Movies

A planned screening of the 2010 movie Four Lions has been scrapped by Film4 following the bombings at the Boston Marathon.

The comedy, which centres on four British Muslims who plan a bomb attack on the London Marathon, was due to air on Monday night following this weekend’s race in London.

A spokesperson for Channel 4 has confirmed that the movie will not be airing as scheduled. Continue reading »

The winner of the ‘Best Actress’ award at the Oscars gives a bunch of brilliant answers to some seriously idiotic questions.

Here’s some of the best moments from the Academy Awards in GIF form. Continue reading »

Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint is making the move to TV after being cast in a major US pilot.

The British actor, known for playing Ron Weasley in the film franchise, has picke dup the lead role in superhero comedy Super Clyde.

Grint will play Clyde, a shy and neurotic fast food worker who makes the decision to become a superhero. He inherits a large sum of money from an Uncle and decides that money will be his secret super power. Continue reading »

Quentin Tarantino has fired up at questions from a Channel 4 News reporter regarding violence in his movies.

The director, who will release his new movie Django Unchained in the UK next week, was unhappy with the some questions from reporter Krishnan Guru-Murthy regarding a possible link between screen violence and real violence.

“Don’t ask me questions like that. I’m not biting. I refuse your question,” Tarantino replied when queried about the subject.

When Guru-Murthy pushed the subject a little further, Tarantino said: “I’m not your slave and you’re not my master. You can’t make me dance to your tune. I’m not your monkey.” Continue reading »

6:55pm Wednesday, December 26 on C4

Over the holiday period Channel 4 presents an opportunity to see the complete trilogy of films, each introduced by director Peter Jackson. In the second of the J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations, The Fellowship face unimaginable armies and deception as they stand against the powerful forces spreading from the Two Towers.

5:40pm Tuesday, December 25 on C4

Over the holiday period Channel 4 presents an opportunity to see the complete trilogy of films, each introduced by director Peter Jackson. In the first of the J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations, Elijah Wood stars as Frodo, a hobbit who elects to become the bearer of the Ring of Power, which, if regained by its maker and master, Lord Sauron, will see him gain full and terrible power over all of Middle Earth.

9:00pm Saturday, December 22 on C4

Network premiere. Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn star in Seth Gordon’s frothy romcom about a happily unmarried couple who reconsider their relationship after spending Christmas with their families. The couple usually avoid family Christmases but when their flight abroad is cancelled they have no choice but to see each of their divorced parents – whom they’ve never introduced one another to – on the same day…

Sunday, 16 December 2012, 7:00PM – 8:00PM

“They handed me an improvisation opportunity – ‘you’ve found a friend and someone is trying to take it away from you’. I went with that and everyone responded to it. They were crying and I was crying and they said, ‘Kid, you got the job.’”
Henry Thomas on his audition for the role of Elliott, in front of Steven Spielberg.

Thirty years ago, on the 9th of December 1982, a family movie was released in the UK which would be critically acclaimed as a timeless story of friendship. ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial’ drew on the real story of director Steven Spielberg’s parents’ divorce and follows a young boy, Elliot, and his siblings who make friends with a stranded alien and try to help him return home.

To celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary, this hour-long documentary ‘Happy Birthday E.T.’ tells the story behind the movie, which has been voted the UK’s favourite family film ever. From the making of the film and the casting of the main roles, to bringing E.T. to life and the immense secrecy surrounding the making of the film, the documentary explores how a family film went on to become a huge blockbuster, surpassing Star Wars to become the highest grossing film of all time, a record it held for 10 years.

‘Happy Birthday E.T.’ includes unseen footage of Steven Spielberg plus new and exclusive interviews with Henry Thomas (Elliott) Dee Wallace Stone (Elliott’s Mum), Robert MacNaughton (older brother, Mike) and Erika Eleniak (the girl Elliott kisses). It also features the people behind the scenes who helped bring the film to life including casting director Mike Fenton and Caprice Spencer Rothe, the mime artist who performed E.T.’s hands.

Of the intense secrecy surrounding the film during production, actor Robert MacNaughton (Mike) explains: “They sent us the script…and we read it, but then we had to give it back. And then we just got the scenes for that day, so I never actually had a physical copy of the script all the way through the filming.”

The documentary also takes actor Henry Thomas, who as a 10-year-old played Elliott, back to the suburban Californian house where much of the film was shot, for the first time in 30 years.

The programme uncovers surprising facts behind the making of the film. Spielberg shot the film in script order to get a genuine emotional response from the child actors. So when E.T. departs at the end, the tears are all real. The face of E.T. was modelled on a cross between Albert Einstein and a newborn baby and cost $1.4 million to create. Also, when E.T was seen dying, all the doctors in the shot were real, including Spielberg’s own doctor – as he believed they would be more convincing than actors.

Three decades on, Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece still attracts huge audiences whenever it is shown on television and continues to engage with new generations of viewers. ‘Happy Birthday E.T.’ offers a new insight into the magic of E.T.’s timeless appeal.

LoveFilm has struck a deal with Nintendo Wii that will allow Wii gamers to access movies and TV shows through their console.

The service will launch this month with the Robert Downey Jr. movie Sherlock Holmes and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.

LoveFilm confirmed that they will lunch “shortly” on the new HD Wii “U” console, with gamers able to access the content for £4.99 per month.

LoveFilm managing director Jim Buckle said: “Launching on the Wii, combined with our impending arrival on the Wii U, is great news for our members.” Continue reading »