The LEGO Movie is the first-ever, full-length theatrical LEGO adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures. It opens in theaters February 7 and is the story of a nobody who saved everybody.
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller it stars Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie and Charlie Day, with Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman.
The Lego movie is 101 minutes long and you will be exhausted at the end of it! It’s an exhilarating, adventurous, action-packed comedy. The story is really fast-paced and begins in the regimented city of Bricksburg – check out the trailer.
The Characters
Emmet (Chris Pratt) An ordinary, average LEGO mini figure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) A free spirit who loves pushing boundaries and being creative. She believes Emmet is the ‘special’ from The Prophecy who is destined to save Bricksburg – she quite fancies Emmet, despite herself and her boyfriend. Batman (Will Arnett) He prefers to work alone – since he could get the job done faster and better than anyone else. He is Wyldstyle’s boyfriend. President Business (Will Ferrell) An uptight CEO who has a hard time balancing world domination with managing his own life. He has a successful front business but secretly is Lord Business, the most evil of tyrants who oversees a robot militia and attempts to take over the LEGO universe. Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) An ancient mystical wizard who prohesizes that a ‘Special’ will defeat Lord Business and become the greatest LEGO Master Builder of all. He tries to teach Emmet that the key to true building is believing in yourself. Benny (Charlie Day) The 1980-something spaceman suffers from lack of oxygen and a cracked helmet. His passion is spaceships but he will do anything to help his fellow LEGO Master Builders For more information on this brilliant movie visit the official website – there are loads of free downloads, videos and games to explore – you can even put yourself in the movie. http://www.thelegomovie.com
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The Wolf of Wall Street, the film that’s rolling off everyone’s lips at the moment, should definitely secure an Oscar. Not only is it an outrageous and controversial movie, it’s a brilliant work of art. Aside from the film’s boldness and bluntness, its outstanding cast, its exceptional performances, its fast-paced dialogue and its dynamic and rhythmic scene sequences, The Wolf of Wall Street is an epic tale about modern day hedonism, wild debauchery, self-indulgence, greed and excess, communicated via a tone of dark-sadistic humour.
As for the film’s soundtrack, the legendary Martin Scorsese, is yet to shy away from surprising us all. “The main thing about Marty’s use of music is he’s fearless, creatively fearless” says music supervisor Randall Poster on THR. Indeed, the music adds unequalled depth to the movie and adds emphasis to the power of the performance.
There are 60 songs in total throughout the almost 3-hour-long production (which includes the likes of Cypress Hill, The Foo Fighters and Jay Z) and 16 terrific and adventurous tunes (listed below) in The Wolf of Wall Street’s Official Soundtrack, named “a comic grand opera” by THR Todd McCarthy. Marty, Randall Poster and executive music producer Robbie Robertson artfully mix up the genres and decades for the enjoyment of the every-man, including classical, ska, jazz, blues, hiphop and indie rock. Each song harmonically fits each scene, bringing each sequence to its climax. No doubt, the film’s energetic, vibrant, emphatic and lively music more than appropriately – if not fantastically – matches, and yet simultaneously clashes, with the openly loud exhibition of “sex, drugs and risky business”.
The Wolf of Wall Street Soundtrack
“Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!” – Cannonball Adderley (In certain countries, on a mobile device, you wont be able to view this video ☹)
A smooth, jazzy & soulful tune – What a great song! The crowd cheering and clapping in the background adds to the overall atmosphere of the piece. We love the saxophone riff. It’s a triumphant choice of song for Jordan Belfort’s first day on Wall Street.
“Dust My Broom” – Elmore James
Who doesn’t love a bit of swing! This old school blues track that dates back to the 1930s captures the essence of Jordan Belfort’s cocaine-sniffing and edgy rock n’ roll lifestyle, as he narrates his life at the start of the movie, showing off his gorgeous naked wife and white Ferrari.
“Bang! Bang!” – Jo Cuba
In 1966, Jo Cuba, Nuyorican (New York fused Puerto-Rican) boogaloo mastermind, sold millions of copies of his smash hit “Bang! Bang!”. This fun, rhythmic and exotic gem sets the mood for what’s to come, as Jordan sells his first penny stock and meets Donnie for the first time. Yes, we’re in for a ride!
”Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” – Billy Joel
The song describes the singer’s disgust with the money-hungry aspirations of middle and lower-class New Yorkers who spend their lives working in order to claim they’ve “made it”, rejecting their working-class backgrounds. It’s ironic and brilliant that the song appears as Jordan introduces his sales friends to the idea of becoming stockbrokers.
“C’est Si Bon” – Eartha Kitt
We hear this refined, sophisticated and alluring French melody as Jordan sniffs cocaine off of Naomi’s chest in the limo, just before his wife catches him. What an unfitting choice of song – a wonderful contrast!
”Goldfinger” – Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Sharon Jones nails the vocals on Shirley Bassey’s great classic. This track is so unique and a great song choice for a film about wealth, excess and fraud. It fits the glamorous wedding scene between the Duke and Duchess like a glove! Plus, Jordan Belfort (yes, the real Jordan Belfort) played “Nobody Does it Better” – the theme song for The Spy Who Loved Me – at his very own wedding.
”Pretty Thing” – Bo Diddley (In certain countries, on a mobile device, you wont be able to view this video ☹)
This electrifying tune with its haunting beat is the film’s running motif and is heard throughout and at its most unforgettable at Jordan’s bachelor party, during the infamous and explicit scene on the plane.
”Moonlight in Vermont” – Ahmad Jamal Trio
A couple of Ahmad Jamal’s tracks are heard in The Wolf of Wall Street. This particular one is playing as Jordan asks Naomi to marry him and presents her with a ring that nobody could say no to.
”Smokestack Lightning” – Howlin’ Wolf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqI2YStPK3E Who could forget the scene where the stockbrokers are rolling around the office floors with strippers up to their ears? It’s a classic – “A whoo hoo!”In 1956, “Smokestack Lighting” became one of the most influential blues songs of the time. This video is a live performance of the song form the maestro himself.
“Hey Leroy, Your Mama´s Callin’ You” – Jimmy Castor Click here to view video (embedding disabled). This song stays permanently engrained in your mind. As Jordan finishes his speech and the brokers start dialing their clients’ numbers, they’re not exactly “callin’ mama”, they’re on the road to making 22 million dollars in 3 hours!
“Double Dutch” – Malcolm McLaren
An energetic tune to emphasise the excitement, energy and drive of the young aspiring millionaires who come looking for broking jobs at Stratton Oakmont, one day after Jordan’s article appears in Forbes Magazine.
”Never Say Never” – Romeo Void
This punchy and funky bassline illustrates the moment Naomi enters Jordan’s life. The lyrics “I might like you better if we slept together” definitely read what’s on Jordan’s mind. Life is about to get even crazier…!
”Meth Lab Zoso Sticker” – 7Horse
“Let’s strap some cash to a Swiss hooker and let’s smuggle it into Switzerland”… says nobody in his right mind! Rock n’ Roll baby! This track is unique, it’s electric, and it captures the moment when the movie takes on a whole new dimension and things are about to ignite.
”Road Runner” – Bo Diddley
You may have heard The Rolling Stones cover this song but there’s nothing quite like Bo Diddley’s 12-bar blues track, with its victorious beep-beep chorus. Stratton Oakmont begins to sell penny stocks to the wealthy.
“Mrs. Robinson” – The Lemonheads
Famous for its soundtrack in The Graduate, this song was written by Paul Simon and originally performed by the incredible Simon & Garfunkel. Although The Lemonheads’ cover cannot be compared to the genius of the original, with its unbelievable harmonies (what a classic!), it became one of the band’s most successful releases – now associated with the very anticipated scene in which the FBI arrests the entire company in The Wolf of Wall Street. Poster says: “I just like the energy and irony of it”.
”Cast Your Fate to the Wind” – Allen Toussaint
This song is rebellious, dynamic, exhilarating and charismatic. It’s a running theme throughout the movie. “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” by Cannonball Adderley’s, with its similar riff, is played on Jordan’s first day on Wall Street, welcoming him into the fabulous, scandalous and self-indulgent life of a multi-millionaire. What better song to choose for the film’s ending? A grand opening needs a grand finale. It’s unforgettable.
A new year brings forth a whole new set of movies with release dates we’re slowly edging towards. We’ve put together a neat little list of the top 15 movies you simply can’t afford to miss in the first four months of 2014.
The Legend of Hercules Release Dates:
United States: January 10 Europe: January 30 – March 19
Plot: Following the story of the famous mythical Greek hero who is exiled by the King, his treacherous stepfather, and is sold into slavery due to a forbidden love. Can Hercules claim back his rightful Kingdom?
The LEGO Movie Release Dates:
United States: February 7 Europe: February 6 – 20
Plot: An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.
Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller Stars: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell
The Monuments Men Release Dates:
United States: February 7
Europe: February 13 – March 12
Plot: Art masterpieces have been stolen by Nazi thieves in this time movie. A World War II platoon is formed to carry out the dangerous task of seeking them out and returning them to their rightful owners.
Director: George Clooney Stars: George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Bill Murray
RoboCop Release Dates:
United States: February 12 Europe: February 5 – 14
Plot: Set in futuristic 2028 Detroit, Alex Murphy (good cop) faces severe injuries while in the line of duty. With this once perfect cop in critical condition, the multinational OmniCorp sees their ideal candidate for a part-robot, part-man police officer.
Director: Jose Padilha Stars: Joel Kinnaman, Douglas Urbanski, Abbie Cornish, Gary Oldman
Non-Stop Release Dates:
United States: February 28 Europe: February 27 – March 13
Plot: When an international flight goes horribly wrong, an air marshal aboard fights to save the passengers and himself.
300: Rise of an Empire Release Dates:
United States: March 7 Europe: March 5 – 7
Plot: After his victory over Leonidas’ 300, Xerxes marches towards the Democratic city of Athens. Admiral Themistocles is forced to an unwilling alliance with the traditional rival of Athens, oligarchic Sparta whose might lies with its superior infantry troops. But Xerxes still reigns supreme in numbers over sea and land.
Director: Noam Murro Stars: Eva Green, Rodrigo Santoro, Sullivan Stapleton
Mr. Peabody & Sherman Release Dates:
United States: March 7 Europe: February 7 – March 13
Plot: Mr. Peabody and his adopted boy Sherman hurtle back in time to experience world-changing events and interact with some of the greatest characters of all time. They find themselves in a race to repair history and save the future.
Director: Rob Minkoff Stars: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert
Need for Speed Release Dates:
United States: March 14 Europe: March 13 – 20
Plot: Street racer Tobey Marshall was framed by his wealthy business associate. Fresh from prison, he joins a cross country race with revenge in mind.
Director: Scott Waugh Stars: Aaron Paul, Chillie Mo, Dominic Cooper, Dakota Johnson
Grace of Monaco Release Dates:
United States: March 14 Europe: March 13 – 28
Plot: Set in the early 60s as a french invasion is looming, the story of Grace Kelly’s crisis of marriage and identity unfold, during a political dispute between Monaco’s Prince Rainer III and France’s Charles De Gaulle.
Director: Olivier Dahan Stars: Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, Andre Penvern, Frank Langella
Divergent Release Dates:
United States: March 21 Europe: March 20 – April 4
Plot: In a futuristic dystopia where society is divided into five factions, teenagers must decide whether to stay in their faction or switch to another…for the rest of their lives. Beatrice Prior makes a choice that surprises everyone – and finds her life threatened when she discovers she’s Divergent, she doesn’t fit into any one group.
Director: Neil Burger
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet
Noah Release Dates:
United States & Canada: March 28 Europe: March 27 – April 9
Plot: The famous story of Noah and the flood, set in biblical times.
Director: Darren Aronofsky Stars: Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Jennifer Connelly, Russell Crowe
Captain America: The Winter Soldier Release Dates:
United States: April 4 Europe: March 26 – May 1
Plot: The Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier battles against Steve Rogers. Can Captain America win the upper hand whilst struggling in the modern world?
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Stars: Chris Evans, Frank Grillo, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson
Sabotage Release Dates:
United States: April 11 Europe: 25 April
Plot: Members of an elite DEA task force are taken down one by one after they rob a drug cartel safe house.
Director: David Ayer Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Terrence Howard
Transcendence Release Dates:
United States: April 18 Europe: April 17 – 25
Plot: A world renowned scientist falls victim of a hate crime and ends up critically ill in hospital, as a result they figure out how to download his brilliant consciousness into a computer.
Director: Wally Pfister Stars: Johnny Depp, Kate Mara, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Release Dates:
United States & Canada: May 2 Europe: April 16 – 25
Plot: The infamous company Oscorp is battling Peter Parker once again with an array of super-villains.
Director: Marc Webb Stars: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Paul Giamatti
It’s a known fact that we all love to laugh. It fights stress, increases energy levels, stabilizes blood pressure, boosts our immune systems and releases those feel-good endorphins. Though not everyones sense of humor is alike, one mans side-stitches can be another mans bore-fest. With that in mind, take a look at these comedy podcasts –the most popular amongst our users – you’re sure to find something to tickle your funny bone.
Top of our users list is ”The Ricky Gervais Guide To…” with Stephen Merchant, award-winning writer and Karl Pilkington, plonker. You may recognize the trio from the famous, or, infamous documentary TV show ”An Idiot Abroad”, in which Ricky and Stephen send Karl off on extreme adventures around the globe, forcing him into situations completely outside of his comfort zone. The results are hilarious. The Ricky Gervais Guide to… is basically a reinvention of The Ricky Gervais Show – the world’s most downloaded podcast according to the Gusiness Book of Records. As of March 2011 the podcast had been downloaded 300 million times! The shows are available on iTunes and Audible.co.uk. http://www.rickygervais.com/
2-Bill Burr’s Monday Morning Podcasts
Second on our list ”Monday Morning Podcasts” by Bill Burr is basically a bunch of ramblings from a stand-up comedian who has a love affair with the F word. You’ve been warned. Profanity aside, this guy was born with a gift, everything that comes out his mouth is worthy of at least a half-assed chuckle. Also we think it’s pretty cool that he’s been in a couple of episodes of AMC’s epic series ”The Walking Dead”, and keep an eye out ’cause he may be appearing in more. To conclude with his own words: ”I love my dog. I hate bankers. I have issues with women. In my head, I’m a great guy.” http://www.billburr.com/podcast
3-The Nerdist – Chris Hardwick
Making it to number 3 is ‘Nerdist’ by Chris Hardwick, and he puts it perfectly: “I am Chris Hardwick. I am on TV a lot and have a blog at nerdist.com. This podcast is basically just me talking about stuff and things with my two nerdy friends Jonah Ray and Matt Mira, and usually someone more famous than all of us. Occasionally we swear because that is fun. I hope you like it, but if you don’t I’m sure you will not hesitate to unfurl your rage in the ‘reviews’ section because that’s how the Internet works.” http://www.nerdist.com/podcasts
4-The Bugle – John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman
At number 4 is ”The Bugle” – a Podcast institution – featuring John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman. Every week these two prattle on in their gruff extremely-British voices in this satirical news podcast. With over 252 episodes, the fan base is massive and even though the show is no longer distributed by TimesOnline, it’s still going strong. You can expect them to touch on some sensitive subjects with surprising comedy. Guaranteed to make you spit out your morning coffee full blast across the room. Their own description of the show goes a little like ”The Bugle podcast. Entertaining and misleading The Universe since 2007. The Bugle is Planet Earth’s last, best source of hope. And satire. And lies.” Riveting stuff. http://thebuglepodcast.com
5-By The Way, In Coversation with Jeff Garlin
Last but not least on our list is ‘By The Way, In Conversation.’ hosted by Jeff Garlin Every episode is recorded live at Largo in LA. Jeff Garlin has an array of celebrity show-biz friends who are nice enough to endure the entirety of the show with him. The topics veer off to literally any random occurance that happened in either persons day, no topics are off limits. Seriously entertaining, and gives great insight into the celebrity guests’ thoughts and views, touching on subjects you’d never of thought to ask. How often do you get to have casual couch-chatter with a Hollywood A-lister? We do advise listeners to play them in small doses though, as Jeffs voice is the loudest and most heard throughout the alloted time. He can get annoying, but we think it’s totally worth the comedy gold. http://jeffgarlin.com/
This article was written by Rebecca Jade Hignett – A die hard Doctor Who fan who is to appear on the Graham Norton show this weekend to question David Tennant and Matt Smith.
On 23rd November 1963, the entire world watched one of the most momentous occasions of the 20th century – news coverage of the assassination of John F. Kennedy the day before. However, when everyone else was sat watching that, a cultural phenomenon was born, the first ever episode of Doctor Who.
A programme about a centuries old alien (Time Lord) who traveled through space and time in a telephone box, was almost completely ignored in favour of the news. A week later however, when it was repeated for an audience who were fully concentrated on watching, a new era of television began.
In a show that has consistently broken boundaries of television programming, perhaps the most incredible story is that of the unforgettable theme song.
Written by Ron Grainer and recorded by Delia Derbyshire, it marked the beginning of a new age of score music. It was recorded long before synthesizers were available, and in the most painstakingly slow way – each note had to be taken from individual tapings of a single plucked chord and then transformed into the electronic sound the song is famous for. Some of the most familiar sounds we hear in it were made in hugely unconventional ways – the TARDIS sounds were made by keys running up and down piano strings for example.
After months of meticulous work modifying each note separately, they had to be pieced together in the most incredible way – the tapes were literally cut and stuck together to match the tune. As if that wasn’t enough, they then had to mix all the individual sections of the piece, but given that there was no mixing system available, they invented one themselves. By the end of the process, the track was so unique that Grainer himself asked Derbyshire if he had actually written it!
Nowadays, Murray Gold composes the music for Doctor Who, and has reinvented the theme song three times, each to reflect the personality of the Doctor to which it pertains. He brought out a piece of music named ‘Vale Decem’, written to send off the 10th Doctor in his final episode. This piece of music caused such a stir in the internet community of Doctor Who fans that it has been named the best piece of music from the show by ‘What Culture’. Doctor Who has even inspired its own genre of music, inspired by the phenomena of Wizard Rock, the Harry Potter rock – Trock, or Time-Lord-Rock. The most prominent Trock band is Chameleon Circuit. Made up of a group of well known British Youtube stars, their album Still Got Legs debuted at number 23 on the Billboard Heatseekers list. In Doctor Who’s 50 years, it has become so ingrained in British culture that the theme song is known by everyone – it was even performed at Glastonbury in 2010 by Orbital.
The music of the show has evolved from being recorded in a tiny studio to having its own night at the Proms, and the 50th anniversary episode should have the best music yet!
“The Day of the Doctor”is the 50th anniversary special. Written by Steven Moffat, who also serves as executive producer alongside Faith Penhale. It has been described by series producer Marcus Wilson as a “love letter to the fans”. It will be shown on BBC One on 23 November 2013 at 19.50 GMT in both 2D and 3D. The special is due to be broadcast simultaneously in several countries, and will also be shown concurrently in 3D in some cinemas.
Catching Fire – the highly anticipated sequel to 2012’s ‘The Hunger Games’ that took the world by storm, is celebrating its worldwide release on Friday 22 November. Collecting over $691 million at the box office, The Hunger Games was one of the top 5 most successful movies of 2012. The first “Hunger Games” CDalso became the top-selling soundtrack of last year – we take a look at this year’s distinctly different dark and mysterious sounds.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, just like the first part of the trilogy, features an eclectic mix of artists in its new soundtrack. Just as Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) hit stardom in the film’s 74th Hunger Games, the soundtrack also features some serious A-list big names like Coldplay, Christina Aguilera and Ellie Goulding pitching in.
The soundtrack itself is a mixed bag, with songs spanning several genres. Who would expect Coldplay, The Weeknd and Santigold to fit together? Or punker Patti Smith and the New Zealand pop phenomenon Lorde? Music Supervisor Alexandra Patsavas managed to connect all these artists forming a powerful-sounding anthem.
Speaking of Lorde, her down-tempo cover of ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ turns the original from Tears for Fears on its head, playing up the haunting elements for an almost unrecognizable, sinister cover.
Powerful, yet restrained ballads by Christina Aguilera (We Remain), Imagine Dragons and their dramatic percussion (Who We Are) and The National (Lean) are sure to appeal to the younger crowd that the movie is targeted at.
http://youtu.be/qwbmEKG163A
Romance is a large part of the story, and Sia steals the show with ‘Elastic Heart’. It may not be the strongest track on the album, but with lyrics like “Love is a battlefield” make the song a great fit for the Hunger Games.
The soundtrack does feature a ragtag crew of Indie bands, but chart hits are far more prevalent than in the first film. The Catching Fire soundtrack does away with the rural feel inspired by the first film, keeping in line with the advances in Suzanne Collin’s dystopian tale.
Full track list here:
1. Atlas – Coldplay 2. Silhuoettes – Of Monsters and Men 3. Elastic Heart (feat. The Weeknd and Diplo – Sia 4. Lean – The National 5. We Remain – Christina Aguilera 6. Devil May Cry – The Weeknd 7. Who We Are – Imagine Dragons 8. Everybody Wants to Rule the World – Lorde 9. Gale Song – The Lumineers 10. Mirror – Ellie Goulding 11. Capitol Letter – Patti Smith 12. Shooting Arrows at the Sky – Santigold 13. Place For Us – Mikky Ekko 14. Lights – Phantogram 15. Angel on Fire – Antony & The Johnsons
