Stuff To Look At

New trailers for Iron Man 3 and Playing for Keeps and a live stream from the Royal World Premiere of Skyfall are featured here for your viewing pleasure…

Skyall

Above is a live stream from the Royal World Premiere of Skyfall, which begins at 5pm (GMT). All the stars of the film are expected to attend, along with a host of other celebrities. Skyfall is released on 26th October 2012.

Iron Man 3

After the enormous success of Avengers Assemble, next up on the Marvel roster is Iron Man 3. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow return for the next instalment of the Iron Man series. The film, directed by Shane Black is due for release on 26th April 2013.

Playing for Keeps

Playing for Keeps boasts a stellar cast which includes Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Dennis Quaid and Catherine Zeta-Jones.  The film looks like a standard romantic comedy, but it may hold some surprises. Playing for Keeps is due for release on 1st January 2013, an ideal release for light, non-committal post-Christmas viewing.

Life of Pi

Ang Lee directs Life of Pi, based on Yann Martel’s bestselling novel. Above is a short clip from the film. Due to be released in 3D, Life of Pi‘s visuals are immediately attractive. The film will be released on 20th December 2012.

Rust and Bone

I am disappointed to have missed Rust and Bone at the BFI London Film Festival this year. Rust and Bone won the Best Film Award this past weekend, and has been receiving good reviews. Above is a brief clip from the film. Rust and Bone will be released on 2nd November 2012.

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas is an ensemble piece featuring six different stories. The film stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant. Above is a featurette about the film featuring the cast and crew. Cloud Atlas is due for release on 22nd February 2013.

Film Review: Footloose

Another day, another remake of a 1980s film. Craig Brewer’s Footloose is a respectful remake of the 1984 dance favourite, and a film that entertains just as it should.

Ren McCormick moves from Boston to Bomont, a small town in Georgia, to live with his uncle. Ren is a bit of a fish out of water, and is perplexed by the town’s unusual rules which ban public dancing. After five students were killed in a road accident, strict rules were brought in to protect the town’s teenagers. Ren, however, is determined to show his new friends in Bomont what they are missing…

Footloose is fun piece of entertaining fluff. It is not in the least bit taxing, and is a slice of escapism. The narrative is run of the mill, but the film provides enough amusement to make up for this. Footloose provides a good mix of humour, drama, and of course dancing.

Footloose is similar to this summer’s Fright Night remake in that it pays homage to the original. In its choice of music and the styling of protagonist Ren, Footloose acknowledges its antecedent. Unlike Fright Night however, Footloose‘s narrative sticks pretty close to the original. The minor changes in the film are really to update it for the twenty-first century more than anything else.

Given the film’s themes, music is of course pivotal. The filmmakers made a wide choice not to remix or alter two of the original film’s most memorable songs – Deniece Williams’ ‘Let’s Hear It for the Boy’ and of course the Footloose theme by Kenny Loggins. These tracks act as linchpins for both the original film and the remake. The soundtrack does include other songs which update the film to its modern-day setting.

The dance sequences are well choreographed in the film. Footloose features a range of dance styles. It seems unlikely that there would be several great breakdancers in a small town, but then again this is a film about a town that has banned dancing, so a suspension of disbelief is a prerequisite.

Casting in the film is good. Although not first choice for Ren, Kenny Wormald is a good choice for the lead. His unassuming persona works well. Julianne Hough is a little hammy as Ariel, while Dennis Quaid is given little room to manoeuvre in a rather cheesy role. Miles Teller brings many of the film’s laughs as Willard.

An unnecessary remake it may be, but at least Footloose brings the feel-good factor.