Trainspotting

(released September 13th, 2011)

Review:

A very different kind of a film, much like the characters that inhabit it. I found the film hard to get into at first, but Ewan McGregor’s performance and Danny Boyle’s direction soon changed that.

The story centers around our main character, Renton (Ewan McGregor). Who’s deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, and is trying to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends. The ensemble cast playing his friends includes, Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Johnny Lee Miller), Tommy (Kevin McKidd), Begbie (Robert Carlyle), and Diane (Kelly Macdonald).

Throughout the film it is able to weave back and forth from outright slapstick humor to some very depressing images. A great deal of credit must go to director Danny Boyle in capturing, that amid a great deal of wasted potential from all of these addicts, there is still bit of deceny that is able to burst through. Renton may not know exactly how to get there, but he’s trying to aim for a better life.

On the Blu-ray side of things, the picture is very sharp, especially in brightly lit scenes. Fine detail is great supply and colors pop off the screen beautifully. Audio wise, all of the music blasts through each of the surround sound speakers with force. The mix is done quite well throughout the film, including the quiet scenes, with each character’s voice split around the soundfield.

Bonus Features:

Final Review:

Movie – 4/5

Video – 4/5

Audio – 4/5

Bonus Features – 4/5

BUY IT!

Since we last heard about Danny Boyle art heist thriller Trance, Scarlett Johannson was set up to play the lead female alongside James McAvoy. However that seems unlikely, but when one door closes another opens. Rosario Dawson is now set to play the female lead and she won’t be alone. Vincent Cassel will also be joining the cast in a supporting role. But as great as this cast is, we won’t be seeing this project for a while as Boyle will be busy working on the Opening Ceremonies for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

The film is an adaptation of a British 2001 TV film.

An assistant at an auction house masterminds [an art] heist and teams up with a gang of thieves, but suffers a blow to the head and wakes up with amnesia. He is the only one who knows where the painting’s location is and after his continued failure to remember, the gang begins to suspect duplicity on his part and hire a female hypnotist to get into his brain.

According to Deadline Cassel will most likely play an accomplice to McAvoy’s character and Dawson will play as a character who develops a very unusual relationship with both men. The script for Boyle’s modestly budgeted flim is being compared to that of Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. Joe Ahearne and John Hodge wrote the script.

Danny Boyle doesn’t seem to want to take a break. In a report from Deadline, the 127 Hours director will return to his homeland of London to direct a thriller titled Trance later this year. The project has been described as an “art heist gone wrong” thriller and is even a throwback to the “dark, sexy, hard-edged tone of Boyle films like Shallow Grave (1994) and Trainspotting (1996).” Boyle is also directing the 2012 Summer Olypmic Games, which will also be held in London, so he has to find the time between now and then to helm the project.

While Boyle has yet to announce names for the cast, he is expected to receive his usual $15 million budget he gets for every project and partner with Pathe and Fox Searchlight. Deadline adds that Trance will not hit the big screen until 2013. This means he will most likely shoot the project during or around the end of 2011 and early 2012, then put it on the shelf once he gets started working on the opening ceremonies. After the games are done, he will return to editing the drama and do possible reshoots. It’s an interesting process, but it should be fun to see how the director reacts to a project that he has to complete after not looking at for a year.

The BBC is reporting another team up with director Danny Boyle and writer Simon Beaufoy for an interesting concept that only Danny Boyle can make interesting. This marks the potential third collaboration between the director and writer tying previous Boyle collaborator, Alex Garland (Sunshine, 28 Days Later and The Beach).

The project they are working is particularly interesting, especially as a follow-up to films like 127 hours and Slumdog Millionaire. It’s called Sharp Teeth, and no, it is not a shark movie but rather about rival gangs who can shape-shift into dogs.

“It’s an adaptation of a book by a writer called Toby Barlow and it’s a very extraordinary mix of gangland Los Angeles, really, really rough – a lot of shootings – and the difference with this particular piece of work is that these gangs can shape-shift at will into packs of dogs.”

Beaufoy also added Boyle would likely direct the project if he enjoys the script, which is still being written by Simon Beaufoy.

“If I write it well enough, he’ll direct it.”

The screenwriter also talked about the research he is doing, riding with Los Angeles Police Department officers and seeing different parts of the city that he previously hadn’t seen before.

“It’s brilliant seeing a different part of L.A. When you’re involved with the movie industry and you go to awards ceremonies you miss out on what 90 percent of what L.A. is, which is hard-working people, lots of unemployment, lots of really difficult social issues.”

Producer Christian Colson is also said to be on board with Sharp Teeth. It isn’t clear when the script will be ready, or if Danny Boyle will commit to the project.

The real life story of Aron Ralston has finally arrived in teaser trailer form with 127 Hours, a film from Academy Award winning director, Danny Boyle. The movie stars James Franco as Ralston, a mountain climber whose arm is caught under a fallen boulder and must self-amputate his arm in order to free himself – or die.

It’s amazing the light hearted nature the teaser puts on, and I am not sure I agree with this marketing tactic, though setting the film up as the man who brought you…and listing all the movies Boyle has done, was nice. I am glad this is teaser though. To be honest, I hope they kind of market this film like Buried, but really show the type of emotion a movie like this invokes. One man has to look back on his life while figuring out how to survive 5 days with his arm caught in a boulder. I mean, this is a very powerful film to say the least. I can’t wait to see more, as Boyle is one of my favorite directors.

127 Hours is the new film from Danny Boyle, the Academy Award winning director of Slumdog Millionaire. 127 Hours is the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s (James Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65 foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued. Throughout his journey, Ralston recalls friends, lovers (Clémence Poésy), family, and the two hikers (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara) he met before his accident. Will they be the last two people he ever had the chance to meet? A visceral thrilling story that will take an audience on a never before experienced journey and prove what we can do when we choose life.

A few months ago we posted that Danny Boyle’s next project after his award winning Slumdog Millionaire was going to be the tale about the American mountain climber who was forced to cut off his own arm after it was crushed on a mountain.

Now Boyle has cast his leading man for this epic tale of survival and that is James Franco. Production Weekly’s Twitter feed, reported that Franco has signed on to star in Boyle’s 127 Hours.

In 2003, mountain climber Aron Ralston made national news when he was forced to amputate his own arm that was crushed under a boulder for more than five days, while climbing in Utah. After the amputation, he had to climb a 65-foot wall of rock to then hike until he was discovered by a family and later rescued by helicopter.

The film was said to start production at the beginning of March in Utah. One man shows are starting to become increasingly popular in Hollywood as films like this one and Buried and many more are being developed. Franco seems like a good choice but he is going to have to show a wide range of acting chops but with Boyle at the helm there is always confidence he will get the most out of the actor.

So this has been rumored for sometime that Lost co-creator, Damon Lindelof, would develop the acclaimed fantasy series from Stephen King. Now its coming out that he and his partner in crime, JJ Abrams, will not be adapting the acclaimed series.

In a story from MTV.com, Abrams had to say on the matter:

“The Dark Tower thing is tricky. It’s such an important piece of writing. The truth is that Damon and I are not looking at that right now.”

In an in interview with USA Today in October Abrams forewarned, “You’ll be hard-pressed to find a huger fan of The Dark Tower than me, but that’s probably the reason that I shouldn’t be the one to adapt it. After working six years on Lost, the last thing I want to do is spend the next seven years adapting one of my favorite books of all time. I’m such a massive Stephen King fan that I’m terrified of screwing it up. I’d do anything to see those movies written by someone else. My guess is they will get made because they’re so incredible. But not by me.”

Which I think JJ has a point there at the fact that he made such a great Star Trek movie because he wasn’t a fan. I think that goes a long way perhaps someone like Micheal J. Bassett would be great at developing it, unfortunately a studio is going to want a name attached to it and Bassett is not quite there yet. Maybe even a guy like Danny Boyle or someone in that vein would be cool. Last guy to mention, Neill Blomkamp?

This ongoing story goes all the way back to 2007 when IGN reported that a film adaptation was is in the works and that J. J. Abrams would produce and direct. Damon Lindelof, who co-created the show Lost with Abrams, had optioned the Dark Tower series from King for a reported nineteen dollars, a number that mysteriously recurs throughout the Dark Tower series of novels.

Entertainment Weekly, reported that King “is an ardent supporter of the desert-island show and trusts Abrams to translate his vision” into a film franchise with Lindelof being “the leading candidate to write the screenplay for the first installment.”

In a July 2009 interview with C21 Media, Lindelof revealed that he and Lost showrunner Carlton Cuse had indeed optioned The Dark Tower‘s rights, but said he was wary about committing to such an ambitious project: “The idea of taking on something that massive again after having done six seasons of Lost is intimidating and slightly frightening, to say the least.”

In April 2009, both Abrams and Lindelof revealed that they would most likely begin adapting the series when Lost concludes in 2010. In May 2009, rumours emerged that Christian Bale was the top contender to play Roland.

I certainly hope that JJ and Damon will give it a go and saying “we are not looking at it right now” could mean a lot of things. We all know they are finishing up Lost, producing, writing, directing a Trek sequel, not to mention JJ has his new spy show at NBC he wants to keep tabs on and then there is the other stuff he has set up at Bad Robot. I bet he is just taking his time because like he said, he does not want to screw the project up, my question is – how long? how long before he gives it up and someone else attaches himself to it.

Fox Searchlight and Danny Boyle are teaming up to make 127 Hours. The film will 

Boyle will be directing this film which should go into production in late 2010. At present the director has written a treatment, and writer Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) is in talks to write the script.

Part of Ralston’s story is that his right forearm was pinned for nearly five days under a boulder while on a climb in Utah in May 2003. At this point he used a dull knife to amputate the limb, and then scaled a 65-foot sheer wall and hiked out before running into a family that provided him with water and food. Eventually he was rescued by helicopter.

If you look at the films Boyle has done they have always been stories that differ from one another but the one thing they have in common is that have always explored something on the human condition. 127 Hours is nothing short of that. I remember when this story came out and how unbelievably touching it was. I can’t imagine having to amputate any part of my body let alone with a pocket knife. Truly it is a gripping tale of survival and if anyone can make a film about it that is Boyle. I smell another Oscar if its done right.

Currently, Boyle is trying to cast the part of Ralston.

The remake was announced back in 2008 with Kiera Knightley attached along with her Love Actually producer Duncan Kenworthy. Now Knightley’s Pride and Prejudice director Joe Wright is attached and she is back attached to the project once having her name removed for Scarlett Johanson.

Daily Telegraph reports Knightley will star in the remake in which Johansson was up for the lead role the site reported that Wright has come on to direct and it seems that Wright has gone with Knightley, who he directed in Pride & Prejudice, to star.

While it’s being called a remake, the film will use the tuner’s score and retain its 1912 setting. Where possible, Kenworthy and Mackintosh intend to shoot the film on location in the original London settings of Covent Garden, Drury Lane, Tottenham Court Road, Wimpole Street and the Ascot racecourse. (The 1964 Warner Bros. film was lensed entirely on Hollywood soundstages.)

The filmmakers plan to adapt Alan Jay Lerner’s book more fully for the screen by drawing additional material from George Bernard Shaw’s play “Pygmalion,” which served as the source material for the musical. The goal is to dramatize the emotional highs and lows of Doolittle as she undergoes the ultimate metamorphosis under the tutelage of Professor Henry Higgins.

Daniel Day Lewis is also attached to the project but we are not sure of his continued involvement. At one point Oscar Award Winner Danny Boyle was pegged to direct the remake but that has since been bunked.

I am all about some remakes and I think this is a great story that could use a little upgrade with new filmmaking techniques and the quality of audio and visual mechanics of making movies that could seriously benefit a story and musical production like this.

The story revolves around the snob Henry Higgins (Lewis – rumored), professor of phonetics, accepts a bet to transform the uncultivated florist Eliza Doolittle into a worthy lady of the high society. He wins the bet but discovers love in the process. The story is based on Pygmalion which has been a foundation for films like ‘Fair Lady and even modern day re-tellings like Pretty Woman.

Alex Garland, the man behind some of my favorite films of the past few years - Sunshine and 28 Days Later – is now writing the script for Judge Dredd of which is set up at his pal Danny Boyle’s DNA Films. Empire, where we caught the story is ludicrously excited by the news, picked up from Twitter by MTV’s Splashpage, that Garland is working on a draft of the script.

The dystopian police-state satire has been running in the weekly 2000AD comic since 1977, and has also had its own monthly ‘Megazine’ since 1990. Lest we forget (or perhaps we should), a 1995 film attempt starred Sylvester Stallone and Rob Schneider, and was directed by Danny Cannon. I didn’t hate the film but it certainly lacked something about the character and the source material.

Dredd is a law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner. Dredd and his fellow Judges are empowered to arrest, sentence and even execute criminals on the spot.

Alex Garland was orginally penning a script for Halo after the project left the hands of Peter Jackson/Neil Blomkamp but his spec passed to Stuart Beattie. Garland also producing a film based off of a script he wrote called Never Let Me Go, starring Kiera Knightley, Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield.

Slumdog Millionaire, this year’s critical darling about the young boy from the slums of Mumbai who stole our heart by discovering love and fortune through the world of a game show, arrives on Blu-ray Disc With Digital Copy and DVD March 31st from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Garnering top honors at the 2009 Academy Awards including Best Picture – Christian Colson, Best Director – Danny Boyle, Best Original Score - A. R. Rahman, Best Original Song – A. R. Rahman and Sampooran Singh Gulzar for “Jai Ho,” and Best Adapted Screenplay – Simon Beaufoy.

Slumdog Millionaire also won four Golden Globe Awards including Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director – Danny Boyle, Best Original Score – A. R. Rahman and Best Adapted Screenplay – Simon Beaufoy, and seven BAFTA Film Awards** including Best Film - Christian Colson, Best Director – Danny Boyle, Best Music – A. R. Rahman and Best Adapted Screenplay – Simon Beaufoy.

I truly cannot wait to add this to my Blu-ray library as it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. A wonderful cinematic piece.

Blu-ray Disc w/Digital Copy Specs

Slumdog Millionaire will be presented in widescreen format (2.35:1aspect ratio) with English/Hindi 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio. Bonus features include:

Disc One

Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire

Deleted Scenes:

• Chase Through Slums Longer Version
• Boys At Container Yard/Beanbags/Yellow Dress
• Prem At Police Station
• Frederick Stevens Question
• Jamal at Opera, Boys Leave Agra
• Jamal Searches, finds Arvind
• Chowpatty Beach And Tulip Star
• Jamal Returns To Tulip Star
• Jamal Wakes In Slum
• “Why Can’t You Leave It Alone”
• Jamal Loses Latika, Calls Salim
• The Folder

From Script To Screen: Toilet Scene

Indian Short Film – Manjha

Bombay Liquid Dance Music Video

Commentary by Director Danny Boyle and Actor Dev Patel

Commentary by Producer Christian Colson and writer Simon Beaufoy

Slumdog Cutdown

Disc Two

Digital Copy

DVD Specs

Slumdog Millionaire single-disc DVD will be presented in widescreen format (2.35:1 aspect ratio) with English/ Hindi 5.1 Dolby Surround Bonus features include:

Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire

Deleted Scenes:

• Chase Through Slums Longer Version
• Boys At Container Yard/Beanbags/Yellow Dress
• Prem At Police Station
• Frederick Stevens Question
• Jamal at Opera, Boys Leave Agra
• Jamal Searches, finds Arvind
• Chowpatty Beach And Tulip Star
• Jamal Returns To Tulip Star
• Jamal Wakes In Slum
• “Why Can’t You Leave It Alone”
• Jamal Loses Latika, Calls Salim
• The Folder

Commentary by Director Danny Boyle and Actor Dev Patel

Commentary by Producer Christian Colson and Writer Simon Beaufoy

Slumdog Cutdown

Retail Information

• Street Date: March 31, 2009
• Pre-book Date: 03/04/09

Pricing:

• $39.98 U.S. /$49.99 Canada (Blu-ray Disc With Digital Copy)
• $29.98 U.S. / $43.48 Canada (DVD)

MPAA Rating: R

Movie Run Time: 120 minutes

Closed Captioned: Yes

According to the gossip trade equal to our National Enquirer, The Sun, located across the pond, is reporting that Slumdog Millionaire director, Danny Boyle, is in talks to direct the next Bond film.

According to article:

“A source said: Danny is the man of the moment and he is being bombarded with offers from studios. He has been offered the chance to direct the 23rd Bond film by Barbara. The EON team love his vision and think that it would work perfectly for the new look of Bond. Danny has always insisted he is more interested in the film than the money. However, with Daniel Craig’s involvement and the way the films are now structured — with the emphasis on the characters and plot rather than gags and gadgets — it is right up Danny’s street. Everyone on the EON team thinks Danny would be a fantastic addition to the Bond family.”

Now take all of this with a grain of salt as this publication isn’t the best when it comes to reliability. That being said this is an interesting notion and one that I would welcome whole hardly. I am massive fan of Boyle’s even before Slumdog. I loved 28 Days Later, Sunshine and The Beach. All of these films have such unique style and great thrills encompassed with good characters. Seeing as the direction of the Bond franchise has taken the turn for a more gritty look with more emphasis on characters than blockbuster junk, Boyle is a good fit. However to play the Devil’s Advocate, Marc Forster was a director seemingly of the same derision, having films that focused more on character than action and Quantum of Solace turned out to be less than mediocre. I do not see Danny Boyle making the same mistake but ultimately it comes down to the idea of him wanting to do a big budget film, which is something that has never interested him. If he does it, Bond, will never be the same. Still I would love to see Wong Kar Wai direct a Bond film before anyone else.