Blog Posts by Ben Arnold

Ridley Scott's iconic 'Blade Runner' didn't quite grab the imagination of its producers during its early screenings back in 1981.

Thanks to some purportedly original screening notes from executives Jerry Perenchio, Bud Yorkin and Robin French of Tandem Productions, we can see precisely what they thought of it after watching some of the early cuts.

[Related story: New Blade Runner project a sequel]

Blade Runner... early cuts weren't well-received (Copyright: Imgur)

Perenchio was among the most damning of the film, proclaiming: “This movie gets worse every screening.”

Much work still needed to be done, it seems, before its release the following year, with plot and dialogue described as 'confusing', and the film up to the death of replicant android Zhara damned as being 'deadly dull'.

While all the producers had their own views – largely negative – all seemed united in their hatred of Harrison Ford's controversial voice-over.

Under 'general comments', the VO is described as 'an insult'.

“Why is this voice-over track so terrible,” asks Perenchio.

If there's an actor in Hollywood that's harder to figure than James Franco, then do let us know.

In a latest turn of events, the actor/editor/student/artist/poet appears to have fallen foul of his neighbours, who are claiming that he's running a major production company from his house.

[Related story: Oz the Great and Powerful storms box office]
[Related story: The dark side of The Wizard of Oz]

The couple who live next door to him in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, say they are besieged by a 'constant stream' of people going to and from the 1920s compound, rumoured to have been built by director DW Griffith.

Franco... making his neighbours angry (Copyright: Rex)

In an email to Curbed Los Angeles, the neighbours explained: “At first, my partner and I were pleased to have Mr. Franco living next door. His work in 'Milk' and his academic pursuits made us happy he was on our street. That is no longer the case.”

They go on to question whether he actually lives there – he reportedly paid $775,000 for the property last year – and are now angry with film

Steven Spielberg will always be a legend... that's a given.

But the director has shown that despite being one of the world's best – and likely busiest – directors, he's still got time to encourage the next generation.

[Related story: Spielberg to work on Kubrick's Napoleon drama for TV]

Spielberg... sends note of encouragement to young filmmaker (Copyright: Rex)

19-year-old amateur filmmaker and design student Krishna Bala Shenoi of Bangalore, India, made a 75-second animated tribute to his idol and posted it online.

Through the singular power of the internet, it then ended up on Spielberg's very own screen.

The clip came to his attention after Shenoi posted it in a blog on the Chicago Sun Times website, where he is a special correspondent for film critic Roger Ebert.

The blog was in turn spotted by Spielberg's long-standing make-up designer Lois Burwell, who has worked with the director on films including 'Saving Private Ryan', 'Catch Me If You Can' and 'Lincoln', who made Spielberg aware of it.

So impressed was the director with Shenoi's work, he penned him

The new poster for 'The Hangover Part III' appears to have been inspired by a certain boy wizard.

It shows Zach Galifianakis's loose canon Alan facing off against Ken Jeong's Mr Chow, over a backdrop which teases a return to the first film's location of Las Vegas.

[Related story: No wedding, no bachelor party in Hangover III]

Hangover III... eerily similar to another poster (Copyright: Warner Bros)

Using the slogan 'It All Ends', its not entirely dissimilar – or perhaps at all dissimilar – to the poster for 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2', which featured the same face-off, but between Harry Potter and his noseless adversary Voldemort.

Potter... Face-off with Voldemort (Copyright: Warner Bros)

The seeming destruction of Las Vegas is among the only information available about the plot of the film thus far.

Director Todd Philips has said that there will a death of a character, which the film may centre on.

It's also thought there won't be a bachelor party on this occasion, nor a wedding to jeopardise.

Galifianakis returns, as do Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper and Justin Bartha as the 'wolf pack' of the first

Well, someone likes Harry Potter...

Boy-wizard fan Alice Finch took 12 months and around 400,000 Lego bricks to construct this astonishingly detailed replica of Harry Potter's school Hogwarts.

Hogwarts... created by Harry Potter fan Alice Finch (Copyright: Flickr)

Several scenes from the films and books have been lovingly recreated too, and the whole thing also lights up.

Detail... scenes re-created inside (Copyright: Flickr)

“It is designed to be architecturally accurate and completely playable. It breaks into sections that pack into 35 large flat boxes or shelves,” said Finch.

Time on your hands... took 12 months to construct (Copyright: Flickr)

She is also planning to post a time-lapse video of the school's construction next month.

Lights up... must have cost her a fair few quid(ditch) (Copyright: Flickr)

More pictures of the frankly stunning achievement can be seen on Finch's Flickr page.

Finch... in her very own Hogwarts (Copyright: Flickr)

'Skyfall's two awards at yesterday's Oscars ceremony mark the first acknowledgments from the Academy for a Bond film since 'Thunderball' in 1966.

Sam Mendes' celebrated 23rd Bond film won for Best Original Song, for Adele and Paul Epworth's theme, and Best Sound Editing, a joint award with 'Zero Dark Thirty' after votes were tied for only the sixth time in Oscar history.

[Related story: Oscars 2013 - Full list of winners]
[Related story: Oscars 2013 - Oscar category tied for onyl sixth time in history]

Skyfall... breaks 47 year Oscar drought for 007 (Copyright: Rex)

The series has been nominated several times since 'Thunderball's win, which was scored for John Stears' visual effects ('Goldfinger' also won a gong the previous year for Best Sound Effects), but largely Bond has largely found itself snubbed for much of the franchise's 50 year history.

'Diamonds Are Forever' was nominated in 1972 for Best Sound, 'Live and Let Die' in 1974 for Best Music, 'The Spy Who Loved Me' was nominated three times in 1978 for Best Art Direction, Best Song and Best

The crowd at the Oscars this year will be shaken and quite possibly stirred too, but not by a parade of Bonds.

Rumours that all the living actors who have played 007 will be appearing at the ceremony during the segment which will celebrate 50 years of the franchise have now been cast aside like so many Bond girls.

[Related story: Mendes to direct second Bond film?]

Bond... won't be appearing at the Oscars (Copyright: Sony)

Last week, Pierce Brosnan threw doubt on the rumour, and when asked whether they'd all be turning up, he replied: “Well, they'll be missing one.”

Now it transpires that he probably meant himself.

Craig Zadan, who is producing the annual telecast with Neil Meron, said: “It’s something else, something very unique and very exciting but no, we’re not getting the Bonds together.”

Adele is confirmed to be singing the theme to 'Skyfall' at the ceremony, and it emerged last week that Shirley Bassey would also be attending.

Could a duet be in the offing? Is Sheena Easton going too? We shall find out for sure on Sunday evening...

Bryan Singer has dropped a first look at his 'X-Men' sequel 'Days of Future Past' on Twitter.

The director snapped a picture of the two wheelchairs for his two Professor Xs in what appears to be the production office for the movie.

[Related story: Dinklage playing villain in X-Men sequel]

Days of Future Past... SInger tweets first picture (Copyright: Twitter/@BryanSinger)

“Hello old friends #XMen #DaysofFuturePast,” he wrote, accompanying the picture.

As the sequel takes place across alternate dimensions, both Sir Patrick Stewart, who played Professor Charles Francis Xavier in Singer's first 'X-Men' films, and James McAvoy, who played the younger Xavier in 'X-Men: First Class', will be able to share the role.

It follows news that 'Game of Thrones' star Peter Dinklage has joined the cast, though his role is so-far unspecified. Rumours abound that he will play Bolivar Trask, the military scientist who created the mutant-hunting robots, the Sentinels.

He joins a stellar cast, which includes McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, Sir Ian McKellen,