There was a lot of anticipation for Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, partly because it’s Ang Lee’s first movie since the Oscar winning The Life Of Pi, and partly because he was planning something no one had done before – something made and projected in 3D at 120 frames per second (more than double The Hobbit’s 48fps). However, reviews from the New York Film Festival were middling, with some saying the high frame rate ruined the moviegoing experience.

The fact is though, the full 120fps will only be available in a handful of theatres (just two in the whole of the US), and the trailer does make it look very intriguing.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Three-time Academy Award® winner Ang Lee brings his extraordinary vision to Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, based on the widely-acclaimed, bestselling novel. The film is told from the point of view of 19-year-old private Billy Lynn (newcomer Joe Alwyn) who, along with his fellow soldiers in Bravo Squad, becomes a hero after a harrowing Iraq battle and is brought home temporarily for a victory tour. Through flashbacks, culminating at the spectacular halftime show of the Thanksgiving Day football game, the film reveals what really happened to the squad – contrasting the realities of the war with America’s perceptions. The film also stars Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Garrett Hedlund, with Vin Diesel, and Steve Martin. Lee used new technology, shooting at an ultra-high frame rate for the first time in film history, to create an immersive digital experience helping him dramatize war in a way never seen before.’

It’ll be out in cinemas towards the end of the year. It’s in US cinemas on November 11th and the UK on January 6th. [Read more…]