The latest in UK distributor StudioCanal's series of Studio Ghibli Blu-ray rereleases, in which they lovingly dust off and restore the animation studio's back catalogue to pristine hi-def condition, Tales From Earthsea arrives boasting the standard levels of Ghibli visual splendour and wonderment, but lacks a certain level of heart in its stolid and uninvolving story.
Fans of linear narrative turn away now, this is no place for you. Reflecting on Buñuel’s classic The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie feels a lot like thinking about a dream. The harder you reach for a clear chronology and a simple meaning the more elusive they become.
Producer and writer Oren Peli, the man behind Paranormal Activity, moves on from ghostly encounters and sets his sights on irradiated humans roaming the location of the real-life Chernobyl disaster.
When Sony decided not to pursue a fourth Spider-Man film with fan favourite Sam Raimi there was always going to be a huge interest in who got handed the reins for the £1.5billion franchise. However, when they announced a reboot would be helmed by second time director Marc Webb there was a mixture of anger and bemusement from Spidey fans. Coming off the back of his debut feature, quirkily successful rom-com 500 Days of Summer, how could this sophomore director possibly emulate the success of Raimi's trilogy? Many seemed content to assume the studio execs had seen his surname and decided hiring him was a no-brainer.
Amidst all the summer blockbusters on the way, it's easy to forget some of the less explosive films out this year. To jog our memories though, the trailer and poster for Joe Wright's upcoming period drama, Anna Karenina, have arrived online.
As casting continues for Catching Fire: the sequel to box office smash The Hunger Games, Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland, Jane Eyre) and model-turned-actress Zoe Aggeliki are said to be in the mix for the role of Johanna.
In an interview with the LA Times, Michael Bay has hinted that the final instalment of his god-awful Transformers franchise may take the Autobots to outer space, although mercifully they will be leaving Shia LaBeouf behind.
There is good news for fans of franchise reboots (they allegedly exist) as Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, the scribes responsible for last year’s excellent revival of the Planet Of The Apes franchise, have been signed to write the screenplay for the belated fourth entry in the Jurassic Park series.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.
