Brad Bird Won’t Direct Star Wars Episode VII

Brad Bird has officially ruled himself out of the running to direct Disney’s new Star Wars film Episode VII. Despite being identified as a leading contender, The Incredibles & Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol emphatically denied he would be taking charge of Disney’s surprising re-launch of the beloved space saga during a Twitter Q&A with fans.

“Not doing Star Wars,” he confirmed, before going on to explain that his next project was, a science fiction film… not Star Wars. The science fiction film I AM doing, is gonna be cool. That said, Michael Arndt is a fantastic writer and Kathy Kennedy is a brilliant producer. I will be first in line to see the new STAR WARS.”

The science fiction film he’s referring to is 1952, a project that recently landed George Clooney in its leading role and is already being compared to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Whoever takes on the challenge of directing it, Star Wars Episode VII will open on 17th July 2015. 

Star Trek Footage Previews Before The Hobbit

Nine minutes of preview footage for Star Trek Sequel Star Trek Into Darkness will be previewed at IMAX screenings of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey this Christmas.

Following the announcement President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment Greg Foster had this to say:

“Our longtime partners J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk and the Bad Robot team have really hit it out of the park – the footage is absolutely incredible. Their use of the IMAX Camera and canvas is sure to impress current and future Star Trek fans alike. We’re thrilled to once again work with our friends at Paramount Pictures to offer this extended ‘first look’ at this highly-anticipated summer blockbuster.”

The footage will be boldly going on UK cinemas screens including Cineworld sites in Dublin, Nottingham, Enfield, Crawley, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Ipswich and Birmingham, with more to be announced.

However fans will have to wait till 17 May 2013 to watch Star Trek Into Darkness in full.

Aaron Sorkin Talks Steve Jobs Film Details

Oscar winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The West Wing) has announced that his Steve Jobs biopic will in fact be a ‘real time’ drama consisting of three 30 minute long scenes. Sony Pictures paid millions of dollars for the rights to turn the Apple founders authorised biography into a film, just days after his tragic passing on 5th October 2011. However Sorkin has admittedly based his screenplay on his own research, largely discarding the bestselling biography.

“I’m meeting with all the people in Steve’s life now, from [Apple co-founder] Wozniak to all the people who were around for the Macintosh. So I’ve been able to meet these people who revere him in spite of the fact he made all of them cry at one point or another, but he made all of them better at what they were doing.”

Explaining the unique real time approach of the film Sorkin has said:

“This entire movie is going to be three scenes, and three scenes only, that all take place in real time… There will be no time cuts and each will take place before a product launch. Backstage before a product launch. The first one being the Mac, the second one being Next after he had left Apple, and the third one being the iPod.”

A for how he wants to leave audiences and his ambitions for capturing the unique genius spirit of Steve Jobs, the screenwriter went on to add:

“I don’t know if you remember the ad campaign he did. It was the ‘Think Different’ campaign. ‘Here’s to the crazy ones.’ That’s how it began. If I can end the movie with that text and that voice over… If I can earn that ending, then I will have written the movie that I wanted to write.”

The Master Review

The Master

A Naval veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future – until an encounter with a charismatic cult leader.

The Good:

The Master is visually breathtaking and showcases performances that are almost certainly going to be firm contenders come awards season.

Freddie Quill (Joaquin Phoenix) is a troubled WWII war veteran, left mentally and physically damaged by years of fighting and lost love. Numbing his pains with alcohol, he struggles to adapt to the world he left behind. Phoenix’s unprecedented performance demonstrates his immense skill and power as an actor; oozing raw emotion, aggression and vulnerability.

His awakening as a new man begins when he has a chance meeting with The Master (Philip Seymour Hoffman) a charismatic leader of a new belief system called The Cause, which welcomes Quills’ lost soul into its warm embrace.

The energy and charisma between these two characters, played out in long intrusive close ups, secures their status as two of the most talented and important actors working in film today. Whatever you think of the film as a whole it’s impossible to deny these stunning performances.

Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood) shows off these performances beautifully through the use of 65mm film. It’s well worth making the effort to catch The Master in this ideal format if you can. The colouring of every part of this film is lush and beautifully effective, transporting you back to a golden era of filmmaking.  Anderson’s daring choice to capture intense emotional scenes with extreme close ups and long running takes leaves the audience unable to look away and the actors unable to hide.

Johnny Greenwoods brilliant instrumental score is another of the film’s many highlights, pulling audiences further into the drama and leaving them with a powerful feeling of impending doom at the right moments. It’s a stroke of genius in itself and perfectly combined with flawless acting and interesting directorial choices.

The Bad:

Despite all the visuals and performances being among the best of the year, the narrative seems so cryptic that Paul Thomas Anderson may be the only person who really knows what is going on in this film. This isn’t so surprising given his past work, but some audiences may find this challenging and perhaps even self-indulgent.

The Master is probably 20 minutes longer than it could be, with too much of a good thing perhaps resulting in inevitable frustration for audiences whose patience has worn thin.

Equally frustrating, is the under-use  of Amy Adams talents. In yet another deeply diverse role, Adam provides the stern, determined force behind the master, overshadowed in public due to her gender and the inherent prejudice of the time. It would have been interesting to this character explored more throughout the film.

The Ugly Truth:

It’s difficult to review The Master because it treads a fine line between being a masterpiece and being the most arrogant film of the year. It will divide opinions intensely and openly invites endless analyses. However, The Master might just be a rare work of pure genius and deserves to be seen at least once. Though you may want and need to watch it a few times to unravel all its complicated cryptic messages.

Chris Pine Talks Jack Ryan & Star Trek Into Darkness

On last night’s London Red Carpet Premiere for new Dreamworks animated adventure Rise Of The Guardians we spoke to star Chris Pine about taking on the parts iconic characters of Jack Ryan  in a reboot of the Tom Clancy espionage series and Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek Into Darkness sequel.

Chris shared his enthusiasm for the role of Jack Ryan, explaining that unlike other secret agent types like Jason Bourne, his character won’t be relying on well trained martial arts moves in the new film. Chris explains that he think the popular appeal of Jack Ryan is that the character is essentially an every-man who’s only weapon is his mind. Chris promised a great story for the new film and seems condifent fans will respond to this latest version of the character. Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin and Ben Affleck have all previously played the iconic role in blockbuster films.

Details of the new Star Trek film Into Darkness have been a closely guarded secret with Director J.J. Abrams threatening to feed anyone who blabs about the plot to the monster from Cloverfield, but Chris does confirms that Captain Kirk will once again be the focus of the new film.

Leading man Chris explains that while the first film in the new Star Trek franchise was about Kirk earning the right to sit in the famous U.S.S Enterprise Captain’s chair, this time it’s more about him “earning his stripes” in that position.

Check Out the Interview Video clip below: