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New TV show Paradox is UK's answer to FlashForward
2 hours ago
If you're a fan of American series FlashForward, you are sure to be interested in new British drama Paradox.
Starting on Tuesday, November 24, on BBC1, Paradox has crimes, cops and car chases but is unlike any other police show out there, despite the unavoidable comparisons that will be made with FlashForward.
Tamzin Outhwaite, 39, takes the lead in the new five-part drama and quickly realised it offered something different. "Initially I thought it was a sci-fi project," she says.
"Then I read the script and realised it wasn't at all. It's about a bunch of police officers who are trying to work out whether there is a wormhole between two time zones."
The story begins with space scientist Christian, played by Emun Elliott (pictured above), receiving crimescene-like images - apparently from the future.
He contacts Detective Inspector Rebecca Flint, played by Tamzin, and with the assistance of her police colleagues Ben »
- David Bentley
Twilight's New Moon: More news and exclusive picture galleries
3 hours ago
Twilight's New Moon is set to be big hit at the box office this weekend.
The film, based on the second in Stephenie Meyer's series of novels, sees Bella (Kristen Stewart) dealing with the disappearance of her vampire lover Edward (Robert Pattinson) and forming a growing friendship with Quileute native American Jacob (Taylor Lautner).
For more on Twilight: New Moon, see yesterday's (November 20) print edition of the Coventry Telegraph.
Online, you can find loads more Twilight articles by clicking on the Twilight tag here.
And if you want to gaze at the stars of the franchise, see our exclusive image galleries of pictures from the film here and pictures from the UK fan party here.
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- David Bentley
Running time for James Cameron's Avatar is announced
3 hours ago
There's something of an obsession among film fans over running times and that fixation has most recently been directed at James Cameron's upcoming 3D sci-fi adventure Avatar.
Speculation has been rife that the movie will have a runtime of more than three hours.
Now, Bruce Snyder, president of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox, which is handling the release of the movie, has given an answer.
Snyder has revealed that the running time will be 150 minutes (2hrs 30mins) which may rise to a maximum of 156 minutes when the credits are added.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, this will allow cinemas to offer three daytime showings and two evening screenings.
The length of Avatar, which will play in both 3D and standard 2D formats, has been governed by the plans to show the film at IMAX venues.
IMAX cinemas that do not use digital projection are limited to film spools »
- David Bentley
Terminator Salvation marches on to DVD and Blu-ray
4 hours ago
Terminator Salvation, the fourth film in the series, hits UK stores in DVD and Blu-ray format on Monday.
Directed by McG and set in 2018, it stars Christian Bale as future resistance leader John Connor and Sam Worthington as death-row prisoner Marcus Wright who finds himself a new player in the war between man and machine.
Star Trek's Chekov, actor Anton Yelchin, plays a young Kyle Reese, who we saw sent back in time to save Sarah Connor in the first film. Helena Bonham Carter puts in a brief appearance as a scientist whose work proves crucial to the machine-controlling computer system Skynet.
The $200million power-packed action film comes in a standard DVD featuring the normal version released in cinemas, and in a special Extended Cut on Blu-ray. The Blu-ray is also loaded with bonus features.
The film gained very mixed reviews on its release, so what's the Extended Cut like? »
- David Bentley
Michael Shanks on Hawkman role in Smallville TV movie
13 hours ago
Michael Shanks is best known as archaeologist Daniel Jackson in TV's various Stargate spin-offs including the latest series starring Robert Carlyle, Sgu Stargate Universe.
For an upcoming two-hour Smallville movie event, called Absolute Justice, Shanks will once again play an archaeologist but this time with wings as the DC Comics character Carter Hall aka Hawkman.
The special, which introduces other superheroes including Dr Fate and Stargirl, airs on February 5 in the USA and a first look at the character in costume is included above. Spoilers Ahead
He told Comic Book Movie: "There are a few scenes involving him flying into various sets. One of them is in Watchtower and we'll also see him on the Daily Planet roof.
"There's no stunt guy, so I need to ace this so I don't make Hawkman look like a goofball. It's traditional wirework that involves strapping on this harness so that large men »
- David Bentley
Twilight's New Moon breaks records, beats Harry Potter and The Dark Knight
13 hours ago
There were no early bedtimes for Twihards as the second film in the series, New Moon, opened at midnight on Thursday.
The hysterically-anticipated sequel was greeted by its largely female audience with screams, cheers and tears as they flocked to see the movie. Some girls in the Us reportedly clutched handbags rattling with bottles of prescription tranquillisers so they could make it through the film without uncontrollable frenzy or fainting fits.
And the fans' dedication paid off. The Twilight Saga: New Moon proved to be more of an eclipse in its theatrical debut, breaking two box office records before this weekend is even over.
According to figures for North America, the vampire romance set a new record for a midnight opening, taking $26.27million and beating Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince's $22.2million from July 15, which had itself smashed the previous record set by The Dark Knight's $18.4million from July 18 last year. »
- David Bentley
Idris Elba joins cast of Marvel Studios' Thor
20 November 2009 6:53 AM, PST
Idris Elba has joined the cast of Kenneth Branagh's comic book adaptation Thor, according to Heat Vision.
The London-born star will play Heimdall, the guardian of Asgard who stands on the rainbow bridge (Bifrost) which connects to Earth, in order to defend the gods' realm from intruders.
Elba, 37, will next be seen in heist thriller Taken and is also in comic book adaptation The Losers. His previous credits include The Unborn, RocknRolla, American Gangster, 29 Weeks Later and The Reaping.
Shooting on Thor, based on Marvel's comic book version of the Norse thunder god, is due to begin in mid-January in California. The film is set for release on May 20, 2011.
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- David Bentley
First look at David Tennant in Doctor Who special The End of Time
20 November 2009 4:22 AM, PST
Time Lord David Tennant looks ready for a holiday in the Christmas special of Doctor Who.
The Doctor dons a Hawaiian-style garland, a straw hat and sunglasses, despite the snowy white backdrop.
The picture forms part of a tantalising sneak preview set to air on tonight's Children in Need.
The clip, from the special titled The End of Time, Part One, will keep fans guessing over what is in store as Tennant prepares to bow out, regenerating into Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor.
Viewers have seen the current Doctor realise his time is running out, and characters such as The Master, played by John Simm, will make a return for the story's big climax.
Tennant said: "Doctor Who has always been a big supporter of Children in Need. We're really pleased that this year our very special Christmas story is being exclusively previewed on the show.
"Doctor Who fans »
- David Bentley
Brad Pitt set to star in adaptation of new game Dark Void
20 November 2009 2:07 AM, PST
Brad Pitt could star in a planned film version of upcoming video game Dark Void after the actor's production company Plan B and Indian media conglomerate Reliance Big Entertainment bought the film rights from Capcom.
According to Variety, the idea is to develop a big-screen franchise from the game, which is released on PS3, PC and Xbox 360 in January.
Dark Void follows a pilot who crash lands in the Bermuda Triangle following a routine mission and finds himself in an alternative world resembling a primitive Earth where aliens with superior technology are planning to take over civilisation.
This is the first project to come out of the partnership between Plan B and Reliance, which had been announced at the Cannes film festival in 2008.
Reliance has also agreed development deals with George Clooney, Nicolas Cage, Brett Ratner, Chris Columbus, Jay Roach, Jim Carrey, Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks as it seeks »
- David Bentley
Sigourney Weaver on the mind-blowing, knicker-wetting experience of Avatar
20 November 2009 1:32 AM, PST
Sigourney Weaver says James Cameron's upcoming sci-fi film Avatar is so amazing that viewers will need several changes of underwear.
The film, opening on December 18, is a 3D sci-fi epic set about 100 years in the future. It cost a reported $220million to make and is director James Cameron's first feature film since Titanic.
When Sigourney saw a screening of the finished film, she says she and castmate Stephen Lang "were nervous as two kittens."
She added: "About a third of the way in he turned to me and said, 'People are going to piss themselves when they see this movie.' I thought to myself, they're going to piss themselves again and again and again. Because it's just one amazing scene after the other."
Weaver plays botanist Grace Augustine, who's studying the beautiful jungle moon Pandora, home to a species of 10ft tall blue humanoid creatures called Na'vi. »
- David Bentley
Sam Worthington to star in The Last Days of American Crime
19 November 2009 7:52 AM, PST
Sam Worthington is to play the lead in a film adaptation of Radical Publishing's The Last Days of American Crime, reports Mania.
Written by Rick Remender, who's also penning the screenplay, the comic book is a fast-paced crime story set in the not-too-distant future.
The Us government is planning to halt terrorism and crime by secretly broadcasting a mind-control signal that stops people committing unlawful acts.
To keep this from the public, the government creates a distraction with a new currency system using digital charge cards.
The media leaks news of the anti-crime signal a week before it goes live, and just as career criminal Graham Brick (Worthington) is planning to steal one of the charging stations, skip the country and live off unlimited funds for the rest of his life.
He and and his team now have just a few days pull off the last crime in American history. »
- David Bentley
Fan dragged away after stripping for Robert Pattinson
19 November 2009 7:46 AM, PST
Robert Pattinson has recalled the horror he felt after jokingly telling a fan to strip, only for her to do just that.
Fortunately a security man saved her blushes, removing her before the striptease got out of hand.
In an interview for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Twilight star said he had been bored with reciting the same old niceties to autograph hunters.
He recalls: "It happened after a period of signing 500 signatures.
"You kind of get ten seconds with each person and you never really say anything and I kind of got bored of saying, 'Hey, how are you doing?'
"A fan said in her ten seconds, 'What can I do to get your attention?' I was like um, just take your clothes off.'
"She stood there and frantically started taking her clothes off and got dragged out of the room by security. I never felt more terrible. »
- David Bentley
New Moon: How they made Robert Pattinson sparkle and turn into a vision
19 November 2009 5:08 AM, PST
The Visual Effects supervisor on The Twilight Saga: New Moon has revealed how they created the supernatural imagery for Robert Pattinson's vampire character Edward Cullen.
Susan MacLeod worked on making Edward's skin sparkle in sunlight and turning him into an apparition that appears before Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart).
She explained how they devised the look of the hallucinatory image, revealing: "We didn't want anything scary, because he is sort of the romanticised memory in Bella's mind of the love of her life that she's lost. I came at it with wanting a touchstone from the natural world and my first thought was water.
"So I pitched that to [director] Chris [Weitz] and he suggested fire but not fire like an inferno but like a flame, like Bella is holding a torch for Edward. I thought it was a nice metaphor. And flame and water have similar sorts of essences to them »
- David Bentley
Anne Hathaway 'approached for role in Spider-Man 4'
19 November 2009 4:32 AM, PST
Yet another actress is reported to be under consideration for a possible role in the next Spider-Man film.
This time it's Anne Hathaway joining the queue of female contenders.
Her previous credits include Brokeback Mountain, The Devil Wears Prada and Becoming Jane.
According to a report by Movie Scoop, and subsequently Deadline Hollywood, producers of Spider-Man 4 have approached the 27-year-old actress to star in the film.
No role was specified but fan speculation suggests it's Felicia Hardy aka the villainous love interest Black Cat.
Movie Scoop says, however, that the star is in line to play a character called Valeria while Deadline Hollywood confirms Hathaway won't replace Kirsten Dunst who is already cast to reprise the role of Mary-Jane Watson.
Hathaway is the fourth actress to be linked to the film following earlier rumours centring on Rachel McAdams, Romola Garai and Julia Stiles.
McAdams denied the reports and Garai »
- David Bentley
Award-winning sci-fi film Triple Hit at Falstaff International Film Festival
19 November 2009 2:03 AM, PST
Leamington Spa film company Entanglement Productions has won third place in the Best Film category of the Iov (Institute of Videography) awards with its sci-fi thriller Triple Hit.
The film's writer/producer/director Huw Bowen is pictured below receving the award from Iov's Chris Waterlow and former Tomorrow's World star Maggie Philbin in an Oscars-style ceremony at the Iov Annual Convention, held at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.
Triple Hit was one of only five short-listed titles within the Best Film category. Judges were looking for exceptional video production standards, originality and creative flair.
The film is among the 150-plus movies being screened this week at the first Falstaff International Film Festival in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire.
The film - previously called Schrodinger's Girl - centres on Rebecca Hunter, a disgraced scientist conducting research into alternate universes. She discovers a way to travel between realities and then finds her parallel-world counterparts have »
- David Bentley
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson talks Shazam! and Captain America
18 November 2009 3:45 PM, PST
Dwayne Johnson, the former professional wrestler known as The Rock, has long been linked to a role in the film adaptation of the DC Comics' title Shazam!
The comic is named after the magic word - an acronym of the names of six legendary figures from the ancient world - uttered by teenager Billy Batson to transform into the adult superhero Captain Marvel.
Johnson was at one point in talks with Shazam! director Peter Segal (Get Smart) about playing the villain Black Adam, who has the same powers as the hero. Patrick Warburton was the actor linked to the lead role.
Johnson told Moviefone he's still interested and 'would love to' take on the Black Adam role in the Warner Bros movie.
Speaking at the premiere of new animated movie Planet 51, he said: "We have talked about that for such a long time. I am not quite too »
- David Bentley
New Moon director Chris Weitz: I thought vampire craze was over
18 November 2009 3:42 PM, PST
Last Weekend saw Roland Emmerich's global disaster movie 2012 bring in $225million at the box office.
This weekend there is likely to be another series of earth-shaking tremors caused by the stampedes of Twihards to see New Moon, the second film in the Twilight franchise.
It willl be interesting to see its opening ticket sales and how it impacts on 2012's second weekend.
But Chris Weitz (pictured right), director of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, has revealed the public passion for bloodsuckers has taken him completely by surprise.
He thought TV's Buffy show was the stake through the heart of the vampire craze.
He took the reins on New Moon, based on Stephenie Meyer's second vampire romance novel, as brother Paul Weitz started pre-production on Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, an adaptation of the first three novellas in Darren Shan's best-selling teenage vampire saga.
Chris said: "We »
- David Bentley
Terminator Salvation website launched: Win a Ducati bike and play 3D game
18 November 2009 3:38 PM, PST
Terminator Salvation, the fourth film in the series, comes out on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on Monday (November 23) and to mark the event, a new official website has today gone live.
You can get information on the Blu-ray and DVD release, including details of the story, cast and crew; production notes; video clips; and a photo gallery. There are also wallpapers, screensavers and messenger icons to download.
The site also allows you to play a 3D game on your desktop and enter a competition to win a Ducati motorcycle.
The first prize is a Ducati Hypermotard 1100 bike, the inspiration for the awesome Moto-Terminator machines in the movie (see picture above). There is a second prize of a Ducati motorcycle helmet and a third prize of a Ducati leather biker jacket.
Visit the website by clicking here.
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- David Bentley
Robert Pattinson on his nerve-wracking striptease in front of 2,000 people
18 November 2009 7:23 AM, PST
Fans of Robert Pattinson will no doubt be melting into pubescent puddles of dreamy desire when the heart-throb takes his shirt off in this weekend's Twilight sequel New Moon.
But Pattinson himself says he found stripping off for The Twilight Saga: New Moon was a nerve-wracking - and also uplifting - experience.
The British actor, who plays vampire Edward Cullen, said the scene was like "a striptease".
"I felt pretty goofy stepping out into the sunlight in front of 2,000 people in a town square, ripping my clothes off," the 23-year-old said.
"I was essentially doing a striptease. But here's the irony, it was also one of the moments where I've really felt closest to people's emotional attachment to Edward. It was quite uplifting and it was also very nerve-wracking."
To satisfy the teenage thirst for the boys and their pecs, "You get a lot of nipple shots in this movie, »
- David Bentley
Julia Stiles is latest to be linked to role in Spider-Man 4
18 November 2009 7:08 AM, PST
Julia Stiles is the latest actress to be caught up in the web of rumour and speculation about a role in Spider-Man 4.
The 28-year-old, whose credits include all three Bourne films and The Omen remake, met with a casting company in New York, according to Ugo.
No role was specified, but it's being speculated she is another actress under consideration to play villainous love interest Felicia Hardy aka Black Cat. It's worth adding that we don't yet know if Black Cat is even part of the story.
Stiles had apparently been considered for the role of Susan Storm/Invisible Woman in Fantastic Four, before Jessica Alba landed the part.
Rachel McAdams earlier denied reports that she had met with producers over the Black Cat role. Romola Garai admitted being among hundreds of actresses who had attended open auditions but said she was not going to be cast in the film. »
- David Bentley
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