Movie Talk on Sunday - British Films

I like MTOS, but I can't participate very often. The last one was about British films, so I thought I should answer the questions anyway (even four days later). But I started answering them, I understood that I'm not very familiar with true British cinema. I hope to catch up later. All questions were thought up by two hosts - @thommoj03 and @maxwellhubbard.

1. What is your all-time favourite British film?
"The Duchess", because it has Keira Knightley, who is always great in historical dramas; is based on the interesting life of a real person; is very dramatic, visually stunning, and its score is great.

2. Who do you consider the best British director?
Charlie Chaplin is my favourite. I watched every film (!) made by him or where he stared. If I had to choose alive directors, I'd say Tom Hooper (yes, I enjoyed "The King's Speech" very much); Richard Ayoade ("Submarine" is one of the best films I've seen in 2011) and Joe Wright (because of "Atonement" and his "Pride and Prejudice" adaptation).

3. Who is the best British actor/actress alive today?
I can't name the only one actor and just the only one actress. James McAvoy, Ralph Fiennes, Ian McKellen, Rhys Ifans, Alan Rickman, John Hurt, Colin Firth, Bill Nighy, Jude Law, Christian Bale are good and great: on the other hand there are Helena Bonham Carter, Keira Knightley, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, Julie Andrews, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kate Winslet. If I forgot someone I hope they won't be offended.

4. What characteristics define 'the best of British'?
Intelligence, originality, wise budget use, talented actors.

5. What genre does British cinema do best? (give examples)
I'm a big fan of period dramas (see films mentioned in this post before).

6. What makes British films different from mainstream Hollywood movies?
Everything. Mainstream Hollywood movies are all the same (meaningless comedies with stupid jokes or action flicks with lots of invisible 3D). What I like about British films is that they aren't becoming mainstream, though David Cameron thinks they should (don't listen to him). Also it is great that British filmmakers don't forget their history and continue adapting classics.

7. Do you think British films are better than those from America?
Definitely. Because British directors are trying to make something new, and not to remake something old.

8. If you could get a cinema re-release for one British film what would it be?
My childhood dream is to watch two first Harry Potter films on the big screen.

9. 2011 was a great year for film. Which British film was the best of the bunch last year?
"Submarine" by Richard Ayoade.

10. Finally, which British film will wow audiences this year?
I'm waiting for "The Woman in Black", "Skyfall", and "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is also partly British.

If you know some great British films, please write them in comments below so I could watch them! Thank you.

"The Hobbit": Fifth Video Blog from the Set

"The main reason for going on location for the project is to capture the scenic beauty of New Zealand."

Peter Jackson presents another video from the set of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". As he promised in the previous one, he takes us on locations, where they are filming some interesting scenes. You can see the crew traveled a lot (and probably will travel more). I'm again impressed how many people are working on this story - they say there are over a five hundred workers and dozens of trucks were used to take all stuff out of the studio. Looks like everything has been packed (WC cabins; coffee makers; costumes; cameras; actors; fake hair for beards, feet and wigs; giant plants and trees; cows, pigs, ducks etc).

Elijah Wood said such touching words about coming back after 11 years. It must be a great feeling to film there again.

Even Prime Minister of New Zealand came to visit "The Hobbit" team. They say Hobbiton was built for real this time and it will be left untouched for those, who would like to visit this place. I'm first in that row. 

Now this video is my favourite among others, because I'd gave many things to have a chance to work on such a wonderful project and to film on those locations. New Zealand is very picturesque. And I'd like to retire in Hobbiton too, especially if Peter Jackson will settle there. What a neighbour he could be!

Next video from the set will be released early in the next year.

Watch previous videos from the set of upcoming duology "The Hobbit":
1st video,
2nd video,
3rd video,
4th video.

More about "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (2012)! (all pictures, stories, news, set videos, Peter Jackson's statements etc.)



And a few interesting pictures from the set (click on the image to enlarge it):

Peter The Great

Peter The Funny 

Floating dwarves

If some unreleased pictures will leak, guess whose fault it will be...

Andy Serkis is busy gathering flowers

Map of New Zealand magically turns into a map of the Middle-Earth 

Occupying the space of a football field

Sentimental Elijah Wood

Peaceful Hobbiton

Next movie star

Peter and his team are wishing us a "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" - First trailer, poster and many stills

"Bilbo Baggins, I'm looking for someone to share an adventure."

I can't tell you how exited I am that the first trailer has arrived! New and old characters of the Middle-earth promise us something huge, dangerous and breathtaking. Shire looks peaceful, but we know that all adventures begin there. I can go on, but you better watch it with your own eyes.

Directed by Peter Jackson.

See the list of all characters and actors below the trailer.

Release date - December 14, 2012.

Poster (click to enlarge) - iTunes movie trailers








Trailer #1



Let me introduce all main characters (click on the picture to enlarge it):

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman)

Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen)

Fili (Dean O'Gorman)

Kili (Aidan Turner)

Oin (John Callen)

Gloin (Peter Hambleton)

Dwalin (Graham McTavish)

Balin (Ken Stott)

Bifur (William Kircher)

Bofur (James Nesbitt)

Bombur (Stephen Hunter)

Dori (Mark Hadlow)

Nori (Jed Brophy)

Ori (Adam Brown)

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage)

Galadriel (Cate Blanchett)

Gollum (Andy Serkis) (try to find him)

"The Hobbit": Fourth Video Blog from the Set

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit..."

After some weeks of silence, Peter Jackson surprises us with this new video about making films based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. He shows how action scenes are being made and some rare pictures from the set of the great trilogy "Lord of the Rings". An interesting 'behind the scenes' part is about cameras and other technologies they use to create a realistic 3D.

You can see there Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, actors who play dwarfs and very talented staff, whose names are not very known. It's left a year before we can finally watch "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey", but I can surely say it is going to be not less epic than "Lord of the Rings".

Next video will be set on locations, where they are going to film some scenes for a few months.

Watch other videos from the set of upcoming duology "The Hobbit":
First video,
Second video,
Third video.

More about "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (2012)! (all pictures, stories, news, set videos, Peter Jackson's statements etc.)

Video Blog #4

"The Hobbit": Second Video Blog from the Set

We've got one more video from the set of the upcoming  movie, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". Peter Jackson and his wonderful team finished the first blog shooting and everybody, of course, except the director, is having a break, because Peter is concerned about discovering proper places for epic battles shooting. Actors tell what they are going to do and how they will enjoy this pause. Also we can see in this video Peter and Andy Serkis talking about upcoming second block of hard work. Personally, I was glad to see sir Ian McKellen, who plays Gandalf the Grey.

More about "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"! (news, pictures, Peter Jackson's statements)

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (2012) - Two pictures from Empire

As you know, Empire magazine is the first one, which dedicated the cover to the upcoming movie by Peter Jackson, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". And it gets better - they published two new pictures with Bilbo and Gandalf the Grey.

Source - http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=31352

More about "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"! (news, pictures, Peter Jackson's statements)

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman)

Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen)

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (2012) - Gandalf on the Empire cover

I love Empire magazine and you are going to find 'why'... They are the first ones, who dedicated the issue to the upcoming Peter Jackson's movie, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". Gandalf the Grey (played by talented Ian McKellen) is smoking his pipe and smiling to us from its cover. And inside there are a couple of articles about how it's being made with interviews and pictures.

I can't wait for this movie, it's going to be as great as a trilogy.

More about this issue - http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=31328

"Your return to Middle-Earth starts here."  

("Baше возвращение в Средиземье начинается здесь.") 

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (2012) - First movie stills!

Peter Jackson is great at making his audience more and more exited with some interesting news from the set of his "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". We got three new photos with Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins and Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey and with Peter himself. Also the director has told the EW magazine about this characters.
 
For more information visit - http://www.ew.com/

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins
 

'

'He fits the ears, and he's got some very nice feet,'' Jackson says to the EW. ''I think he's got the biggest hobbit feet we've had so far. They're a little bit hard to walk in, but he's managed to figure out the perfect hobbit gait.''

Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey

 

''He's in fantastic form,'' Peter Jackson says of McKellen to the EW. ''In a way, his role in The Hobbit has more technical difficulties than Lord of the Rings did, because he has scenes with 14 smaller characters — obviously the dwarves and the hobbit are shorter... I remember saying to him, ''Look, this isn't Waiting for Godot or King Lear. This is The Hobbit. This is the real thing.''
 
Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins and Peter Jackson