Tuesday 6 February 2018

Gloriously Evil: Best real-life villains in film history


Watching real life stories portrayed on screen is almost more horrifying than completely scripted horror films, because of that exact fact – it was once real life.

To mark the Blu-ray and DVD release of Batman: Gotham by Gaslight on February 5th, which features one of the world’s best-know serial killers, Jack the Ripper, we’re taking a look at some of the great films that have been based on the lives of real-life villains. Here are five popular films that brought these bona-fide criminals onto the silver screen.

Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper is one of the world’s best-known serial killers, brought back to life in brand-new Batman adventure, Gotham by Gaslight. The Ripper preyed upon prostitutes in the East End of London, slitting their throats and mutilating them. The mystery of the Ripper was never solved, and no letters claiming to be from him have ever been verified. To this day, scientists and detectives are still working on the case, desperate to solve this curious case once and for all.
In Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, our hero Batman sets out to stop infamous serial killer, Jack the Ripper, in his murderous tracks. While Police Commissioner James Gordon tries to cull the fear of Gotham’s citizens, the masked vigilante enacts his own detective work to solve the crime and save the city.

Aileen Wuornos
Portrayed by Charlize Theron in the 2003 film ‘Monster’, Aileen murdered seven men by shooting at point blank range and was sentenced to death by lethal injection for six of the deaths. She claimed she believed they were going to attack her in her job as a sex worker so was acting in self-defence. She was eventually arrested on an outstanding warrant and confessed to the killings.

This film pretty much tells Wuonos’ tragic story as it happened with Theron playing such a compelling role that she won both an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Monster was even named one of the best films of the decade by Roger Ebert in 2009.

Kray Twins
The exciting story of the Kray Twins portrayed in ‘Legend’ (2015) was based upon real gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray, who were known as the most notorious gangsters in the East end of London throughout the 1950’s and 60’s. They were involved in a huge range of crimes from arson, to armed robberies, to murder with their gang ‘The Firm.’ Despite this, by the 1960s they were considered celebrities and even mixed with the likes of Frank Sinatra before finally being arrested in 1968. They were also featured in the 1990 film The Krays.

Tom Hardy actually played both twins in ‘Legend’, and won a British Independent Film Award for his efforts. In 1990 the Krays were played by Martin and Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet fame, a portrayal which the Krays were not fans of.

Jeffrey Dahmer
As a child, Dahmer would collect roadkill, dismember the bodies and then tell friends he was curious as to how they ‘fitted together’. In the film ‘My Friend Dahmer’ (2017) we see Dahmer through his high school years where his fascination eventually twisted into the rape and murder of at least 17 young men, before he was finally caught in 1991.

‘My Friend Dahmer’ gained a lot of attention due to the main actor used in the film – none other than clean-cut Disney Channel actor Ross Lynch. John Backderf, the author of the book that inspired the film, particularly liked his casting because it seemed creepier that he was known for being so family-friendly in the past.

The Zodiac Killer
‘Zodiac’, the 2007 mystery-thriller, was based upon a real - and still unsolved - series of murders committed by the Zodiac Killer between 1968 and 1969. He would taunt the Bay Area press by sending cryptic messages, only one of which has ever been solved. Zodiac claims to have murdered 37 people, though only 5 deaths have ever been confirmed.

Director David Fincher and the filmmakers’ spent 18 months researching the case themselves before production started on Zodiac. Fincher wanted the details to be as accurate as possible, from the realistic costumes to only showing crimes on-screen that were filed as police reports. They even had 3 different actors playing the killer in the film to add to the mystery.

Fincher won Best Director at the Dublin Film Critics’ Circle Awards for his work on the film and Zodiac was also nominated for 16 other awards.

This isn’t the only film to have been inspired by this case, with others including Dirty Harry, Disguised Killer and The Zodiac, among many others.

BATMAN: GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT – AVAILABLE NOW ON DIGITAL DOWNLOAD AND ON BLU-RAY AND DVD FEBRUARY 5TH.

Monday 5 February 2018

The Greatest Showman - No.1 at the UK Box-Office in 6th week of release

LONDON, UK, Monday 5th February: THE GREATEST SHOWMAN continues a remarkable run at the UK Box-Office reaching No. 1 in its 6th week of release, taking an outstanding £2.206k over the 3-day weekend, bringing the cumulative total to £23,239k. This is the first time a film has ever claimed the No.1 spot over the weekend this far into release and the 6thweekend of THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is bigger than the 6th weekend of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (£2,013k), the biggest film of all time in the UK (£123,054k).

By the end of the week, THE GREATEST SHOWMAN will be the biggest film of 2018 in the UK.

Since its Boxing Day release, THE GREATEST SHOWMAN has continued to perform consistently, capturing the hearts and voices of audiences all over the world (including Australia where the film also achieved a first place finish in the 6th week of release). The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack also continues its dominance in the Official UK Album Chart, spending a fourth consecutive week at No. 1, with the show-stopping anthem of empowerment 'This Is Me' currently No. 8 in the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart.

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN Sing-Along version will hit cinemas nationwide from the 23rdFebruary and available to book now.

Managing Director, Twentieth Century Fox UK (Theatrical), Cameron Saunders says: "Audiences across the country are looking for joy and happiness, and with The Greatest Showman joy and happiness has found them, shaken them by the hand and given them a great Hugh Jackman sized bear hug. We'd like to thank everyone for returning the embrace, making it the UK's No. 1 during the most vibrant time for cinema going in recent history. At the beginning of the movie, Charity Barnum says: "I wish for happiness like this to last forever" – this timeless, modern day classic promises to do exactly that. Experience it in cinemas today, tomorrow and again next week!"

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN stars Hugh Jackman in the title role, alongside Michelle Williams (All the Money in the World), Zac Efron (Baywatch), Zendaya (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) and Tony Award nominee Keala Settle. The film is directed by Michael Gracey; produced by Laurence Mark, p.g.a., Peter Chernin, p.g.a., and Jenno Topping, p.g.a., with songs by Academy Award and Grammy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land), THE GREATEST SHOWMAN is distributed by Twentieth Century Fox and opened in cinemas nationwide on 26thDecember 2017.

Interview with Megan Maczko - Star of The Ninth Cloud

As THE NINTH CLOUD is released in the UK, lead actress Megan Maczko discusses her passion for voicing video games, working with Tom Hanks, the hazards of auditioning and the challenges of being an American living in England.


Megan, you play Zena, the protagonist, In THE NINTH CLOUD. How would you describe her? 

Zena is a young woman living with an incredible amount of chaos in her heart, desperately seeking the answers to life’s great questions in order to circumvent the pain that she feels from the loss of her parents, from being all alone in the world. She’s delicate but tries desperately to keep that hidden from the world and the people she’s chosen to let in her to life. She’s eccentric, vulnerable, bold, compassionate, guarded and naive.


What challenges did you face portraying such a complex character?

All of us are complicated, so when as an actress you get your hands on a gem like Zena, you just have to bring everything you’ve got to her. Let her come undone, be messy, contradict herself - live between the black and white.

There’s a heightened quality in Jane’s storytelling, so I guess the biggest challenge was to do the work, then just trust and go for it.  I don’t always work this way, but honestly when we found her shoes and her coat and I chopped my long hair off into a bob, I felt like “Ooh Whee! There she is!” Zena is a beautiful collision of contradictions - she has a freedom and a wild innocence about her that extend only as far as the mask she wears for the outside world. That mask is held in place by the rigidity of her habits, this coat she almost never takes off, and even the sharp angles of her hairstyle. .


Playing opposite Michael Madsen, whom Zena is infatuated with, must have been an interesting experience. How did you two get along?

Michael is a marvel and I think people will enjoy seeing something of a softer side of him in this film.


You recently worked alongside Tom Hanks in A HOLOGRAM FOR A KING. Tell us about the experience. 

It is all true about Tom Hanks. THE nicest man in Hollywood. Not that I’ve met all the men in Hollywood, but in this #metoo moment, just how upstanding he is speaks even louder. He takes gentleman to the next level. And he’s so good at being a movie star. So gracious. We were shooting in a remote part of Western Sahara and even there, people were clamouring to meet him. Whenever possible, he took time to shake hands, take photos, be Tom Hanks. He’s a wonder. Aaand this is where I confess that I am the president of the Tom Hanks fan club.


Video game fans will know you from your voice work on HORIZON: ZERO DAWN and BLACK MIRROR. Is this a genre you love to do and will there be more?

Yes, I love voicing video games. It’s a real challenge using only your voice to convey character, usually in high stakes situations. But honestly, my favourite bit is doing the sort of vocal effort noises (running, getting punched, wielding a sword, etc) and death sounds. I once played a vampire character and was doing the ole death-by-stake-to-the-heart number and the director’s note was “Ok great. Now once again, but this time after the sound of impact, let the breath eek out and just before you expire…let’s hear something satisfying in the death.”


You made your break in ME AND ORSON WELLS, playing actress Evelyn Allen. What was the casting process like?

At the time, I was six months out of drama school and didn’t have an agent. I wrote to the casting director, Lucy Bevan and when I heard back with an invitation to audition, I literally jumped up and down. When I was re-called for the role and went in to meet Richard Linklater and the writers Vince and Holly Palmo I was obviously nervous as hell. To feel like I was wearing something new and fabulous, I borrowed a top from my friend. It looked great but had these two silk strips that hung down the front - danger, danger! - and when I went to cross my legs while we were chatting, they got tangled between them. I only noticed this when the top started pulling on my neck so I tried to surreptitiously free the strips. But as I was doing this, I noticed Rick, Vince and Holly quizzically watching me pulling at the silk like a magician doing a trick. Finally, when I freed the strips but no white rabbit appeared I declared, “Well I’m just not sure why I wore this damn shirt!”. They laughed - thank god. And at that moment, I felt something shift in the room that either meant I got the part or they thought I was well and truly out of my mind. A few days later I got the call and off to the Isle of Man I was.


You’re set to play a role in Jane Spencer’s adaptation of the life of the composer Erik Satie, THE VELVET GENTLEMAN. What can you reveal about your role?

It’s a gorgeous script about Erik Satie’s eccentric life, a sort of Midnight in Paris with Jane’s distinctive left angle style. I’m playing one of Satie’s friends and artistic contemporaries, the German dadaist Hannah Hoch. She was a pioneer of the
collage and photo-collage art form, a feminist advocating a woman’s right to work creatively in modern society and a fireball critiquing the German government. I. Can’t. Wait.


Horror fans will know you from DEADLY VIRTUES and many reviewers praised your ‘brave’ performance. Is this a genre that appeals to you? 

Yes and no. Often (at least historically) the horror genre denigrates women either in terms of objectifying them as sexual prey or depicting them as having no agency in their lives, relying on stronger, smarter men to save them - you know, the ones who choose to run up the stairs to certain doom instead of out an open door to stay alive! As far as I’m concerned those kinds of narratives about women can stay in the past.

Conversely, I loved playing Alison in Deadly Virtues because it subverted expectations and genre tropes. Halfway through the film the storyline shifts and she becomes empowered and the hero of her own story.  I also relished the challenge of having to go to some dark imaginative places to play this character. Specifically in portraying a bereaved mother, I felt a responsibility to play her inner life truthfully.


You’re originally from the US but have decided to be London-based. What challenges / opportunities does this bring in respect to your career?

For me as an actress, I feel as American as Cate Blanchett is Australian; I’ve played English and European characters and am set to play a German next. I find that variety interesting, challenging and connected to why I got into this crazy profession to begin with. I love British and European cinema; it kind of just all fits for me to be here at the centre of it all.

I suppose my American-ness is fun to get personal with in my work as a writer and director which is inspiring some rather provocative material I’m working on at the moment. It’s definitely an interesting time to be alive!


Finally, what’s next? 

Well Jane Spencer’s next film, The Velvet Gentleman is coming up this year. Also, I’m finishing up my first short film that I wrote and directed, set in Las Vegas about a woman who learns her estranged father is on his deathbed and has to decide whether to see him before he dies. It’s a prologue to a feature that I’m developing so watch this space.

THE NINTH CLOUD is now available to download from iTunes


Thursday 1 February 2018

Competition: Win Beach Rats on DVD


To celebrate the release of Beach Rats on DVD on February 5th, we have a great competition for you and 3 copies to give away.

Synopsis
Frankie, an aimless teenager on the outer edges of Brooklyn, is having a miserable summer.

With his father dying and his mother wanting him to find a girlfriend, Frankie escapes the bleakness of his home life by causing trouble with his delinquent friends and flirting with older men online.

When his chatting and webcamming intensify, he finally starts hooking up with guys at a nearby cruising beach while simultaneously entering into a cautious relationship with a young woman. As Frankie struggles to reconcile his competing desires, his decisions leave him hurtling toward irreparable consequences.

Click here to buy from Amazon (Opens in a new window)

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

COMPETITION CLOSED


Terms and conditions
1. Closing date 12-02-18
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

Monday 29 January 2018

Dark tragi-comedy THE NINTH CLOUD gets Digital release


Set in 90s London, THE NINTH CLOUD tells the story of Zena (Megan Maczko), who, trying to escape the grief of her family being killed in a plane crash, becomes infatuated with fellow American Bob (Michael Madsen), an enigmatic but failed poet, who has taken up residency in a Hackney squat. Searching for hope through Bob’s weird artistic visions, Zena sexually and emotionally collides with an array of angst-ridden IT girls and debauched men including Brett, a narcissistic socialite (Leo Gregory), and Jonny, a drink-drowning musician (Jean- Hugues Anglade). But it is to the unattainable Bob that Zena is fatally drawn to…

Director Jane Spencer said: “I am absolutely thrilled that THE NINTH CLOUD is finally being released in its home. We shot the film in London and, although it has an international cast it carries a very British sensibility, inspired by some of the UK’s great independent films”.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/movie/the-ninth-cloud/id1245025000