UK Top 10 Films

By Kirkie Chick

Welcome to the weekly cinema chart! The box office this week has perked up in numbers according to reports. So let’s have a look at the top ten films this week!

1. Looper, £2,427,994 (New)

2. ParaNorman, £1,080,197: Total: £4,304,900

3. Resident Evil: Retribution, £792,265 (New)

4. The Campaign, £772,102 (New)

5. House At The End Of The Street, £545,961: Total: £1,864,304

6. Killing them Softly, £470,712: Total: £2,069,984

7. Hope Springs, £423,051: Total: £3,041,790

8. The Sweeney, £410,578:  Total: £3,876,142

9. Brave, £400,511: Total: £21,219,445

10. Untouchable, £317,979: Total: £493,309

We have a new number 1 this week. Looper is a popular science fiction film starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The mob in 2072 when they want rid they send them back into the past where a hitman is waiting, but one guy goes back and is met by his younger self. The director did a film called Brick (2005) which found a following on DVD. Knowing this film I hope that Looper is just as good. Number 2 sees ParaNorman sitting strong in the chart. This is such a good film and I highly recommend. In at number 3 is Resident Evil: Retribution, the fifth film in the Resident Evil series. It seems from reports that this film isn’t as good as the others. It has been released in IMAX like the previous one and in some cinemas only in 3D, which maybe harming the film’s attendance. Time will tell. Number 4 is Will Ferrell’s comedy The Campaign, the story of a congressman targeted by two CEOs to rid him of his position use a naive man to get votes. It seems like your typical slapstick comedy from Will Ferrell. House at the End of the Street sits at number 5. I went to see this. I had heard mixed reviews about it. I thought it was an average psychological thriller, possibly a bit predictable. Number 6 sees Killing Them Softly is still bringing in audiences. I have also heard of mixed reviews about this film. I say make up your own mind. Hope Springs, drops down a couple of spaces from last week to number 7. It does seem that younger audiences are seeing this film as well as the older audience. The Sweeney has also dropped from its previous position to number 8. This film has a steady audience but may be gone from the top ten next week. Brave is still sitting in the chart at number 9. It is such a charming film and I highly recommend. Number 10 sees a film which was released last week but didn’t make the top ten, Untouchable. It has charmed audiences. The story of a wealthy man who after an accident becomes a quadriplegic hires a young man from the wrong side of the tracks as his caretaker. It is a French film with English subtitles. It has been praised at various film festivals.

I hope you will find a good film to watch amongst this chart. That’s it for this week. Until next time happy cinema viewing!

(Source The Guardian Online)

10 GREAT DOCUMENTARIES YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT: PART 2

By @hmsbeefnuts

Hello and welcome to part 2 of my look at 10 documentaries you should check out.

HITMAN HART: WRESTLING WITH SHADOWS

The second documentary on this list that focuses on Wrestling, but forgive me this, as this is very different from Beyond the Mat. Following WWF superstar Bret Hart in his final year with WWF, during the Monday Night Wars, the film makers are given remarkable insight into the backstage world of wrestling. Hart comes across as noble and a gentleman, with his boss, Vince McMahon, and rival Shawn Michaels, less so. What is so fascinating about this film however, is that it covers one of the most infamous events in wrestling history, the Montreal Screwjob. For those that don’t know about this incident, basically, Bret Hart was supposed to win the match in his hometown, before dropping his World Title the next night on RAW, and then leaving for WCW. McMahon and Micheals had other ideas. This is a look into the nastier elements of the wrestling business, and is an amazing look into an incident that has become wrestling legend. Worth a look if you don’t care about wrestling, essential if you do.

EPISODE IV: A FANS HOPE

This is perhaps the geekiest documentary on the list, and I’m sure if you are reading this site, then there is something in this film that you will dig. I happened to love it. Shot by Morgan Spurlock of Supersize Me fame, A Fans Hope, follows the stories of numerous geeks trying to make it into the business, or trying to make money at the geek business, or asking your girlfriend to marry you at a Kevin Smith panel. The stories of these subjects are heartwarming and heartbreaking. Filmed at San Diego Comic Con, the Mecca for the geek community, this film is nerd nirvana for all sorts of geek subjects, cosplay, comic book art, collectors etc. For someone like me who has always wanted to go to comic con, this doc shows you the passion of the fans who attend for various reasons. Geeks can dream, and sometimes, dreams come true.

THE ARISTOCRATS

The Aristocrats is a joke that comedians tell other comedians. This film is a series of comedians telling their versions of the joke, and talking about the joke. The same basic joke, over and over again, with each comedian giving their own spin on things. The film is filthy, hilarious and a great look into what famous comedians find funny. I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard in a cinema than when I watched this. Filmed by Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza, the film is not for the faint of heart. The Aristocrats is a filthy and disgusting joke, but it is hilarious, and each comedian out doing the last with filth and depravity, The Aristocrats is a solid 90 mins of entertainment, as long as you like that sort of thing.

PROJECT GRIZZLY

Troy Hurtubise is obsessed by grizzly bears. He has survived a grizzly attack and wants to get close to them again, in order to study and observe them. But how would one make themselves safe from bear attack? Well, why not build a suit of armour reminiscent of Tony Starks Mark I armour? This doc is very funny, but also does focus on one mans obsession to get close to these highly dangerous animals. I know that this is the second film on this list that concerns itself with grizzly bears, but this is a very different animal than Grizzly Man. I know that if I could conceivably fight a grizzly bear man to bear, I would totally do it. Look at the picture and tell me you don’t want to see that bear try and batter the dude?

BEST WORST MOVIE

I assume you probably havent seen Troll 2, probably not seen Troll. Well Troll 2 is so shit, that it has become a bit of a classic, and this documentary is all about Troll 2, the people who ‘star’ in it, and the fans who love it. Directed by Michael Stephenson, who is the child star of Troll 2, the movie digs deep into the resurgence of this cult movie, focussing mainly on the star of the film, George Hardy. Hardy is seemingly one of the nicest person on Earth, now a dentist, Hardy gets caught up in a tour of the movie, showing to fans, but not everything he experiences is pleasurable. This is a wonderful little film, about a truly shit film, but if you like really bad films, Troll 2 is worth seeing, and I would recommend Best Worst Movie to anyone who has ever laughed at a bad B-Movie.

10 GREAT DOCUMENTARIES YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT: PART 1

By @hmsbeefnuts

I love a good documentary, as much as the next man, in fact, maybe more than the next man (or woman), I suppose it just depends on who they happen to be. Like the next man could be Werner Herzog, or Michael Moore, and they probably like documentaries more than me, probably. Of course I can’t be sure, I haven’t asked them, but it is a fair supposition in my mind, after all, they have made many documentaries between them, and I have only attempted to make one, and failed in spectacular fashion. What I am trying to say is, I like documentaries as an art form, and I don’t care who the next man (or woman) is, I wanted to write a little something about my favourite ones. These are in no particular order, but all are quite, quite brilliant.

KING OF KONG: A FISTFULL OF QUARTERS

This is an old fashioned tale of good vs evil, David vs Goliath, Steve Wiebe vs Billy Mitchell. The basic story is, Mitchell set the Donkey Kong world record in the 80’s, a record that stood for 25 years. Wiebe, a likable unemployed teacher becomes obsessed with breaking the record, and does, only for a bitter rivalry to begin. I won’t spoil anything else about this wonderful film, you need to experience the highs and lows for yourself. This isn’t a documentary solely for gamers, anyone can enjoy this story and I have shown it to many people who didn’t give a shit about Donkey Kong before hand, but at the end, the high score seemed like the most important thing in the world. This doc definitely has a villain, rich, cocky and perhaps crooked Billy Mitchell, matched against our hero, family man, Steve Wiebe, and like the best stories, we invest massively in the characters and story. Watch this film, it is simply brilliant.

BEYOND THE MAT

We all know that wrestling isn’t ‘real’ right? Well, tell that to Mick Foley. Beyond the Mat is a look into many aspects of the world of wrestling, the stars, the WWF/E, the indie scene, the men who put their bodies on the line for entertainment. The star of the show is Mick Foley/Mankind/Dude Love/Cactus Jack, but here we see Mick’s family life, here we see how his kids and wife react to some of the most brutal matches in WWF history. I love wrestling, and seeing this gave me a greater appreciation for the guys in the ring. The doc also focuses on Jake the Snake Roberts, who is very much at the twilight of his career and the problems he has faced by being a wrestler. I recommend this doc to anyone who loves wrestling, and anyone who thinks wrestling is stupid and fake. Yes they know who is going to win, but if you see some of the things that Foley goes through, I don’t think you could call it ‘fake’. One of my favourites, I have watched this numerous times, highly recommended.

SUPERHEROES

Originally an HBO documentary on real life superheroes, I caught this on DVD. This film follows the stories of some remarkable, some clearly mentally ill people, who dress up in costumes and seek to right the wrongs of society, or get drunk a lot and walk the streets. This is at times hilarious and sad, touching and hopeful. The people featured are striving to make the world a better place, and do manage to do some good. I watched this along with Confessions of a Superhero (a doc about the people who dress like superheros on Hollywood Boulevard), and whilst they are both interesting, Superheroes is a far more positive and rewarding watch, Confessions depressed me a little bit. We must have all dreamed of being crime fighting superheroes at some point, and these guys took their dreams, and made it a reality, even if the reality wasn’t quite what the fantasy promised.

GRIZZLY MAN

The man in the picture above, Timothy Treadwell, was killed, along with his girlfriend, eaten by a grizzly bear whilst filming a documentary of his annual summer expedition trying to live with, and protect the bears. Werner Herzog directs the film, as he investigates Treadwell’s motivations, and his last few months of life, that he filmed himself as he tried to live with the bears. Now the footage in this film is amazing, not only stunning landscapes, but footage of grizzly bears that defy belief. Now Treadwell is incredibly brave to interact with these bears, but his bravery comes from his clear mental health issues. It is clear that a man who will stand up and tell a bear off, isn’t all there. This is a fascinating and heartfelt doc, and quite sad, but well worth your time.

THE SHARK IS STILL WORKING

I have only recently watched this, as it comes on the JAWS Blu-Ray release, but it is quite simply fantastic. I am a massive JAWS fan, and obviously this is going to play in my favour whilst watching a doc all about the making of the film, but it is a brilliant look into a movie that wasn’t working, a director that was out of his depth and the ways in which these production problems helped create perhaps the greatest action-thriller film ever made. I can not recommend this enough, and is worth the price of the Blu-Ray on it’s own, but you have to own JAWS on Blu-Ray anyway, because it is genius and amazing.

That’s the first 5 of 10 docs, I’ll be writing up the next 5 in time for Thursday. Catch you then.