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Win Mean Streets On Blu-ray! – Get your hands on De Niro and Scorsese’s breakthrough pic

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To celebrate the release of Martin Scorsese’s truly unforgettable knockout classic “Mean Streets” – on DVD & Blu-ray 18th May 2015 – we have a copy on Blu-ray to giveaway courtesy of Icon Home Entertainment.

One of the best films of the 1970s, “Mean Streets” is the granddaddy of the modern crime cinema and it heralded the arrival of screen legends Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel.

New special features include audio commentary with Martin Scorsese, actress Amy Robinson and co-writer Mardik Martin, the vintage featurette “Back on the Block” and the original theatrical trailer.

“One of the best American films of the decade” Time Out

“An acclaimed classic for a long time but what doesn’t get said too often is how wonderfully funny it is… The movie’s blazing energy is still astounding” The Guardian

Order the Blu-ray: http://bit.ly/1AKoxZX

Order the DVD: http://bit.ly/1dS9F6W

To be in with a chance of winning the copy of Mean Streets on Blu-ray that we’ve got to give away, sign in to the site below (or click here to register) and answer the multiple choice question (see below for more details on how to enter). The competition closes on May 24th, 2015, so get answering and good luck!

HOW TO ENTER: This competition is open to all registered Movie Muser members who live in the UK. It’s free to register and obligation free, and once you’ve signed up to the site, you’ll be able to enter any other competitions we run, plus post comments, join in on the forum or even have your own film blog. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. If you’re already a member, sign in below and answer the multiple choice question in the grey box, click enter, and you’re done!

This competition closes at 11.59pm on May 24th, 2015. Competition open to UK residents aged 15 or over. (For general competition terms and conditions, privacy policy and site T&Cs, CLICK HERE)

The Prize Finder – UK Competitions

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Take A Look At Tarantino’s Hateful Eight – Kurt, Russell, Sam Jackson, Tim Roth and more

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After throwing his toys out of the pram and saying he wasn’t go to make the movie, due to a script leak, Quentin Tarantino changed his mind and The Hateful Eight is now in the can and heading for a Christmas release.

To help prepare us EW has given us a look at the eight of the title, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern. It’s certainly a mix of old and new faces for Tarantino, and there’s also a small turn in the movie for Channing Tatum.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In THE HATEFUL EIGHT, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…’

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Spooks: The Greater Good – Kit Harington turns spy

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Having never seen the TV series I had no real expectations of the film version, or real knowledge, other than it is something to do with spies and MI5. It’s with great pleasure to report then that as a stand-alone spy movie, Spooks: The Greater Good works. It’s tense, looks great, pacy and well acted, satisfying on pretty much every level, as a decent espionage thriller should. It taps into our current fears of attack from abroad, especially ISIS, at times almost painfully so. It’s also the first film for ages to use its London locations to great effect without making everything look cheesy.

It begins with a great set piece. The most wanted terrorist in the world is being transported across London, but the armoured van is stuck in a pesky traffic jam. Out of nowhere come armed motorbike riders to free him. They know that watching in MI5 headquarters is Peter Finch, and tell him, either free the man or lots of innocent people will die. Finch lets the man go.

The terrorist – the excellent, charismatic Elyes Gabel – then begins to plan a huge terrorist attack on London from his warehouse somewhere in east London. Obviously MI5 have to stop him, but the man with real revenge on his mind is Kit Harington, whose father died in Berlin during the Cold War but who was decommissioned by Finch. Harington is no James Bond – he is scruffy, often unarmed, and has no luck with either the ladies or the gambling tables – but he is a lone wolf, and Finch knows he is the country’s best bet to find and kill the terrorist before a catastrophic attack.

Finch and Harington’s father-son relationship works well and is cleverly written, it is convincing without ever becoming too mawkish, as both men realise they need each other. They do of course have one thing in common, they both despise the old-school top brass, epitomised by Tim McInnerney’s wonderfully blundering blazered character, and Jennifer Ehle’s posh role.

Amongst the set pieces, the chases across London and the shootouts there is even time for Finch and Harington to travel to Berlin to try and get back Gabel’s wife to use in negotiations, and Berlin looks suitably grey and Cold War even after the Wall has fallen. There is a sequence with a sniper on top of the National Theatre which is brilliantly staged and heart-stoppingly twitchy.

There is also, of course, a cracking twist at the end, entirely appropriate for a film which, if you’re in the mood, hits all the right spots.

Overall verdict: Old-school spy thriller which has few special effects, relying instead on a tense set up, solid script, grown-up acting and a convincing storyline. It may not rank with the best of Bond or Bourne, but for a decent thriller it will do just fine. Recommended.

Reviewer: Mike Martin

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Sense8 Trailer – Take a look at the Wachowskis Netflix series

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The Wachowskis haven’t been having too much luck on the big screen, with the likes of Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending underperforming. However there’s high hopes for their new series Sense8, which brings a splash on high concept sci-fi to Netflix’s original shows.

You can take a look at the trailer below, which certainly has shades of The Matrix about it.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘One moment links 8 minds in disparate parts of the world, putting 8 strangers in each other’s lives, each other’s secrets, and in terrible danger. From the unparalleled creative minds of The Wachowskis (“The Matrix” trilogy, “Cloud Atlas”) and J. Michael Straczynski (Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling,” “World War Z”), as well as Grant Hill (“The Matrix” trilogy, “Cloud Atlas”).

‘The international cast includes: Brian J. Smith, Tuppence Middleton, Jamie Clayton, Miguel Angel Silvestre, Tina Desai, Doona Bae, Aml Ameen and Max Riemelt. Also, Daryl Hannah, Naveen Andrews, Terrence Mann, Freema Agyeman, Alfonso Herrera, Erendira Ibarra, Adam Shapiro, Ness Bautista and Joe Pantoliano. Unlike anything seen on television before, Sense8 pushes the boundaries in style, scope and story. For more information about #Sense8, follow the series on Twitter.’

The show premieres in Netflix June 5th.

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Vacation Red Band Trailer – Chris Hemsworth has something big to show us in the reboot

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When the trailer for the Vacation reboot was unveiled to a select audience at Cinemacon that main thing that people mentioned was how it featured Chris Hemsworth’s massive, ahem, package (or at least his massive prosthetic). Now we can take a peek for ourselves – although as you’ve probably guessed this red band trailer in NSFW – as well as the return of Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo, as they join son Rusty (Ed Helms) and his family on a new trip.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘The next generation of Griswolds is at it again. “Vacation,” starring Ed Helms (“The Hangover” films) and Christina Applegate (the “Anchorman” films), takes the family on the road for another ill-fated adventure. The film marks Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s directorial debut.
Following in his father’s footsteps and hoping for some much-needed family bonding, a grown-up Rusty Griswold (Helms) surprises his wife, Debbie (Applegate), and their two sons with a cross-country trip back to America’s “favorite family fun park,” Walley World.

‘Rounding out the cast are Leslie Mann (“The Other Woman”) as Rusty’s sister, Audrey; Chris Hemsworth (the “Thor” films) in the role of Stone Crandall, Rusty’s irritatingly successful brother-in-law; and Skyler Gisondo (“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” “Hard Sell”) and Steele Stebbins (“A Haunted House 2”), who play Rusty’s sons, James and Kevin. Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo reprise their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold from the classic “Vacation” comedies.’

It’s in UK cinemas August 21st.

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Ricki And The Flash Trailer – Meryl Streep is a rocker chick

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Meryl Streep may be in her 60s, but she’s still got rock in her soul, or at least she does in Rick And The Flash. Now we get to take a look with the first trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Meryl Streep takes on a whole new gig – a hard-rocking singer/guitarist – for Oscar®-winning director Jonathan Demme and Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody in Ricki and the Flash. In an original and electrifying film loaded with live musical performances, Streep stars as Ricki Rendazzo, a guitar heroine who made a world of mistakes as she followed her dreams of rock-and-roll stardom. Returning home, Ricki gets a shot at redemption and a chance to make things right as she faces the music with her family. Streep stars opposite her real-life daughter Mamie Gummer; Rick Springfield, portraying a Flash member in love with Ricki; Kevin Kline as Ricki’s ex-husband; and Audra McDonald as Kline’s new wife.’

The movie will be out this summer.

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