Jennifer Aniston plays a therapist to a hooker in this hilarious new trailer for She’s Funny That Way. This screwball comedy also stars Owen Wilson, Imogen Poots, Kathryn Hahn, Will Forte & Rhys Ifans. The film premiered last summer at the Venice Film Festival and was co-scripted by Peter Bogdanovich and his ex-wife Louise Stratten.
She’s Funny That Way depicts the cast and crew of a Broadway play as they are thrown into chaos when the director (Owen Wilson) casts a former hooker-turned-actress (Imogen Poots) to star opposite his wife (Kathryn Hahn) and his wife’s ex-lover (Rhys Ifans).
The movie features an impressive cast of comedic talents and with a director like Bogdanovich this looks like it could be a really good film. Previously titled Squirrels to the Nuts (we’re glad they changed that title!) the film will premiere on April 10.
We take a look at the soundtrack for the long awaited and thirstily expected film Fifty Shades of Grey, the listing of which was revealed last week, and it includes the likes of Ellie Goulding and Beyoncé.Not to be confused with the classical album for Fifty Shades of Grey which was released in August 2012. The lead male character, Christian Grey, has a penchant for classical music and this previous album was released for readers to listen to whilst indulging in a little S&M literature, chosen by the author himself, E.L. James.
Tap any video title to open it in Creation 5.
The hype around these books was something extreme in itself, akin to the popularity of Harry Potter and Twilight (in a different genre of course) but notably touching on the erotica, which for so long has been taboo and not in the mainstream. These stories of ‘Red Rooms’ and sexual explorations have long been out of the norm and now we are all waiting with trepidation as to how Hollywood will turn this into a blockbuster movie.
To provide the music for such a movie required a delicate touch; there is quite a variety when it comes to sound, generation, beat and sensitivity but here is the low down to the sound of Fifty Shades – it’s hip, sexy and pretty awesome. Itwill be released on February 10, just a few days before the film’s February 13 worldwide release.
Full Tracklist: 1. I Put A Spell on You – Annie Lennox 2. Undiscovered – Laura Welsh 3. Earned It – The Weekend 4. Meet Me in the Middle – Jessie Ware 5. Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding 6. Haunted (Michael Diamond remix) – Beyoncé 7. Salted Wound – Sia 8. Beast of Burden – The Rolling Stones 9. I’m On Fire – AWOLNATION 10. Crazy In Love – Beyoncé 11. Witchcraft – Frank Sinatra 12. Where You Belong – The Weeknd 13. I Know You – Skylar Grey 14. Anna and Christian – Danny Elfman 15. Did That Hurt – Danny Elfman
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A very Happy Birthday to the brilliant Rowan Atkinson who turns 60 today. What with Mr Bean, Johnny English and Blackadder – Rowan Atkinson has been making us laugh for years!
The multi-talented actor, comedian and screenwriter is most famous for his sitcoms Mr Bean and Blackadder. The Observer listed him in their 50 Funniest Actors in British Comedy and also amongst the Top 50 Comedians of all time.
Atkinson first appeared in the spotlight in the Oxford Revue at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 1976 and in 1978 he started a series of comedy shows for BBC Radio 3 called the Atkinson People (written by Atkinson, Richard Curtis and produced by Griff Rhys-Jones). However, it was his appearance on Not the Nine O’Clock News from 1979 – 1982 that really introduced him to the world.
Atkinson is known and loved for speaking absurd lines with a completely deadpan delivery, for making the most incredible faces and expressions and for making hilarious fun of himself. News is just out today (January 6) that Atkinson will don tights for the first time since Blackadder to feature in the upcoming sixth series of the BBC’s historical comedy children’s show, Horrible Histories, playing Henry VII.
We don’t know much about his personal life, he has managed quite successfully to keep that private – but we do know that he loves cars, and with an estimated fortune of approximately £85 million, he is able to indulge his passion. He owns an Mclaren F1, Renalut 5 GT Turbo, Austin Metro, Audi A8 and a Honda Civic Hybrid, to name just a few. He is obsessed with cars but hates Porsche: “I have a problem with Porsches. They’re wonderful cars, but I know I could never live with one. Somehow, the typical Porsche people – and I wish them no ill – are not, I feel, my kind of people. I don’t go around saying that Porsches are a pile of dung, but I do know that psychologically I couldn’t handle owning one.”
In celebration of Atkinson’s birthday we have gathered together some of our favourite funny moments from the last 30 years. To watch these videos in a playlist, scroll to the bottom of the post.
Release: December 25, 2014 The Gambler is based on the 1974 film of the same name written by James Toback. The remake, starring Mark Wahlberg, is a literature professor with a hidden life as a high stakes gambler runs afoul of gangsters. Also starring; John Goodman, Brie Larson, Michael K. Williams, Jessica Lange, Anthony Kelley, Alvin Ing, Domenick Lombardozzi, Emory Cohen, Steve Park, Leland Orser, and George Kennedy.
Release Date: December 25, 2014 This is a chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay’s “Selma” tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. The film stars David Oyelowo as King, Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon Johnson, Common as Bevel, and Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King. Tim Roth, Oprah Winfrey, Martin Sheen and Cuba Gooding Jr. add to the starlit cast.
Release: December 31 A crime drama set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically one of the most violent years in the city’s history, and centered on a the lives of an immigrant and his family trying to expand their business and capitalize on opportunities as the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built. The film stars Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain with Alessandro Nivola, David Oyelowo, Albert Brooks, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.
Release: March 13 A live-action feature inspired by the classic fairy tale, Cinderella brings to life the timeless images from Disney’s 1950 animated masterpiece as fully-realized characters in a visually dazzling spectacle for a whole new generation. Starring Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine, Lily James as Cinderalla, Richard Madden as the Prince, Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother, Stellan Skarsgard as Arch Grand Duke and Sophie McShera as Drizella.
Release: March 17 You’ve got to love a bit of Will Ferrell. This new comedy depicts Ferrell as James King, a super wealthy guy that gets done for fraud and sentenced to ten years in a maximum security prison. The film follows King as he recruits Darnell Lewis (Hart) to teach him how to survive in prison under the assumption that he actually had been there himself. Starring Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Alison Brie, Edwina Findley and Craig T. Nelson.
Release: May 1 The Marvel comics superhero team The Avengers are back with a vengeance and work together to defeat Ultron, their enemy bent on human extinction. The film has a loaded cast of stars with Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, James Spader, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Release: June 12 Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park (1993), Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. After 10 years of operation and visitor rates declining, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitor’s interest, which backfires horribly.
Release: June 19 The third in the Marvel comic series stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell as the Fantastic Four. The team work together to save Earth from a one-time friend turned enemy “Doom” (Toby Kebbell).
Release: July 10 The Minions have done it, they’ve got their own movie. This prequel to the very successful Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 comes with lots of laughs and Minion language for kids and adults alike. Starring Sandra Bullock as the voice of the female villain and John Hamm as her husband.
Release: July 17 This is definitely a big year for Marvel comic characters. Ant Man stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Wood Harris, Jordi Molla, and Michael Douglas. The plot; Thief Scott Lang must aid his mentor Dr. Hank Pym in safeguarding the mystery of the Ant-Man technology – which allows its user to decrease in size but increase in strength – from various new threats, and plot a heist that will save the Earth.
Release: November 6 This is the twenty fourth Bond film, the second by Sam Mendes and the fourth for Daniel Craig starring as James Bond. The actual name of the movie is Spectre and the plot is A cryptic message from an unlikely source sets James Bond (Craig) navigating the layers of a sinister organisation known as SPECTRE. As M (Ralph Fiennes) continues fighting political pressures that threaten the future of MI6, Bond draws closer to uncovering a hidden truth that threatens to destroy everything he has fought to protect.
Release: December 18 Episode seven in the Star Wars series is set 30 years after Return of The Jedi’s events. The film stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. The Force Awakens also features Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker, reprising their roles from previous films.
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The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. The latest 37th edition, held at the beginning of last month at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, honoured ballerina Patricia McBride, singer-songwriter Sting, singer Al Green, comedienne Lily Tomlin and actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama presided over the star-studded gala and the honorees sat with them in the presidential box. The honorees don’t have to give acceptance speeches or perform, and they don’t know who is paying tribute to them in advance. “Allow us to love you,” host Steven Colbert said. “Tonight, Washington puts the arts above politics, because no matter what party you belong to, everyone wants a selfie with Tom Hanks,” Colbert said.
President Obama stated in his introductory speech: “The group on stage with me tonight understands what President Kennedy understood: that our art is a reflection of us not just as people, but as a nation. It binds us together. Songs and dance and film express our triumphs and our faults, our strengths, our tenderness in ways that sometimes words simply cannot do. And so we honor those who have dedicated their lives to this endeavor.”
The event conveys such a lot of warmth and appreciation for those being honoured and quite a lot of fun and giggles as well as you watch the celebrity attendees behaving like real groupies at a One Direction concert.
Just being there, Al Green said, “means the world to me.” The 68-year-old soul singer turned Baptist preacher said the honor was different from selling millions of records or winning multiple Grammys. “I worked 40 years to get this one.”
This has to be broadcast TV’s classiest show and the star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center stage was a sight to behold. We’ve collected together our favourite performances from the show – ones you’ll want to keep in your collection. If you would prefer to listen to the songs in a playlist format – no problem, scroll to the bottom of the page for that.
(Tap on any video title to watch it using Creation 5 Media App.)
In our opinion it was Bruno Mars who stole the show with his musical tribute to Sting. Mars kicked off his tribute with the 1978 chart topper So Lonely from the Police’s debut album Outlandos d’Amour. He followed this with the 1979 mega hit Message in a Bottle from the Regatta de Blanc album. The cast of Sting’s broadway musical The Last Ship then joined Mars on stage for the “Sending out an SOS” part of the song – which was quite a real surprise for Sting. Soon enough Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and President Obama were singing along, as were the rest of the audience.
Lady Gaga’s performance of If I Ever Lose My Faith in You to honor Sting was a powerful, heartfelt rendition. She changed the words to “If I ever lose my faith in you/oh, it would sting, how it would sting.”
Another highlight for us was when Pentatonix hit the stage to honour actor Tom Hanks with a great performance from his 1997 film of the same name, which is the story of a boy band that rises to fame from the success of the catchy track That Thing You Do.
The controversy continues! The Interview is turning out to be THE most controversial film of all time. Eminem admits he’s gay in a hilarious cameo and the world over reacts…It’s quite ironic that the spotlight is off North Korea and onto far more important things, like a global superstar admitting he is gay. Eminem shows himself to be a far superior actor than Seth Rogan and James Franco – he plays deadpan perfectly whilst Franco hams it up and goes way over the top. (This scene isn’t exactly a spoiler, though it does reveal the opening sequence of the movie.)
It isn’t just the ‘gay scene’ that is causing controversy. There are two more issues – without including the delicate North Korea situation. The first is a copyright infringement allegation. Sony is about to be sued for using copyrighted music without permission and without compensating the artist.
Yoon Mi-rae (real name Natasha Shanta Reid) is a US-born hip hop and R&B singer who currently releases music on the Feel Ghood Music label. At the beginning of 2013 she hit the Nº1 spot on the Korean music charts and reached the same heights on the Billboard Kpop Hot 100 list with her song Touch Love. Apparently she was in negotiations with Sony to have her track Pay Day appear in The Interview and even though no agreement was reached, the music was used anyway.
“There were initial discussions for using Pay Day in the movie, but at some point, the discussions ceased and we assumed that it would not follow through,” Feel Ghood Music says. “However, after the movie was released, we learned that the track had been used without permission, legal procedure, or contracts.”
“We will be taking legal action against Sony Pictures as well as DFSB, the agency that had been carrying out the discussion regarding the use of the track,” the label says.
It does seem unlikely that the legal action will come to anything much and hopefully Yoon Mi-rae should not only be able to secure a good amount of cash but she has now raised her profile in a way that would have never been possible if Sony had gone ahead and paid her before the release.
The second controversial issue is Sony’s battle with rampant piracy issues – the latest figures suggest that the movie has been downloaded over 1.5 million times illegally.
All this controversy should make you want to see the movie – even if it’s only to annoy a really cruel dictator.
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Bond, James Bond; our favourite swarthy, smooth, lady-loving secret agent has always been accompanied by more than just beautiful Bond girls. The scores and theme tunes to so many of the 007 movies have become popular in their own right, some even having been awarded Golden Globes and Academy Awards…the following is a list of the best, most successful and celebrated James Bond songs ever written.
The relationship between Bond and composer John Barry began with his work on Dr. No in 1962. Following the success of this he was asked to compose the score for the sequel plus arrange the title song, thus inspiring one of the most symbiotic musical partnerships in screen history. From Russia with Love was written by Lionel Bart and powerfully sung by Matt Monro. It differs from the rest on this winners list by being played over the closing credits in the movie as opposed to the typical opening song.
The film that perfected the 007 formula and sound and maintains the classic voice of Bond theme tunes, Goldfinger marked Barry’s first top-to-bottom Bond score, but the title song alongside Shirley Bassey’s delivery provide the greatest Bond theme tune to date. Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley supplied roaringly melodramatic lyrics for Barry’s brassy, classy music which gave Bassey her only US Top 10 hit.
Nancy Sinatra provided the appropriately haunting vocals on this most bewitching of Bond theme songs. With lyrics, written by Leslie Bricusse and now veteran at Bond music, John Barry in control of the rest (his best score yet), this could not fail to become one of the most recognized and successful of the Bond title songs.
One of Barry’s main assets as a composer has always been his dramatic nous, and never more so than on this introduction to Sean Connery’s sixth and last Eon-produced Bond movie, which won him an Ivor Novello award. From the sinister, sparkling opening to the punchy climax, all his hallmarks are there: lyrical melodies, gently propulsive dotted bass figure, rich orchestration and bold theatricality. It saw Bassey return for her second 007 venture, belting out Don Black’s brazenly materialistic words with typical gusto.
Paul McCartney turned his musical skills to Bond and what a masterpiece he constructed; and it only took him a few hours one afternoon apparently. This continues to be one of McCartney’s favourites in his live performances. A British agent dies by snakebite, and composer (and former “fifth Beatle”) George Martin’s strings slither mercilessly down and melt into the opening of this melodious punchy number. This combined with Maurice Binder’s superb flaming-skull visuals make Live and Let Die’s opening credits the most exciting of the lot.
This became Carly Simon’s biggest and best known hit. Her vocals perfectly matched the Bond sound alongside the talents of Marvin Hamlisch whose arrangements made Nobody Does it Better a huge success. This was the first 007 opening theme song not to be named after its film (the Spy Who Loved Me), and also the first to be nominated for an Oscar.
Moonraker saw James Barry, back on the Bond team as he delivered a superlative score and a title track that’s not his most celebrated, but definitely among his most beautiful. Returning to Bond for a third and final time, Bassey injects considerable passion into this yearning love song (lyrics again by Hal David), while Barry’s strings ripple into infinity.
There’s no way there could be a best Bond theme list without this being on it. It’s classic, it’s upbeat and it’s very, very eighties (see mullets, trench coats and very outdated graphics for reference). What more could you want? Hey presto, A View To a Kill makes it to the top of the 007 theme tune success stories. This was the first time a band had ever collaborated to make a Bond song but the successes and sounds of Duran Duran at the time made them a natural choice. And, Simon Le Bon looks very comfortable acting the Bond part (perhaps he saw it as a semi-audition?).
In true Adele style she has captured the essence of all that is Bond, James Bond, with the Skyfall theme tune. She gave her first performance of the song at the Academy Awards where it became the first Bond theme tune to win an award for best and at the Golden Globes and Brit Awards. Skyfall achieved impressive statistics by getting to number two on the UK charts, eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and skyrocketing to the top of the iTunes chart. Aside from that, in our opinion, it is the first modern 007 track that represents the original stylings of the traditional Bond while managing to incorporate a contemporary edge. Nice work Adele.
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Famous musicians often collaborate with movie directors to produce soundtracks for films. Here are some of the biggest success stories falling under this category, many of the tracks have become classic songs in their own right, and the composers even more famous for having written them.
Elton John wrote the music for the Disney animated movie The Lion King alongside Tim Rice and Hans Zimmer. There were many songs on the soundtrack which became timeless favourites for kids and adults alike such as Hakuna Matata, The Circle of Life and I Just Can’t Wait to be King to name the most famous. Thanks to the success of the soundtrack the movie was made into a Broadwa musical in 1997, one of the biggest musicals ever produced by Disney Theatrical winning a Tony Award in 1998 for Best Musical. It is Broadway’s fourth longest running show in history and the highest grossing Broadway production of all time, having grossed more than $1 billion. The show went on stage in nineteen locations worldwide, running for many years. The Broadway and West End versions are still running to date and there continues to be new show openings, for example in Switzerland starting in 2015.
Eddy Vedder, the lead singer of one of the most famous and longstanding Indie rock band’s, Pearl Jam, turned his hand to the soundtrack of Into The Wild (2007). This is the biographical tale of Christopher McCandless’ adventure (fantastically played by Emile Hirsch) across North America and his time spent in the wilderness of Alaska after giving up everything and giving away all his savings to charity. It’s a beautiful movie capturing the essence of this boy’s spirit and ultimately, loneliness. The soundtrack reflects his mental and physical journey during this stunning, captivating portrayal in this epic drama directed by Sean Penn. The song Guaranteed (Vedder) was nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes. Eddie Vedder sings most of the original songs on the soundtrack, written by him, Michael Brook and Kaki King. Kristen Stewart also makes a musical appearance when she performs onstage in the film as her character Tracy Tatro in Tracy’s Song.
The original music for the animated sequel Despicable Me 2 (2013), which some would say it is better than the first, was written by Pharrell Williams alongside Heitor Pereira. The most famous song to come out of this semi-superhero movie would be Happy (Pharrell) which reached Nº1 in the US, the UK (on three separate occasions), Canada, New Zealand and 20 other countries. Unfortunately for Pharrell he missed out on an Academy Award (for Best Original Song) to Let It Go from Frozen but hey, he sold over 10 million copies worldwide and he won the Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Song, so he’s got to be pretty Happy. The other original songs by the superstar were Scream, Just a Cloud Away, Fun Fun Fun and Despicable Me.
Quadrophenia (1979) is a cult classic based on the musical era that involved the battles between the Mods and Rockers. The backdrop for this movie is a bank holiday weekend in Brighton and the soundtrack was lovingly prepared and written by super band The Who. The movie was written loosely based on the Rock Opera Quadrophenia by The Who in 1973. The band also wrote the soundtrack to Tommy which unlike Quadrophenia (the film) was a musical. This movie brings you violence, arrests, sex, riots, depression, drugs a killer soundtrack and stars a young Sting, Ray Winstone, Toyah Wilcox, Timothy Spall, Leslie Ash and Phil Daniels.
Flash Gordon was the ninth studio album and first soundtrack written by Queen (the second being Highlander). Although the album only reached Nº1 in the UK charts, and 23 in the US, it has surpassed many other soundtracks for its affectivity and power of delivery. The movie, these days, seems dated, the effects are beyond retro, there’s some seriously questionable acting and costumes from a Priscilla Queen of the Dessert/Jean Paul Gaultier wardrobe, but, and this is a big but, it’s just a classic. Just lay back and think of Emperor Ming, Brian Blessed and a whole bucket of presumptuous, action packed, sultry, battle for galactic domination with an all-American attitude. The most famous song is the title song Flash. If it’s before your time let it be an oldie, but a goody, and give it a chance.
8 Mile by Eminem received an Academy Award for best original song in 2002. This movie depicts a downtrodden young guy B Rabbit (who is apparently “not at all” Eminem despite having the same address, maternal and spousal problems as the man himself) living in a trailer with his alcoholic cougar of a mum and sister on the wrong side of the Detroit track, is a tumultuous tale of a man trying to develop himself as well as his talent in a destitute scenario. Faith, trust and the love for his innocent little sister, alongside a shed load of flair for writing and performing rap, provide Rabbit with enough to pursue his inner self and push on through and go for his “one shot”. The soundtrack, mainly provided by Eminem, is award winning, largely due to the lead single Lose Yourself, and perfectly complements the train of the movie’s psyche. The battles are a highlight of the film as well as the music and the all-star cast (Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer, Xzibit, Obie Trice…).
The Princess Bride is an all time audience-age defying classic. This movie surpasses so many in its genre(s) with its wit, originality, humour, class, diversity and of course cast (see a very young Robin Wright, Fred Savage, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn and the late Andre The Giant for example). This is a one of a kind all-time must-see movie for both kids and adults with no special effects to speak of, except a giant and a six fingered man! Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits fame) provided the perfect soundtrack for this swashbuckling, fairy tale-like, fantasy, adventure love story.
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It’s that trick-or-treating, apple-bobbing time of the year again that involves overdosing on sugar, carving pumpkins, attending costume parties, playing pranks, visiting haunted houses, telling scary stories, watching horror films and what-not. So here’s our list of the Halloween Top Thirteen (unlucky for some) classic scary movies that will certainly get you spooked.
This horrifying tale of a regular all-American middle class family being haunted by a poltergeist in their new suburban home is a consistently scary classic horror movie. It may not get you hiding behind the sofa but there are so many nail biting, shocking and eerie moments in this film you’ll definitely get your terror on. The young daughter of the family, Carol Anne, is taken by the Poltergeist via a gateway in the television. There are creepy trees that try to attack the kids, clowns that come to life and a lot of supernatural furniture moving. Their lives are totally turned upside down and almost taken at some points due to this supernatural presence. It’s definitely one for the Halloween hall of fame.
“Here’s Johnny”…this is a chilling tale of a man’s struggle with his inner self and a bucket load of unnatural goings on in an old hotel in the middle of nowhere. Jack Torrance (impeccably portrayed by Jack Nicholson) and his family take-over said hotel and everything goes from bad to worse, demonic presence overwhelms him and sends him totally mad by the end of the film. This is a must-see terror-tale with creepy children, old ladies in baths and symmetrical camera work (thanks to the mastery of director Stanley Kubrick) assisting in adding to the scare factor in this 1980 classic.
This 2002 remake, starring Noemi Watts, of the original Ringu is a dark and monstrous tale revolving around a video tape. If you watch this tape you are subsequently haunted by the most freakish little girl (Watts) with hair covering her face as she drips all over your front room having climbed out of the television. It sounds bizarre and almost comical but in fact it is shudderingly scary and gets under your skin, staying with you long after the movie ends.
This chilling tale, set in the time of World War II, depicts a woman (Nicole Kidman) taking care of her children alone whilst waiting and hoping her husband returns from the war. They stay in an old Victorian mansion in the meantime and very creepy goings on start to occur, including communication with beings from beyond the grave. Be warned, there are lots of jumpy and ‘face behind cushion’ moments.
This was an instant classic depicting ‘that’ mask and a bunch of high school American kids in this teen slasher movie. Drew Barrymore, Courtney Cox, David Arquett, Skeet Ulrich, Neve Campbell, Rose McGowan, Live Schreiber, Matthew Lillard, star in Wes Craven’s (of Nightmare on Elm Street fame) 1996 who-dunnit style thriller where the best way for the characters to outsmart the killer is to have watched plenty of scary movies and know their horror trivia.
Three young students go out into the forest to film a documentary about a lengendary witch who lives in these parts. The three teenagers go missing mysteriously and after a year of not being found the footage was retrieved from the woods and cut into this very true to life film. The home video method of filming in this adds authenticity and depth to the realistic feel of this docu-style film. The actors don’t appear to be acting and the whole thing seems like an actual event right up until the concluding scenes. The fear depicted by the actors is very convincing and creates a sense of dread, panic and terror within us that this could actually be happening.
This has to be the ultimate classic scary film despite the genre crossing between comedy and horror. The make-up precedes its time delivering some horrifying effects. The story goes that a young traveling American gets bitten by a werewolf on his trip to London and subsequently becomes one himself. The film follows his gory transformations and attacks as he makes his journey through the city.
You may have to end up doing the full 5 movie marathon once you start with this one. It isn’t the scariest of films but it’s the most recent blockbuster hit that has to be worth a mention. There are elements of creepiness once we learn the nature of many of the lead characters, albeit disguised under a veil of a love story and lot of teen drama. But then there’s the cast, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson and all the other beautiful wolves and vampires that come on screen that make this a worthy contender for the Halloween top thirteen.
This has to be the ultimate horrifying tale of a young girl who is possessed by the devil. This is truly a terrifying horror story about a priest who takes it upon himself to save this poor twelve year old girl. The effects are excellent for the time it was made, it is extremely eerie and probably one of the scariest movies of all time.
This is a masterpiece of a thriller with twists and turns, a young boy with a “gift”, a serious acting role by Bruce Willis, a sharp performance by Toni Collette and a spectacular delivery by a very young Haley Joel Osment. This has to be one of the best supernatural thrillers to date; a definite winner for a Halloween screening.
This seriously stylish thriller was a box office smash hit in 1995 and has doubtfully been beaten since for originality, casting and impending doom! Kevin Spacey is impeccable as ever, Brad Pitt plays a very convincing rookie homicide detective under the patient and experienced wing of his new partner Morgan Freeman. The horrific murders and twisted psychopathic plot, based on the seven deadly sins, is one to be rivaled in genius and hideousness. It is probably one of the best thriller movies of all time.
This wouldn’t be a classic scary movie list without the one and only Freddy Krueger. If you haven’t seen the Nightmare On Elm Street films, of which there are many, then you have some catching up to do. Freddy appears in people’s nightmares, he has gloves with blades for fingers and an extremely scarred and hideous face. Freddy accesses his victims through their dreams, loads of slashing and killing, blood and gore later and these poor innocents wake up dead. It’s gruesome and not for the faint hearted, definitely a classic blood spiller.
This 1984 film has to have a mention, it is an all time classic movie which transcends time and genres but does have its fair share of scary bits, with a haunting performance by Sigourney Weaver and the comedy genius of Bill Murray. A team of guys start their own business, well, busting Ghosts basically. They invent some very funky suits with backpacks and traps that hold these ghosts that are terrorizing the city. And who can forget the car? It’s almost a scary movie, almost a comedy, almost a kids’ film and continues to remain a very popular Halloween choice.
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There are countless films based on the successes and struggles faced by musicians in the music industry. Here’s a list of the most eye-opening, shocking, insightful and inspiring documentaries every music lover must see.
This is a multi award-winning documentary about Sixto Rodriguez whose music did not manage to make it big in the US but somehow he became a massive rock icon in South Africa. When his albums flopped in America, Rodriguez’s ‘almost-fame’ slipped away into anonymity in his home land but a bootleg copy of one of his records managed to cross the water and get in the palms (and ears) of the apartheid-suffering South Africans. The messages that Rodriguez’s music conveyed struck a chord with the people there and subsequently he became a huge success.
The story follows two young natives who want to find out more about the illusive Rodriguez following rumors that he had met a gruesome end and all sorts of other inventions about his location and life situation. All sorts of exciting adventures occur on their path to discovering the truth about their idol; with little information to go on they have their work cut out. As the story unfolds there are twists and turns that will shock your socks off.
This is a must-see film written and directed by Malik Bendjelloul (who later committed suicide) about humanity, hope and the eternal intrinsic power of music.
Filmed in 1969 on the last leg of The Rolling Stones’ US tour of that year. This insightful yet ultimately tragic depiction of life on the road with the Stones is truly remarkable. This counterculture era film follows a “reactive” method of filmmaking. The direct cinema style is filmed spontaneously as things unfold rather than reconstructing events that have already occurred giving the film a more realistic feel. The tragic final concert on this tour, and film, is the notorious Altamont Speedway Concert which resulted in death and a hell of a lot of problems. The Hell’s Angels were, in hindsight, mistakenly hired as the security for the event in return for free beer. The crowd got fired up, the Angels got riled up and everything got very messy. Four people were killed; there is even footage of a Hell’s Angel stabbing a gun-carrying attendee to death. This is a dark representation of music culture, but it’s true and it happened. The Maysles directors’ spin on it does add to the sinister undertones with a lot of flashing back and forward to brutal moments in the Altamont disaster, despite this it is a truly remarkable and “must-see” film.
Don’t Look Back is a film by D.A. Pennebaker, which follows Bob Dylan for four weeks during a tour of England in 1965, in this 96 minute long fly-on-the-wall style documentary. A typical interview, concert depicting documentary this is not as Dylan is shown backstage and in between gigs for more than half of it and gives full on displays of his obvious disdain for the less intelligent folk that cross his path. Despite some seemingly antagonistic and arrogant moments this is a very intimate, emotional and quite wonderful film both musically and personally. Dylan is a musical genius, whether you like his attitude and personality or not, it is not quite a delusion of grandeur with him, it’s more of an utter belief of grandeur in mental stature. Bob Dylan is one of the most poignant musical stars of our time and so Don’t Look Back is an honest reflection of a life few can comprehend; it definitely set a standard for music documentaries that followed.
This is not for the faint hearted – eleven hours worth of film spanning the entire career of the biggest thing to come out of Liverpool probably for all eternity; the phenomenon that is The Beatles. It begins with a bit about their backgrounds and upbringings and follows them right through to their break up in 1970 with footage derived from a plethora of media sources. There are clips of interviews, newsreels, anecdotes, photographs, even home movies are all woven majestically into this timeline of historical success. This is another honest and frank documentary which does not dismiss differences between the band members but rather adds this in to portray the reality of the intensity of their relationships and the pressures of being superstars. Anthology is a staggeringly detailed and intimate account of the life of The Beatles and definitely rates with the best documentaries of all time.
This really was it, Michael Jackson was no more and this documentary film, the footage originally being intended for his personal library, was made and released as a sort of consolation to his fans that the King of Pop would no longer be performing his final tour as planned. He died before he even reached the first destination and so this depiction of the lead up to the tour is all we have to inform us as to how those concerts would have been. There is rigid choreography, pedantic perfection, a lot of energy and a few strange moments of Michael having “issues” but overall an amazing insight into the illusive character and secret world of one of the biggest and most controversial and talented stars of all time.
The Last Waltz is a moment in legendary rock history never to be repeated, or probably beaten. The Band were signing out as, well, a band and decided to have a farewell concert in their own honour. And what a send off it was. This film by Martin Scorcese documents this night and the major stars which headlined this monumental Thanksgiving on November 25, 1976. Up on stage you will see the likes of Paul Butterfield, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood, Neil Diamond, Bobby Charles, The Staple Singers and Eric Clapton performing live at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. Critical acclaim has given The Last Waltz the title of being one of the best concert films ever made covering the career and the influences of the band members and fantastic performances by one of the best line ups in history.
Woodstock was a legendary event which could never be repeated. It was a one off, unique moment in music history and so any documentary with real footage from the weekend of madness that was Woodstock has to be worthy of a place in the top ten best music documentaries. Whether the coverage is any good or not would be irrelevant but as it turned out the documentary has become one of the most entertaining ever made and was (and is) a huge success winning many accolades including an Academy Award. This culturally historic document was an enormous box office hit and grossed over 50 million dollars in the US. With performances by Crosby, Stills & Nash, Canned Heat, Richie Havens, Joan Baez, The Who, Sha-Na-Na, Joe Cocker, Country Joe and the Fish, Arlo Guthrie, Ten Years After, Jefferson Airplane, John Sebastian, Country Joe McDonald, Santana, Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, the line-up couldn’t really get much better than that.
Marley is a film documenting much of the artist’s stand on life, love, music, race and religion. Much of the information is from the memories and knowledge of Marley though his family and friends. The film covers his feelings towards being of mixed race, his family, his political beliefs and involvement, his loyalty to the Rastafari movement and Haile Selassie all of which inspire many of the songs depicted in the documentary. Most of all though Marley’s belief and hope for the future was that we could all share “One Love” and live together in harmony. He was a great prophet, poet and musician and despite a difficult start to his career eventually became one of the most influential and successful reggae artists ever. This “epic and uplifiting” film, featuring a great many performances of his popular work, offers a fascinating insight into this intense and thought-provoked man.
“Located on the banks of the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals, Alabama is the unlikely breeding ground for some of the most creative and defiant music in American history”. This is the setting for the documentary which looks at the recording studio which inspired and produced so many of the all time greats. In this movie, legendary artists including Aretha Franklin, Greg Allman, Bono, Clarence Carter, Jimmy Cliff, Mick Jagger, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Wilson Pickett, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge, Steve Winwood and others bear witness to the magnetism and mystery of Muscle Shoals and why it remains a global influence today.
Whether this corset-wearing, overtly sexual and controversial superstar is your cup of tea or not, this insight into the woman with the “Blonde Ambition” is quite a piece of work. There is a lot of backstage and behind the scenes footage, some of which seems quite contrived and ironically does not portray the songstress in the best light, as well as onstage performances from the tour in 1990. Madonna can come across as slightly neurotic with diva tendencies and a lot of seemingly staged offstage filming makes it all look a bit too Hollywood. However, this is one of the most famous women to walk the earth, the biggest selling female artist ever with one of the most chameleon-like careers spanning four decades and counting. Madonna may not be to everyone’s taste but her iconic status and career longevity win her the right to make this film appear on our top ten list. Look out for the cameo appearances by Al Pacino, Kevin Costner, Warren Beatty, the list goes on…
