Jack Grocott

PREMIERE THE LATEST MOVIES REVIEWED AND RATED!

BLU-RAY VS DVD

Fast Five Thor

Plus!

Film Piracy Short-Film Maker June 2011 - Issue 1

£2.99

Contents

On The Cover

What stood out this month...

Blu-ray vs DVD - Page 8

An in-depth look at the differences between Blu-ray and DVD, and whether the new format is worth the price jump.

Fast Five - Page 6

A review of the fifth film in the action-packed franchise.

The Regulars

Thor - Page 7

A review of Marvel’s latest superhero blockbuster.

Same shit, different day...

Living in the Movies - Page 12 Film Piracy - Page 12

An exclusive investigation into illegal film downloading and its effect on the film industry.

Short-film maker, David Harrison, talks to Premiere about his life making movies.

Meet the Editor - Page 4 Have Your Say - Page 4 Take a Break - Page 14 June 2011| Premiere

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Meet the Editor

HELLO, FILM LOVERS AND movie buffs! Thank you for buying the first issue of Premiere magazine, I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Across the following pages you’ll find reviews of films that are currently out in the cinemas, articles on life in the film industry, and more often than not, the ramblings of a writer who watched far too many movies as a child.

I’ve kept you here long enough, so find somewhere comfy to sit, put on some relaxing music, and have fun reading the rest of the magazine. I’ll leave you with a quick lesson; posing for a photo infront of a map makes you appear more intelligent than you actually are. Jack Grocott

Have Your Say

Star Letter!

Less questions please

I recently watched ‘Inception’ with my girlfriend, and after fielding the 100th question about the plot, I came up with an idea. Cinemas should hand out headphones at request, that explain the nuances of the plot - like the audio commentary in a museum. Not only will it help ease confusion, but it will allow me to watch a film without repeatedly being asked to explain things!

Andy Jarrad, Coventry.

JG: Great suggestion, Andy!

You’ve won this month’s star prize: A collection of five new release blu-rays! Enjoy!

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Costumed freaks Is it just me, or are superhero costumes getting worse? Captain america is simply wearing a padded jumpsuit, Thor looks like a Christmas decoration, andThe Green Lantern is just CGI below the neck, was lycra too expensive? I think Hollywood needs some new wardrobe designers!

Paul Dovey, London.

JG: It sounds like there’s an opening in Hollywood, and you seem to be the man to fill it. Even comic book superheros need their own Gok Wan!

Readers’ rants, raves and reviews - Your letters to the editor Had a letter published in this month’s magazine?

Then congratulations, you have won a copy of Inception on tripleplay Blu-ray!

letters@premiere.com

Hobbit fever Please, please tell me when The Hobbit is being released! And please say it’s soon! I think I’m going insane waiting for this film. The Lord of the Rings trilogy are the best films I’ve ever seen, and The Hobbit is my favourite book. To say I’m excited about this is an understatement. I’m this close to gluing hair on my feet and parading around the countryside with a band of merry dwarfs. If Hollywood can’t make the film for me, I’ll create the experience myself!

Tom Miles, Telford.

JG: I’m not quite sure how to respond to this one without upsetting you, Tom. Part one of The Hobbit isn’t released until 2012.

At least you have a lot of countryside in Shropshire!

What’s Hot and What’s Not Not again...

What is it with the avalanche of ridiculous sequels that we seem to be getting? What with Pirates of the Caribbean 4 coming out, which even Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley obviously think will be crap, how many stories can they get out of one ride at Disneyland? And now Fast and the Furious 37 is out in the cinemas. When will it stop? We need to stop funding these studios that just throw out sequel after sequel!

Rebecca Flower, York.

JG: You may have a point there.

But studios are like cats; if you keep feeding them, they’ll keep coming back!

Hot -Dark Knight Rises (2012) -The Hobbit (2012) -The Avengers (2012) -The Hangover II (2011) Not -Ghost Rider II (2012) -G.I. Joe II (2012) -Resident Evil V (2012)

Am I dreaming?

Can you shed any light on the ending of Inception? Is he dreaming? Is he awake? Am I dreaming? I just don’t really know what’s real or not anymore. If you can answer any of my questions I’ll be very grateful.

Rhys Williams, Surrey.

JG: I think the ending was supposed to be quite ambiguous. I’m afraid that’s all the help I can offer. If you want more answers, I suggest you ask Christopher Nolan.

June 2011| Premiere

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Fast Five

Image courtesy of AllMoviePhoto

Guns, Girls and Cars... Lots of Cars.

WHEN A FILM FRANCHISE reaches its fifth outing on the silver screen, it is generally for one of two reasons. Either they are grasping at straws to squeeze every last penny out of their brainchild in an impotent attempt to save their reputation, or they have discovered a successful combination that continues to sell, even after four predecessors.

Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist (Fast Five) certainly falls into the latter category. But when the winning combination of the series is guns, girls and, most importantly, cars, it’s no surprise that the punters keep coming back for more of Justin Lin’s adrenalinfilled blockbuster films.

The original stars of the franchise; lifelong criminal and petrol-head, Vin Diesel, and smooth-talking ex-FBI cop, Paul Walker, have both returned for only the third time in the five films. They are back, along with several other favourite characters from the film’s prequels, to make this a must-see for diehard fans of the franchise.

Fast Five has managed to achieve a more mainstream film than the likes of 2 Fast 2 Furious 6

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and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which is mostly due to the different approach that the writers have taken.

The second and third films in the popular series passed by relatively quietly when compared to the others. This is because these films focused heavily on the performance of the cars and the various ‘mods’ that the characters were fitting to their super-powered engines. Thus, generating interest from a niche market of car enthusiasts, whilst alienating the general cinema-goers.

Fast Five, however, has gone back to basics. Giving the audience exactly what it wants: high-speed chases, scantily-clad women and heart-pumping action sequences.

Lin has never claimed to be making well-written, intelligent features. His films don’t intend to please the critics, they aim to wow the people, and in that, they succeed. There is rarely a dull moment in the series’ fifth movie; the film flicks between explosive chases, intense gun-fights and muscle-bound brawls. The majority of those muscles belong, of course, to the franchise’s new

face; Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

Johnson, 39, brings a lot of charisma to the screen from his wrestling days; he has a talent of commanding the scene, and not just because of his huge stature.

His appearance in action films of late has marked a welcome return to the genre, after a seemingly endless spree of starring roles in quirky Disney children’s films.

The man was born to be an action star. His athletic 6’4” physique is complemented by his widely underrated acting abilities, which he fine-tuned as a professional wrestler (it is a form of the big stage, after all). Not to mention that Johnson is one of only a handful of Hollywood actors who can fire a gun without blinking.

The latest offering by Lin may be the best yet. If you’re looking for pure, mindless entertainment to wile away a couple of hours, then this blockbuster may be your best option. If, however, you wish to watch a film with a driven, intelligent plot and gripping dialogue, perhaps you should look further than Fast Five. Jack

Grocott

Thor

Image courtesy of AllMoviePhoto

Norse Gods, Frost Giants and Suspended Disbelief.

WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN you take a critically acclaimed Shakespearian actor, who’s played Romeo, Henry V and Hamlet, and put him at the helm of a screen adaption of a superhero comic book? No, this isn’t the beginning of a bad joke; it is the setup of Marvel’s latest high-budget movie to grace the screens: Thor.

Kenneth Branagh, 50, may seem like an unlikely choice to direct the film about the Norse God of thunder and battle, which has been adapted from the popular Marvel comic, but he has been a fan of the series since he was a child, and gladly accepted the opportunity.

Thor takes a step away from the more humorous qualities of the latest Marvel flicks, such as Iron Man and Green Lantern, and focuses more on the deeper, more personal issues of character development. That’s not to say that the film is without its laughs; it wouldn’t be a Marvel film without the odd chuckle and a character

supplying the comic relief.

The scenes move often between the story on Earth, and the events occurring on the deity’s home planet, Asgard. Branagh does a good job of making the futuristic Norse world seem realistic, whilst still relying heavily on CGI to paint the, otherwise impossible, image. The key to this seems to be using the talents of the actors to draw the audience in, rather than allowing them to scoff at the more farfetched aspects of Asgard.

The most surprising choice of actor in the film has to be the lead role, played by Chris Hemsworth – a relatively unknown Australian actor. Not because he plays his part badly – far from it – but because, in casting a less known actor, they risked the eponymous character being overshadowed by the Hollywood heavyweights in the film, such as Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman. However, the Aussie managed to hold his own on the

screen – a godlike task, you may say.

When it comes down to it, Thor is Marvel’s way of telling us that they are on form. And they need to be, with the comic company’s schedule this year being more active than Superman’s hair gel. The film has everything that a comic book adaption should have: action, snappy dialogue, humour, an interesting back-story – it has all that you’d expect it to have.

If anything, the main criticism of Thor would be that it doesn’t focus heavily enough on one of these aspects, but rather swoops between them equally. Whereas Spiderman piled on the humour, and Iron Man was action-heavy, Thor feels more like a jack of all trades, which slightly draws away from the atmosphere of the film.

However, this is nitpicking really. The film can easily hold its own against the other Marvel films, and will remain as a titan amongst superhero movies for some time. Jack Grocott

June 2011| Premiere

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BLU-RAY

An in-depth look at the real differences between

HAVE YOU EVER FOUND yourself standing in shop, holding a DVD in one hand and a Blu-ray of the same film in the other, and wondering what the difference really is, and whether the latter warrants the hefty addition to the price tag?

Well if this is the case, don’t worry; you’re not the only one. The majority of people don’t really know the difference between the two disc formats, at least no more than knowing that Blu-ray is a better quality picture and around triple the price. But how much better is the image? Is it noticeable?

Will it enhance your experience?

And most importantly, is it worth the extra cash?

As stated above, Blu-ray discs can play a better image quality than DVDs, allowing us to attain high definition (HD), which is impossible on a DVD. Blu-ray also can hold more data than DVDs, as the Blu-ray Disc Association states, “Blu-ray Disc will increase DVD capacity by five to ten times. This is due, among other reasons, to the 8

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usage of a blue instead of a red laser and improved lens specifications, allowing for a much smaller focus laser beam which enables the recording of much smaller and higher density pits on the disc.”

This gives us the technical explanation of how

Bluray works, but it doesn’t explain how much it improves the picture quality, and whether they are that much better than DVDs.

Andrew McGovern, 41, is a videographer who owns McGovern Productions, he says,

“DVDs have been the standard for a while now, and it’s because they are so useful. The disc format is the most accessible format of data storage around, and DVDs can hold 4.7GB of data, which is a lot when compared to CDs, which store only 700MB. But with the introduction of Blu-rays, which can hold 25GB of data, DVDs have some ferocious market competition now.”

The quality of an image on a television screen is measured by the amount of pixels that make up the picture.

The reason that Blu-ray discs can display a higher quality image, is because whilst DVDs have 420 pixel projections, Bluray can display up to 1,080 pixels; more than double. McGovern says, “In simple terms, a pixel is a single square of colour. When different coloured pixels are grouped together they make an image, like a mosaic with thousands of tiles. So while DVDs make a mosaic of 720 by 480 tiles, Blu-ray discs make one of 1920 by 1080 tiles; this allows for much more intricate detail than you’d get in a DVD.”

vs DVD

n Blu-ray and DVD.

Now, assuming that you haven’t been scared off by the overload of technical jargon, we’ll discuss the important aspects of Blu-rays and DVDs: the aesthetics and the money.

The best thing about DVDs is the ease of use. If you have a DVD player, a laptop, a desktop PC or a games console with a disc drive, then you are almost guaranteed to be able to play DVDs. And the quality of the films stored on them is miles ahead of that which you would get with VHS; both picture and audio.

Not to mention the very reasonable price that you can get DVDs for from high street retailers. As soon as a DVD leaves the bestsellers charts, they normally take a drastic price cut, dropping as low as a couple of quid. So you can actually buy some fantastic movies for less than a fast food meal, that’s a bargain!

The best aspect of a Bluray disc is, of course, the quality of the image. If you are still wondering whether you can really tell

the difference, the fact is that you can. And depending on the quality of the original film, it can make a huge difference; some films on Blu-ray are astoundingly beautiful.

However, Blu-rays are still relatively

new on the market, and they can be expensive. You can sometimes expect to pay three times more for a Blu-ray than a DVD, and it isn’t always worth it. For example, a film made in the 1930s will never look significantly better on the new

discs, simply because the original image quality was never there.

And don’t forget that you need a Blu-ray player and a HD television, otherwise they’re useless.

If you want to know whether you should be buying films on DVD or Blu-ray, the answer is both. Blu-rays are fantastic, and they do increase the details you can see in a film, and they make for an enjoyable experience. But it would be pointless to buy everything in that format, not everything will look better.

DVDs offer great value for money, and the majority of films will look perfectly fine on them. If everything was crystal clear, the novelty would soon wear off. Why not buy the bulk as a standard DVD, and buy any favourite films or high-budget CGIfests in Blu-ray; it’ll make watching them all the more special.

Jack Grocott

June 2011| Premiere

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Living in the Movies David Harrison talks about life through the lens of a camera...

When Premiere knew that we were going to meet with a budding short-film maker on a sunny April afternoon, we didn’t quite know what to expect.

Whatever prior allusions we held to the character that awaited us, they generally involved a tormented artist; solemn and brooding, and most likely wearing a scarf despite the hot weather. What wasn’t expected, was a cheerful, joking bloke whose first words were “Shall we go and get a pint?”

The filmmaker in question is David Harrison, a young graduate from Staffordshire University who has already written, directed, produced and filmed two ‘shorts’ in the last year – as they are 10

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known in the film industry – and is working on his third and most ambitious yet.

Harrison, 23, first started making films at the tender age of seven, “I loved films even as a kid, especially Disney cartoons.

My dad had a video camera that he only used for big family events, so I would beg and plead with him to use it all the time. He tried to deny me at first, but he eventually gave in.”

However, the seven yearold Spielberg’s films were never masterpieces, he had the enthusiasm but needed a few more years of maturity to develop a sense of scripting. “I have most of the tapes now, they were awful!”

He laughs, “Generally I’d just

film with one hand and make my Action Man fight things with my other. And of course I’d be doing all the voices.” Staring dreamily at the table in the beer garden, he recollects “I once made a film called The Bee, I just followed a bumble bee around the garden for an hour and a half and commented on it; David Attenborough style.”

As he grew older, his passion for films and filmmaking only increased, he received his first video camera for his 13th birthday, and started to incorporate actors into his footage. “I’d take my friends down to the park and force them to star in my movies. They’d always complain about it if I gave them too much dialogue, and they outright refused to do deep

emotional scenes. But as soon as I suggested a chase sequence or a choreographed fight, they were more than willing to oblige. They thought they looked like Jackie Chan, and I felt like John Woo.”

In more recent times, Harrison has been following a more professional route to becoming a filmmaker. He recently finished a three year degree in film studies at Staffordshire University, “To be honest, when I applied to university, I thought I knew all there was to know about films, I was going purely to get a degree to my name. But I was so wrong, I knew practically nothing. I learned so much in my three years there, and it taught me that there is always more to know. It is such a broad subject, and its history is fascinating.”

“It will be a spiritual journey, not just for the character, but for all of us.”

Since graduating, Harrison has made two short films: An Inevitable Conclusion and Tall Orders. Having no budget to spend on the shorts, he used simple, easy locations and costumes, and employed volunteers as actors, “I knew some drama students who were eager to get a role on camera; they did it because they enjoy it, not because of money, which was a great help to me.”

His first two films were a powerful learning curve in the art of making movies, they taught him how to direct the actors and how to utilise the tools that are available. “We’d be filming in different rooms in my house, in any quiet locations we could find: woods, parks – wherever we could get privacy.”

The latest project on the young filmmaker’s books is set to be his most challenging yet; a film

David was not as well aquainted with this end of the camera.

that not only exceeds his previous landmark to the other, he’ll meet productions’ running time by 30 some interesting people along the minutes, but one that exceeds their way. It’s a journey of discovery.” production span by approximately But, Harrison concedes, 603 miles. the project will not be easy,

Due North will be about “We’re prepared to hit some a man’s journey from Land’s speed-bumps along the way. We End to John O’Groats: the two have a tight schedule, so we won’t furthest points in Britain. “It will be getting much sleep. There are be a spiritual journey, not just for going to be some very highlythe character, but for all of us. I strung people at the end of this think we’ll really learn a lot from trip, but the end result will be this.” Harrison says that filming worth it.” Due North is expected will start in a few weeks, “We’re to be completed in September. all very excited about it; the story Jack Grocott will follow him from one famous June 2011| Premiere

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Film Piracy

‘YOU WOULDN’T STEAL A car, you wouldn’t steal a handbag, you wouldn’t steal a television, you wouldn’t steal a movie; downloading pirated films is stealing.’ You probably recognise that message as the same one that is shown at the start of DVDs, videos and cinema screenings.

The one that makes it tempting to download pirated films, just to avoid the same anti-piracy advert before the feature, where the girl seemingly has download speeds that many people would kill for.

So exactly how bad is film 12

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piracy? Is it really on par with stealing a car? A DVD retails anywhere between £20 for a new release, to £3 for an older film, whereas a trip to the cinema generally costs approximately £6. But there is much more to take into account than the face value of a single copy of a film.

Rebecca Walters, a representative of the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) believes that film piracy is just as bad, if not worse, than stealing a car, “It’s not just about the face value of the item. Say that someone buys a DVD for £20, and then

Our reporter e gates illegal d

they go home and upload it onto the internet for others to download. Millions of people download films illegally, that copy will likely be downloaded by hundreds of thousands of people. Think how many £20 DVD sales the film studio will miss out on selling. It’s despicable to abuse others’ work like this.”

However, I think that it is an overestimation to presume that all people who download that film would have bought a copy of the DVD anyway. Surely some people just download the films on

exclusively investidownloading...

a whim, or maybe they become addicted to it, a kind of cyberkleptomaniac.

I spoke to a man who wishes to remain unnamed, so we’ll call him Mr Blue, he believes that film piracy is partly the fault of the retailers and the corporations. He says “I think DVD prices can be astronomical, they use fewer materials to make a DVD than paper is used to make a book, yet can charge quadruple the price.” Whilst what he says is true, he doesn’t take the much higher production cost of movies

into account. He continues “iTunes is one of the worst perpetrators in my opinion. They set their prices internationally, so basically, they’ll decide to charge 20 for a DVD or CD, which means that we’ll be paying £20, and Americans will be paying $20.

How is that fair?

So why shouldn’t we cut our differences slightly by getting the odd film for free?”

I do agree that Mr Blue speaks a certain amount of sense in terms of equality. However, by attempting to punish the retailers, his methods are also harming the film industry. If we, as a nation, continue to download illegal copies of films so recklessly, then we could one day end up in a position where film companies aren’t making enough money to warrant releasing movies. And as I’m sure you all agree, that would be a tragedy.

Walters says, “The fact that we pay more for films than other countries is irrelevant. We pay a lot more for petrol than America and most of Europe; does that mean we should start driving away without paying for fuel? If we did that then fuel prices would increase even more to cover their losses. It would be a never ending cycle. Perhaps part of the reason that films are so expensive here is because people obtain them by illegal means, maybe they’re increasing their prices to cover losses caused by

these criminals. It’s a matter of a few ruining it for everybody else.

That seems to be the culture we live in now.”

The fact is, no matter what the intentions of people who download films are, they are harming the film industry, and taking money from people who are doing a great job of supplying entertainment to the masses. I can understand wanting to rebel extortionate prices, but, frankly, DVDs can be found at very reasonable prices in high street shops, if you’re just willing to look. New releases will always be costly, but I often buy older films for prices as low as £3. Some people who download illegally may have a rebellious agenda, but I assume that most are just doing it because they can. The future of the film industry remains a mystery, but let’s hope that when we realise the damage that piracy can cause, it’s not too late. Jack Grocott June 2011| Premiere

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Take a Break Movie Crossword #1

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Relax and unwind with a few puzzles to keep your mind busy.

Wordsearch #1

Words to find: Bad Boys Blades of Glory Cinema Die Hard Fast Five Gladiator Gridiron Gang IMAX Inception Memento Premiere Thor

June 2011| Premiere

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