Blog Posts by Mark Lankester

Wanna know how to survive the apocalypse? Get a job.

If Hollywood’s morbid fascination with the end of the world has taught us one thing, it’s that being ordinary helps your chances.

Tom Cruise’s post-apocalyptic repair man in ‘Oblivion’, out this week, now joins Bruce Willis’ ‘Armageddon’ oil rigger, John Cusack’s ‘2012’ limo driver and Kevin Costner’s postman in, well, ‘The Postman’, on the list of blue-collar folk who survived disaster movie Doomsdays.

We set our Joe on the case to investigate the trend, and whilst he’s at it, maybe get a job too…

Read More »from Home Movies: How to survive a movie apocalypse

In the world of movie spin-offs, anything’s fair game. Even your childhood.

In ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ (that’s Action Man to us Brits), out this week, classic action figures are morphed into actual people. Like Bruce Willis, and The Rock.

Does exactly what it says on the tin? Not really.

So, in this week’s Home Movies, our Joe investigates the toy spin-off trend, to find out just why Hollywood wants to get its hand on your childhood.

And, if Transformers and Battleships can do it, why not Monopoly? Or even KerPlunk?

Now there’s an idea…

Read More »from Joe Wilkinson’s Home Movies: Why Hollywood wants to get its hands on your childhood

The magic of the movies. You can’t beat it can you? Certainly not with “real” magic anyway – just look at Paul Daniels.

[Related story: Exclusive: Burt Wonderstone Vegas ad]
[Related story: Sam Raimi reveals amazing magic skills]

This week, our Joe takes a look at upcoming conjuring comedy ‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’, starring Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi and Jim Carrey – asking why is it the movies make magic look so, well, magic.

Read More »from Joe Wilkinson’s Home Movies: Why magic is much better in films

In the run-up to this year’s Oscars nominations, the hype-machine was all about one man, Ben Affleck, and his guaranteed gong for Best Director.

The actor-turned-director was on his way to pulling off the most successful career make-over in recent Hollywood history. From cinematic joke to talented filmmaker, Affleck was about to silence ten years of critics with ‘Argo’. Then the red carpet was pulled from under his feet when he was omitted from the list of Best Director nominees.

Game over Affleck... or is it?

[Related story: Ben Affleck shrugs off Academy's big snub]
[Related story: BAFTAs 2013: Ben Affleck and Argo the big winners]

Actor/Director.... Affleck on the set of Argo (Credit: Rex)
Soon after the 10 January nominee announcement, rumours started appearing online that a nod wasn’t all that important to winning. There was a loophole in the voting system. A glitch in the Matrix.

The Hollywood Reporter uncovered a 1935 precedent from when Bette Davis failed to land a nomination for ‘Of Human Bondage’. Industry outcry led Academy voters

Read More »from The Oscars voting loophole that means Ben Affleck could still win Best Director

He might be one of the biggest names in Hollywood, but even Bradley Cooper used to admire the stars.

Footage has emerged online of a surfer-haired Bradley Cooper in the audience of a 1999 episode of US TV show ‘Inside The Actor’s Studio’, hosted by James Lipton.

[Related story: Cooper to play Lance Armstrong?]
[Related story: Silver Linings Playbook achieves rare Oscars feat]

Back in the day... Bradley as a young actor (Credit: Daily Mail)
In the clip, Bradley, then a 24-year-old acting student, is given the chance to ask actor Sean Penn a question.

“Hey Mr Penn. My name’s Bradley Cooper, I’m a second year actor,” he politely introduces himself. “My question is regarding ‘Hurlyburly’.”

“What was it like to revisit a character, Eddie, after a 10 year hiatus? Did you have new discoveries? Did you find that it was a different approach, because you had already done this character before?” he asks.

Sean responds, and Bradley leans in, eager to learn all about the process. Check out the footage here.
Enthusiastic... Bradley wants to learn all he can from Sean (Credit: Daily Mail)
The episode, which aired on 17 January 1999, also

Read More »from Young Bradley Cooper spotted in old TV footage

An epic new motion poster for JJ Abrams' upcoming ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ has landed online – with added menacing dialogue from villain John Harrison. Posters can talk now don’t ya know.

[Related story: Benedict Cumberbatch talks terrorist Star Trek into Darkness villain]
[Related story: New Star Trek images unveiled]

Check it out below – and make sure to grab some headphones for the brooding tones of Benedict Cumberbatch. Shall we begin?

Here's the official synopsis:

"In the wake of a shocking act of terror from within their own organization, the crew of The Enterprise is called back home to Earth. In defiance of regulations and with a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads his crew on a manhunt to capture an unstoppable force of destruction and bring those responsible to justice.

"As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his

Read More »from Star Trek Into Darkness: Epic new motion poster

Remember in ‘Die Hard 4’ when John McClane took out a helicopter with a car? Well now he’s doing it to billboards.

An amazingly creative ad for ‘A Good Day To Die Hard’ has popped up in Oslo, Norway, looking like McClane himself has crashed his car through a poster for the film.

[Related story: Bruce Willis slates new Die Hard title in awkward BBC interview]
[Related story: Exclusive Die Hard 5 featurette]

Remember where we parked... Oslo's Die Hard ad (Credit: imgur)
So far the promotional instillation, posted on Reddit, looks to be the only one of its kind for the film, but it’s still pretty impressive.

‘A Good Day To Die Hard’, the fifth installment in the iconic action series, sees John McClane (Bruce Willis) travel to Russia where his son Jack (Jai Courtney), who is working for the CIA, is in trouble after the assassination of a Russian official. It is the first time the franchise has left US soil.

Last week Willis appeared on BBC1’s ‘The One Show’, bizarrely slating his own film and mumbling to presenters about its awkward name.

Maybe Bruce

Read More »from Epic Die Hard car crash ad appears in Oslo

‘Wreck it Ralph’ might be a cute Disney flick that pays affectionate homage to the world of videogames, but the writers at least allude to the whole ‘videogames are too violent’ debate (see the video below)

[Related story: Tarantino clashes with Guru-Murthy over film violence]
[Related story: JJ Abrams to make Portal film?]

We got serious and asked the cast their views, with comedian Sarah Silverman (who voices Venellope) revealing to Yahoo! Movies that she turned down a voiceover role in ‘Grand Theft Auto’ for precisely this reason.

She said: “I have to say I’m guilty of loving killing games,” said Silverman. “I love 007 and ‘Goldeneye’ - I mean like I knew every room and every nook-and-cranny.”

But the 42 year-old expressed her uneasiness about appearing in GTA: “I didn’t wanna do it, it just bummed me out.

“Let’s not kill hookers. Let’s not have kids kill hookers.”

‘Wreck-It Ralph’ himself, John C. Reilly, suggesting violence was just part of ‘complete’ video came world:

“You look

Read More »from Exclusive: Wreck-it Ralph star Sarah Silverman on why she turned down GTA