Trailer Time: 'Elysium', 'You're Next', 'Now You See Me', 'This is the End' and 'Filth'

It's been a while since we've had some trailers, and a few of these have been circulating for some time, but I'll put them up anyway.


First up is Neill Blomkamp's highly anticipated follow-up to District 9 which follows a working class man try and break into a rich peoples utopia to gain access to live-saving health care.

The film opens September 20th in the UK and judging from what people have been saying about it so far, we are in for a real treat.


From sci-fi to straight up horror as You're Next offers up the typical 'perfect-weekend-getaway-interrupted-by-masked-killers' story-line. What makes this one stand out from the pack (apart from the already pretty positive buzz from the festival circuits) is that it's the newest film from Adam Wingard. Wingard was responsible for the pretty divisive 'A Horrible Way to Die', which took a very mumble-core approach to a horror/slasher movie and has also had a hand in the V/H/S and ABC's of Death horror anthologies. In any case, he proved himself to be a director worth watching and his latest offering seems to be a whole heap of fun (and what a great way to utilise Lou Reed's Perfect Day).

The film opens 23rd August, with what I'm guessing will be limited release.


We've already had one big magician movie this year (the rather lackluster Burt Wonderstone) however Now You See Me has a lot of potential behind it, no least because it looks and feels like parts of Nolan's 'The Prestige' but also it may prove that Louis Leterrier is actually a good director. He made some decent films under Luc Besson's wing however his Hollywood efforts (Incredible Hulk, Clash of the Titans) have failed to really set audience alight. But still, who doesn't like the idea of the magicians/criminals storyline?

It opens July 5th.



We've yet to see anything substantial from the new Wright/Pegg/Frost film, World's End, however that doesn't mean we have to wait impatiently as it seems the American's have had a similar idea. Starring a whole bunch of comedy actors as themselves, the film sees a party at James Franco's house go massively wrong when the world suddenly turns to hell around them. It's a premise that could go horribly wrong, but the trailer is pretty funny and there's enough cameos (and famous celebrity deaths) to make it possibly worth the trip to the cinema.

Below is the standard green band trailer, to watch in the office or as a family.

And for those of you who want to see the real deal (and yes, there's the gory on-screen death of Michael Cera), the red band trailer is below.

The end cometh June 28th.


Up last is another big-screen adap of an Irvin Welsh novel. This time we have Filth, which sees James McAvoy taking the title role as Bruce Robertson, the depraved anti-hero who drinks/snorts/swears/shags his way through one day to the next. Oh, and he's also a police officer.

Be warned, this is the red band trailer and it does not skimp on the nasty.

It looks like fun, but then half the stuff from the book would never be legally able to make it to the film so I guess they will have watered down the story somewhat. The only saving grace is that it's a British indie production so at least there's no risk of any Hollywood intervention. The film is scheduled for release sometime in September.

"The Man From Nowhere" is still up on Netflix

[UPDATE:
 The film is back in the online selections as of 13/04. They obviously took it down due to some technical error.]

A couple of weeks ago I heard about a Korean thriller by the name of 'The Man From Nowhere', whose plot can best be summarised as Leon meets Taken, and was pleased to find it was available on the US version of Netflix (buying the DVD in the UK would set you back a good £30 so it's obviously a rare treat). I kept putting off watching it as reviews had stated that it was very dark and hence I thought I should have to find myself in the mood to watch it.

In true accordance with Murphy's Law, the day I felt like watching it was the day it was no longer available. I searched through all the Korean movies available and also checked the UK site but with no luck. The worse thing about it was that I had only looked at the title a few days before and there had been no indication that Netflix were going to take it down (and in fact when you search for it they don't seem to acknowledge the film even exists).

Today, while browsing through the thrillers, I stumbled across the movie. I immediately clicked on the link but Firefox chose that exact moment to crash and forget what page I was on. So back to the thrillers I go, but it's not there. It's not in Korean movies and you still can't search for it. What the hell???

Luckily I just went back through my history but the film still appears to be up, you just can't select it via the usual route.

I attach the link to it's current location (which I hope will work for other users) here.

Obviously to watch it you need a Netflix account and you should be currently logged in for it to work properly.

UK subscribers, have no fear for you can still watch it, just install the free Hola Unblocker add-on for Firefox or Chrome to take you instantly to the US site (as well as other location specific sites).
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Even in Space, People Poop

io9 have dug up some of the transcripts from the Apollo 10 mission and they are pretty damn funny. If you ever imagined how astronauts poop the answer is very carefully, and even then they don't always get it right.

I can only imagine what the future holds for practical jokesters once we start living in space...

New to Netflix UK - 08/04/13

I think I got most of the new titles with my late post from last weeks Netflix listings, but there's still a couple more to mention.


War Games - A young gamer hacks into a war simulation, not knowing that he's in fact playing with a very active nuclear weapon system. It's a classic that's pretty dated now but it still has a great performance by Matthew Broderick (what happened to him anyway?) and features the greatest solution to defeat any rogue AI system.

Seabiscuit - A racehorse in Depression-era USA manages to lift the spirits of the people through a series of amazing victories. It's a compelling drama that will entertain people even if they aren't a fan of horse racing.

A Bronx Tale - A boy falls under the influence of the local gangster, causing his father to rise up to try and protect him. De Niro does a good job with his first directorial job (having learnt a good deal from his time with Scorsese) resulting in the solid morality tale.


Also, for any Maggie Thatcher enthusiasts, The Iron Lady is available to stream. Whether or not you agree with how she was portrayed in the movie is entirely your opinion.

Global Warming to Possibly Affect Air Travel

Let's assume for this story that global warming is 100% real (I'm not arguing it's not however I think it's a lot more complicated than people are allowing it to be) and that the earth will be gradually getting warmer. Sure we'll have melting ice caps and warmer weather plus rising sea levels but this is all land based. People forgot about what would happen in the

Aircraft companies will have their work cut out for them if the recent discoveries are true as global warming could have severe repercussions on the speed of high-altitude jet streams that the aircrafts are so reliant on. Rising CO2 emissions would more than likely increase the speed of the streams which would increase the likelihood of turbulence occurring.

Aircrafts in general are well built to withstand extreme cases of turbulence in the air however pilots are still instructed to avoid severe patches where possible. The major problem global warming will have is that it will increase the amount of clear-air turbulence which is invisible to both the human eye and the high-tech instruments on planes and is pretty much unavoidable until you know it's there.

The effect this would have on current aircraft in service could be rather dangerous as it would result in them undergoing extended periods of time under turbulence, causing them to experience stress loading that they would not normally have to endure and thus considerably reducing the life-cycle of the aircraft components. This could prove to be very costly to airline companies if after every few trips they had to replace different parts of the plane.

The simple solution to this would be to say "Let's just make sure all future aircraft designs take this into account". Unfortunately things aren't so simple as it normally takes around 20 years for an aircraft design to become a reality. If CO2 levels are rising as rapidly as we thought, by the time we have planes capable of withstanding these expected increases in turbulence it may be too late.

Of course, that's just assuming everything we're being told about global warming is true...


[via New Scientist]

New to Netflix UK - 01/04/13

It's a very late post but there's quite a lot of new stuff up.


Rambo - John Rambo's back, this time in Burma where he's tasked with rescuing a group of Christian missionaries. He's gone a long way from the original anti-war hero but the forth instalment, while considerably racist for some tastes, has enough OTT action for the die-hard fans of the series.

The Cabin in the Woods - Five friends take a summer vacation in an isolated cabin, but the familiar story doesn't quite pan out as expected. Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's love/hate letter to horror films hits all the right notes with some incredibly well placed humour and plenty of shocks and gore.

The Shawshank Redemption - A man slowly adjusts to life inside prison after being falsely accused of murdering his wife. Featuring tour-de-force performances from the entire cast, the film is a triumph ion storytelling and remains once of the greatest films ever made.

Wilfred (TV) - A man tries to live a normal life despite being convinced his neighbour's dog is a man in a costume. This quirky Aussie comedy makes the most of it's unusual premise and quite often ventures into unfamiliar territory regarding its bizarre storyline.

Grown Ups - Five friends reunite and get to grips with where they are in life compared to where they wanted to be when they were children. Some people really liked this movie and now you have a sequel on the way...thanks...

Reign of Fire - When dragons ravage a modern England, a group of survivors take it upon themselves to eliminate the threat once and for all. It's not a work of art and the characters and story are basic at best but it has enough thrills for a casual Saturday afternoon viewing session.

Judge Dredd - Dredd finds himself a victim of his own justice system when he's framed for murder and must find a way to clear his name. It's a bad movie, which makes it enjoyable to watch, but avoid at all costs if you are a fan of the comic books.

Crimson Tide - Allegiances between the crew of a nuclear submarine are tested when the orders to launch a missile come through despite concern that the orders are wrong. With some decent acting and some well placed moments of tension, the film comes out as a better-than-average submarine movie.

Republic of Doyle (TV) - Season 2 of this comedy/crime show which follows a family of private investigators in a Canadian seaside town. It's light-hearted entertainment but there's a certain level of charm to it that makes it very watchable.

Insomnia - A veteran detective is sent to Alaska to aid in the investigation of a murdered girl, but his case is jeopardised when the killer sees him accidentally killing his partner. An exceptionally well made thriller from Christopher Nolan which boasts an excellent from performance from Pacino as well as a rare villain turn for Williams.

Not Another Teen Movie - Spoof of all those teen movies from the late nineties - the plot is pretty irrelevant. It's arguably worse than the movies it parodies but providing you have enough hatred for these movies, there are a enough clever bits to warrant one viewing.

The Prisoner (TV) - Remake of the classic British series, which finds a man with no memory plotting his escape from an isolated prison. It lacks the originality and feel of the original however the series does manage to serve up some new and unexpected twists.

Milk - Biopic of openly gay politician Harvey Milk, chronicling his rise to power and sudden murder. It's a well made drama and boasts some incredible performances but it has been over-hyped as to how good it really is.

Memoirs of a Geisha - Adaptation of the book by the same name, where a young girl is sold to a Geisha house and must withstand the cruelty of her owners as well as the jealous advances by her fellow peers. Fans of the book may be disappointed but the set design is definitely its strong point and the film does a good job of drawing you into the troubled world of Chiyo.

Slacker - A series of shorts following a group of college dropouts as they go about their daily lives. Seminal cult classic from Richard Linklater, the film has a very raw approach but still manages to be oddly captivating to watch.

Pretty Woman - A rich businessman hires an escort to accompany him to a series of formal events only to fall in love with her. It's a typical rom-com that's bolstered by some reasonably good perfomances by its lead stars.

Right at Your Door - After a series of chemical weapons go off in downtown Los Angeles, a man quarantined inside his home finds himself pushed to breaking point while trying to find his wife. It's one of the few films that uses a chemical weapon scenario and looks at the effect it has on the human mind and the result is a tense thriller with some shocking twists littered throughout.


In addition to all these, Netflix has made available some gay interest movies. I can't personally comment on their quality however member reviews generally put them around three to four stars.

Adventure Time heads up

New to Netflix post will be late this week as I'm out of the country and unable to access the UK site. I can however access the US version (thanks to the marvellous 'Hola Unblocker', check it out if you haven't already) and can happily say that they've uploaded the entire first series of Adventure Time (as well as other noteworthy Cartoon Network shows). I'm hoping this is a site-wide addition but I'm not holding my breath.

If you haven't come across Adventure Time before I highly recommend you check it out. It's basically a pretty trippy kids TV show that finds humour on many other levels (such as subtle sex jokes, hypothetical drug induced hallucinations, implied violence). It's basically a way to make kid's shows fun again and has already achieved a cult-like status for many 'geeks' and 'nerds' alike.

I also recommend to check out the sister show on Cartoon Hangover's YouTube channel, Bravest Warriors.