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This Week...
It's the least wonderful time of the year. Everyone's back to work, a little fatter and probably with at least a touch of the cold, and there's, like, 352 days until Christmas. But don't despair! This week sees the release of the simply spiffing The King's Speech and the thrilling 127 Hours, as the Oscar race heats up, and we've been talking to the people behind both films. You can check out our webchat with the fantastic Danny Boyle online now for 127 Hours, or watch a video with King's Speech star Colin Firth and director Tom Hooper. And if you still have some spare time, tackle our British monarchs picture quiz, or get going on your entry for the Done In Sixty Seconds competition: there's still time left! Helen O'Hara
Deputy Online Editor, Empire | | |
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|  | | | You know you've been playing too much Call of Duty when you're driving along, see a jumbo jet pass overhead and actually jump as you reach for your Stinger missile launcher.
So James spent his Christmas holidays productively. | | |  | | |
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Season of the Witch: When The Facts Go Wrong
Last night, I saw Season of the Witch. It's the new Nicolas Cage effort, with Ron Perlman, Stephen Campbell-Jones, Claire Foy and a brief cameo from the inimitable Christopher Lee. I was quite looking forward to a bit of a medieval/supernatural romp, despite the reviews. But as the film went on, details started to niggle at me and to gradually pull me wholesale out of the story. Some films seem determined to stretch my (considerable) capacity to suspend disbelief, and this was one of the worst offenders in ages. So let's talk for a minute about the debt that filmmakers owe to, y'know, facts - with regard to Season of the Witch but in a way that is free of spoilers. | | | |
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The Big 2011 Preview
Here it is: a comprehensive, exhaustive and exhausting look at all the big and small movies headed our way in 2010. From the biggest blockbuster and most Oscar-baiting dramas to the small films that just might blow us away, we've gathered them all here - and, for your convenience, assembled them in an easy-to-scan format broken down into categories that will give you some idea of next year's trends and stars. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to 2011... | | |
|  | | Video: The King's Speech: Colin Firth And Tom Hooper
Overcoming the odds and personal weakness, forming an unlikely friendship with a maverick talent, stepping up to save the day: these are the elements of many an action movie. But The King's Speech mines its drama from the struggle of an English prince, Colin Firth's Bertie, to overcome his stammer. It's already won acclaim and awards, so we sat down with star Colin Firth and director Tom Hooper in London recently to try to get the full story behind this unlikely epic... |
|  | | Why Danny Boyle Is The Ultimate CV Enhancer
Nine movies in and going from strength to strength, Danny Boyle's career has taken him from the not-so-genteel Georgian terraces of Edinburgh to the prehistoric majesty of Utah's Blue John Canyon, with the odd space odyssey thrown in along the way for good measure. To cast 127 Hours' Aron Ralston, Boyle turned to James Franco, a Californian with a growing reputation and the skills to match. It's proved another canny pick: Franco is mesmerising in a one-hander (no pun intended) that'd stretch the most seasoned veteran. He gives a career-defining performance that's testament to Boyle's ability to coax the best from his leading men. But Franco isn't the first actor to benefit from the director's passionately single-minded yet collaborative approach, so we've run the rule over Boyle's leading men to analyse what makes them - and him - tick. |
|  | | Colin Firth: Become A National Treasure In 5 Easy Steps
Show us a man or woman who doesn't love Colin Firth and we'll show you a misanthrope. Blighty's finest is once again gathering in heaps of critical praise for his turn in this week's The King's Speech, so we've taken a moment to sum up - for the benefit of Americans and other aliens, in particular - how he got this far. NB: contains pictures of Firth as Mr Darcy. May cause uncontrollable sighing. |
|  | | Danny Boyle Webchat Transcript
He's one of the very nicest men in showbusiness, so we were very pleased when Danny Boyle again took time out of his day to come visit Empire and answer the questions of Empire readers. While many of the questions focused on 127 Hours, his latest film (out now) about climber Aron Ralston and the time he endured under a rock in the Utah desert, you lot also quizzed Boyle on everything from the end of Shallow Grave to his new theatre project (Frankenstein at the National) to the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony which he's directing to, er, banana muffins. Read on for the full story... |
|  | | Can You Guess The Movie From The British Monarch?
Kings and queens have been dramatic fodder since time immemorial, as Shakespeare, Marlowe and Sophocles will tell you. Or would tell you, if they weren't so dead, the lazy buggers. Anyway, of all the monarchies of all the countries in the world, Britain's has been blessed with an auspicious number of film appearances, including this year's The King's Speech, so we thought we ought to test your cinematic patriotism with this nifty picture quiz. And remember, name the film, not the king / queen, and if you get 'em all, we'll knight you. Maybe. |
|  | | Video: Ed Zwick Talks Love And Other Drugs
He may be known best as the master of the historical epic, but Ed Zwick is keen to remind the world that his CV isn't just about windswept plains and stuff that goes 'kaboom'. From his early days making movies for network TV, he's shown a deft hand with more intimate, indoorsy fodder too. Love And Other Drugs is definitely intimate - Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway get 20% more naked than you've seen them before - and punchy too, a fierce indictment on big pharma in the US. He told us about those two elements to his romance/drama and shared some fascinating insights into bonding with his two leads. |
|  | | Video: Imogen Poots and Hannay Murray On Chatroom
Hideo Nakata's Chatroom, like The Social Network and Catfish, is another delve into the murkier side of the interweb. Two of the films stars, Imogen Poots and Hannay Murray, gave us a hint of what to expect from the movie we're calling The Antisocial Network. |
|  | | Video: Jim Sturgess And Saoirse Ronan On The Way Back
Peter Weir hasn't made a bad film, but he hasn't made an easy one either. His latest, The Way Back, took him and his cast way beyond the back and beyond to recreate the (almost) true-life story of a band of Gulag escapees who trek across Asia. All of Asia. We caught up with two members of that hardy band, Jim Sturgess and Saoirse Ronan, to find out how they kept up morale on the wintriest set since The Day After Tomorrow. Both have eagerly awaited films out next year - Sturgess' One Day and Ronan's Hanna - so we thought we'd ask them about those too. Only - wait for it because this is the clever bit - we asked Sturgess about Hanna and Ronan about One Day. Genius, we think you'll agree. Here's what they told us... |
|  | | Review Of The Year 2010: Films Of The Year
Each December, the writers of Empire get together and vote for their favourite films released during that calendar year. All our writers put together a top ten list, all of which are then compiled into a final verdict on that year's releases - and please note that, since this reflects the UK release schedule, films like True Grit and Black Swan were not eligible this time around, whereas Precious and A Single Man were. But now read on to learn about the films you should have seen in 2010... More 2010 Review Features Damo's 2010 Festival Round-Up 2010's Trends Of The Year Top Ten Games Of 2010 The Best Trailers Of 2010 The Playlist Of 2010 The Posters Of The Year Ten Cracking Movies You Might Have Missed The Breakout Stars of 2010 There And Back Again: The Hobbit Timeline Action Teams of the Year The Best Of 2010 TV The Best Dressed Movies Of 2010 The Best Movie Scenes In 2010 2010's Greatest Movie-Related Viral Videos | | | |
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A bottle of champers - from Fortnum & Mason, no less - from the good folk at Jam. They're our new favourite. Other PRs, it's on! | | | |
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|  | | | |  | |  | |  | |  | | | Birth to 10 years old in time-lapse. | | A heartbreaking cry for help. | | A more movie-friendly way to say thanks. | | TV was funnier in black and white. |
If you have any timewasters to share, then e-mail them in to me. | | | |
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127 Hours 
A surprisingly fun, effervescent against-the-odds drama that offers an upbeat moral without the usual punishing survival-story clichés. Not for the faint-hearted, mind. | | | |
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Watch Video
This Week's Video Trailers And Clips
Every week, our video player will update to show trailers and clips from the week's movie releases listed above. | | |
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Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World 
It's heartfelt, hilarious and a highly satisfying adaptation of the book. You don't have to be a geek to adore it; you just have to remember being young. But one word of caution: Hollywood, don't try to make a hundred of these. It won't work. | | | |
Also Out
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