By Far The Best Royal Wedding Photo

Look to the bottom left hand corner...

Ah bless.


**Vanity Fair now tell me she is Prince William's goddaughter, Grace Van Cutsem and she does not like loud noises**
  *meet grace van cutsem the tiny frowning bridesmaid who stole the show*

New Harry Potter Preview.. OMFG

They have just released the newest Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 preview and it is just kick you in the crotch, spit on your neck fantastic!!

It is so very new youtube don't have it but watch it Here on iTunes Movie Trailers..

Now it's up, amazing....

I hope they know what they are doing.

Since it was announced that the Chaser's Royal Wedding Commentary has been canned, Australia seems to be turning on the royals... at least on social media.

This one made me laugh!

The Chaser's War on the Queen...

Unfortunately the ABC have bowed to pressure from the BBC and cancelled the planned telecast of The Chaser's Royal Wedding Commentary.

This is a tragedy.

The telecast was cancelled due to restrictions imposed by the royal family, but I know the Chaser boys will have the last laugh. We will just have to wait and see...

Below is the Chaser's open letter to the Queen

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/27/3201822.htm

** People who are getting here from facebook, how did you find me?**

Harry and His Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part One is now out on dvd and I want it. I am so excited by it as it must mean that Part Two is just around the corner.

Warner Bros. have released some new pictures and they are quite ok. I can't wait!

Oh Neville nice cardy!!

Jackpot!!

There were three in the bed and the little one said...

Murundak: Songs of Freedom

Murundak: songs of freedom is a new Australian documentary following the Black Arm Band and their songs and stories of resistance and freedom.

The Black Arm Band is bursting with Australia's finest musicians including Archie Roach, Shane Howard, Bart Willoughby, Emma Donovan, Dan Sultan and the late Ruby Hunter. Their songs, full of passion and strength, tell of the past and present with a melodic grace. Murundak is not a concert film rather it uses the music to recall history, these artists sing of their stories and those of the Aboriginal people.

I was lucky enough to attend a screening where we were gifted with a Q&A by filmmakers Natasha Gadd and Rhys Graham, as well as an intimate performance from one of the stars Dan Sultan.

The ever so talented
(and super handsome) Dan Sultan
Go buy his amazing album
"Get out while you can"

Murundak is an important film, Filmmakers Gadd and Graham spoke of their wish for this film to get people talking. It was a labour of love to get this Murundak made, and it was surely worth it. We should know these stories, however shameful some may be, and Murundak is a perfect way to start.

This film is fantastic, moving and funny, Murundak stays with you.

Go see it.

It's deadly!

Fight For Your Right - Revisited

Stand ready to be served...

This is a tad bizarre but I love it! I'm pretty sure it is a preview for the new Beastie Boys album, and I'm positive it's amazing.

Gus Van Sant is Restless

Recently there has been a lull in the pretentious art house film genre. I didn't even get around to seeing Sophia Coppola's Somewhere, however I think I will fill that void with Restless.

I love pretentious film making, and I am sincerely excited about this movie. Henry Hopper (Son of the late Dennis Hopper) and Mia Wasikowska star in the latest film from Gus Van Sant.

Having just re watched the preview I think i'm really just excited about Henry Hopper. I hope he's legal... I should check that.

The Adjustment Bureau

Don't you hate it when you are told it is going to be a beautiful day, so you wear a t-shirt, but then the heavens open and you are left cold and disappointed. The Adjustment Bureau is a little like the Bureau of Meteorology.

The Adjustment Bureau was billed as 'Bourne meets Inception' full of action, suspense and intelligence, but really it's a predictable hollywood love story.  

On the eve of his greatest loss, up and coming politician David Norris (Matt Damon) encounters a beautiful and elusive woman. She consoles him and tells him to be honest and he will recover, they kiss and then she leaves. Later he is catching the bus to work and who should he run into but this very woman, this time they exchange names and numbers. But because of this everything changes... As this meeting was never meant to happen. Norris has gone off plan. Norris is quickly visited by the adjustment bureau, a group of hat wearing men who control the paths of all mankind, and he is informed he must stay away from Elise (Emily Blunt) or risk a lobotomy.

Now, the cast was top notch including the ever dashing Roger Stirling and the ideas behind The Adjustment Bureau were really quite interesting, fate vs will, love vs success. If this film had been made in Europe I think it would have been amazing. Maybe I should commission a darker German version? Daniel Bruhl or Michael Fassbender could star...

But anyway,

Even with the beautiful cast and snazzy ideas, The Adjustment Bureau left me cold and disappointed. 

Lars Von Trier is Melancholia

Melancholia is the latest film from Lars Von Trier, the man behind Dogville, Dancer in the Dark and Antichrist. Over recent days the Internet has been abuzz with theories behind this preview and the film itself.

Melancholia has been billed as 'a beautiful movie about the end of the world' however when it comes to Von Trier first impressions aren't always correct. Von Trier likes to keep his audience guessing so I guess we will have to wait till the Cannes Film Festival next month, where it is expected to screen, to discover what Melancholia is really about.

Snowtown

Australia has always made great independent films, although they don't tend to bring in the masses. That is until recently.

After the success of Animal Kingdom and Samson and Delilah people are starting to take note. More risks are being taken and the public are thanking them with bums in seats.

The latest Australian film to grap my attention is Snowtown. Based on the horrific South Australian murders, the look and feel of the film is reminiscent of Chopper and Animal Kingdom.

“Snowtown is a sophisticated character drama with an engaging yet horrific twist. In this chilling and compelling true story, we go behind the headlines and experience one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s modern history, a gruesome series of murders known as ‘the bodies in the barrels’. Australian filmmakers have a rich history of creating socially relevant cinema based on true-life crimes, as in The Boys, or larger-than-life criminals, as in Chopper, and Snowtown continues in this vein,” said Ruth Harley, Chief Executive of Screen Australia.

Snowtown looks terrifying, if advertised well, this film will do very well and undoubtably propel the actors careers.

I wouldn't be surprised if Cinema Nova have a Meet the Filmmaker Q&A for this one!!

Coincidence?

Please do me a favour and watch the three previews below.

There is something about them that has been bugging me.

The Fighter: Paramount/Relativity Media/Mandeville Films - 2010

The Adjustment Bureau: Universal/MRC - 2010

Mildred Pierce: HBO - 2011

I am a lover of movie previews, I can spend hours engrossed in them. I was intrigued to discover that the same piece of music had been used in three prominent releases over a span of 10 months. These three films all received large amounts of publicity and where expected to have successful releases, so why choose the same music?

I have a few theories.

1. It is a great piece of music.

This piece of music, which remains nameless due to the internet being difficult, is perfect for previews.  Not only is it dramatic, but the rhythm pulls you in the story and somehow made me feel like something unjust was taking place. It may just be me, as I am a sucker for string instruments, but I wanted to care about this characters.

2. It makes things familiar, so it's easier to connect.

Unlike a popular song this piece of music is not instantly recognised. The preview for The Adjustment Bureau was released first in May 2010 and it instantly stood out to me, by the time The Fighter preview came along in September, I couldn't automatically connect the two. However I do remember watching it repeatedly and feeling a sense of familiarity, I put it down to The Fighter being a great film but now i'm not too sure. I think they wanted me to think that.

After the success of The Fighter at the box office and during awards season, I think the people behind Mildred Pierce decided to stick with a good think. By using the same music it gives the impression that their film is of the same class, a winner!

It is a risk, as you don't want to associate your film with a stinker, however it is possible that instrumental music it is subtle enough to go unnoticed by the majority of viewers.

3. It was purely accidental.

This speaks for itself. It is possible that all the parties involved stumbled across the music and simply thought it was nice. Maybe they don't like watching other companies previews and didn't notice the repetition.


I like to think it was all part of a plan for Mildred Pierce and The Fighter. And I guess The Adjustment Bureau got in on the game accidentally due to the film being released last. So everybody wins!!

Crazy, Stupid, Love Love Love Love

Ryan Gosling what can I say...

So amazing!

This movie looks wonderful, great cast and great abs. I will even overlook the recycled joke from Knocked Up and gush about it for months. 

This Makes Friday Look So Good!

This is so fantastic. However I think it will most likely be taken down by the powerful multicoloured  peacock..
We will just have to wait and see

Meet the Filmmakers

Another month another Cinema Nova Meet the Filmmaker, this month (being April) will see the hubba hubba Dan Sultan grace us with his presence. Cinema Nova will host an advanced screening of Murundak: Songs of Freedom followed by a Q&A with filmmakers Natasha Gadd and Rhys Graham, Dan Sultan will also play a live acoustic set. This event has the potential to be fabulous. 

Murundak: Songs of Freedom invites us into the heart of Aboriginal protest music following The Black Arm Band, as they take to the road with their songs of resistance and freedom. The Black Arm Band was formed by some of Australia's finest musicians including Archie Roach, Shane Howard, Dan Sultan and the late Ruby Hunter. 

A while ago I blogged about two upcoming Meet the Filmmaker events, one for 127 Hours and the other The Way Back. Although I did attend, I never managed to blog about them. Oops!

So here they are, my opinions.

In February I headed to my local cinema for an advanced screening of Danny Boyles new film 127 Hours, followed by a Q&A with adventurer Aron Ralston.

The film follows the true story of adventurer Ralston and the events that led him to amputate his own arm in order to survive. James Franco stars as Ralston and gives a surprisingly powerful performance.

I found Ralston to be very funny, personable and a wonderful storyteller. He spoke of how this experience has changed his life for the better and if he had his time again he wouldn't change a thing. I was interested to learn that Ralston had had a large part in the production of 127 Hours, he originally declined Boyle's request to make this film, as he wanted to create a documentary similar to Touching the Void, he reconsidered once Boyle explained his vision.

Ralston was not afraid to share the painful elements of the story, he wanted the film to capture the days he endured with as much realism as possible. Ralston even allowed the personal and emotional footage, he had shot for his family during the fateful days, to be viewed by Boyle and Franco.

Ralston stated how he had maintained contact with the danish family who had found him walking the canyon after amputating his arm. And as fate would have it, the now 18 year old boy who had witnessed a man clinging to life in the Utah canyon was now picking fruit outside melbourne and was sitting in the audience. Very cool!

The Way Back is the new film from Australian filmmaker extraordinaire Peter Weir. About a group of prisoners who escape from a Siberian Gulag during World War II and walk the 4000 miles to freedom in India, the film stars Ed Harris and Jim Sturgess.

It is a mesmerising film with an incredible attention to detail. The film was shot in Bulgaria, Morocco and India and the cinematography takes advantage of the impressive surroundings, bringing the viewer into the journey. This is a very powerful film, exploring human strength and kindness.

I was very excited to hear from Peter Weir, I've seen The Truman Show a few too many times and studied Picnic at Hanging Rock last year at uni. The Way Back is his first film since 2003.

The Way Back is based on true events, however Weir commented on how there had been controversy over the accuracy and ownership of the walk. It is now known that the walk and similar walks took place, however the people involved are debated. Weir decided to create fictional characters and concentrate on the events and the spirit of the journey, similar to his film Gallipoli. He simply wanted to capture a moral truth.

A number of detainees and survivors from the Siberian Gulags were present in the audience. They all spoke of their gratitude to Weir for shedding light on a little known element of WWII and with such grace and compassion.

Mr Weir

Thank you for The Way Back, however please don't leave us waiting another 8 years for your next film.

Your sincerely,

LaDash