The opening frames of Matthew Vaughn’s Kick Ass – a homemade hero’s ill-fated leap of faith from a huge building, only to crash hard onto a parked car tells us straight up that this isn’t your average comic book movie. And thank god.  The credo of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr’s big screen adaptation “with no power comes no responsibility” is apt, Kick Ass will literally kick your ass, and make no mistake, you’ll love every second of it.

Dave Lizewski is average, super average in fact. He’s no Peter Parker or Clark Kent, he’s not destined for greatness and he’s sick of it.  Inspired by his love of comics and perplexed at why no one has tried it before, he suits up and hits the streets, one brawl in front of a camera phone wielding crowd later and he’s an overnight sensation.

Pretty soon he attracts the attention of the lethal father/daughter vigilantes Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Bordering on the psychotic and bent on taking down mob boss Frank D’Amico, these guys are the real deal.  As reality begins to hit home so do the consequences of his actions and before long he finds he’s in over his head.

A return to form for Nicholas Cage playing two sides of the same coin, the dweeby Damon Macready and the take-no-crap Big Daddy. From the Adam West inflection in Big Daddy’s voice to his sweet yet anarchic relationship with his daughter Mindy, the film picks up pace whenever the two hit the screen.  Meanwhile Mark Strong provides a real villain, a Tony Soprano type who’s determined to send a message to any other potential caped crusaders, aided by his son Chris who’s desperate to prove his worth.

Unlike stars of the Marvel or DC universe, it’s not always happy endings for Mark Millar’s costumed heroes, the fact that Kick Ass could bite the big one at any moment creates a unique tension within the film.  But where Kick Ass really lives up to the hype is during its high voltage fight sequences.  Limbs are lost, bullets fly, blood squirts ­– all set against kicking tracks like Prodigy’s Omen and The Hit Girl’s Bad Reputation just to name a few – creating an awesomeness the likes of which you’ve never seen before.

It’s multiple references to comics; from Wolverine to Scott Pilgrim reinforce its real world twist, a nice change from the done-to-death textbook superhero movies we’ve come to expect. Kick Ass sports memorable turns from supporting cast Clarke Duke and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and seals Chloe Moretz status as one to watch – as the deadly, foul mouthed Hit Girl, she owns the film.  Kick-Ass could be the Watchmen for a new age but definitely is 2010’s best film so far.

Kick Ass is in cinemas now.

After weeks of patiently waiting, yesterday the first trailer for Scott Pilgrim Vs The World hit the internet.  So stop what your doing and check it out below.Verdict? I think we can all stop worrying about whether Edgar Wright would do Bryan Lee O’Malley’s explosive graphic novels justice, he totally nails it.  It looks like no other comic book film, but more importantly, it just looks right.  As mentioned in a previous post test screenings have been very positive, even from people unfamiliar with the books, confirming suspicions that Scott Pilgrim Vs The World will be something special.

Watch the ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs The World’ Trailer

Check out the first official movie poster for Scott Pilgrim Vs The World which is released on August 6th. The recently released poster is the first to feature Michael Cera as Scott, the films plucky hero, in a nice homage to the graphic novels. You may remember a few months back, Scott Pilgrim mastermind Bryan Lee O’Malley created an awesome teaser poster! The comic book adaptation which is directed by Edgar Wright, has had outstanding reviews following a couple of rough-cut advance screenings and is definitely one to keep an eye out for.

View the Poster

The Sandpit is a beautiful short film by Aero director Sam O’Hare, documenting a day in the life of New York city, in miniature. Shot using time-lapse tilt shift photography over five days last August, it perfectly captures the hustle and bustle of city living in exquisite detail. The film focuses on ordinary life, with glimpses of individuals going about their daily business, all to an original soundtrack by Human. Continue reading for more about the production process.

Continue reading for more about the production process.

On Tuesday a new trailer for the much anticipated Tron Legacy was unleashed on the internet. Massive hints to the films plot and characters are reveled but what’s that in the background? maybe a hint of the Daft Punk score? The stunning neon visuals and jaw dropping special effects are really dusting off this cult classic and bringing it to the 21th century. If you can’t get enough you can also watch the whole thing in glorious high definition over at program-glitch-esc. Could this be a sequal with intergrity?

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BEHOLD! The 27-second trailer for ODDSAC, a visual album by Danny Perez and Animal Collective. “After four years of furious editing, a polarizing screening at Sundance and loads of body glitter. The film, a collaboration between the celebrated avant-indie band and Philadelphia film director Danny Perez, has been shrouded in mystery since its announcement last year. Little footage has leaked, save a 27-second teaser, and initial reviews at Sundance were full of wonder and befuddlement, comparing the 53-minute piece to Stan Brakhage’s epileptic edit work and Matthew Barney’s haunting imagery, marveling over its haunting jumble of sad vampires, whirling fireballs, flaming heads and glittered faces.” Rolling Stone Magazine. For Screening dates and news Click! Here. To read the “Behind the sceens interview” By Rolling Stone Magazine Click! Here.

Watch the Trailer

Blackpool: Las Vegas Of The North is a 34 minute film by Cinematographer Leo Leigh and London-based journalist and editor of the British edition of Vice Magazine Andy Capper. Centered around the Northern English decaying fantasy island Blackpool: Las Vegas Of The North first aired on Vice Magazine’s Internet TV Channel VBS in January 2009.

Not one for the faint hearted, The Cove is a documentary that must be seen to be believed as director Louie Psihoyos uncovers the truth surrounding a subject that has somehow been kept under wraps. Ex-dolphin trainer turned activist Ric O’Barry is our guide into the world of dolphin mutilation. In the sixties, O’Barry worked on the iconic television show Flipper training the dolphins to perform the various stunts needed for the program. Developing a strong bond with the animals and coming to appreciate their intelligence, it was here where he discovered that a dolphins smiling face is natures biggest con. After the death of one of his beloved animals, O’Barry vowed never again to allow them to be kept in captivity.

Continue Reading Review: The Cove

Not knowing a great deal about Black Metal, actually referring to it as ‘Swedish Death Metal’ for most of my life, which is neither geographically nor nominally correct, I did what any internet savvy lady would do… I googled the crap out of it. What ensued was a Wikipedia journey which led me from Varg Vikernes to Michael Moynihan, to Charles Manson, my morbid fascination dragging me onwards.

I think this trail of links goes someway to explaining the common public perception of the movement, and thus the purpose of this movie. It is a cultural phenomenon from the 90’s shrouded in darkness, arson and murder, for someone who was not in to Black Metal in the mid -90’s (I was te) this film was created to provide an intimate look at the people behind this enigmatic scene. Striving to reverse the reductive effects that the actions of a few (Varg Vikernes being the most notorious of these) had on people’s understanding of Black Metal. The directors moved to Norway and lived amongst the key players of this scene for several years, giving them a unique insight in to Black Metal, allowing them to paint a larger picture using the stories of a few. Directors Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell have tired to provide a more three dimensional picture of the Black Metal scene, its roots, principles and beliefs and its impact on the heavy Metal scene today.

After an extensive tour around the states the film returns to London on 27 March 2010 at the Rio Cinema (107 Kingsland Road, E8). The showing starts at 11.15pm. As with most things now, there is a facebook page for the event and tickets are being sold in advance at the Rio .

Watch the ‘Until The Light Takes Us’ Trailer

With (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb perfectly captures the intricacies of relationships and love, but make no mistake this is no love story. By going down this anti-rom-com route, there’s a good chance some viewers may be put off, perhaps due to being spoon fed a few too many mainstream ‘happily ever afters’ . That being said, fans of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Annie Hall will find a lot of enjoyment in this bittersweet indie film.

Continue Reading Review: (500) Days Of Summer