After a brief teaser yesterday, the first full trailer for Dredd has arrived, and while the Judge himself looks pretty badass, the jury is still out on the movie itself. Dredd takes us to the wild streets of Mega City One, the lone oasis of quasi-civilisation on Cursed Earth. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the most feared of elite Street Judges, with the power to enforce the law, sentence offenders and execute them on the spot if necessary. It’s a tough world, and one that’s hopefully going to be better than when Stallone was in charge. Lena Headey, Olivia Thirlby and Domhnall Gleeson also star, with Pete Travis (Vantage Point) directing and Alex Garland on scripting duties (and it’s the last of these that should give us the most hope). The film’s due out September 7th.
SPONSORED POST: The Top 10 Summer Movies – Which films best capture the spirit of the season?
This post is sponsored by 8ball.co.uk movie t-shirts.
So far summer 2012 has been a bit of a dull one. Warnings of drought in the Spring have given way to dull skies and endless rain. So maybe the best plan is that rather than demanding the sun to shine, you should set out to recreate the summer in your living rooms with some great films that evoke the spirit of the season. As we all cross our fingers that the weather improves for the next few months, here’s our list of the best movies for summer.
10. Big Wednesday (1978)
What’s It About?: Set across 12 years from the 60s into the 70s, three young men love nothing more than hanging out on the beach and enjoying the sun, girls and waves. However the Vietnam War interrupts, and leaves them wondering if they’ll survive to find the fabled Big Wednesday’, when the greatest wave of all time will come.
Why Is It Good For Summer?: Admittedly the Vietnam War isn’t very summery, but a film about three guys and their love of surfing certainly fits the bill to make you wish the sun was out and you were on the beach.
9. Grease (1978)
What’s It About?: Over the summer, Danny and Sandy fell in love, but when Sandy turns up as a new student at Danny’s school, she discovers that at home he isn’t known as the sweet, innocent by she fell for on holiday. He’s a bit of a bad boy and very concerned about keeping that rep, something that stands in the way of their romance.
Why Is It Good For Summer?: Admittedly Grease doesn’t start until the end of summer, but it’s still got that feel of great weather and good times. Of course it’s also got the ultimate summertime song, the infectious Summer Nights.
8. Summer Holiday (1963)
What’s It About?: A group of London bus mechanics organise a deal where if they can prove they can make a go of an idea to kit out a double decker bus as a mobile hotel that travels all around Europe, they’ll get a whole fleet of them. This sets up a series of adventures where the boys must deal with the passengers, the terrain and with love.
Why Is It Good For Summer?: It’s a Summer Holiday! It’s got catchy songs that even the cheesiness of Cliff Richard can’t dent, as well as being insanely good natured. Few films capture being young and carefree quite like this.
7. Dirty Dancing (1987)
What’s It About?: Set in the 60s, Frances Baby’ Houseman is a young woman who heads off with her family to a posh resort in upstate New York. While she expects to live a life dictated by her privileged upbringing, she unexpectedly falls for the resort’s dance instructor, a man whose background is very different to her own.
Why Is It Good For Summer?: Not only is Dirty Dancing set during a holiday, but it’s all about breaking free, growing up and rebelling a bit, which feel like very summery things to do.
6. Point Break (1991)
What’s It About?: A gang of bank robbers calling themselves the Ex-Presidents are causing mayhem in LA. Young FBI Agent Johnny Utah is sent undercover to get in amongst a group of surfers the feds believe could be the criminals. As Johnny gets drawn into the surfing lifestyle, the boundaries between his emotions and his job begin to blur.
Why Is It Good For Summer?: If the films above aren’t action-packed enough for your summer viewing, how about Point Break? You gotta love Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze surfing, skydiving and having fun, even if it may be being paid for through bank robberies.
5. Roman Holiday (1953)
What’s It About?: The royal Princess Ann sets off on a highly publicised summer tour of European capitals, but soon gets tired of the protocol and official duties. While she’s in Rome, she decides to sneak out of her hotel room to go exploring, but ends up asleep on a park bench. She’s found by journalist Joe, who doesn’t initially realise who she is.
Why Is It Good For Summer?: One of Audrey Hepburn’s most charming films, Roman Holiday is all about breaking free and trying to chart your own course in life. Set in the sunny environs of romantic Rome, it’s a true summer treat.
4. Dazed and Confused (1993)
What’s It About?: It’s the last day of term before the summer holiday and various groups of teens have different plans about how to celebrate. Some seniors set out to haze incoming freshman, others just want to party, and one of them wants to dance! Everyone is getting stoned, drunk or laid, although this causes issues for football player who’ve signed a pledge to stay sober and upright.
Why Is It Good For Summer?: No film has ever captured the excitement and anticipation for the summer holidays quite like Dazed and Confused. It’s a film that knows the pains, awkwardness and optimism of youth and the promise that escaping school for the summer brings.
3. The Endless Summer (1966)
What’s It About?: Bob Brown’s documentary follows two surfers as they travel around the world, looking for great waves and a summer that never ends. From West Africa to Australia to Tahiti and beyond, the guys live out their dream, finding the greatest surf and a lifestyle far from most people’s daily grind.
Why Is It Good For Summer?: It’s one of the great escapist films, and while there are a few dodgy aspects especially when it tangentially deals with race it wonderfully captures the idea of getting away and managing to make the summer last forever. It’s also full of amazing surfing footage.
2. Stand By Me (1986)
What’s It About?: A grown-up writer reminisces about a summer adventure when he was a kid. He and three of his young friends set out to find a dead body that’s supposedly been discovered by a group of older boys however the towns bad kids aren’t far behind. What starts a simple trip ends up as a series of adventures and the kids realising they’re growing up and things will never be the same again.
Why Is It Good For Summer?: Stand By Me is all about the long summer days of youth, as wellas that moment when absolute carefree innocence when everything seems like a grand adventure gives way to a realisation that growing up beckons. It’s a powerful reminder of that and one of the best summer films around.
1. Jaws (1975)
What’s It About?: The island community of Amity lives for the summer, when the tourists arrive and their cash flows into the town’s tills. However there’s a bit of a problem a giant shark is in the waters, intent on picking off anyone who goes for a dip. The mayor doesn’t want to believe it in case it scares off visitors, but Police Chief Brody becomes increasingly convinced something must be done.
Why Is It Good For Summer?: For a start, this is the movie that gave birth to the summer blockbuster, so what better film could there be for those long, warm days? Admittedly getting eaten by a shark isn’t a particularly fun summer activity, but Jaws remains an exciting ride and captures the fun and fear of the limitless blue seas.
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Amber Heard Gets Paranoia – Liam Hemsworth gets a co-star
Liam Hemsworth, Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman and Lucas Till have already signed up for the thriller Paranoia, and now they’ve got a female co-star, as Variety reports Amber Heard is in negotiations to join the film.
Liam Hemsworth stars as Adam Cassidy, an ambitious young man trying to get ahead in his entry-level job at a telecommunications firm. After he makes a costly mistake, the company CEO agrees not to turn him in if he spies on a rival company. Amber Heard is set to play a potential love interest for Adam, who works at the company he is spying on.
Robert Luketic is directing from a screenplay by Jason Dean Hall, which he adapted from the novel of the same name by Joseph Finder. Shooting is scheduled to start next month.
Kit Harington Up For How to Train Your Dragon 2 – He going to be a villainous warrior
Kit Harrington got a major profile boost thanks to Game Of Thrones, but his film career was slightly stymied when his title role in Arthur & Lancelot was put on hold. Now though he’s getting animated, as Variety reports that he’s taken a role in How To Train Your Dragon 2.
There aren’t too many details on the role he’ll play in the follow-up, other than he’ll be a ‘villainous warrior’. We don’t have any details of the plot of the movie either. The film will continue the story of the hit 2010 movie, which featured the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, T.J. Miller, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Kristen Wiig.
Dean DeBlois is returning as both writer and director after serving similar duties alongside Chris Sanders on the first movie.
Fox Signs Up For A Sesame Street Movie – Big Bird may hit the big screen soon
Following the success of The Muppets, 20th Century Fox has decided it would like to get into the Jim Henson-created puppet business, as THR report the studio is planning to develop a big screen adaptation of Sesame Street. The studio picked up movie rights and brought on veteran show writer Joey Mazzarino to provide the screenplay.
The educational children’s program debuted in 1969 on PBS and features memorable characters such as Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster and Elmo. Shawn Levy is producing with Michael Aguilar, Mark Gordon and Film 360’s Guymon Casady.
Sesame Street already has two big screen movies under its belt, with 1985’s Follow That Bird. and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland in 1999. There’s no news on when this new film might hit cinemas.
Paul Verhoeven Takes On Jesus Christ – With Roger Avary writing the script
Pulp Fiction and Beowulf writer Roger Avary has signed up to script Paul Verhoeven’s planned biblical biopic, Jesus of Nazareth. He will adapt the book of the same name, written by Paul Verhoeven, Susan Massotty and Rob Van Scheers.
It’s a bit of a departure for the RoboCop and Basic Instinct helmer, but the book was written after the director immersed himself in the history of Jesus for nearly 20 years. He believes that the immaculate conception and resurrection of Jesus did not happen. An even more controversial suggestion in the book is that Verhoeven believes that Mary was raped by a Roman soldier, which was common at the time. He portrays Jesus as a radical prophet who performed exorcisms and hoped to find Heaven on earth.
Verhoeven recently commented, “If you look at the man, it’s clear you have a person who was completely innovative in the field of ethics. My own passion for Jesus came when I started to realize that. It’s not about miracles, it’s about a new set of ethics, an openness towards the world, which was anathema in a Roman-dominated world. I believe he was crucified because they felt that politically, he was a dangerous person whose following was getting bigger and bigger. Jesus’ ideals are about the utopia of human behaviour, about how we should treat each other, how we should step into the shoes of our enemy.”
However, bringing the ideas to film are likely to prove controversial, as many get angry about anything that strays from the biblical text (or at least the common perception of it), and which questions Jesus’ divinity. There’s no info on when it might shoot (although it already has financing), but prepare for controversy and much harumphing. (Source: Deadline)
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