Category Archives: Fantasy

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The most infamous film villains

A close-up of Darth Vader mask.

Remember at the end of last year I wrote the Inside Film top 5 film heroes list? Well, here comes the darker side of the list. Within you will find the most evil, most badass villains in film. Ready? Don’t be afraid.

5. Annie Wilkes

Annie Wilkes holding a revolver and a syringe.

Image via: frenchtoastsunday.com

For anyone who has seen Stephen King’s Misery, this comes as no surprise. Perhaps not the scariest of his film adaptations, but wow, it sure is creepy. This comes as no surprise. Annie Wilkes is one messed up chick. I don’t think I have ever been this scared of a middle-aged woman before. Worst moment? When Paul Sheldon is searching the house, and you just know she’ll be through the door at any moment…

4. Anton Chigurh

Anton Chigurh sat in a chair.

Image via: theparisreview.org

No Country for Old Men. What a film. Personally, I think it is made by the psychotic-perfection of this man. A gun-for-hire with a twisted devotion to chance. Silenced shotguns are super sinister too. Worst moment has to be the murder of Carla Jean. Talk about bloody.

3. Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, stood by a door.

Image via: http://yourfavoriteserialkiller.com/

“Bowels in, or bowels out?” An insane genius who loves the taste of human. Pretty much writes itself here. Hannibal Lecter is perfected by Anthony Hopkins and his magnetic charm. He’ll get into your head and stay there, trust me. Worst moment has to be when he makes a drugged Ray Liotta munch on his own brain in Hannibal. Pretty messed up right?

2. The Joker

Heath Ledger's Joker holding a Joker playing card.

Image via: nerdsraging.com

The thing that makes The Joker so terrifying is that he has no aims. No goals for world domination, or personal gain. He just wants to watch the world burn, and that’s truly horrific. Jack Nicholson’s Joker gets an honourable mention here, but it’s the genius of Heath Ledger that gets our vote. Worst moment? The pencil trick in The Dark Knight– not even his own goons are safe.

1. Darth Vader

Darth Vader stood in front of Snowtroopers on Hoth, the snow planet.

Image via: fightersgeneration.com

The ultimate evil. Cloaked in black, a true personification of evil. Darth Vader wins by a long shot. The iconic breathing sound makes it all so tense, and the sheer power that he exudes makes him our top contender. Vader casts a shadow over all film villains, and none can step out from under it. At his most evil when he crushes the throat of a subordinate without a sound. Plus, you know, trying to kill his son.

So, any more ideas? Tell us below who you think deserves to be on this list of evil.

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Events, offers and releases 23/12/13

Ben Stiller in a still from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

 

Ben Stiller in a still from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Source: The Guardian

Merry Christmas!

Yes we know, it’s almost Christmas and amid the last-minute present shopping and getting ready for the big day, going to the cinema is probably a distant dream far away in the future.

But for that lazy period between Christmas and New Year, on the days when you simply have no idea what to do, don’t worry, there is a solution.

While unlike the United States, which will see big blockbusters opening in cinema on the 25th (yes crazy, we know!) here in the UK, multiplexes across the country will all take the day off and reopen their doors on the 26th.

Two films, 47 Ronin and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty open across the country on Boxing Day, which could give you a much needed night out at the cinema, so sit back relax and enjoy the movies.

So if you’re looking for some real adventure, a time to escape into another universe, check out Walter Mitty which is directed by, co-produced and starring Ben Stiller.

It follows the life of Walter, a day-dreamer who one day is forced to take on the most incredible adventure that he could never even imagine.

If you fancy something a bit more violent and action-packed, 47 Ronin might be more up your street.

Starring Christian Bale, the movie sees 47 leaderless samurai vowing to seek vengeance and restore honor to their people after a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind.

To book tickets and find your closest cinema check out the Odeon Website.

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The all-encompassing Tarantino-verse

Quentin Tarantino holding a camera
The Bride swordfighting

Image via http://derekwinnert.com/

Sometimes you can flick to a film and just know whose it is. There’s that director footprint, like a seal of ownership, that you can identify within minutes of switching on. Sometimes it’s a visual style – you can tell a Pixar film from a mile off. Or maybe it’s the dialogue that’s distinctive. But what about the films of Quentin Tarantino? What makes them so, recognisable?

These films are incredibly indepth, with a ton of unique characters and brilliant ways in which they interact. But how do the films themselves do this? Tarantino has spent his life painstakingly crafting a spiderweb-like film universe, in which every character branches out to another somehow. This band of rogues overlaps in between his films in ways that are as weird and wonderful as his creations.

These aren’t plot related, mind you. These crossovers are more like Easter Eggs, teasing and giving little enjoyable in-jokes to only the most observant of fans. Film buffs say that good screenwriting is to give every character a backstory. Well Tarantino could dedicate entire films to his.

I’ll start with an easy one. Pulp Fiction‘s Mia Wallace tells John Travolta about her failed TV show, Fox Force Five. Sound like Kill Bill to you? Maybe it isn’t Uma Therman playing The Bride, but Mia Wallace? Coincidence I think not.

Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield holding guns

Image via http://handsomecitizens.com/

Speaking of John Travolta, did you know that Reservoir Dogs‘ Mr Blonde and Pulp Fiction’s Vincent Vega are related? Here’s a big hint – they’re brothers. Tarantino originially intended to write The Vega Brothers as a prequel but scrapped the idea when both Messrs Travolta and Madsen aged more than their respective characters.

Okay with that? Good, cause here’s where it gets a little deeper. Keeping with Reservoir Dogs, Mr White’s relationship with a woman known only as “Alabama” can be linked with the same girl from the Tarantino scribed True Romance. It’s also a safe bet to assume Detective Jack Scagnatti from the Tarantino penned Natural Born Killers is related to Seymour Scagnetti. Remember him? He was mentioned as being a parole officer in Reservoir Dogs by Mr Blonde.

Further down the rabbit hole we go. Tarantino himself has admitted that he writes two kinds of film; “movie movies” and the “Realer than Real” universe. These “movie movies”, From Dusk Till Dawn and Kill Bill are films that character from his other films would enjoy. So, in the drama Curdled, a character is seen watching the Gecko brothers from From Dawn Till Dusk on TV. This would explain both why there are suddenly vampires in a Tarantino film, and why no one in Django Unchained is worried about vampire attacks. The rest of his films are firmly in the “Realer than Real” category.

I could keep going endlessly with speculation and fanboy-driven ramblings, or you could go and watch the films and marvel at what Tarantino has created yourselves. Or, you could head to Cracked.com and check out their theory on the ending of Inglorious Basterds. It certainly blew my mind.

If that is true, then the man truly is a genius. Either way, you have to love how this guy’s brain works.

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The greatest film heroes

Luke Skywalker in the swamps of Dagobah, with Yoda.

The hero. Or heroine. The one person who goes above and beyond, faces insurmountable difficulties, but still comes out on top and saves the day. Some are made, shaped by the situations they find themselves in. But some are born. This is our top 5 most awesome, coolest and most heroic in film to date.

5. Ellen Ripley

Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver.

Image via: http://images5.fanpop.com

Like I said, some heroes are born, and some are forged in the fires of action. Sigourney Weaver’s Weyland-Yutani frieghter officer certainly has a good rep sheet for these experiences – surviving and battling xenomorphs in Alien turns her into a completely awesome warrior. Eventually, she even turns into a superhuman half-alien clone. Her best moment must be jumping into an exo-suit cargo loader to beat the snot out of the Alien Queen.

4. Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones cracking his whip.

Image via: alphacoders.com

This one is special. During term-time, he’s a mild mannered professor of archaeology. But when school is done, watch out. He’s secretly a Nazi-stomping, whip-cracking, badass adventurer. Most iconic hero moment? Shooting the fearless swordsman in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I wish I was that effortlessly cool.

3. Jason Bourne

Jason Bourne pointing a handgun.

Image via: coen-eng.com

Once, he was David Webb. Then Operation Treadstone happened and he turned into a super-cool amnesiac rogue agent. Who can drive like a pro. And shoot. And he can literally fight anyone. In fact, in his best moment in The Bourne Ultimatum he leaps off a balcony and beats a guy down with a book. Actually using knowledge to incapacitate someone. So cool.

2. James Bond

Sean Connery as James Bond, sitting in a chair drinking an alcoholic drink.

Image via: blacklapel.com

He needs no introduction. The finest that MI6 has to offer. 50 years later he’s still the suave-est hero around, and you can always rely on him to protect Queen and Country. His coolest moment definitely has to be keeping his cool when his Crown Jewels were in trouble in the iconic laser scene of Goldfinger.

1. Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker sitting in a room.

Image via: http://thestarwarstrilogy.com/

And here we have it, the number one hero. At one time, every young boy wanted to be Luke Skywalker. The hero in a perfect tale of good vs. evil, Luke learns the ways of the Force and the lightsaber and sums up what it means to be a hero. Most deservedly, Luke Skywalker wins the top spot. Best moment? “You will take me to Jabba now”. How did he get so cool?

Got any more ideas of who should be on this list? Comment below with your top film heroes!

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Events, offers & releases 09/12/13

In the distance the ruins of a mountainside town can be seen, shrouded in smoke.
In the distance the ruins of a mountainside town can be seen, shrouded in smoke.

Image via www.reelcinemas.co.uk

The biggest announcement this week is the eagerly anticipated blockbuster, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which is released this Friday. In the second installment of the trilogy, Bilbo, Gandalf and the Dwarves continue on their adventure to the misty mountain to reclaim Erebor from the dragon, Smaug.

If you’re struggling to find ideas for Christmas presents, why not treat someone you love to a cinema voucher. There are several brilliant films coming out over the next few months and a cinema gift card is a thoughtful present especially if you can visit the cinema together.