The classic formula for a James Bond film contains a number of vital components - there are the women of course (Bond sleeps with 2 women per film, on average), the megalomaniac antagonist (often joined by a distinctive henchman/woman), the sports car, the black silenced pistol, the tuxedo and the one-liners, to name but a few. They are all crucial aspects of what has made the franchise such a consistent success over almost half a century of films.
Another element that is sorely missed by enthusiasts and occasionals alike is the ever-amusing gadgetry briefing/lecture from Q branch. A role made famous by the late Desmond Llewelyn, Q is the ingenious inventor of some of Bond's best-loved gizmos.
Another batch of release dates for the next two years have been announced, so break out your calendars.
In a computer gaming market where voice-activated, motion-operated gaming systems are on sale to the general public and enthusiasts demand that video game characters are afforded elaborate, compelling back-stories, it is very easy to forget the simpler days of 1980s gaming. These were days when consoles were still developing and improving and a large amount of gaming was still done on public, coin-operated arcade machines.
One game that emerged during these 2-D, 8-bit salad days was Rampage, released by Midway in 1986. It saw the player(s) control one of three characters: George the giant (King Kong-esque) gorilla, Lizzie the enormous (Godzilla-like) lizard/dinosaur or Ralph the gargantuan werewolf. The only back-story provided was that these characters were originally ordinary human beings who had been mutated through rather shady experimentation.
Robert Redford and T-Bone Burnett will open the first-ever Sundance London music and film festival, organizers have confirmed this week.
2011 has seen Michael Fassbender's profile soaring to greater heights than surely even he could have imagined. The prolific Irishman has stepped into starring roles in an eclectic blend of cinematic outings throughout the year, including the latest adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, David Cronenberg's historical drama A Dangerous Mind and a reunion with British director Steve McQueen for Shame. With the latter two due for UK release in the coming months (along with Stephen Soderbergh's Haywire) Fassbender will remain a familiar face from the outset of 2012.
Take Shelter, starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain (yes, her again), is a difficult film to categorise, especially without giving too much away. Words like “apocalyptic” and “thriller” have been attached to it, but that’s not really what director Jeff Nichols’ film is. While Take Shelter is at its best when it emulates a thriller, this drama is a perfect example of a film that gets all dressed up with nowhere to actually go.
Having already tackled Facebook supremo Mark Zuckerberg's back-story for The Social Network and somehow devised a compelling script from the baseball budgetry of Billy Beane for Moneyball (UK release tomorrow), Aaron Sorkin has got his eyes on another biopic of a remarkable contemporary figure.
The prospective script in question would be based on the life and career of the recently deceased Apple supremo Steve Jobs. Having acquired the rights to Walter Isaacson's best-selling biography (for approximately $1 million), Sony have reportedly sounded out the American scribe about adapting Jobs' story for the big screen.
Following their exclusive first look at the cast of Prometheus, including one damn impressive set, EW have a few simultaneously revealing and evasive interviews with the key players.
Captain America’s Chris Evans has inked a deal to replace James Franco in The Iceman. Fortunately it isn't another superhero film for him to attach his name to - The Iceman is based on the Anthony Bruno novel about Richard Kuklinski, a contract killer for the mob, and the film will be directed by Ariel Vromen.
The first photographs from the new James Bond film, Skyfall, have made their way online this week as Daniel Craig films scenes for the film in Trafalgar Square, London on Saturday (19th November).
