Results tagged “TITANIC” from Birmingham Mail - Mega Movies

NOT ONE, but two 'world premiere' 16-minute teaser screenings of James Cameron's forthcoming blockbuster AVATAR were aired in 3D at Birmingham's Cineworld Broad Street cinema tonight.

And they were truly amazing!

I can't wait for the film to open on December 18 since it looks set to represent a once-in-a-generation quantum leap in filmmaking technique.

It's not just the scale of the film which looks astonishing, but its visual depth, too.

We saw several scenes from the first half of the film which, as Cameron said at the beginning during his introduction, didn't appear to give anything away.

The music wasn't great, but I would imagine that is still a work in progress and was a dummy track.

Visually, though, it was quite wonderful, especially the look in a creature's eye the second that it had been 'broken in'.

For me, this was the single most brilliant moment of the whole 16 minutes, a reflection of how startled audiences will be once they are finally let loose on a film that I'd say is 99.999 per cent guaranteed to win next year's special effects Oscar.

During his intro, it was interesting to see how Cameron is looking these days... he seems to be turning into a grey-haired Sir Paul McCartney (another genius!).

Since AVATAR will be released on December 18, 2009, it is sure to be THE film of 2010, too with repeat business offering Cameron the chance to top the box office in both years.

But it's definitely the film I'm most looking forward to since The Return of the King concluded The Lord of the Rings series in the UK on December 17, 2003 before going on to win a shed load of Oscars in the spring.

With a global box office worth almost $1.2 billion, ROTK is still the second highest grossing movie in film history (with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest third, The Dark Knight fourth and Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone fifth).

Cameron's Titanic is still the world's highest grossing movie with its 1997 box office worth $1.86 billion (but the Birmingham-influenced LOTR trilogy is still the world's highest-grossing trilogy with a global take of $2.92 billion!).

If you love movies like Alien, LOTR, Blade Runner, Terminator 2 and Howl's Moving Castle, I think you'll be gobsmacked by Avatar.

The current thinking is that the film will get a 12A certificate (anything surely can after The Dark Knight!), just like tonight's 16-minute special.

Expect AVATAR to gross more than $1 billion worlwide and for it to challenge Titanic right at the top of, er, Hollywood's iceberg.

Continue to reading here to journey inside the mind of James Cameron!

I CAUGHT up with The Reader today following its release on January 2 and I'll be reviewing it in the Mail on Friday, January 9.

The Kate Winslet film has been released by Entertainment, which makes a habit of not providing regional press shows. Which is a great pity.

All critics want to provide the best service possible - and that, essentially, means seeing new films in time to let readers make up their own minds as to whether they feel a particular movie will be worth their hard-earned cash.

For the record, it's 11 years this month since Kate Winslet starred in Titanic, which has only just lost its UK box office record to Mamma Mia!

Both of these movies were given regional press shows, the original and still the best way of promoting a new release.

I like to think that, as well as my many hard-working regional colleagues around the country, both of my five-star, detailed reviews - which included criticisms as well as praise - will have helped Titanic and Mamma Mia! to maximise their potential on the cinema screen.

When a film company gets its product right, punters will always turn up to cinemas in their droves. And worries about piracy will diminish accordingly.

As for The Reader... I think it's going to have to be three stars. Find out more on Friday.

TONIGHT I had the privilege of introducing the High School Musical 3: Senior Year at Cineworld Broad Street.

The packed audience, including Birmingham Mail competition winners, were able to watch a live satellite feed from the UK premiere in London's Leicester Square before settling down to see the adventures of Troy and Gabriella.

Not forgetting Sharpay, Chad and the rest of the gang.

I really enjoyed it, and so, too, did many other dads who'd been roped into taking their nippers along for the night out they'll never forget.

I sat next to Birmingham pop queen Jamelia and her family during the screening and her two daughters loved it as much as she did.

Read all about Jamelia's views in Wednesday's Birmingham Mail and don't miss my first review of the film that everyone is dying to see.

Trouble is, it doesn't open until October 22, which makes it even more phenomenal that some performances have already sold out thanks to a record-breaking bout of advance booking by fans.

The big question now is whether or not it can mount any sort of challenge to Mamma Mia.

It will have to go some...

The ABBA musical is still going strong and has now taken an astonishing £64.147m at the UK box office which means it's overtaken all three Lord of the Rings movies.

Only Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (£66.096m) and Titanic (£69.025m) have ever taken more in the UK.

Just in case you overlooked it (how could you) here's a repeat of my blog from July 1. And it's all come true... just like you could have odds of nearly 40-1 at Ladbrokes in February for my Oscar tips.

I SAW MAMMA MIA (PG) today (JUL 1) - and predict it will be a monster hit throughout the summer with ABBA fans going back time and again to see it.

The whole movie is so deliciously silly and funny from start to finish it will brighten up everyone's holidays.

Assuming, of course, you can't stand ABBA. In which case, you should run a mile. Or see a psychiatrist - preferably in Scotland where they think Rod Stewart is a good singer.

According to figures from the Film Distributors' Association, here's the top ten UK films of all time.

1 Titanic 20th Century Fox £69,025,646
2 Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone Warner Bros. £66,096,060
3 Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring Entertainment £63,009,288
4 Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King Entertainment £61,062,348
5 Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers Entertainment £57,600,094
6 Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets Warner Bros. £54,780,731
7 Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (BVI) UK £52,515,550
8 The Full Monty 20th Century Fox £52,232,058
9 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Twentieth Century Fox £51,063,811
10 Casino Royale Sony Pictures £50,734,856

Depending on the weather and the economy, I reckon Mamma Mia! could gatecrash the top ten. And it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't challenge Titanic.

Especially as the financial downturn might even work in its favour.

Two reasons. ABBA fans - and there's plenty of them - could see it five times each and still have change from £30 (outside of London). What a bargain!

Moreover, we're all in need of cheering up... and this is the best film medicine in years, far more rewatchable than the Harry Potter and Star Wars nonsense that's hogging three of the top ten places.

Mamma Mia! stars our very own Julie Walters on top form alongside Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth (whose Bridget Jones's Diary is 17th with £42 million).

It's released on Thursday, July 10 so book your tickets for the opening weekend now - and don't miss our full review in the What's On section of the Birmingham Mail on Friday, July 11.