Film Guide

Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In “Brave,” a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts.

Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Wise Woman (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.

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2011 was a hell of a year for Michael Fassbender, a year in which he effortlessly hopped genres and worked with some of the best directors around, building one of the most impressive filmographies of any young actor at this time. Yet the one performance that will be remembered over all others comes from the most low-key film, Steve McQueen’s SHAME. As grim and uncomfortable as the film gets, it is simply impossible to turn away from Fassbender’s devastating performance as sex addict Brandon, and his omission from the Academy Award nominations, although perhaps not surprising given Hollywood’s trepidation regarding anything overly sexual, is far and away the greatest crime this awards season.

Following up on his previous film HUNGER (also starring Fassbender), writer/director McQueen delivers an even more harrowing and haunting film with his sophomore effort. SHAME is a portrait of the vicious routine of addiction, and Fassbender strips himself completely bare, both literally and emotionally, following the arrival of Brandon’s sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan). Although only briefly alluded to, clearly Brandon and Sissy come from a nightmarish background of abuse, and each sibling has developed crippling emotional problems as a result. Where Brandon is totally emotionally isolated, unable to connect on anything other than a purely physical level, Sissy craves closeness and love from her brother which he cannot give. Their relationship is unsurprisingly strained; with only the briefest moments of tenderness amongst their uneasy and oddly child-like interactions, and the tragedy of their shared experience has left them each dealing with their demons in completely different ways, leading to heart-breaking conflict. Sissy’s appearance shatters Brandon’s routine, forcing him to see the train-wreck that his life has become, and Fassbender gives everything in service of the role. Read the rest of this entry »

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Nicolas Cage talks about his transformation into the Spirit of Vengeance with Lorraine Cink and lets slip a couple of beauties, namely that their is very little CGI in Spirit of Vengeance. Really? Very little CGI in a film where you transform into a fiery skull faced demon riding a burning motorcycle. OK. And then Cage goes on to explain some of the tricks he used so he could augment his imagination so he doesn’t have to act. I don’t know anyone who would accuse Nic Cage of acting.

The Umbrella Corporations deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human races last and only hope, ALICE (Milla Jovovich), awakens in the heart of Umbrella’s most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex. Without a safe haven, Alice continues to hunt those responsible for the outbreak; a chase that takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true. Aided by newfound allies and familiar friends, Alice must fight to survive long enough to escape a hostile world on the brink of oblivion. The countdown has begun.

Marvel’s partnership with Lego was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2011, where they previewed The Hulk, now images of the rest of the team and their various vehicles have it the web. No confirmation of a release date, but they are bound to hit around the same time as the Avengers film.

Captain America and his Avenging Cycle comes with three figures, including Captain America (of course) and two others to be named later. Read the rest of this entry »

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