of this film at all.

In times where everything has been done before, any film will struggle to come up with something original, yet Pixar has done it again in the most heart-warming and visually-stunning way, making it by far the best film of 2009 for me so far.

I strongly recommend adults, children alike to go and watch this film, and to watch it in 3D for this diamond of a film cannot be missed by anyone.

The Film Buzz Review Rating: 10/10

Release Date: 9 October 2009

Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson (co-director)

Writer’s: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson

Links: IMDB, Official Site, Rotten Tomatoes

Here at The Film Buzz we are major fans of Buzz and Woody and cannot wait for the next instalment. In this adventure the toys owner Andy is off to college leaving the toys worried that they will no longer be played with. The toys are then left in a day care for children.

The original  Toy Story story is now available to watch in 3D at your local cinema, and coming shortly will be Toy Story 2 in 3D.

The Film Buzz Anticipation Rating: 7.5/10

UK Release Date: July 2010

Director: Lee Unkrich

Writer: Michael Arndt

Links: IMDB, Official Site