April 2009 Archives

VUE Cinemas is set to spice things up - with a series of Mystery Movie screenings.
Once a month, from next Tuesday, May 5, cinema goers will be given an opportunity to view a film ahead of its official release.
But, they won't know what it is until the opening credits.
Once the scheme is up and running, the general idea is to broaden tastes by introducing people to a film they might not ordinarily see.
Only the certification of the film will be revealed to audiences ahead of the screening.
But get this...
Whilst the standard ticket price applies, customers will also have the option to leave and seek a refund during the first 20 minutes of the film.
Vue's sales and marketing director Mark de Quervain says: "We're playing on the thrill of the unknown.
"It's all about getting people to see films they normally wouldn't see. We want to broaden their film horizons and offer an exciting cinema experience."
Tickets for all the performances can be purchased at www.myvue.com or by calling 08712 240 240 or directly from participating cinemas.
+ The screening at Vue Star City on Tuesday, May 5 will start at 6.30pm, it's a 12A... and the running time according to Vue's own website is said to be 120 minutes!
PS. I can offer no more clues, but you have to ask yourself this question.
Is Vue likely to launch this scheme with a dud? I think not...

I WONDER if video store owners will be groaning this weekend that they haven't got enough copies of Outbreak ready to meet a sudden rise in demand.

Originally released in the UK in April, 1995, it would certainly be interesting to see again just how Hollywood deals with a virus.

My one line summary of the film at the time was: Dustin Hoffman battles against a deadly man-made virus that dissolves the victim's insides. Exciting action thriller with sinister overtones.

Could it be that swine fever is a terrorist plot?

Or have I been watching too many movies?

So, breathe easy. And sleep tight.

If Warwick University's experts don't come up with a cure, rest assured... Steven Spielberg, or one of his mates, will.

I DON'T know about swine fever, but cinema fans will now be getting under the collar in anticipation of seeing two of the most eagerly awaited movies of the year.

X-Men opens today, Wednesday 29, ready to put in a muscular opening 'weekend' at the box office.

And, as far as I can tell, the first chance the public will have to see Star Trek will be at 00:01 on Wednesday night next week at IMAX, before it starts to play on Thursday everywhere including IMAX.

I've already seen Star Trek and X-Men Origins: Wolverine and really liked them.

They both benefit from going back to basics and starting with completely fresh approaches.

Only the hyper critical who don't know how to enjoy themselves with a bucket full of popcorn will be really disappointed.

Each movie offers plenty of good, solid action as well as insights into character development.

I'll be reviewing X-Men on Friday, May 1 in the Mail and Star Trek a week later.

We could run Star Trek this Friday, but the chances are we're going to hold on so that we can give it much more space.

That will include letting my feisty Sunday Mercury colleague Roz Laws have her say, too, from a female perspective.

I asked her this week if Spock's slanty eyebrows are a turn-on for women and she said not.

Hopefully that will rule out footballers from having a go in their desperation to look like prats who don't know how to spend 20 grand a week.

APART from a cheap script, daft plot and demeaning attitude towards women, there's another problem with current cinema release, Crank: High Voltage.

Its soundtrack is lacking a load of TNT on the soundtrack, AC/DC style.

The one song you'd think it would really feature is High Voltage, but no. There's some mush from Reo Speedwagon.

Last night's AC/DC's gig at the NEC illustrated just what cinemagoers are missing.

The powerhouse, two-hour set proved that the Aussies (plus frontman Brian Johnson who looks like he only needs a flock of pigeons to become the next Jack Duckworth) have lost none of their power.

Hells bells, even a bit of AC/DC would have stopped Jason Statham from needing to recharge his artificial heart quite so often!

Which sets me thinking. Must try to compile a list of all of the movies they have featured in...

THERE are some big hitters going into competition at Cannes this year.

The big 20 include Pedro Almodovar's Broken Embraces, Jane Campion's Bright Star, Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon, Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock, Lars Von Trier's Antichrist and Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

And, although he'll be 73 in June, let's not forget local hero Ken Loach from Nuneaton.

The Cannes regular will be back in competition with Looking for Eric, in which Steve Evets plays a soccer-mad postman called Eric who receives some help from Eric Cantona.

The film has a UK release date of June 12.

Ken received a BAFTA fellowship award in 2006 after being nominated for seven previous awards from 1971-2002 and never winning.

He seems to be more appreciated abroad than he is at home. At Cannes, he's won seven prizes from 14 nominations, including the Golden Palm for The Wind That Shakes The Barley in 2006.

Like Looking For Eric and many of Ken's recent movies, this was written by Paul Laverty, so the omens are good.

In 2004, Ken also won the 30th Anniversary Prize of the Ecumenical Jury for his entire body of work.

Go, Ken, go!

AFTER last year's experiment, when I watched The Dark Knight at IMAX and then saw it again within 16 hours at Cineworld Broad Street, I tested Monsters vs Aliens 3D (PG) at Five Ways and then moved on to Millennium Point for second helpings just 48 hours later.

But how did the relative experiences compare for the money?

Find out in Friday's Birmingham Mail when I'll be reviewing Monsters vs Aliens along with The Boat That Rocked.

Do note, though, that Cineworld's newest digital screen is its biggest, Screen 6.

It is putting on Monsters vs Aliens in more than one screen, so make sure you book for Screen 6 to get the most out of your trip.