Movie Editor's Blog

The plane crash sequence in ‘Flight’ is jaw-dropping, but bonkers.

After steering the plane through a particularly nasty bout of turbulence, Denzel Washington’s half-cut captain Whip has a nap, only to wake up with the plane nose-diving.

To land the knackered aircraft, he rolls it upside down to stop it plummeting to the ground, before flipping it the right side up and crash landing in a field. He saves 96 of the 102 passengers onboard and is hailed a hero, until the authorities discover he had drugs and alcohol in his blood...

The crash in ‘Flight’ is one of the most realistic ever captured on film, though director Robert Zemeckis has had some practice after helming a similar scene in ‘Cast Away’.

As the crew explains in our exclusive making-of video, the intense effect was created by building the entire plane cabin - which weighed 30,000 pounds - and strapping it to a giant rotating gimbal (a piece of kit that pivots and rotates around an object, in this case, the fake cabin).

It

Read More »from The real life story behind the Flight plane crash

An “abracatastic” new poster for upcoming magical comedy ‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ has arrived, with Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi and Jim Carrey getting their showmanship on.

[Related story: Kick-Ass 2 pic unveils Jim Carrey]

Smoke and mirrors... Buscemi, Carell and Carrey (Credit: New Line Cinema)
Directed by Don Scardino, the film follows past-it Vegas magician Burt Wonderstone, played by Carell, as he attempts to reunite with former partner Anton Marvelton (Buscemi) when Carrey’s sneaky street magician, Steve Gray, starts to overshadow him.

Wonderstone himself is partly based on flamboyant tiger-friendly magicians Siegfried & Roy, whilst Carrey’s character was described by Scardino as “If David Blaine and Criss Angel had a child.” Horrific.

Check out the new UK trailer below:

Click here to like the ‘Burt Wonderstone’ Facebook page.

'The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’, directed by Don Scardino, is out in the UK 15 March 2013.

Read More »from Exclusive: New Burt Wonderstone Poster

Bruce Willis and Jai Courtney talk epic action, going to Chernobyl and father/son love McClane-style in our exclusive ‘A Good Day To Die Hard’ featurette.

“It’s a big, rockin’ ‘Die Hard’ movie,” says Bruce.

[Related story: Bruce Willis back for Sin City sequel]

In the clip we get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of ‘A Good Day To Die Hard’ including interviews with Bruce Willis and Jai Courtney about the “pretty contentious” relationship between icon of action Detective John McClane and his estranged son Jack… who happens to be working for the CIA.

“Things haven’t exactly been chummy for the last few years,” says 26 year-old Australian born Courtney, “but they have to band together and sort it out. Get out of there alive.”

“The action is awesome. Where else can you legally crash cars, beat guys up and fire weapons on a daily basis?”

The featurette also shows the mammoth operation to shoot the fifth ‘Die Hard’ instalment, using 55 different sets. Most of the action was

Read More »from Exclusive: Going to ‘Chernobyl’ was the right thing to do says Bruce Willis

In a casting move that is now tough to imagine, Daniel Day-Lewis could have played Vincent Vega in 'Pulp Fiction'.

A new article on the making of the movie in Vanity Fair magazine has now lifted the lid on the iconic Tarantino picture.

[Related story: Tarantino clashes with Krishnan Guru-Murthy]

Pulp Fiction... Travolta and Jackson could have been Day-Lewis and Jackson (Copyright: Rex)

But the hitman with a heroin problem also had another suitor, alongside the inimitable star of 'Lincoln' and 'There Will Be Blood'.

“Daniel Day-Lewis and Bruce Willis, who was the biggest star in Hollywood, had both gotten their hands on the script and wanted to play Vincent Vega,” said director Quentin Tarantino's agent Mike Simpson.

Meanwhile producer Harvey Weinstein was lobbying for Sean Penn or William Hurt for the role, and was said to be 'dead-set' against Travolta.

In other bombshells from the lengthy exploration of Tarantino's finest film, Uma Thurman says that she nearly walked away from her part as Mia Wallace over the infamous 'gimp' scene, saying that she found it 'pretty

Read More »from Daniel Day-Lewis could have been Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction

New pictures have emerged online of Nicolas Cage as Superman, snapped from the development of Tim Burton's ill-fated take on the man of steel.

The shots, which show Cage in a rippled muscle suit, were tweeted by the DCU (that's DC Universe) Movie Page, and though the origins of the pictures is not stated, they are the latest to emerge since director and producer Jon Schnepp launched a 'Kickstarter' campaign online to get a documentary about Burton's movie made.

[Related story: The real-life story behind Gangster Squad]

Cage... ripped in muscle suit as Superman (Copyright: DCU Movie Page)

Another more lo-fi image has also been unleashed, feature Cage with flowing locks and a somewhat ill-fitting Superman outfit.

Riiiiight... Cage less convincing as the Man of Steel (Copyright: IGN)

Schnepp wants to bring the story of Burton's take on Superman, which was to be called 'Superman Lives' and has been dubbed 'the weirdest Superman film never made', to the screen, in all its peculiar glory.

'Clerks' and 'Dogma' director Kevin Smith wrote a script for the film in the mid-90s, featuring a wealth of other comic book characters –

Read More »from New pics emerge of Nicolas Cage as Superman

It's among the most famous legs in cinema history... but it doesn't belong to who you think.

'Dallas' star Linda Gray has revealed that she was the 'leg double' for Anne Bancroft in the iconic scene from 'The Graduate' in which Dustin Hoffman eyes up her stocking-clad leg.

[Related story: Arnold Schwarzenegger - the weird early years]

Mrs. Robinson... leg was actually Linda Gray's (Copyright: Rex)

Gray was a model before she turned to acting, but then went on to find fame as Sue Ellen Ewing in the Texan soap opera.

The 72-year-old, who is currently reprising her role in the rebooted 'Dallas', told talk show host Anderson Cooper: “'I think [Anne Bancroft] was absent that day... I don't know. I got paid $25, one leg.”

Gray... reveals all to Anderson Cooper (Copyright: Anderson Live)

Co-star Patrick Duffy, who was also appearing on 'Anderson Live', then chipped in: “I'll give you 50 for that leg right now,” while Cooper added: “It's worth a heck of a lot more than that.”

'The Graduate', directed by Mike Nichols, was Hoffman's breakthrough role, playing college graduate Ben Braddock who is seduced by Bancroft's Mrs.

Read More »from Linda Gray was the ‘leg double’ in The Graduate

The fate of the forthcoming 'Justice League' film may depend on the box office success of 'Man of Steel', according to reports.

The film is already slated for a 2015 release, with 'Gangster Squad' writer Will Beall working on a script, but it's thought if 'Man of Steel' goes the way of Warner's recent flop 'Green Lantern', the likelihood of the DC Comic superhero supergroup taking on The Avengers is slim.

[Related story: Five members of Justice League revealed?]

Justice League... could be in the hands of the Man of Steel (Copyright: DC Comics)

Hollywood industry magazine Variety says that 'Warner's top brass has indicated that they are awaiting the results of 'Man of Steel', which opens June 14, before moving further ahead'.

Rumours emerged last week that Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and The Flash would be the five key members of the group, with possible roles for Aquaman and Martian Manhunter.

However, judging by the trailers and the pedigree behind 'Man of Steel' - including director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan - it's unlikely that

Read More »from Could Justice League film hang on Man of Steel success?

In one of the most vivid cases of a great cast not making a great movie, the latest film from (among others) the Farrelly brothers' Peter Farrelly has received one of the worst critical maulings in recent years.

'Movie 43', a series of comic vignettes directed by a number of different directors, boasts an astonishing line-up of Hollywood talent.

[Related story: Film fests snub Lindsay Lohan film for 'significant quality issues']

Leprechaun... Butler defends his pot of gold (Copyright: Relativity)

Among the cast are the likes of Dennis Quaid, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Emma Stone, Uma Thurman, Gerard Butler, Terrence Howard, Naomi Watts, Halle Berry, Josh Duhamel, Liev Schreiber, Seth MacFarlane, Richard Gere, Anna Faris and Chloe Grace Moretz, with directors including James Gunn and Bob Odenkirk joining Farrelly behind the camera.

But despite the glut of stars, it has received a legendarily poor 5% 'fresh' rating on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with critics virtually unanimous in their hatred.

Based around a washed up screenwriter (Quaid)

Read More »from Movie 43 gets critical panning