Shifting Sands Exhibition

Shifting Sands
Guy Martin  

During the spring of 2011, independent documentary photographer Guy Martin travelled to Egypt and Libya to record the unfolding Arab Spring.  On Wednesday 20 April, Guy’s work in the region was cut short when, whilst covering some of the fiercest most violent urban warfare in recent history he was severely injured in a rocket attack by Gaddafi loyalists in the centre of the besieged Western Libyan city of Misarta. 

For the first time since the attack, and following his lengthy and continuing recovery University College Falmouth’s School of Media & Performance presents Shifting Sands, an exhibition of the work produced by Guy up to this point. The exhibition frames a series of events including a private view, a talk with eminent women photojournalists, film screenings and Guy in conversation. Each event serves to highlight the heavy price that can be paid by frontline photojournalists in the cause of documenting a country and its people’s struggle for freedom. 

Egypt
Steele Gallery, The Poly

The exhibition shows his work in Egypt that was made whilst on assignment with the Wall Street Journal and documents the first violent demonstrations at the end of January 2011 to the celebrations on the news of the resignation of Hosni Mubarak on Friday 11 and the first independent referendum in March.

Libya
Spring Gallery, The Poly

Shifting Sands then moves chronologically further into March 2011 during which Guy travelled to Libya to document the effects of NATO’s intervention on the country’s revolution. He travelled extensively throughout liberated Eastern Libya documenting, (with major commissions from The Guardian and Observer), a population coming to terms with their new found liberation and their continuing battles with a superior opposition.

This work in eastern Libya shows a particular violent and uncertain time in the Libyan revolution. As Tripoli fell and the Gaddafi family were either killed or arrested, it is easy to forget the heavy price that the people of Libya paid for their freedom and the ensuing power struggles that are now being played out across the country.  

The Missing People
Daniell Room, Upstairs - The Poly

Guy’s Missing People photographs were taken on the sea-air and ocean sprayed walls of the Bengazi courthouse and justice rooms between March and April 2011. 

Over the course of the uprising and revolution in Libya, from its early days in February to the eventual capture and death of Colonel Gaddafi, the people of Benghazi posted pictures of their sons, father, uncles and brothers on the walls in the hope that someone might recognise a face. 


A face that had not returned from war with Chad in the 1970’s; a face that might not have been seen since a the police came to the house to ask questions in the 1996; or perhaps it's a face not seen since the young man went to the frontline in March and April to fight with their friends, to defend their home and their family.

The public exhibition of Libya’s missing men, seeks to highlight the very human struggle of Libya’s 42 year search for answers on all those that dared to stand up and resist. 

In remembrance

Whilst Guy is here to share his work and experiences, sadly two friends and colleagues were killed in the same attack, the Oscar nominated filmmaker and co-director of Sundance-winning film Restrepo, Tim Hetherington and Pulitzer nominated photojournalist, Chris Hondros.
In remembrance and dedication, proceeds from the week’s events will be directed to The Rory Peck Trust, the only organisation in the world dedicated to the safety and welfare of freelance newsgatherers and their families. 

The Rory Peck Trust
www.rorypecktrust.org
43-51 Great Titchfield Street
London W1W 7DA
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0)20 3219 7860

Win a signed edition of Guy’s work 
Following Saturday’s In Conversation, a raffle will be drawn where you can win a signed, 20” by 24” edition of Guy’s work, one from his time in Egypt and one from Libya.
Tickets are just £5 with proceeds going to The Rory Peck Trust.
In addition, smaller prints and limited editions of Guy’s work are available to buy online from Cartel Photos. www.cartelphotos.com
Cartel Photos facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Cartel-Photos/100003024527708

Shifting Sands Exhibition
Tuesday 10 January 2012 – Saturday 14 January 2012
10am – 5pm
Free
Private View
Join Guy Martin and The School of Media & Performance at University College Falmouth in opening the exhibition and following events.
Monday 9 January
From 7pm till late
Free, with licenced bar
The Poly, 24 Church Street, Falmouth TR11 3EG
01326 319461, 
www.thepoly.org

TAT Announces the Phuket Electronic Music & Dance Festival 2011

On December 15, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, in association with the Department of Intellectual property and the Municipality of Karon, Phuket, announced the "Phuket Electronic Music and Dance Festival 2011 and Creative IP DJ Hunt 2011 Southern Region," whic h will be held on Karon Beach, Phuket, 30 -- 31, December 2011.

Mr. Poramet Amatayakul, Regional Director of the TAT South and president of the press conference said that the Phuket Electronic Music and Dance Festival 2011 would encourage tourism in Thailand and create an image of Phuket as an exciting city and well-known center for music festivals. 

This festival, which will feature a number of well known international DJs, will boost tourism following the flooding crisis in Thailand earlier this year and will revive confidence in Thailand as a tourist destination for both local and foreign travelers.

Many famous Thai and foreign artists have been invited to the festival, including Mark Brain, DJ Slick D, and Domination, the winner of the Best Video DJ of the World Contest in Dubai 2011.  Famous Thai DJs Dom Pakornlum, J Monthon, and over 20 DJs from Top-10 Phuket clubs, such as Seduction, Sanook Club, White Room, and Tiger Club will be performing on two stages from 7 p.m. December 30 and continuing on December 31 to ring in the new year.

A secondary objective of the festival and DJ competition is to promote electronic music in Thailand, encourage talented young Thai electronic artists, and modernize the electronic music industry in Thailand.  To underscore this point, the Thursday press conference to announce the 2011 event featured a disc scratching performance from the winner of IP DJ Hunt 2010, Khun Pakasit Puangngern, whose work, including his performance at last year's festival, was on display at the press conference.  Winners of the 2011 IP DJ Hunt contest will receive 20,000 baht, 10,000 Baht and 5,000 Baht in prize money from Pioneer DJ.  

The performance queue is to be announced on the websites www.ip-djhunt.com and www.pioneer-thailand.com.

All the latest developments will be announced on the official Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003252631611

Muppet Christmas Carol tops the UK’s all time favourite Christmas film poll

Digital Spy, the UK’s biggest entertainment news site with 12m unique users, has revealed The Muppet Christmas Carol to be the favourite Christmas movie of all time.

The entertainment site, which breaks over 250 original entertainment stories a day, polled more than 10,000 of its readers to discover their top festive film. It reveals that The Muppet Christmas Carol narrowly triumphed with 18.5% of votes ahead of Home Alone's 18.3.

The 1994 family film puts a Muppet spin on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, casting Michael Caine as miser Ebeneezer Scrooge and Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit.

Will Ferrell's 2003 comedy Elf charted in third place with 8.9%, Christmas classic, It's a Wonderful Life was in fourth spot with 7.4 and action movie Die Hard, which takes place during the festive period, landed in fifth with 6.7%.

Digital Spy users' top ten Christmas movies are as follows:

1.     The Muppet Christmas Carol 

2.     Home Alone

3.     Elf

4.     It's a Wonderful Life

5.     Die Hard

6.     Love Actually

7.     Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

8.     National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 

9.     The Santa Clause

10.   The Nightmare Before Christmas

Zift, a film Javor Gadev is released in the UK on DVD on 20 February 2012

Bulgaria's Official Submission to the 2009 Academy Awards Foreign Language Film category.

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SYNOPSIS:

Zift is a tale of love, murder and betrayal.  It is a tale of three people, Moth, Mantis and Slug, whose lives are inextricably linked by one thing – a black diamond.

Lev Kaludov (Zahari Baharov), better known as Moth, is an ordinary guy from the city of Sofia.  Whilst still at school he falls in love with the beautiful Ada (Tanya Ilieva), later nicknamed Mantis.  They grow up together, but city life is hard for young people without much money.  Moth falls in with a neighbour known as Slug (Vladimir Penev) and in a bid to make some easy money the three of them plot to steal a black diamond from Vlad the Bijou, the jeweller where Ada works.  The robbery is botched, Vlad dies, Moth is wounded and jailed, while Slug escapes without charge; the diamond is never found.

After serving his sentence of 20 years Moth collects his few possessions, including his piece of chewing bitumen, and is released from prison.  During this time, Slug has embraced the new regime and now wields considerable power.  Aware of Moth’s release, Slug has Moth picked up and attempts to find out the location of the diamond.  Moth manages to escape and embarks on a quest to find Ada.  It is a crazy journey across a city Moth no longer knows or understands.  In the pursuit of truth, Moth runs into a bizarre parade of characters - medics, barflies, outcasts, gravediggers and other species of the asphalt jungle.  Eventually he meets the priest that baptised him, who tells him where Ada is. 

During their reunion, and still in love with her after all these years, Moth reveals to Ada that he knows the whereabouts of the diamond.  Together they set off to retrieve it, but along the way Moth asks to visit the grave of his son.  It is here in the bleak, wet graveyard that Moth realises he has been betrayed.  Determined not to give up the diamond, Moth attempts to exact his revenge on Slug but Ada, in her final act of betrayal, fatally wounds him. 

Moth spends his last few hours on the floor of the gravediggers trailer.  As he reflects on all that has gone before, he chews one last time on his bitumen and the truth, finally, is revealed.

ISIS will be releasing Zift on DVD on 20 February 2012.

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SPECIAL FEATURES:

- Stills gallery

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DETAILS:

Title: Zift

Credit: Miramar Film, Bulgarian National Film Centre, Bulgarian National Television

Cast: Zachary Bahrov, Tanya Ilieva, Vladimir Penev, Mihail Mutafov, Djoko Rossich, Tsvetan Dimitrov

Director: Javor Gadev

Producer: Georgi Dimitrov, Ilian Djevelekov, Mateve Konstantinov

Genre: Neo-noir, sots-art, thriller

Language: Bulgarian

Colour/B&W: B&W

Subtitles: English

Region: 2

Version: Rental/Retail

Release Date: 20th February 2012

Label: ISIS Ltd

Distributor: Eureka Entertainment Ltd

DVD Price (RRP): £16.99

Certificate: 15

Feature Running Time: 92 mins

DVD Catalogue No.:   ISIS1012

Bar code: 5060240 620128   

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WEBSITE & TRAILER:

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mimnhbz2Qk

Website: http://www.ziftthemovie.com

Olympus Launch Mobile Multi-track

Olympus LS-100 Multi-Track Linear PCM Recorder: High performance, mobile multi-track recording

London, 14 December 2011 – Uncompromising sound quality and portable recording versatility have been the hallmark of the Olympus LS-range since its inception.  Now, the new LS-100 has gone further to provide musicians and broadcasters with a state-of-the-art tool enabling convenience of studio-grade, multi-track audio recording just about anywhere.   Furthermore, this impressive mobile recording studio is capable of handling a maximum sound pressure level of up to 140dBspl - The robust, mobile, Olympus LS-100 Multi-Track Linear PCM recorder, becomes available from January 2012 at a recommended price of £449.  As with its cousins in the LS-family, the new LS-100 delivers ultimate sound recording quality in uncompressed 96kHz/24bit Linear PCM splendour.   This extreme audio quality has now been amplified with eight-track recording and overdubbing capabilities to turn sounds and individual tracks into complete compositions – all within the palm of the hand.  Besides its integrated stereo mics, the LS-100 also features dual XLR/Phone combo jacks to facilitate the direct connection with professional external microphones or other musical equipment. Additional Recorders in the LS Product Range… LS-3 – Smallest & Slimmest LS Recorder The LS-100 joins the recently launched LS-3 and LS-20 to offer a complete range; The LS-3 is the smallest, slimmest linear PCM LS recorder to fit in your pocket and capture sounds and riffs on the go. LS-20 – HD Sound with HD Movie The LS-20 offers the ability to also shoot HD movies to accompany your HD sound, the added full HD movie at 1920 x1080P (30 fps) with image stabilizer allows you to live life on a film set ready for ‘action’. Whilst dual screens and magic movie effects ensure ultimate creativity.  The durable and compact Olympus LS-100 Multi-Track Linear PCM recorder bestows musicians and broadcasters a high performance, mobile multi-track recording studio to fulfil all their needs – from a single track to a complete composition – boasting highest possible audio qualities. Robust for difficult environments with its metal body and microphone protector the LS-100 will hit stores at a recommended price of £449 in late January 2012.  To see the complete LS range and full features, please visit www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/ls-series Available at Amazon and all good music retailers – www.amazon.co.uk

 

Sir Anthony Hopkins releases his first ever album

‘ANTHONY HOPKINS – COMPOSER’

Album released 16^th January 2012 through Classic FM

Composed by screen legend Sir Anthony Hopkins and performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Recorded at Birmingham Symphony Hall performance in July

Sir Anthony Hopkins, one of the world’s greatest living screen actors, is releasing the first ever album of his original classical music compositions through Classic FM. ‘Anthony Hopkins – Composer’ will be available from 16^thJanuary 2012 through Amazon, HMV, Play.com and iTunes.

It all began when Sir Anthony Hopkins was just six, his enduring love of the piano ignited by lessons from Mrs Jeffreys in the house where he was born in Margam, a suburb of Port Talbot in Wales. His mother had great hopes that one day her son would become a famous pianist. Her child showed great promise, improvising with chords and melody from an early age, scribbling down thoughts on sixpenny sheets of manuscript paper from Mister Salter’s music shop in Neath but it is only now, after decades of playing and composing works of music, that a collection of her son’s original works is to be released on record for the first time.

In July this year, Sir Anthony joined the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on stage at Birmingham Symphony Hall to introduce a performance of his original compositions and scores from some of his best-known films. ‘Anthony Hopkins – Composer’ is the recording of nine of Sir Anthony’s original works from that evening including pieces composed for two films that he not only scored but also directed and starred in (‘Slipstream’ and ‘August’).

Sir Anthony’s love of the piano and fascination with orchestration has not waned during his exceptional career of Oscar-winning celluloid performances. From discovering the chapter on orchestration in a volume of his father’s Harmsworth’s Self-Educators encyclopaedias as a child, he has drawn inspiration from people, places, memories and moments in life to create beautiful, nuanced works of music that showcase his flair as a virtuoso musician and his vision as a talented composer.

The scraps of melody and sounds that were first jotted down in childhood have evolved over the years into pieces inspired by childhood memories of Wales, time spent with his parents and grandparents, plays he has seen, films he has worked on, holidays taken, dreams he has dreamt and  loved ones including an enchanting aria dedicated to his wife Stella. All these inspirations and more are represented in Sir Anthony’s classical music compositions.   

Sir Anthony Hopkins says: “I’m very pleased I’ve found an extra string to my fiddle. For years I mused and dreamt about turning my scribbled thoughts and bursts of melody into pieces of work to be performed by a full orchestra and to see this dream turn into a reality through working with CBSO and now Classic FM is something I treasure very much.”

As a child, Sir Anthony dreamt of “one day, perhaps, one day” becoming a composer. With the release of ‘Anthony Hopkins – Composer’, both his and his mother’s dream is now cemented for all to enjoy.

Tracklisting:

1. Orpheus
2. Stella *
3. Evesham Fair
4. And The Waltz Goes On**
5. Amerika
6. Margam ***
7. 1947 1^st Movement – Circus
8. 1947 2^nd Movement – Bracken Road
9. 1947 3^rd Movement – The Plaza *

* From the score for the film ‘Slipstream’

** Composed by Sir Anthony Hopkins; Arranged by: André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu;
Publisher: Malibu Blueberry Hill Music (BMI) and André Rieu Publishing BV*** From the score for the film ‘August’

‘Anthony Hopkins – Composer’ is released on 16^th January 2012 and is available through Amazon, HMV, Play.com and iTunes. The album can be pre-ordered at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anthony-Hopkins-Album/dp/B005K7HBMS/

www.classicfm.com/anthonyhopkins

Search to find Britain’s worst photographer

It’s the award no budding snapper wants to win – the title of the UK’s most inept photographer.

But photo experience company RedCloudDays.co.uk  is asking the public to send in their nightmare snaps in a quest to crown the worst photographer in Britain.

The company are so confident in their ability to train anyone to take great photos that they’ve embarked on a mission to find the UK’s most hopeless snapper and promise to train them up and transform their photography free of charge.

Now they are inviting anyone to send in their very worse snaps – and say they are particularly interested in photos of an important occasion marred by cack handed camera handling.

   

So if your wedding, birthday, graduation or bar mitzvah was ruined by second rate photography they want you to name and shame the snapper responsible.

Whether it was the bride’s head being cut off or the birthday boy suffering from a serious case of red-eye, all nightmare photos will be considered.

Shortlisted photos will be published online so other budding photographers can vote for the one they think is the worst.

RedCloudDays.co.uk founder, Lee Bown, said he hoped the competition would offer a fun way of celebrating the UK’s very worst snappers.

He said: “Photos matter because they are precious memories of the most important events in our lives. But if your album is filled with shots of loved ones minus their heads or with a huge thumb stuck over the lens those memories can become jaded.

“We think everyone has the potential to take great photos with a little help and training. To test if we’re right we want to find the most hopeless person in the UK ever to have picked up a camera.

“To make sure we find the most inept photographer in the whole country we want everyone to send in their very worse pictures. They don’t have to be taken by you – you can nominate someone else. Perhaps your mum or dad, brother or sister, or husband or wife takes the worst pictures you’ve ever seen? Feel free to show us the evidence.

“All we ask is that you have the photographer’s permission to submit the pic. The ultimate idea is to train someone to be a great photographer so we need them to be willing to learn.”

He said that the selected worst photographer would receive a special award along and would be offered training at one of Red Cloud Days photo centre across the UK.

If you think you’ve got what it takes to win the competition then submit your snap to badpics@RedCloudDays.co.uk before the end of February.  To view the pics submitted so far please visit www.RedCloudDays.co.uk/badpics.htm

TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY

On DVD & BLU-RAY 

 

Death is not an option. 

Torchwood returns for a fourth series in which the team face their greatest test yet to find out how and why has the whole world mysteriously become immortal. Torchwood is back and more explosive, sexy and thrilling than ever, Miracle Day bursts onto DVD and Bluray priced at £30.63 and £35.73. Torchwood Miracle Day is also available to download. 

One day, nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging - they get hurt and sick - but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite. It’s said that in four month's time, the human race will cease to be viable. But this can’t be a natural event – someone’s got to be behind it. It’s a race against time as C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy.  The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking “What is Torchwood?", he’s drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human, forever. 

Torchwood: Miracle Day features regulars John Barrowman (Doctor Who) and Eve Myles (Little Dorrit), who are joined by an all-star American cast including Bill Pullman (Independence Day), Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under), Mekhi Phifer (ER) and Alexa Havins, (Grey’s Anatomy).

This fantastic release is packed with extras including ‘Magical FX on Miracle Day’ a Behind the Scenes featurette, a motion comic, a character profile as well as intros to the episodes and audio commentary on the finale from show creator Russell T Davis. The full series of Torchwood to date is also available in a Series 1-4 boxset in perfect time for Christmas.
 

Production Information
    Release Date: 14^th November  Cat. Number: BBCDVD2981/BBCBD0041                              
   RRP:   £24.46/£29.35      Duration: 200 Mins Approx 



Bill Pullman for Torchwood Miracle Day

Q: What drew you to Torchwood?
A: I had just told my agents that I didn't want to do any TV. So what did they do? They sent me the scripts for Torchwood! After reading just three episodes, I told them, "I'm in!" I could sense on the page that this was can be a terrific piece of work. As soon as I read it, I could smell it was something special. I said to my wife, "they're offering me the best part – a paedophile murderer!" The script is so full of pep and pizzazz and scares and tension. It is one heck of a thriller!

Q: What else makes these scripts so special?
A: Two years before I made this drama, a friend told me that Torchwood was the best thing on TV – and he was right! The creator Russell T Davies puts a unique spin on his characters. He can't help himself – he just has to stretch the boundaries of the genre. He is able to accommodate loads of different things within the genre. None of his characters are stock sci-fi figures.

Q: So Torchwood overturns the stereotypes of sci-fi?
A: Yes. Sci-fi used to be the best place to go for cardboard cut-out characters, but this is the exact opposite. You may think you know these characters, but they keep morphing until you really don't know who they are. Captain Jack says at one point that, "Oswald is selfish and I'm saving the world", but I'm not sure that's always the case.
Oswald is not always Oswald.

Q: Are there other factors that make Russell's writing stand out from the crowd?
A: Yes. His scripts are very subtle. I always like it when things are implied rather than said – and that's a rarity on TV now. These days, you don't usually get a chance to figure things out yourself because characters are explaining things all the time and underlining things that are ready obvious. Torchwood is different – it treats its viewers with great intelligence.

Q: Do you feel that that Torchwood is much more than "mere sci-fi", then?
A: Absolutely. I don't think of myself as a sci-fi fan, but I've always liked authors such as Philip K Dick and Ray Bradbury. I love that vein which uses sci-fi to address society's problems. It is the same when you have useful nightmares - things morph and you get to confront issues in your dreams. Shows like Torchwood mean something to the world. They say something more than just entertainment.

Q: Please tell us about your character.
A: Oswald Danes is an extraordinary character. He is a convicted child killer. He has been sentenced to death for the worst thing imaginable, the one thing that would make everyone in the world reject you. But he survives when everyone wants him dead, and he is transformed. All of a sudden, he sees the world with a crystal clarity and becomes a prophet. He is very clever and, as the world begins to fall apart, he knows exactly what people want to hear. Suddenly, the world has cast him as a saviour, and he is keen to see if he can live in that skin.
It's a fascinating part to play.


Q: How does Oswald cope with that transformation?
A: It's a very difficult process for him. How much baggage do we carry? In this topsy-turvy world where everyone is suddenly immortal, Oswald goes through a lot of trial and error. As he attempts to go from monster to human being, he is like Frankenstein trying to build himself. He has this incredible sense of having been given a licence to live again, so he exhibits a carefree, "go for broke" quality.


Q: Why do people latch onto Oswald as a prophet?
A: He's a sociopath, and he's disconnected from fear. Sociopaths don't care – and that allows them a perspective free of conscience. He tells people that the "Miracle Day" is a gift and not part of some weird experience. He finds a way to give it a positive spin. His newfound power endows him with a great position of strength.

Q: Is the character of Oswald in some ways a comment on our celebrity-obsessed culture?
A: Yes. Russell really has his ear to the rail. These days more celebrities than ever are plucked from nowhere. Never in the history of mankind do we have more celebrities created overnight than we do now. It's all thanks to Reality TV. Suddenly, these nobodies are being debated everywhere.


Q: Can you please expand on this explosion of stars who have been created by Reality TV?
A: Many of these Reality TV stars are mega-wealthy, and a lot of legitimate actors are wishing they could tap into some of that cash!
Reality TV stars have become franchises and are a magnet for PR handlers and people who want to co-opt their message. To stay in the headlines, they need to command people's attention and remain large.
One important aspect of this series is to look at what fame is. What is Oswald going to do next? Is he going to launch a perfume?

Q: How does the world react when the catastrophe strikes on "Miracle Day" and everyone proves immortal?
A: In that intense pressure-cooker environment, human nature is revealed in a very stark way. People can behave in a very, very unfortunate manner in dangerous situations. In this version of immortality, people are in limbo and require medication. Healthy people start looking at this incredible suck on their resources and trying to determine a new set of ethics. What should they do to ensure their survival? Resources are not limitless. It's a real nightmare.

Q: Why do we find characters such as Oswald or Hannibal Lecter so magnetic?
A: It's hard to admit, but we are all on a spectrum with them. They've simply given themselves permission to do things that are beyond the pale for the rest of us. There's this uneasy sense that we are related to them, although we hope we are not very closely related. Still, we can't say with complete certainty that we are totally different from them. In the current political world, people see it as a weakness to have empathy with other people, but I think trying to understand others gives you strength. We're all part of the same human race, as ugly as that can be.

Q: Finally, why do you think the producers cast you as Oswald?
A: That's a good question. Halfway through the shoot, I asked the producer, "wait a minute, why did you want me for this role?" With a smile, she replied that, "we thought it would be fun. You have played the President, you’re America's sweetheart!" So clearly something very naughty made them do it!

Torchwood Miracle Day is out on DVD and Blu ray 

Abduction

On Blu-ray & DVD Double Play, DVD and Download to Own and Rent February 13, 2012

TAYLOR LAUTNER (The Twilight Saga) stars as a young man whose secret past is set to collide with a dangerous reality. ABDUCTION, also stars SIGOURNEY WEAVER (Avatar) and LILY COLLINS (Priest, Mirror Mirror) and will be available to download, and to rent and buy on DVD and Blu-ray from 13^th February 2012.

For as long as he can remember, Nathan Harper (Lautner) has had the uneasy feeling that he's living someone else's life. When he discovers an image of himself as a young boy on a missing persons website, all of Nathan's darkest fears come true - his life has been a carefully fabricated lie which hides something more dangerous than he could have ever imagined. Before his ‘parents’ can explain they are murdered and Nathan finds himself on the run.

Propelled on a lethal, no-holds barred mission to learn the truth, every second counts as Nathan and his friend Karen (Collins), aided by an undercover agent (Weaver), race to evade an army of assassins and federal operatives. But as his opponents close in, Nathan realizes that the only way to survive is to stop running and take matters into his own hands.

ABDUCTION Blu-ray & DVD Details:

·         RRP DVD/BD:             £19.99 / £24.99
·         Certificate                   12
·         Special Features:      Pulled Punches Gag Reel, Features: Abduction Chronicle, Initiation of an Action
Hero and The Fight For The Truth
·         Blu-ray Special:         Abduction Application (a customisable in-film experience)

Sins Of The Father: A Very British Gangster 2

Donal MacItyre is one of Britain’s best-known investigative journalists and has literally put his life on the line to uncover all sorts of wrong doing and illegal activity.


His powerful and thought provoking TV documentaries have won awards and one of his biggest triumphs was seeing two dangerous Chelsea football hooligans being imprisoned for seven and six years respectively after an investigation for his ‘MacIntyre Undercover’ series for the BBC.


A ‘Very British Gangster’ was his directorial debut and was a massively successful fly-on-the-wall feature length documentary in which he built a relationship with one of Manchester’s most notorious gangsters, Dominic Noonan.


The sequel, ‘Sins Of The Father: A Very British Gangster 2’, is released by High Fliers on retail DVD on January 16th 2012 and promises to be every bit as successful as the original film.


It picks up from the moment Noonan leaves prison after five years to find his power eroded and his family decimated. Gangland executions and massive police operations have nearly killed off his criminal empire and vengeance is in the air.


However he returns to the streets under stringent terrorist style conditions, under oppressive police surveillance and without power cash and his gangster army.


His greatest hope of regaining control of the streets rests with his 16-year-old child Bugsy but can the child outlive and survive the sins of his father?


In Donal MacIntyre’s own words ‘Sins Of The Father: A Very British Gangster 2’ is “first and foremost a gangster movie. There are murderers, funerals, trials and acquittals but in this instance all the actors and the consequences are very real”.
It is also a stunning piece of filmmaking which shows MacIntyre doing what he so supremely good at.


Run time: 90 mins


Certificate: 15


RRP: £12.99

SMOKING LAWS

  ‘Smoking Laws’ is the first comedy feature from hit US indie Eggwork Productions, the creative collaboration between director/writer Matthew Ehlers and writer/producer Todd Neilsen.

It will be released on retail DVD by Scanbox Entertainment on December 26^th just in time for all those people whose number one New Year Resolution is to give up smoking!!


There’s a smoky new perimeter in the barfly subculture. Across the globe, smokers are being forced to stand outside their favourite drinking haunts and have curious conversations and confrontations that last the length of a cigarette.
In the smoky haze they talk dirty secrets, dirty habits, beginnings, endings and even matters of life-and death. 

‘Smoking Laws’ is a voyeuristic look at these people and at The Bossman, a bar owner stuck with a bunch of smokers but he spends most of his time trying to keep his staff under control, most of whom apart from an overzealous bouncer are total slackers.


His customers aren’t much better. The random collection of misfits and barflies who brave the cold outside so that they can smoke their cigarettes make The Bossman’s life pure misery.


Drunks, failed artists and an assortment of other characters with dark secrets surround the bar in a ring of smoke and strange conversations but at least ‘Smoking Laws’ allows the viewer to spend a night sampling bar culture without smelling like an ashtray after it!


The Bonus Features are as follows:

• Deleted Scenes (6:40)
• Gag Reel (2:20)
• 3 x Shorts Films also Written & Directed by Matthew Ehlers: Lunch (3:42), Autobank (2:28) and Who's Your Daddy? (3:20)

 

‘Smoking Laws’ has a run time of 80 minutes, a 15 certificate and a recommended retail price of £9.99. 

Voddler launches offline mode - Watch online movies even without an Internet connection

Scandinavia’s leading video-on-demand service Voddler today launches the viewing feature “offline mode”. This makes Voddler the first VOD-service in the Nordics, and one of the first VOD-services in the world, to offer the opportunity to watch online film even when there is no web connection. Movies that customers want to see in offline mode are added to a playlist, so they can be played wherever the viewers are, including places with no or low Internet connectivity. When Voddler today launches its “offline mode”, it becomes one of the first legal VOD-services in the world to offer viewers the ability to watch web-based movies even when there is no web connectivity. - From today you don’t have to have a web connection when you’re watching your Voddler-film. You can now watch it on a train with a spotty Internet connectivity, in the backseat of a car, in your summer house far from the nearest web connection, or on a plane high above the clouds, says Anders Sjöman, VP Communication at Voddler. Customers decide when they are online which movies they want access to offline. They rent the movies and download them to their computer. The viewing period of 48 hours does not begin until they start playing the movie, and they have fourteen days after download to start their viewing period. Watching Voddler-movies in offline mode requires Voddler’s specific offline player, which is a one-time free download the first time a customer prepares their offline playlist. For more details about Voddler’s offline mode, visit http://voddlertalk.voddler.com/2011/offlinemode/ or try it out directly at Voddler: here’s a link to all the titles that so far are available for offline viewing: http://www.voddler.com/en/movie/browse/premium/views/all/offline. At launch, offline mode applies to Voddler’s rental movies. Voddler is now looking at expanding it to include Voddler’s ad-funded PLAY-titles, where watching PLAY-movies offline might be a benefit linked to Voddler Plus, Voddler’s membership program.  Voddler’s offline mode currently applies to computers and Voddler is now laying a road map for development of offline mode also for mobile platforms, such as smart phones and tablets.

A YEAR TO REMEMBER: 1930s – 1980s.

Now available from Strike Force Entertainment – history and nostalgia DVD specialist – are six piercing and poignant DVD titles containing rare British Pathé footage and interviews, from over six decades between 1930 and 1980.

Presented as a collectable series of six DVDs, each comprising a three disc set and featuring an hour long programme on each year, A YEAR TO REMEMBER contains nearly 60 hours of unprecedented depth with fascinating and groundbreaking footage, offering an incredible insight into the global conflicts of yesteryear that still shape the world we live in today.

A YEAR TO REMEMBER: THE 1930s offers a definitive insight into the decade leading up to World War II.  Other more light hearted events of the decade include Fred Perry winning Wimbledon, the first indoor ski slope and the introduction of the first driving test in 1935.

Following on, A YEAR TO REMEMBER: THE 1940s takes us back to the decade of World War II, Allied Victory, post-war austerity and the newly created tensions of the Cold War world.  In a decade when Princess Elizabeth married, we also get the opportunity to re-live the inauguration of the Welfare State and the NHS and witness the nationalisation of core public utilities and industries.

In a period that took us from post-war austerity to consumer boom, A YEAR TO REMEMBER: THE 1950s looks at a decade which was mainly dominated by the Conservatives, with Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden and Howard Macmillan at the helm leading us through events as diverse as the Suez Canal crisis, the Soviet invasion of Hungary, H-Bomb tests, the Harrow train disaster, the death of King George VI and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.  Witnessing much scientific and technological progress, A YEAR TO REMEMBER: THE 1950s, takes us back to the introduction of the first Sputnik satellite, the last London tram, Polio vaccinations and the introduction of the parking meter.  A YEAR TO REMEMBER: The 1950s also gives us the opportunity to re-live many incredible events such as the 100th Varsity Boat Race and Bing Crosby playing golf in Scotland.

At a time when renewed optimism arose, A YEAR TO REMEMBER: THE 1960s takes us through the election and untimely assassination of John F. Kennedy.  Featuring coverage of the murder of Martin Luther King, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the ongoing bloodshed of the Vietnam War and the erection of the Berlin Wall, A YEAR TO REMEMBER: THE 1960s also reminds us of one of mankind’s greatest triumphs, the Apollo 11 moon landing, alongside England’s Victory in the World Cup, the ‘Swinging Sixties’ and Mary Quant.

Released on DVD for the first time, A YEAR TO REMEMBER: THE 1970s looks at a decade of great transition for the UK.  Featuring the political and social unrest in Northern Ireland, the rise of Margaret Thatcher, the ‘three day week’ and the ‘Winter of Discontent’ in 1979, A YEAR TO REMEMBER: THE 1970s also takes us on a journey back through time to the rise of rock music, the breakup of the Beatles and the passing of Elvis Presley.

A YEAR TO REMEMBER: THE 1980s looks at what was making the news in this most colourful decade.  The result is an amazing insight into the decade of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Regan, the famous Brixton riots, Chernobyl, the Falklands War, Yuppies, big hair, New Romantics, the death of John Lennon and the Royal Wedding.

A must for history enthusiasts and lovers of archive footage, A YEAR TO REMEMBER is an extraordinary series which provides a unique year by year account of what has been making the news over the last sixty years.

Each YEAR TO REMEMBER series is available from all good retailers, priced at £19.99 each.  For more information visit www.strikeforcetv.com or follow Strike Force Entertainment on www.fbook.me/SFE.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL THE IMAX EXPERIENCE

EXPLODES INTO IMAX® THEATRES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA FIVE DAYS EARLY ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16

Highly Anticipated Fourth Installment Marks the Widest Early IMAX Engagement for a Domestic Feature; Film to Also Release Early in IMAX in Key International Territories

Film Features Approximately 30 Minutes of Footage Shot with IMAX Cameras



Los Angeles, CA — Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — IMAXCorporation (NYSE:IMAX; TSX:IMX) and Paramount Pictures today announced that Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol The IMAX Experience will begin previews in IMAX on Friday, Dec. 16, five days in advance of the film’s North American wide release on Dec. 21. Domestically, the film will open in approximately 300 IMAX® theatres and play through the film’s run at the box office.

Internationally, the film will open on approximately 200 IMAXscreens beginning on Dec. 14, with several markets receiving an early window release in IMAX ahead of their wide release, including six days in the Netherlands, five days in the UK, three days in France and Poland, two days in Korea, Spain and Taiwan, and one day in various other countries worldwide.

In addition to the early window of engagement, the IMAX release of this fourth installment of Mission: Impossible features approximately 30 minutes of scenes shot with IMAX®cameras. These specific sequences, including the unbelievable stunt performed by Tom Cruise as he scaled the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai, will expand to fill the entire screen, exclusively in IMAX, and further immerse the audience in the explosive action and vast scope of the film.

“We’re excited that audiences will be able to preview this film at its best a full five days in advance,” said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond. “This early engagement demonstrates the confidence that both the studio and filmmakers have in ‘TheIMAX Experience’ to reinforce the event nature of the film and generate positive word-of-mouth to support the wider launch of this favorite franchise.”

“The edge-of-your-seat, heart-stopping suspense that Brad Bird masterfully delivers in this film is brought to life in IMAX, providing an up-close, you-are-there experience that is unparalleled,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAXFilmed Entertainment. “Advance screenings of select film sequences shot with IMAX cameras have received overwhelmingly positive reactions from audiences across the globe.”

The IMAX release of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

About Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
This holiday season, two-time Academy Award®-winner Brad Bird directs, with producers Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams, the action-packed spy adventure Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

Blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates “Ghost Protocol.” Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency’s name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know.

Tom Cruise returns in the starring role as Ethan Hunt and is joined by an international cast that includes Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor and Léa Seydoux. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is directed by Brad Bird, in his live action film debut, and written by Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec. Cruise, who produces the Mission: Impossible films, is joined by producers J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk. The film will be co-financed by Skydance Productions. Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Paul Schwake and Dana Goldberg are the executive producers.

www.missionimpossible.com

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol The IMAX Experience is scheduled to play day-and-date at the following IMAX theatres across North America on December 16.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol The IMAX Experience is scheduled to play day-and-date at  IMAX international theatres beginning on December 14.