Now on DVD: Trespass

Trespass



15



Directed by Joel Schumacher



Starring Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman and Cam Gigandet



Set over one night, trespass is about the events that occur when the Miller family are held ransom in their own home by a group of armed robbers who forge their way onto the property disguised as policemen. Kyle, played by Cage is a businessman who makes his apparent millions in diamonds and he lives in a lavish pad with his wife Sarah (Kidman) and their rebellious daughter.

We will start by saying; this film is by no means bad. It’s just not something you’d really want to watch again. The three acts pretty much merge into one and it seems all together clumsy and repetitive. As the intruders wield their guns cue lots of shouting and a hammed up performance by Kidman. You will soon tire of the incessant shrieks in, near enough, every scene which is quite frankly irritating. However the main flaw seems to be the fact that none of the lead characters seem to be particularly nice people. It’s hard to care about what eventually happens to them when the actual trespassers have more character!

On the positive side of the fence, Trespass is no doubt thrilling and offers twist after twist which will keep you on the edge of your seats. Nicholas Cage is always a pleasure to watch and he has some great moments in this film. The back stories of the robbers come to play and they all have different motivations for being there which is a neat addition as opposed to them just being masked villains.



Rating: 4





Anchorman 2 Announcement

It's official, it's happening. Ron Burgundy will be returning in the sequel that the world has been waiting for. Take a look at the video announcement of Will Ferrell as the best news guy San Diego has ever seen. And while you do it, why not have a nice glass of scotch...



There's been nothing yet on the plot and we can only hope Brick is back for the second time round - what's clear is that this is going to be one of the most anticipated sequels since The Hangover Part II and let's just hope it's significantly better than that (i.e don't make exactly the same film but with a monkey instead of a baby)... Until then, leave your favourite Anchorman quote as a comment. "You stay classy San Diego!"


Here's Will Burgundy next to a slightly bewildered looking American chatshow host, Conan. Gotta love him!

Snow White and The Huntsman, Mirror Mirror

It seems that Hollywood has gone nuts over Snow White as this spring/summer is set for two blockbuster releases about the Disney darling. While admittedly, the films are going for different things, we are going to try and fill you in on the cast and plot so you can decide which (if any) looks best.

Our first film, Mirror Mirror: The Untold Adventure of Snow White is released on April 2nd and is rated PG. This adaptation seems to follow the plot we all know more or less - a nasty queen diddles Snow White out of her Kingdom and it is down to her and the support of her 7 freinds to secure it back.

Julia Roberts plays The Queen and the beautiful Lily Collins takes on Snow White. However possibly more exciting from our point of view is Armie Hammer as Prince Alcott! Not only is he quite clearly the fairest of them all, he displays his amazing flexibility by tackling a range of characters with this being miles from his parts in The Social Network and J Edgar.

Mirror Mirror looks set to be great Easter viewing for families in the holidays so check out the trailer, movie poster and a gratuitous Armie Hammer picture (just because we can...)




Our second take on the classic fairytale is Snow White and the Huntsman penned for a June 1st release. This appears to be taking a greater twist to the tale as a huntsman who is ordered to do away with Snow White actually turns into her mentor as they fight to overcome the Evil Queen.

This adaptation has gone for different portrayals of the Queen and Snow White because Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron appear to be done up unlike the traditional and stereotypical characters we are used to. In the trailer the film seems darker and more serious that Mirror Mirror and anything starring Chris Hemsworth is sure to be a smash at the box office.





Take a look at the trailer and poster if you haven't already, no certificate has been announced as of yet but it would seem a 12A rating is more than likely.

Have your say: do you think Snow White has been overdone or are you excited for either of these new releases?

Our good friend and fellow blogger at http://www.charpee-charpee.blogspot.co.uk/ shan't be too thrilled with the casting in the latter...







Carrie - Chloe Moretz

After an intensive audition process Chloe Moretz has finally beat out tough competition, such as Dakota Fanning, for the role of Carrie in a remake of the classic horror film. The 15-year-old is about to become known for a lot more than her roles in Hugo and Kick-Ass because if the 70s film starring Sissy Spacek is anything to go by - this will be good! This is not the first time Chloe has tackled the horror genre either - she played a vampire in the American version of Let The Right One In which was rather chilling!

Carrie chronicles a bully victim who has the power of telekinesis which gets stronger when she becomes angry. The original also stars, John Travolta in the early days. Both films are adaptations of a Stephen King novel so it will be exciting to see how the two of them film differ.

Moretz seems to be a natural choice for most people although do you think the role should have gone to another actress? At Amateur Reviews we are 100 percent behind her but as ever we'd love to hear you reaction to the casting so have your say!



Here's Chloe at the Metropolitan Opera Premiere earlier this week when the news broke.


And how will she compare to the already iconic character? Big shoes to fill, but Miss Moretz seems more than capable!

The Syndicate - Review

The Syndicate

BBC One

Tuesday 9:00PM

Starring Matthew Lewis, Timothy Spall and Joanna Page


BBC's latest original drama pretty much does what it says on the tin. 5 cash-strapped supermarket workers from Leeds win a huge sum of money in the lottery after being part of a weekly syndicate. However, that wouldn't be much of a show without a few lively characters and a spanner thrown in the works. Prior to winning the lottery, two of the workers manage to pull of a heist in the supermarket which turns out to be pointless and they end up leaving a heap of mistakes in their wake. The future episodes look to track 5 the workers and how they utilise their winnings aswell as dealing with various personal issues.

Matthew Lewis (AKA Neville Longbottom) takes on his first role since Harry Potter as the cheeky chappy Jamie. He's showing a great amount of versatility in a different role and is really letting his Yorkshire accent shine! It's great to see him on our screens and it will be really interesting to see where he takes his acting career because there is so much potential there. So make sure you look out for this talented actor in Wasteland later this year - we are expecting big things!


Yesterday's episode had copious entertaining moments but there were a few "why would you do that!?" points of the script. It may be too premature to evaluate any main flaws however The Syndicate, on first impressions, is probably worth checking out due to the quality acting and the fact it is alot better than the vast majority of other dramas on at the moment!

Rating: 6




http://amateurreviews25.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/syndicate-end-of-season.html - follow this link to read the end of series round-up/review of The Syndicate.

Kill Your Darlings - update

As you know from last weeks post, Kill Your Darlings is currently filming in New York and we blogged all the latest pictures. Since then, there has been a couple more shots from Brooklyn and it felt like time for an update!





The thriller is set for a 2013 release and is starring a whole host of young talent. Elizabeth Olsen plays Edie Parker, who was the wife of Beat Generation writer Jack Kerouac. Ben Foster has been cast as William S. Burroughs and as stated in a previous post, Dane DeHaan as Lucien Carr. Michael C. Hall also takes on the role as teacher David Kammerer who was infactuated with Carr.




The script is based on the book 'And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks' by Kerouac and Burroughs which is probably worth a read before the film. This is not the first time Allen Ginsberg has inspired a recent movie either - just look at 'Howl' starring James Franco for an alternate portrayal of the writer.





Empire Awards - Red Carpet

The Jameson Empire Awards 2012 were last night and here is all the coverage from the Red Carpet - it appears London had quite the turn-out!

 Bonnie Wright AKA Ginny Weasly looking sophisticated in this black trouser suit.

 Hello Mr Chase Crawford! Is anyone sure why he was there?! No, neither do we - although no complaints from the ladies...

 Danny DeVito! Words do not do this man justice, so we'll just let you look at him instead.

 Best actor Gary Oldman. Relishing the moment due to the fact America snubbed him during this years award season!

 The stunning Jeremy Irvine, looking a lot more polished than his character Albert from War Horse.

 Matthew Lewis representing for the Potter crew! On a side note, cannot wait to see him in the Syndicate starting tomorrow on BBC One.

 Be prepared to see alot more of our best newcomer Tom Hiddleston, this guy is destined for greatness.

 Evanna Lynch looking beautiful in red-carpet-red. Not that fashion is our area, but if we were betting men, she's surely best dressed by a mile.

 The Wild Bill team. Will Poulter, Charlotte Spencer and actor-turned-director: Dexter Fletcher!

The charming Mark Strong, minus the Jim Prideaux wig.

And last but not least, the delightful James McAvoy looking dapper!

So that's the round up of our coverage of this years Empire Awards! Hope you've enjoyed taking a look at all the Red Carpet action. Films aside, it's a big week for television! With the start of The Apprentice and The Syndicate, expect some reviews later this week. As ever, keep following Amateur Reviews for all the latest - you can now follow by email!


Empire Awards - The Results

A while back now we asked you to vote for the Jameson Empire Film Awards and the show took place last night in London. Here's the actual results compared to our hopeful results!


BEST MALE NEWCOMER

John Boyega (Attack The Block)
Asa Butterfield (Hugo)
Sam Claflin (Pirates Of The Caribbean 4)
Tom Hiddleston (Thor) - our favourite
Jeremy Irvine (War Horse)
Craig Roberts (Submarine)

WINNER: TOM HIDDLESTON


BEST FEMALE NEWCOMER

Celine Buckens (War Horse)
Elle Fanning (Super 8)
Laura Haddock (The Inbetweeners Movie)
Felicity Jones (Like Crazy)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) - our favourite
Bonnie Wright (Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows- Part 2)

WINNER: FELICITY JONES


BEST COMEDY
Attack The Block
Bridesmaids
Crazy Stupid Love
The Inbetweeners Movie
Midnight In Paris - our favourite 

WINNER: THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE




BEST HORROR

Attack The Block
Insidious
Kill List
Paranormal Activity 3 - our favourite
Troll Hunter
WINNER: KILL LIST




BEST THRILLER

Drive
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Hanna
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - our favourite

WINNER: TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY




BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY

Captain America: The First Avenger
Rise of The Planet Of The Apes
Super 8
Thor
X-Men: First Class - our favourite

WINNER: THOR


THE ART OF 3D

The Adventures of Tintin
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 - our favourite
Hugo
Thor
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
WINNER: THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN



JAMESON BEST ACTOR
Daniel Craig (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)
Ryan Gosling (Drive)
Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) - our favourite
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows- Part 2)
Andy Serkis (Rise Of the Planet Of The Apes)

WINNER: GARY OLDMAN




BEST ACTRESS

Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur)
Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) - our favourite
Carey Mulligan (Drive)
Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)

WINNER: OLIVIA COLMAN



BEST DIRECTOR

Tomas Alfredson (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) - our favourite
Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive)
Steven Spielberg (War Horse)
Rupert Wyatt (Rise of The Planet Of The Apes)
David Yates (harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2)
WINNER: DAVID YATES



BEST BRITISH FILM

Attack The Block
The Inbetweeners Movie
Submarine
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - our favourite
Tyrannosaur
WINNER: TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY



BEST FILM

Drive
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - our favourite

WINNER: HARRY POTTER

All worthy winners! It was especially great to see the Brits doing so well. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Harry Potter and Tom Hiddleston! Safe to say, readers of Amateur Reviews and Empire have great taste in film! We have another blog post dedicated entirely to snaps from the Red Carpet so be sure to check them out!


Have your say: happy with the results or do you think there were some major injustices? Let us know by commenting on this post!

Avengers Assemble - Trailer

Joss Wheldon's latest release is set for April 26th and already the excitement about the Avengers is mounting! The trailer was shown before The Hunger Games and there was an audible sign of anticipation in the audience. Near enough every Marvel superhero worth mentioning is assembled in this movie and it looks EPIC.

Check out who's who in the comic strip world:

Chris Hemsworth - Thor

Scarlett Johansson - Black Widow

Robert Downey Jr. - Iron Man

Chris Evans - Captain America

Jeremy Renner - Hawkeye

Tom Hiddleston - Loki

Mark Ruffalo - The Hulk

Samuel L Jackson - Nick Fury


Have your say: Amateur Reviews reckon Iron Man would probably win in a stand-off between these guys but who do you think is the most kick-ass out of all these superheroes!? Comment below with your suggestions - we'd love to know what you think!

If you haven't already, take a look at the incredible theatrical trailer:



The Hunger Games - Review

The Hunger Games


12A


Directed by Gary Ross


Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth


Behold, the time is finally upon us. The long awaited release of The Hunger Games was today, and as promised Amateur Reviews was there at the first showing. In the first 60 seconds the story is set and the audience learn of the wealthy (who live in The Capitol) and the impoverished (who live in 12 districts). They live under rule as a punishment from some uprising in the past. Set in this futuristic North America, The Capitol select a boy and a girl from each district to participate in a televised fight to the death: The Hunger Games.

Based on the supremely successful series of books by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games are teen staples on booklists world wide. Although, this is more than an adaptation and this is where Gary Ross proliferates where others have failed. Instead of merely retelling the book on screen, the film is as original and innovative as the book. Similarly, unlike a whole load of recent adaptations, this movie doesn’t rely on pragmatic knowledge from the book to make sense.

Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) is our heroine of the piece. Lawrence pulls from her character in Winters Bone and manages to portray a young individual who is brave enough to do anything for her family and is not scared to get her hands dirty. There is little sweetness in Katniss’ character and it is perfect for the role. Her onscreen chemistry with Peeta (Hutcherson) will set teenage hearts a flutter as he is more sweet and incapable than her. Woody Harrelson is fantastic as the pair’s mentor and he brings some lighter moments in what would otherwise be an intensely nerve racking experience.

The majority of the action takes place in the arena where the Games are played. It’s a massive forest where the children essentially hunt each other equipped with bows, arrows and knives. The violence is handled well, the quick camera work flashes across the action and never gives you long enough to realise quite what is happening. However, the film may have benefitted from being a 15, giving Ross license to choreograph some more gory sequences which would have definitely enhanced the terrifying situation Katniss finds herself in.

Although The Hunger Games is clearly aimed at a teenage market, it is definitely a lot smarter and a lot more powerful than you may first give it credit for. We see The Capitols puppeteers controlling the Game and inducing certain situations which is a chilling thought on top of the already barbaric concept. You question whether the poor really should do what they’re told when the rich show no regard to the consequences despite the whole games being senseless and pointless in the first place. What’s more, it will genuinely make you think: would I watch it? The Hunger Games is exceptional, and for once, lives up to the hype.



Rating: 8







Check out the trailer!


To Rome With Love - First Look

It is no surprise that Amateur Reviews are particular fans of Woody Allen's films. His more recent odes to some of the greatest cities in the world (Paris, London and Barcelona) have been stunning therefore we're certain this new film titled To Rome With Love is definitely going to do wonders for the Italian tourist board!

The new snaps have been just recently released and showcase the quality cast, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Alec Baldwin and Penelope Cruz. To Rome With Love is set to be a charming quirky rom-com and we think the casting looks very apt. After Jesse Eisenberg's witty portrayal of mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, we can definitely seeing him embodying one of Allen's signature leading men.





Have your say: it looks to us like Page and Eisenberg could well be the nerdiest couple of all time (we mean this as a term of affection!) Although if you can think of any pair to rival them, we'd love to hear your suggestions!

Touch Review

Touch Episode 1


Sky One - 8PM - Tuesday


Starring Kiefer Sutherland, David Mazouz and Gugu Mbatha-Raw


Like pretty much everyone else in the world Amateur Reviews were huge supporters of 24. And a large amount of this appeal was because of Kiefer Sutherland! Now he's back on Sky One with his new series called Touch which premiered on Wednesday night.

Martin Bohm (Sutherland), while struggling with the loss of his wife, attempts to connect with his 11 year old son who has an uncanny knack of predicting the future. He can do this because the boy can see patterns and links between seemingly unrelated events and numbers, and the child thinks that everyone is connected by a peice of metaphorical red string which links together those who's paths are meant to cross. However, just to complicate things: the boy has never spoken.

The first episode of the series took place in various locations across the globe and each person's story surprisingly ends up interlinking. It's an interesting concept and smartly executed however not wholly original.

Touch is remeniscent of the 2009 series Flashforward which was incredible but was sadly cancelled way before it's day after just one season because no one watched it! Although if you were one of those far and few Flashforward fans - Touch is probably worth checking out.

While clearly enjoying the first episode, it is hard to see how the story can be drawn out over a whole season without it becoming unbelievable and boring. But Amateur Reviews are intrigued to find out where this is going!


Rating: 6.5




Kill Your Darlings - new set pictures

Here are some of the first set pictures from Kill Your Darlings! Set in New York and based on the life of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, we are excited to get a closer look. Starring Daniel Radcliffe as Ginsberg, we can see him sporting brown contacts, some Potter style glasses and incredible 40’s clothes! As Amateur Reviews predicted earlier last month, 2012 was going to be the year of Dane DeHaan and here he is taking on the role of Beat Generation member Lucien Carr. If the wardrobe for this movie is anything to go by, Kill Your Darlings is definitely looking promising!

Don’t forget to follow Amateur Reviews to be kept up to date with the week’s latest film news and reviews!





The Lost Symbol

While admitting films are the main focus of Amateur Reviews, when a good book is read it has to be shared! Granted, The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown is hardly new (released in 2009) but it has recently been announced that a film based on the novel is in the pipeline with director Danny Strong taking the helm. Tom Hanks is expected to reprise his role as Professor Robert Langdon although there has been no word yet on other cast members. And after the successes that were The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, it will be exciting to see if this project gets off the ground soon!


The book itself is set after The Da Vinci Code and relies on the history and mystique of Washington DC for the main themes of the plot. A must read for anyone who likes codes and puzzles, as well as an insight into Freemasonry (despite the depiction perhaps not being accurate.) This book will make you want to see the sights from the story in person as the US Capitol Building, Washington Memorial and House of the Temple are all mentioned. It’s impossible to put down and you really have to remind yourself that it is a fiction book!

Hopefully there is word on a movie soon, until then, read the book if you haven’t already! Also, National Treasure is a similar type of film and Amateur Reviews massively recommend them for anyone who is already a Lost Symbol fan! Check out the trailer below for the first National Treasure film from 2004!


Top Males in Cinema - The Results

A while back Empire asked their readers to vote for their sexiest men in cinema - and here are the results! Now remember these are the best looking characters, not actors (in other words, expect a few curve balls!)

25. MAL REYNOLDS
Played by Nathan Fillion in Serenity (2005)

24. EAMES
Played by Tom Hardy in Inception (2010)

23. DON LOCKWOOD
Played by Gene Kelly in Singin' In The Rain (1952)

22. ROGER THORNHILL
Played by Cary Grant in North By Northwest (1959)

21. JACK DAWSON
Played by Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic (1997)

20. RICK BLAINE
Played by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1943)

19. MAXIMUS DECIMUS MERIDIUS
Played by Russel Crowe in Gladiator (2000)

18. RHETT BUTLER
Played by Clark Gable in Gone With The Wind (1939)

17. LOKI
Played by Tom Hiddleston in Thor (2011); The Avengers (2012)

16. JASON BOURNE
Played by Matt Damon in The Bourne Trilogy (2002-2007)

15. TONY STARK
Played by Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man

14. SHERLOCK HOLMES
Played by Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes

13. DANNY OCEAN
Played by George Clooney in Ocean's Eleven (Twelve and Thirteen)

12. EDWARD CULLEN
Played by Robert Pattinson in Twilight

11. THOR
Played by Chris Hemsworth in Thor (2011)

10. GOLLUM (Is this legit?!)
Played by Andy Serkis in The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

9. DRIVER
Played by Ryan Gosling in Drive

8. HANS SOLO
Played by Harrison Ford in The Star Wars trilogy (1977-1983)

7. INDIANA JONES
Played by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones

6. WOLVERINE
Played by Hugh Jackman in X-Men

5. TYLER DURDEN
Played by Brad Pitt/ Edward Norton in Fight Club (1999)

4. BATMAN
Played by (many a actor - I just like) Christian Bale in Batman

3. JAMES BOND
Played by (lots of men but especially) Daniel Craig in James Bond


2. CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW
Played by Johnny Depp in Pirates Of The Caribbean

1. ARAGORN
Played by Viggo Mortensen in The Lord Of The Rings

So that is the round up! Glad to see Driver, Loki, Batman and James Bond up there. Eames should have been alot higher (although we know you understand our proclivity to be biased towards Tom Hardy). Notable absenses - Arthur from Inception, Professor X in X-Men First Class, Peter Guillam in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Jim Stark in Rebel Without A Cause.



The Hunger Games - Premiere Round Up

Amateur Reviews are predicting the Hunger Games is going to be the first major blockbuster of the year, and as promised, here's your update. With one week to go until UK release, here's the hot gossip and equally hot looks from the red carpets! And don't forget the follow Amateur Reviews' blog to receive a notification when our official film review is up next Friday!

Jennifer Lawrence was looking hot in Prabal Gurung at the Los Angeles leg of the world tour - officially looking nothing like Katniss having sacked the brown hair for her usual bombshell tresses.


And here's Elizabeth Banks challenging for best dressed in this custom orange mini dress inspired by her character in the movie.


Naturally no post would be complete without a sneaky shot of our dapper leading men - Liam and Josh!


At the London Premier, Jennifer dazzled in another gold dress, this time by Ralph Lauren.


It would be a fair bet to say that this film franchise is about to sky rocket and capture the hearts of teenage girls around the globe. With the modest 12A rating and the well known actors it is a recipe for success. Yet it is also refreshing to see a new leading lady who can give the boys a run for their money - Katniss is quite frankly kick ass and a whole different kettle of fish than Bella Swan. Katniss is set to join the ranks of female heroines alongside Lisbeth Salander and it's a welcome change that women are now more than a pretty face.

Here's Josh Hutcherson's word from the premiere - scroll down for Liam Hemsworth!



Our official Hunger Games review will be up a week today - be sure to check back for our rating!