Peter Dinklage Joins X-Men Days Of Future Past

Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage has joined the cast of new X-Men film Days Of Future Past. The news was officially confirmed by director Bryan Singer via Twitter.

Although it remains unclear exactly which of the familiar Marvel characters the  star will be playing, it widely reported he will be playing the main villain.

Peter Dinklage is best known for his role as Tyrion Lannister in the critically acclaimed HBO TV series Game of Thrones. His performance saw him collect an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2011, as well as a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2012.

Peter Dinklage will actually be in London this summer, attending this year’s London Film and Comic Conevent for his first ever autograph signing an fan event. Details here - Peter Dinklage LFCC 2013

A Good Day To Die Hard Review

The Plot:

John McClane sets out to Russia in search of his apparently wayward son Jack. But their family reunion is spoiled when McClane also finds his usual trouble of bombs, bullets and bad guys. With nobody else seemingly around to stop the mayhem, it’s time for the ultimate father and son team to take care of things…

The Good:

Fans of the Die Hard franchise will no doubt be pleased to see that John McClane is still having trouble dying after roughly 25 years of saving the world from machine gun toting bad guys. Though the action genre has evolved dramatically in that time, its spirit of macho heroics remains vastly popular. Whatever people’s reactions to this latest adventure, at the very least it is a reminder of a very special franchise.

Relative newcomer Jai Courtney handles the daunting prospect of playing John McClane’s son quite well. Between this film and a recent villainous turn in Jack Reacher, he’s demonstrated a convincing physical presence that should see him quickly graduate to leading man roles. In truth at times it feels like he may have already done that in this film, as he often feels more like our capable hero than Bruce Willis does.

The Bad:

Bruce Willis is 57 years old and he looks it, more worryingly, for the first time on screen he really feels… old. His lumbering body is seemingly indestructible, but fails to convince throughout the relentless physical action. It’s difficult to accept McClane could run fast enough to catch the bad guys, let alone survive a never ending series of car crashes and explosions. Standing alongside Jai Courtney’s impressively chiseled physique is a depressing reminder of reality.

Detective John McClane was once an undisputed action hero icon, but sadly the underdog charms this character once possessed have been mercilessly eroded by decades of being an invincible superhero. His well-deserved and satisfying wisecracks have been tragically replaced with meaningless bravado and obnoxious smugness.

Die Hard 4.0 was heavily criticised for abandoning the core principle of the Die Hard franchise, that McClane was essentially just a normal guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sure he was a tough guy, but he wasn’t superhuman. This film represented a chance to abandon the cartoonish CGI action and take things back to believable basics. Sadly the latest Die Hard film instead continues to plunge the franchise further into disappointing absurdity.

Action blockbusters often have to defend themselves against allegations that they bear no relation to the real world. Indeed much of the joy of the genre is only possible by wilfully ignoring the laws of physics and common sense in favour of escapist entertainment. However that magic trick is only possible if the film is fun enough to distract audiences from the mounting factual inaccuracies and inexplicable plot holes.

The film’s plot feels thin and uninspired, as a promising beginning sadly evaporates into generics. The gaps between the film’s lengthy action sequences are also cluttered with poor dialogue and ill-advised father-son bonding. It’s ultimately hard to know whether many of the groans and giggles the film provokes are intentional or not.

Ugly Truth:

A Good Day To Die Hard may please those craving the comfort of loud noises and uncomplicated explosions this Valentine’s Day. However fans looking for some testosterone fueled nostalgia may be better off re-watching their DVD collection of old school 80’s and 90’s action classics. A bombardment of implausible special effects and a misguided determination to be ‘bigger’ doesn’t compare well to the memorable charms and high standards of the original Die Hard.

Video Interview below with star Jai Courtney and the filmmakers on the red carpet at the film’s London premiere:

 

Universal plans backup script for The Mummy Reboot

Universal are pushing ahead with their troubled plans for a reboot of The Mummy franchise in efforts to meet an unlikely deadline of having a finished film ready for their long planned 2014 release date.

Prometheus writer Jon Spaihts started work on the script last year, but the studio has now reportedly hired Hunger Games screenwriter Billy Ray to start work on another draft. It’s unclear whether they plan to somehow integrate the two versions or are expecting the writers to eventually collaborate on whichever version proves the most viable.

Regardless of who claims ultimate responsibility for the film’s script Len Wiseman will be required to direct it. Hopefully with slightly more critical and commercial success than his recent lackluster reboot of Total Recall. 

Downton Abbey Star Set For Hollywood Action

Dan Stevens, best known as Matthew Crawley on superb period drama Downton Abbey is set to star alongside Liam Neeson in a new action thriller A Walk Among The Tombstones.

Liam Neeson will continue to demonstrate just how effective a killing tool he really is, playing a recovering alcoholic ex-cop hired to find the kidnapped wife of a drug dealer. The acclaimed dramatic actor is enjoying an unlikely second lease of life as a blockbuster action hero following the convincing success of Taken, Unknown and The Grey. Clearly he will continue to use his ‘certain set of skill’ until the world runs out of bad guys and wolves for him to beat to death with his bare hands.

It’s unclear which specific role Dan Stevens will be taking on, but he will certainly  be hoping that it makes more of an impression that his recent flop vampire comedy effort Vamps.

Elle Style Awards 2013 Winners List

Last night Elle Magazine held their annual style awards at the Savoy hotel in London. This year’s guests included Bradley Cooper, Stella McCartney, Kate Hudson, Rosamund Pike, Ronnie Wood, Elizabeth Olsen, Chris Tucker, Nicholas Kirkwood and Juno Temple. Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw, hosted the ceremony, which also featured a performance by LesMiserables star Samantha Barks.

Full List of this year’s Elle Style Awards winners below:

Best Actor: Bradley Cooper (presented by Harvey Weinstein)

Best TV Show: Game Of Thrones (presented by Alice Eve)

Breakthrough Performance: Samantha Barks (presented by Ronnie Wood)

Next Future Icon: Chloë Moretz (presented by Chris Tucker)

Best Music Act: Emeli Sandé (presented and accepted by Andrea Riseborough)

Best Model: Anja Rubik

Best International Designer: Stella McCartney (presented by Kate Hudson)

Best British Designer of the Year: Christopher Kane (presented by Lorraine Candy and

Elizabeth Olsen)

Next Young Designer of the Year: Simone Rocha (presented by Arizona Muse)

Best Accessory Designer of the Year: Nicholas Kirkwood (presented by Rosamund

Pike)

Best Jewellery Designer of the Year: Gaia Repossi (presented by Amanda De Cadenet)

Contemporary Brand of the Year: Kristen McMenamy on behalf of McQueen (Sarah

Burton) (presented by Juno Temple)

Red Carpet Fashion: Roksanda Ilincic (presented by Naomie Harris)

Editors Choice: Alicia Vikander (presented by Lorraine Candy)