Sky to release Blithe Spirit in cinemas and on Sky Cinema from 15 January

Sky today announces the acquisition of Blithe Spirit from STUDIOCANAL UK. The film will be released in cinemas and on Sky Cinema on 15 January across the UK and Ireland.

Blithe Spirit, based on the play by Noël Coward, stars Academy Award® and BAFTA winner Judi Dench (Skyfall, Victoria & Abdul) alongside Dan Stevens (Beauty & The Beast, Legion), Leslie Mann (Blockers, The Comedian), and Isla Fisher (Greed, Nocturnal Animals).

Sarah Wright, Director of Sky Cinema and Acquisitions at Sky UK & Ireland, commented: "2021 is going to be a big year for original film at Sky and what better way to kick it off than with Blithe Spirit? Based on the Noël Coward production, this sparkling comedy is full of fun, frolics and an all-star cast. A great way to banish the January blues!"

Blithe Spirit is a riotous reimagining of Noël Coward's classic comedy, about love that just won't die... Best-selling crime novelist Charles (Dan Stevens) is struggling with catastrophic writer's block and a stressful deadline for his first screenplay. His picture-perfect second wife Ruth (Isla Fisher) is doing her best to keep him focussed in the hope of fulfilling her dream of heading to Hollywood. Charles' desperate search for inspiration leads him to invite Madame Arcati (Judi Dench), a medium recently exposed as a fraud, to perform a séance in their home. They all get more than they bargained for when Arcati accidentally summons the spirit of his deceased first wife: the fiery and jealous Elvira (Leslie Mann) who embarks on a mission to kill Charles so she can spend eternity with him which leads to an increasingly comical and deadly love triangle.

Directed by Edward Hall (Downton Abbey, Spooks) and adapted by Nick Moorcroft and Meg Leonard (Finding Your Feet, Fisherman's Friends) and Piers Ashworth (Fisherman's Friends).

Lost at Christmas - New poster and trailer for this feel-good Christmas film

Lost At Christmas is set in the remote Scottish town of Fort William, on Christmas Eve, when life is turned upside down for Jen (Natalie Clark) and Rob (Kenny Boyle). Suddenly finding themselves heartbroken, single and stranded, they team up to try and reach home 100 miles away to be with their families. "Borrowing" Jen's now ex-boyfriend's classic car, the pair hit the road, but it's not long before the weather turns for the worse forcing them to continue their journey on foot.

Bickering and bonding across the snowy Moors of Glencoe, they eventually arrive at a remote inn where they meet other guests dead set on avoiding the traditional Christmas joy. However, as Christmas Day draws closer, will happiness emerge and draw Jen and Rob together?

Lost at Christmas will bring you in from the cold, lighten your heart and provide the ultimate feel-good Christmas cinema experience.

Lost at Christmas will be released in UK cinemas from 4th December and on Digital from 7th December.

Interview with Jon Ornoy - Producer of All Joking Aside

Canadian producer Jon Ornoy fills us in on his latest film All Joking Aside, now available On Demand, and his upcoming projects including a biopic on a Canadian snooker legend.

All Joking Aside is available now at AppleTV - https://apple.co/35KBT1C

Such an interesting career you have, sir. Tell us, where did it all begin for you?

After moving to Vancouver to attend film school in 1999, I started working on set as a camera assistant after graduation, and continued doing that job for about ten years. That was a great experience for me in terms of the exposure it gave me to the production process from which I learned a lot, and the network of other professionals that I would start drawing on once I began my own filmmaking. I produced and directed my first short "Critical", while working full-time, 70hr weeks on a TV series, and while that was stressful, having almost the entire crew come out to help on their very short, and precious weekends took a lot of pressure off me.

Okay, "Scary Movie 3". Just being on set – what was that like?

That was definitely one of the bigger productions I've worked on, but it was pretty early in my career and I didn't have much responsibility there, so I don't have much in the way of stories unfortunately.

And did you get to meet the legendary Leslie Nielsen?

He was one of my favorite actors growing up so that would've been great, but sadly I never got to meet Leslie Nielsen.

Have you always gravitated towards comedies and comedy in general?

As a viewer, sure, but as a filmmaker not as much, and I think I'd even describe this film as more of a dramedy than an outright comedy. I loved movies like "Naked Gun", "Airplane", and "A Fish Called Wanda" growing up and couldn't get enough Monty Python, but I don't think I've ever made a concerted effort to make comedies myself.

Where did the idea for "All Joking Aside" come from?

I optioned the script from writer James Pickering back in 2016 and we then spent a couple of years working on it together. What really grabbed me the first time I read it was the way Charlie got over the initial embarrassment of being heckled off-stage, and found the courage to go after the guy who humiliated her and turn him into a fan.

I imagine it was quite different working  a feature film to a short – what were some of the first, most noticeable differences?

Everything about making a feature is the same as making a short, there's just a lot more of it. I think that the primary difference when working at the micro-budget level that we were at, is that the favors you're asking just get bigger. When you're only shooting for a weekend, it's not that big a deal to get people to volunteer, but when you've got a three week shoot and you live in a place like Vancouver that has a lot of production going on, it gets much harder to get people to commit when they know they can go get paid properly somewhere else. I'd say that the other major difference is the extent to which you need to plan what's going to happen with your completed feature and how you're going to get it to market. There's very little money to be made with shorts, so usually you just make those to be a calling-card, but with a feature you shift to how you're going to pay your investors back, so that adds a whole new dimension to the marketing and sales.

Have you got the producing bug now? Working on anything else, sir?

I'm happy to keep producing, but my real objective is to direct, so I'm currently developing four projects for myself, including a biopic of unsung Canadian snooker legend "Big" Bill Werbeniuk and a documentary with world champion magician Shawn Farquhar. 

You can follow my work at animalmotherfilms.com

Wonder Woman 1984 - Official Main Trailer

For the first time ever, Wonder Woman 1984 will release in theaters and stream exclusively on HBO Max* on December 25.

Fast forward to the 1980s as Wonder Woman’s next big screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah.

With director Patty Jenkins back at the helm and Gal Gadot returning in the title role, “Wonder Woman 1984” is Warner Bros. Pictures’ follow up to the DC Super Hero’s first outing, 2017’s record-breaking “Wonder Woman,” which took in $822 million at the worldwide box office. The film also stars Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Kristen Wiig as The Cheetah, Pedro Pascal as Max Lord, Robin Wright as Antiope, and Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta.

Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot and Stephen Jones are producing the film. Rebecca Steel Roven Oakley, Richard Suckle, Marianne Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo and Wesley Coller are the executive producers.

Patty Jenkins directed from a screenplay she wrote with Geoff Johns & David Callaham, story by Jenkins & Johns, based on characters from DC. Joining the director behind the scenes are several members of her “Wonder Woman” team, including director of photography Matthew Jensen, Oscar-nominated production designer Aline Bonetto (“Amélie”), and Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“Topsy-Turvy”). Oscar-nominated editor Richard Pearson (“United 93”) is cutting the film. The music is by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer (“Dunkirk,” “The Lion King”).

Cup of Cheer - Trailer - Arrives on digital 7 December

If you've had your fill of the usual festive fare, sit back, switch on the fairy lights and enjoy CUP OF CHEER, a cheeky Christmas cracker to titillate at tinsel time.

Buy from Apple TV - https://apple.co/32VqdqZ

When a big city journalist returns to her small hometown for Christmas in search of a holiday scoop, she literally runs into a down-on-his-luck hot-chocolate shop owner.  It's not long before they begin a picture-perfect, Christmas-movie romance, exactly like all the ones you've seen before...or is it? This laugh-out-loud romp from director Jake Horowitz lampoons every Christmas movie you've ever watched and arrives just in time for the festive season on 7 December 2020 from (Yet) Another Distribution Company.

Mary (Storm Steenson – The Olympus Project, Forbidden: Dying for Love) is a successful journalist who heads back to her charming hometown of Snowy Heights to write an article about the town's world-famous Christmas cheer. When she runs into the sullen but endearing Chris (Alexander Oliver – Freelancer, From the Thunder),the owner of Cup of Cheer, Mary learns that his charming business is going to be shut down on Christmas Eve…and it's her ex-boyfriend that's responsible. Using her big city smarts and her festive spirit, Mary unites the town in an effort to save Cup of Cheer and have the Christmas they've always wanted.

This X-mas rated comedy Cup of Cheer spills over with festive fun.