Author Archives: Nathan Spendelow

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Events, offers and releases 28/04/14

Image shows lead character, Belle in the upcoming movie of the same name. The character is wearing an upper class corset in a mansion.
Image shows lead character, Belle in the upcoming movie of the same name. The character is wearing an upper class corset in a mansion.

Image via; YouTube.com

This week sees the release of horror, comedy and action films so there’ll more than likely be something to whet your appetite.

Directed by Amma Asante, Belle involves the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral. Whilst privileged, the colour of her skin holds her back in high society. Belle falls and her lover fight for change to end slavery in England. This film is set to enlighten you when it releases in the theaters May 2nd.

Horror movie Mr. Jones however, looks set to make you rather frightened on May 2nd. A cabin in the woods type story, Mr. Jones involves Scott (Jon Foster) and Penny (Sarah Jones) moving to a remote cabin to escape the pressures of the world, yet their mysterious neighbour, Mr. Jones may not grant them peace. This may not be fair the feint of heart.

Showcase Insider card holders this week get a free size upgrade for any Tango Ice Blast flavour, the perfect companion for a scary film.

 

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Godzilla, a retrospective

Image shows the movie monster Godzilla fighting famous ape, King Kong
Image shows the movie monster Godzilla fighting famous ape, King Kong

Image via: nukethefridge.com

Godzilla has been a part of film for many years, terrorising cities and fighting Kaiju since 1954. The king of monsters is set to be a part of the big screen again with this years remake but, how did Godzilla actually come to be who he is today?

Godzilla (the English translation of Gojira) is the creation of Japenese film director, Ishiro Honda. Inspired by early clay animation dinosaur films such as The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Godzilla was created as a cross between an iguana and a dinosaur. Thankfully, there was no such dinosaur as Godzilla, that we know of.

The first film, Godzilla, started the introduction of the ‘big monster’ film franchise, something that films such as Cloverfield owe themselves to. This film introduced Japanese audiences to the threat of a monster created as a result of atomic testing. Godzilla stresses that atomic testing may result in Kaiju such as the monster itself, lets hope not.

The subsequent sequels delivered on the success of the first film introducing new monsters and threats such as Mothra, a ruddy great big moth of death. These sequels largely saw Godzilla as a hero of the world (Japan in particular) fighting off monsters that threatened humanity.

Typically, the later the franchise went, the weirder and more surreal the Godzilla movies became. The most recent iterations saw the introduction of Mechagodzilla, Godzilla’s mechanised counterpart.The concepts and ideas of these later films are still no match for the Western introduction in 1998.

Godzilla (1998) was directed by Rolan Ememrich, famous for is action packed disaster films. The remake was criticised by fans and critics alike describing the movie as being nothing buit action, with very little story. Godzilla won accolades such as Worst Picture, Worst Remake and Worst Director at the Golden Raspberry Awards that year. It looked like the films just didn’t translate well to Western audiences.

There is a new hope however, in the form of yet another remake. Next month sees the release of Godzilla, directed by Gareth Edwards of Monsters fame. Looking to cater for Japenese audiences, sticking to the original roots of the monster, the film looks set do very well at the box office. Do you think this is a new era for Godzilla? See for yourself with the trailer below.

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Would you still enjoy the film if you couldn’t see the screen?

Image shows actors, harrison ford, carrie fisher and mark hamill on the set of star wars. The image is blurred.
Image shows actors, harrison ford, carrie fisher and mark hamill on the set of star wars. The image is blurred.

Image via: disney.wikia.com

Can you recognise the film scene above?

For most people, the biggest worry at the cinema is how much that large bag of popcorn costs. For others however, there are more things to worry about when going to see the latest movie.

Not all movie fans have the ability to enjoy films the same as everyone else. Imagine trying to watch a film you couldn’t see or hear.

Many movie goers are in fact blind, deaf or on the autistic spectrum. Whilst at first you may think that this would hinder the movie going experience, more and more cinemas are recognising these problems and catering for a wider audience. Cinemas such as Odeon provide guests with special accessibility screenings for those who are blind, deaf or autistic.

Many films screened at Odeon provide film fans with a separate audio track for those who are blind or partially sighted. Aspects of the film such as scene surroundings, setting, body language of the actor and dialogue are described to the guest. This audio commentary is available at the box office of the cinema, with the headset being used during the showing.

The recent trend of 3D films has meant that some film fans can’t get the full experience as many sight issues mean the guest can’t see 3D cinematography.. As a result, the cinema aims to provide guests with 2D performances where possible. Guide dogs are also welcome in all cinemas.

For customers with a visual impairment, Odeon offers audio descriptive showings of recent films at your local cinema. Whilst there may not be many showing in comparison to standard showings, this is certainly welcome. Odeon also offers some captioned, subtitled performances for those with a hearing impairment. They also offer use of a headset to improve your hearing of the film soundtrack itself.

A standard showing of a recent film can certainly be a challenge for movie goers who are autistic. In recent years however, many cinemas have started showing autism friendly screenings, specific for those on the autism spectrum. Odeon for example, host an autism friendly screening one Sunday each month at 11.30 am. These showings have certain changes within the performance, lights at a lower level, lower sound level, no advertisements and allowances for movement and noise within the theatre.

These screenings are partnered with Dimensions, a non-profit organisation supporting services for people with learning disabilities and autism. The aim with these screenings is to make guests feel as comfortable as possible, with the hope that in time, they would be able to attend a standard screening.

Whilst there is still some work to be done in order to ensure every guest has the same experience at the cinema, these are certainly some advancements that are welcome and is a step in the right direction. In time, everyone will be able to have an enjoyable experience at the local cinema.

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Events, Offers and Releases 07/04/14

Image shows a still from the upcoming animated movie, Rio 2. The still shows 5 blue birds sitting together as a family in the jungle.
Image shows a still from the upcoming animated movie, Rio 2. The still shows 5 blue birds sitting together as a family in the jungle.

Image via: uiconstock.com

The main movie release this week is the eagerly anticipated dancing animation sequel, Rio 2 on April 11th. Jewel and Blu are now happily settled down since the events of the first film and have 3 children. They decided however, that they wish to move to the Amazon, quite the trip from Rio de Janeiro. Nigel the Cockatoo is back, seeking revenge! This is definitely something for the kids (and maybe a few adults too!)

If you’re looking for something a bit more spooky, Oculus has you covered. A family with a dark and disturbing history, decide to find out just how 2 members of their family died. Convinced it was a supernatural force, the family find out that some things are just left alone. Critics are already raving about this film and it’s certainly set to scare the heck out of you on April 11th.

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5 of the coolest fictional weapons in film

The image shows Billy Murray, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd with their roles in the film, Ghostbusters.

Since cinema first began, filmmakers have been crafting new and intriguing weapons. Even though these weapons aren’t real, we sure wish they could be. Cinema has played host to some fantastic fictional weaponry over the years and I believe that these 5 are the best of the bunch (in no particular order).

1. Identity disc, Tron (1982)

Image shows a character from the movie Tron, holding an identity disc.

Image via: blushots.weebly.com

Whilst it may look like a silly, glowing Frisbee to the untrained eye, the identity disc first featured in the 1982 sc-fi film, Tron holds a lot of power. Used to store all data that individual programs and users possess, the identity disc is mainly used as a deadly throwing weapon, de-rezzing any program in its path. On a side note, if you lose your disc, it’ll be end of the line for you.

2. Death Star, Star Wars (1977)

Image shows a large circular space station, the Death Star from the film, Star Wars

Image via: blogs.esa.int

The largest weapon on this list, the Death Star was (spoiler) the biggest weapon of the imperial fleet. With the power to completely decimate any planet it pointed at thanks to the massive green laser on board, the Rebels knew they had to take it out. Completely flawless in design apart from one tiny little detail, a tiny exhaust port that could potentially blow the whole thing up. “That’s no moon, it’s a space station!”

3. Proton Pack, Ghostbusters (1984)

The image shows Billy Murray, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd with their roles in the film, Ghostbusters.

Image via: hollywood.com

“Don’t cross the streams!” The proton pack, designed by tech expert, Dr. Egon Spengler is designed to lasso ghosts via a proton stream. The device itself however, is rather bulky and requires a rather large batter pack to be taken with you at all times. The proton pack must also be used with caution, crossing the streams may result in some rather unwanted consequences.

4. M41A Pulse Rifle, Aliens (1986)

Image shows protagonist Ellen Ripley brandishes a Pulse Rifle in the movie Aliens.

Image via: lightspeedgaming.blogspot.co.uk

The introduction of the space marines in this Alien sequel brought with it an array of pretty badass weaponry. Most notable of which, is the M41A Pulse Rifle. Protagonist Ellen Ripley brandishes one of these at the end of the film, taking out the queen,
“I wanna introduce you to a personal friend of mine. This is an M41A pulse rifle. Ten millimeter with an over-and-under thirty millimeter pump action grenade launcher.” – Corporal Hicks

5. Lightsaber, Star Wars (1977)

Image shows a red glowing lightsaber from the movie Star Wars

Image via: Leviathyn.com

Nothing is more iconic than the weapon of choice of both the Jedi and the Sith in the Star Wars franchise. The distinct hum of the elegant lightsaber is something that everyone is familiar with, and is certainly the most famous of all fictional weapons.
“This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.” – Ben Kenobi