Thursday 30 July 2020

Pinocchio - First Trailer - Starring Roberto Benigni, Federico Ielapi and Marine Vacth


Vertigo Releasing have released a UK trailer for Matteo Garrone’s PINOCCHIO and announced that the film will be released in UK cinemas on August 14th with previews from August 10th.

PINOCCHIO tells the tale of an old woodcarver named Gepetto (Roberto Benigni) who creates a puppet, which then magically comes to life. Gepetto names him Pinocchio (Federico Ielapi) and brings him up as his son. Pinocchio however finds it hard to be good and is easily led astray. He ends up stumbling from one misadventure to another – whether in the belly of a giant fish, in the Land of Toys or in the Field of Miracles. It is up to his loyal friend the Fairy (Marine Vacth) to help him see that his dream of becoming a real boy is only possible if he finally changes his ways.


Working with co-writer Massimo Ceccherini, Garrone offers a fresh perspective on the beloved classic, returning to the authentic roots of the Pinocchio story to create something never seen before. The film was produced by Garrone, Academy Award winner Jeremy Thomas, Jean and Anne-Laure Labadie and Paolo del Brocco, and stars Academy Award-winning actor Roberto Benigni (Life is Beautiful) as Geppetto, Marine Vacth (L'Amant double) as the Fairy, and newcomer Federico Ielapi as Pinocchio.

Academy Award winner Mark Coulier (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Iron Lady) brings the characters to life through visionary character design and prosthetic make-up, and the beautiful visual effects were created by the team at One Of Us (Aladdin, The Revenant, The Crown). The original score was written by Academy Award-winning composer Dario Marianelli (Paddington 2, The Darkest Hour, Atonement).

PINOCCHIO screened at Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year to widespread acclaim.

The Tomb: Devil’s Revenge - Trailer - on digital platforms from 14th September


All hell is about to break loose as Shatner takes on Satan, when 4Digital unleashes The Tomb: Devil’s Revenge, on digital platforms from 14th September.

Amazon Link
https://amzn.to/3jOajFs
iTunes Link
https://apple.co/39HOoeI

Watch on Apple TV

The Descent meets The Exorcist, with a dash of Raiders of the Lost Ark thrown in for good measure, in this suspenseful thrill-ride starring iconic Star Trek legend William Shatner, Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager), Jason Brooks (Star Trek, 2009), Jackie Dallas (Stranger Things) and Michael Yahn (Daredevil). Featuring, according to Nerdly, “absolutely AMAZING creature designs”, buckets of blood, and, of course, Shatner on top form, The Tomb: Devil’s Revenge is B-movie mayhem that delivers demonic thrills and underground chills.

Synopsis: 
John Brock is a down-on-his-luck archaeologist who returns from an expedition to the caves of rural Kentucky, after unsuccessfully trying to locate a mysterious relic that his family has sought for generations. Upon his return, John starts to see dream-like visions of a ferocious bird-like creature from ancient folklore.

John soon learns that the cave he came into contact with on his last expedition was indeed the cave that contains the relic, and also a portal to Hell and a place of worship for the occult. John discovers that the only way to stop the increasingly realistic visions is to go back to the cave with his family, find the relic once and for all, and destroy it...

THE TOMB: DEVIL’S REVENGE WILL BE RELEASED ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS ON 14 SEPTEMBER

Interview with Paul Hyett on creative freedom, the lockdown and future projects.



Ahead of the Digital release on Aug 3 of his latest film PERIPHERAL, director Paul Hyett talks about the importance of creative freedom, the lockdown and future projects


Peripheral is your fourth feature as director. When you started on The Seasoning House back in 2011, did you ever imagine your career would be this successful?

Back when I decided I wanted to make my own movie I had my prosthetics company and was doing very well, but I really wanted to tell my own stories. I said to myself, get The Seasoning House made, see if it’s any good> If it’s a success then I would close my workshop and concentrate on directing. When it was selected as opening film for FrightFest 2012, I was elated and decided to go that path. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have directed four films and never would have thought that would happen.


What drew you to Peripheral, which at first sight, would appear to have very different dramatic challenges from your previous films, being set in one location and driven heavily by psychological narrative.

Peripheral really appealed to me. It was so well written, really layered. It had so much to say and was so relevant at the time and even more relevant today! Throughout my career as a prosthetics guy, I’ve had to turn my art to suit other people’s tastes, in a way selling out and just having to be a commercial artist. Even in my directing career I’ve had to bend to please exec producers and financiers. So, I could connect with Peripheral, which was about an artist being manipulated, wanting to be pure but having to sell to pay her bills. And then, on top, a really interesting comment on social media, celebrity obsessiveness, fall from grace, a futile fight against what you really believe in. It was such a draw for me.


Peripheral was written by renowned comic book writer / screenwriter Dan Shaffer. How did you come across the script and had you worked with Dan before?

Craig Touhy, the producer asked me to read it, thought I’d be perfect for it. The initiall pitch was, a girl, in one location, a flat and a computer. I originally thought, after doing the SFX laden movie Howl, that I wanted to continue down that path, bigger budgets, tons of prosthetics and VFX. But I’ll always read a script, just to make sure I’m doing the right thing turning it down. I read it and I LOVED it. It was my first reading of a Dan Shaffer script, he’s a brilliant writer.


For your previous films you’ve been heavily involved in the writing process. How was it primarily working with someone else’s script?

It was fine. I’m not at all precious. All I care about is getting the script in best shape possible for day one of shooting. If a script is perfect, and I don’t have to do anything then great. But more often or not you have to do quite a bit of work on a script. But with Peripheral, it was just tweaking for me. The film deals with some topical issues such as the insidious control tech can have in our lives, addiction and mental health. How tough was it to balance this with creating an entertaining, genre-driven thriller? I always think you can take any story, any experience and turn it into an interesting, entertaining movie. When I said to people the plot for The Seasoning House they would just look at me, how is this going to be entertaining? There’s always a way. If you care about a character, whatever they go through, the audience will go through with them. The most important thing was visually, set in one location, how do I make this always entertaining to the eye, to keep people visually interesting. That was a challenge.


What creative influences inspired you? Cronenberg and Bernard Rose have been mentioned in the press.

Cronenberg was a big influence. And people saying there’s shades of Videodrome (which I love) is extremely flattering. I love all Cronenberg’s films. Someone else mentioned Demon Seed, which I hadn’t even thought about.


Hannah Arterton is terrific as a writer dealing with ‘second-novel syndrome’. How did you make the decision to cast her?

We saw nearly a hundred girls for Peripheral. We had very little prep and very little time to shoot this. Hannah had been in the back of my mind as soon as I read the script. She’s a terrific actress and we had worked well together before. I was worried about having an actress that I didn’t know and with Hannah we have a great shorthand. We know what each other is thinking before we say it. And she nailed the screen test. She was so committed to the role, totally surpassed my expectations and was a delight to work with. Bobbi is such a complex character and Hannah and I would discuss at length her motivation, her instincts, Hannah was absolutely brilliant!


The film’s claustrophobic atmosphere feels like the kind of film that resonates with the lockdown. How has the past three months or so been for you personally? How creative have you managed to be?

Yes, it is the ultimate lockdown movie. I’m sort of used to a lockdown life. Most of my time is alone at home, writing, developing projects, Skype calls etc so life wasn’t so different in the last three months. I had just got back from Boston the week before lockdown from a recce, so it was a bit of a pain as my next movie was put on hold. The biggest shock was the supermarkets running out of food, it was proper zombie panic, and I may one day write a script about the toilet roll shortage of 2020!


Have you watched any good horror films whilst stuck indoors?

I’ve been catching up on tons of movies and box sets. Really good horror movies? Gerald’s Game was great, I enjoyed The Ritual, Hereditary was cool, Underwater (I love aquatic horror) and Eurovison with Will Ferrel! Horrific (in a good way)!


You have two productions in development. One is The Black Site with Grimmfest films and the other is Unnatural Selection with Washashore productions. What can you tell us about them?

The Black Site is a psychological horror. Imagine Zero Dark Thirty meets Jacob’s Ladder. Unnatural Selection is set in a sleepy Cape Cod town and is an atmospheric Carpenter-esque New England horror story.

PERIPHERAL is available digitally in the UK and Ireland from August 3 on iTunes, Amazon, Google, Sky and Virgin


Wednesday 29 July 2020

Elvis: That's The Way It Is - Cinema release confirmed for 13 August


Trafalgar Releasing have confirmed that Elvis: That’s The Way It Is, will be in cinemas in selected territories around the world* on the re-scheduled release date of 13 August 2020.

Tickets can be bought via https://www.elvisthatsthewayitis.com

To celebrate 85 years of Elvis Presley and 50 years since the film’s original 1970 release, the King returns to cinemas – remastered - with Elvis: That’s The Way It Is, an unmissable event for fans around the world.

On July 31, 1969, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Elvis Presley staged a triumphant return to the concert stage from which he had been absent for almost a decade. His series of concerts broke all box office records and completely reenergised the career of the King of Rock 'n' Roll.

Marc Allenby, CEO says: "Trafalgar Releasing are pleased to be able to celebrate 85 years of this musical legend in collaboration with Warner Bros. and Authentic Brand Group. It's been 50 years since this career changing documentary about The King of Rock 'n' Roll was released, yet the lasting legacy of Elvis Presley and his music can be seen more clearly than ever in film, music and culture."

This feature-length documentary and concert film features performances including Love Me Tender, Blue Suede Shoes, Heartbreak Hotel and Suspicious Minds. Crossing the footlights, revealing the legendary singer as a man preparing for an emotional career comeback, the fans who travelled from all over the world for this history-making event.... and the electrifying live performance of the man who gave us rock 'n' roll.

You can also buy this from Amazon at
https://amzn.to/3hKk9X8

Tuesday 28 July 2020

The Secret Dare to Dream starring Katie Holmes and Josh Lucas available on Premium Video on Demand from Friday, 7th August


Lionsgate UK will release hope-filled film The Secret: Dare to Dream on Premium Video on Demand from Friday, 7th August. The feel-good romantic drama starring Katie Holmes, Josh Lucas, and Jerry O’Connell explores hope and gratitude in one’s darkest days, and reminds us that it’s never too late to believe again.

Based on the groundbreaking best-selling book about the law of attraction by Rhonda Byrne, The Secret: Dare to Dream follows Miranda (Katie Holmes), a young widow trying to make ends meet while raising her three children and dating her boyfriend (Jerry O’Connell). A devastating storm brings an enormous challenge and a mysterious man, Bray (Josh Lucas), into Miranda’s life. Bray reignites the family’s spirit but, unbeknownst to Miranda, also holds an important secret — one that will change everything. With its timeless messages of hope, compassion, and gratitude, The Secret: Dare to Dream is an inspiring and heartwarming film that shows how positive thoughts can transform our lives.

The Secret: Dare to Dream will be available to rent for £13.99 through On Demand platforms such as Sky, Amazon, Apple, Google, Virgin, Talk Talk, Chili TV, XBOX, Sony PS, Rakuten and Showcase At Home starting Friday 7th August.