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Richard E. Grant is Shiver, Keira Knightley is The Sugar Plum Fairy, Eugenio Derbrez is Hawthorne and Mackenzie Foy is Clara in Disney’s The Nutcracker And The Four Realms.

For some, it’s a annual holiday tradition. Attend a performance of The Nutcracker in December. Choreographer George Balanchine’s production of Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker has become the most famous stage production of the ballet performed in the U.S. (Mikhail Baryshnikov’s production is the most famous television version).

On Tuesday, Disney debuted the first trailer for director Lasse Hallström’s version The Nutcracker And The Four Realms. Watch Keira Knightley, Mackenzie Foy and Hellen Mirren in this magical first look at the movie.

All Clara (Mackenzie Foy) wants is a key – a one-of-a-kind key that will unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother. A golden thread, presented to her at godfather...

After highlighting 50 films that we can guarantee are worth seeing this year, it’s time we venture into the unknown. Rather than regurgitating a list of dated-years-in-advance studio releases, we’ve set out to focus on 100 films we’re genuinely looking forward to, regardless of their marketing budgets. While some might not have a set release — let alone any confirmed festival premiere — most have wrapped production and will likely debut at some point in 2017, so make sure to check back for updates over the next twelve months and beyond. Be sure to keep the following one-hundred films on your radar (with release dates, where applicable). If you want to see how we did with our picks last year (potentially to shame us), head on over here.

100. The Discovery (Charlie McDowell; Winter Tbd)

One of the primary pleasures of Charlie McDowell‘s directorial debut The One I Love was his ability...

Estimated £100m ($145m) of tax repayments claimed through fraudulent film investment scheme.

Four UK film executives have been found guilty of operating a fraudulent film investment scheme that was used to claim an estimated £100m ($145m) of tax repayments.

The men were found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court after they were shown to have falsely claimed to have invested £275m ($400m) in feature films and used offshore companies to hide their activities, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

The four executives comprise former Little Wing Films partners Charles Savill and Keith Hayley; Robert Bevan, a former co-director at film sales company Salt; and Monaco-based accountant and corporate services provider Norman Leighton.

More than 275 investors contributed more than £76m ($110m) to the scheme, according to Hm Revenue & Customs. The scheme used tax breaks to attract investment from footballers, investment bankers and a pop star.

The men claimed to have spent more than £250m ($365m) on pre-production and development...

The trial of five UK executives charged with film tax relief fraud has begun at Birmingham Crown Court.

UK film executives Robert Bevan, Cyril Megret, Keith Hayley, Charles Savill and Norman Leighton each face charges of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue, conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to falsify documents, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. All five deny the charges.

Andrew Penhale, deputy head of fraud at the Crown Prosecution Service, said in 2013: “Following an investigation by Hm Revenue and Customs, we have authorised charges against five individuals in connection with a tax relief fraud that allegedly cost the public revenue in the region of £125 million.

“It is alleged that, between 1 January 2002 and 11 July 2011, a tax relief that allows investors in the British film industry to offset losses against other tax liabilities was abused and dishonestly marketed in order to cheat the public revenue.

“The evidence suggests that the value of allowable losses was falsified...

The trial of five UK executives charged with film tax relief fraud has begun at Birmingham Crown Court.

UK film executives Robert Bevan, Cyril Megret, Keith Hayley, Charles Savill and Norman Leighton each face charges of conspiracy to cheat the public revenue, conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to falsify documents, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. All five deny the charges.

Andrew Penhale, deputy head of fraud at the Crown Prosecution Service, said in 2013: “Following an investigation by Hm Revenue and Customs, we have authorised charges against five individuals in connection with a tax relief fraud that allegedly cost the public revenue in the region of £125 million.

“It is alleged that, between 1 January 2002 and 11 July 2011, a tax relief that allows investors in the British film industry to offset losses against other tax liabilities was abused and dishonestly marketed in order to cheat the public revenue.

“The evidence suggests that the value of allowable losses was falsified...

Hotell – Lisa Langseth

Section: Contemporary World Cinema

Dates: Friday 6th, Sunday 8th, Sunday 15th

Buzz: For her feature debut Pure (2009), Lisa Langseth was awarded the Guldbagge (Swedish Oscars) for Best Script and Alicia Vikander won the Guldbagge for Best Leading Actress. Since her international breakthrough performance, Vikander has starred in A Royal Affair and shared a screen with Keira Knightley in Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina so we’re thinking that the reunion between director and actor will bring out more of this – essentially more A-game from both the filmmaker and actress.

The Gist: Erika is a beautiful young woman with a perfect life. Until the day it all falls apart. She starts going to group therapy and meets other people suffering from various forms of trauma. One day this eclectic group decides to take matters into its own hands and heads off together in search of a way out.

It’s a new year and the movie awards season is getting started with BAFTA using the first day of the first full working week to reveal the nominees for the 2013 BAFTA Awards ceremony. This is the first year that Ee are sponsors which no doubt means we can expect some changes in colour schemes!

This year’s judging panel included jury chair Pippa Harris, Deputy Chairman of BAFTA’s Film Committee and producing partner of Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road, Jarhead), British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, Scottish director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void, Marley), film critic Mark Kermode, casting director Nina Gold (The King’s Speech, The Iron Lady, Prometheus) and film publicist Kate Lee, as well as leading film and entertainment journalists.

The Ee Rising Star Award honours a young actor or actress who has demonstrated exceptional talent and ambition and has begun to capture...

Alicia Vikander, who plays Kitty in Joe Wright's adaptation of Anna Karenina, talks about her location shoot in wintry Russia

There are many things you can do on a soundstage at Shepperton Studios, but some settings are impossible to recreate. So it was that 23-year-old Alicia Vikander, one of the most exciting actresses in Europe right now, found herself bound for St Petersburg with a small crew, including her co-star Domhnall Gleeson. From there, they travelled deep into barely charted Russia: nine hours north by train, then five hours on a bus without heating and finally a hovercraft for a couple of hours over the ice. There are times when acting can be just about the most glamorous gig on Earth; this was not one of them.

"It was 40 below, we didn't have hot water for five days and slept in a cabin, on a bench," Vikander recalls. "On...

Remember the name Pascal Laugier. While virtually unknown to most of the movie going public, he’s been a name that horror fans have been paying close attention to since he’s debuted on the scene with The House Of Voices and Martyrs. His newest feature, The Tall Man, is a much bigger film, with a larger budget and larger star power, with Jessica Biel leading a cast that includes Stephen McHattie, Jodell Ferland and Samantha Ferris.

Based on its marketing, one would expect your run of the mill slasher flick, with Biel running and screaming from “The Tall Man” in skimpy outfits. But, the advertisements lie. This is not that film. This is what I expected, for sure, but what I got was not an easy film, not at all what I expected when I sat down to watch it. This is exactly what Laugier wants. If you should...

More Dickens and even more Shakespeare, but also new novels from Toni Morrison, Hilary Mantel, Zadie Smith, plus exciting new voices – 2012's literary highlights

January

10 Charles Dickens's The Mystery of Edwin Drood, starring Matthew Rhys and Tamzin Merchant, begins – and, unlike the book, ends – on BBC2.

13 Michael Morpurgo's much-loved children's novel War Horse, a long-running favourite at the National and on Broadway, gets the Hollywood treatment. A tearjerking saga about a young soldier and his horse – it was only a matter of time before it was Spielberged.

16 Ts Eliot prize. Despite withdrawals from the shortlist over objections to a hedge fund's sponsorship of the prize, the Eliot remains the UK's premier poetry award, and its eve-of-event reading is always a treat. This year's shortlist includes Daljit Nagra, Carol Ann Duffy and John Burnside.

20 Release of film of Coriolanus, an Orson Wellesian effort directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes,...

I have said it before, and I will once more: there are two Zack Snyders. One is an accomplished “big film” maker, able to traverse genres easily and apply his visually arresting stylistic modus operandi to any subject he sees fit. The other is a brash, immature “artist” whose inability to curb his enthusiasm for all things hyperbolic spoils sequences of his films (if not the entire thing as in the case of Sucker Punch). The director suffers from creative split personalities.

That’s why my initial surprise to see Snyder’s name attached to this children’s book adaptation eventually gave way, to be replaced by excitement at the prospect of what he could produce when afforded the artistically and imaginatively liberating medium of animation, given how animation-esque his live-action films have so far been. If there’s one thing he knows, it is how to make something look impressive,...

This is the Pure Movies review of Oranges and Sunshine, directed by Jim Loach and starring Hugo Weaving, Emily Watson, David Wenham, Tara Morice and Lorraine Ashbourne. In the late 1980s, a social worker in Nottingham, Margaret Humphreys – assigned to the council’s adoption and fostering services – was contacted by a woman from Australia who was trying to find out what had happened to her mother. She claimed that she had been orphaned as a child in Nottingham and sent to Australia with a boatload of other children. Humphreys found her story incredible, and at first doubted its veracity. How could a whole boat full of children have been shipped off to Australia, seemingly with no records to confirm what had happened to the children once they’d left the UK? She begun to dig in to the records and was shocked by what she found. Chiefly, that thousands of...

This is a Pure Movies competition for Never Let Me Go. Kathy (BAFTA winner and Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan, An Education), Tommy (Andrew Garfield, Spider-man, Boy A, Red Riding) and Ruth (Oscar nominee Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice, Atonement) spend their childhood at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic English boarding school where they discover a dark and haunting secret about their future. As they leave the shelter of the school behind and draw inexorably closer to the devastating fate that awaits them as adults, they must also confront the deep feelings of love, jealousy and betrayal that threaten to pull them apart. The creative team includes director of photography Adam Kimmel Asc (Lars And The Real Girl), production designer Mark Digby (Slumdog Millionaire), editor Barney Pilling (An Education), music by Rachel Portman (Emma), music supervisors Randall Poster (Fantastic Mr. Fox) and George Drakoulias (Margot At The Wedding); and costume designers Rachael Fleming...

Legend Of The Guardians:the Owls Of Ga' Hoole – (3D Blu-ray)Warner Home Entertainment2010/Rated PG/Running Time 97 minsList Price $44.98 – Now AvailableWhat would possess Zack Snyder to make a kiddie film about owls? I remember asking myself this question many months back when I first caught the trailer for the 300 director's latest, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. Had Snyder licked one too many Tootsie Roll pops or was he trying to show Warner Bros., the studio which had produced his last two films, that he could be a versatile director? Perhaps making a sure fire hit children's film was the only way the studio would back a radical idea like his bizarre looking epic Sucker Punch? Whatever the reason, I don't really care, because Lotg not only marks Snyder's best film, but proves he can handle stories of substance over style. Not that any of Snyder's familiar style is missing from Lotg,...

Zack Snyder. A CG animated owl movie. Holy crap, did that actually happen? Yes it did, it’s that movie with the terrible name Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. It’s based on a kid’s book, but still. The story of a young owl named Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess) who’s stolen with his siblings to be a slave for the “Pure Ones” headed by Metalbeak (Joel Edgerton) and his wife Nyra (Helen Mirren), but Soren’s destined to be a great owl, and perhaps savior. Abbie Cornish, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Richard Roxburgh, Hugo Weaving, and David Wenham are also feature voice performers. The review of Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole on Blu-ray follows after the jump. It takes about a half hour to fall in with the film, as owls are weird creatures to personify. But that’s all the set-up.

Chicago – The best parts of a Zack Snyder picture have consistently been the opening title sequences, from “Dawn of the Dead”’s apocalyptic montage to “Watchmen”’s brilliant prologue scored to Bob Dylan’s “The Time They Are A-Changin’.” Snyder’s latest problematic novel adaptation, “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” is no exception.

The film kicks off with a promising opening shot from an owl’s perspective, soaring through the air to show off the spectacular work of the animators. Billowing clouds, breathtaking waterfalls, and towering trees provide the photogenic framework for the gorgeously lensed owls, and for a fleeting moment, the film succeeds in capturing the exhilarating freedom of flight. Yet the film instantly falls apart once the owls open their beaks and celebrity voices come tumbling out.

Blu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0

More than any recent computer animated adventure, “Ga’Hoole” begs the question: why go...

First off, just wow. This film has remarkably and unexpectedly incredible visuals. With that said (and to be expounded upon more later on) let’s continue.

In the wake of the overwhelming success of the Harry Potter film franchise, studios have bought up rights to countless young adult fantasy novels and thrown their film adaptations at the wall hoping that one of them will stick as the next big thing. City of Ember, The Chronicles of Narnia, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Golden Compass, and now Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole have all failed to make the mark needed to establish themselves as the serious contenders for that all-important “family film” niche. In the case of Legend of the Guardians, directed by Zack Snyder, the fault doesn’t lie with the visual or audio presentation as it features stellar animation, well-executed fight sequences (owl-on-owl violence...

X Factor presenter Dermot O’Leary has admitted that he is a big fan of semi finalist singer Rebecca Ferguson.

O’Leary compared the Liverpudlian mum of two to cartoon character Jessica Rabbit and said she has ‘come a long way’ since she first auditioned for the ITV show.

He told The News Of The World:

Miss Consistent. One of the nicest people in the competition, she’s always been polite to the team – and also has a knockout voice. Pure Jessica Rabbit.

As Simon’s said, she has shown some nerves over the last few weeks but who wouldn’t when the stakes are so high? Compare this Rebecca to the one who auditioned in Manchester and it’s a completely different girl. She’s come a long way and might just make it all the way.

Are you a Rebecca fan? Do you think she can make the final?...

This is the Pure Movies review of Never Let Me Go, directed by Mark Romanek and stars Carey Mulligan (An Education, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean, Atonement), Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky, Made in Dagenham), Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, Untitled Spider-Man Reboot) and Charlotte Rampling. Never Let Me Go is an adaptation of Kazuri Ishiguro's 2005 Booker short-listed novel of the same name, and features an enviable rostrum of talent both in front of and behind the camera. Alex Garland wrote the screeplay, Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) directs, and established megastar Kiera Knightley stars - but isn't even the leading lady. That honour goes to Hollywood's latest sweetheart, the very talented Carey Mulligan. Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, Peter Parker in the upcoming Spiderman reboot), whose own career is similarly meteoric, completes the ensemble.

Acclaimed filmmaker Zack Snyder makes his animation debut with the fantasy family adventure Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole which is out on 22nd October. The film follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’ Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones.

While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father’s favor from his younger sibling. But Kludd’s jealousy has terrible consequences—causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones. Now it is up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave young owls. Together they soar across the...

This is a clip from Legend of the Guardians (featuring the voices of Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Ryan Kwanten, Jay Laga’aia, Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham). Acclaimed filmmaker Zack Snyder makes his animation debut with the fantasy family adventure Legend of the Guardians based on the beloved books by Kathryn Lasky. The film follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones.

This is a clip from Legend of the Guardians (featuring the voices of Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Ryan Kwanten, Jay Laga’aia, Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham). Acclaimed filmmaker Zack Snyder makes his animation debut with the fantasy family adventure Legend of the Guardians based on the beloved books by Kathryn Lasky. The film follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones.

Coming from a show business family, acclaimed screenwriter John Orloff has always known that he wanted to be a storyteller. After initially thinking the path he would take to that would be as a director, he realized that he was a better writer and has been on that path ever since.

Orloff has spent much of his screenwriting career on historical projects based in non-fiction work, such as the Michael Winterbottom film A Mighty Heart, starring Angelina Jolie, and HBO’s World War II mini-series Band of Brothers. Now, he is getting to live his dream of writing science fiction and fantasy, as the animated feature Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, directed by Zack Snyder, opens in theaters on September 24th.

Check out what he had to say about how he got involved with writing Legend of the Guardians, what it was like working with Zack Snyder...

A New clip has been released from upcoming animated fantasy Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.

The video, entitled Use Your Gizzard, is included below.

Released in 3D in UK cinemas on October 22, the film features an all-star voice cast including Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Ryan Kwanten, Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham.

Based on the Guardians of Ga'Hoole books by Kathryn Lasky, the film follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones.

While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father's favor from his younger sibling.

But Kludd's jealousy...

'Legend Of The Guardians' movie trailer shows cool owl action. Warner Bros. Pictures released their new adventure/fantasy flick "Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole," and the movie trailer (below) features a lot of cool owl action and adventure scenes as little Soren tries to escape the evil clutches of the Pure Ones. The movie stars: Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Ryan Kwanten, Jay Laga’aia, Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Richard Roxburgh, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving, and David Wenham.

Filed under: Family Film Guide

'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole'

Directors: Zack Snyder

Rated: PG for some sequences of scary action

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, David Wenham

Moviefone Mama Says: Zack Snyder making a family movie? It sounds a bit odd at first; he's not exactly a family specialist like Andy Fickman or Chris Columbus. But, in the style of Robert Rodriguez, who manages to create grown-up fare like 'Machete' and kiddie titles like 'Spy Kids,' Snyder uses his stylized approach to action-adventure in this sweeping adaptation about a Barn Owl named Soren. An owlet (Sturgess) who believes in his father's stories about a legendary group of warrior owls that guard all owls from danger, Soren is just the kind of hero children can root for -- even in the face of danger from an "owl supremacist" called...

Acclaimed filmmaker Zack Snyder makes his animation debut with the fantasy adventure Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, which follows a young owl named Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess), who is enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors that once fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones.

Based on the beloved and popular books by Kathryn Lasky, Legend is a story that shows the importance of following one’s dreams, in order to make them real, and is brought to life by a stellar cast of actors voicing the owls, including Helen Mirren, Geoffrey Rush, Sam Neill, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Ryan Kwanten, David Wenham and Anthony Lapaglia.

During a press conference for the film, director Zack Snyder, executive producer Deborah Snyder and actor Jim Sturgess, who voices the heroic young Soren,...

For my written review, click here. For my interviews with Jim Sturgess, Ryan Kwanten, director Zack Snyder, and creative team, click here.

Here's more info on the film from Yahoo:

Soren, is a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owl kind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father's favor from his younger sibling. But Kludd's jealousy has terrible consequences--causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones. Now it is up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave young owls. Together they soar across the sea and through the...

Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess) in Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

Photo: Warner Bros. The term "auteur" gets thrown around a bit too liberally without much care for what it actually means if you ask me, but there is no mistaking, for better or for worse, Zack Snyder is a bona fide auteur. Snyder burst onto the scene with his Dawn of the Dead remake, but has since become known for his hyper-stylized direction of the surprise hit 300 and the lackluster comic adaptation Watchmen. Snyder's style is unmistakable and there's no doubt he's the one behind Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, or "The Owl Movie" as it has come to be known in some circles.

What's more mysterious is how Snyder went from three hard-r rated films to a PG-rated animated adaptation of Kathryn Lasky's children's books. The subject matter doesn't suggest this...

When I first heard that Zack Snyder was attached to direct the animated flick .Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga.Hoole,. I welcomed the news with trepidation. How can the director of the R-rated .300. and .Watchmen. transition to PG-rating animated adventure territory? And it.s about owls of all things! But fear not Snyder fans, the director brings his action sensibilities to the whimsical tale of an owl who dreams.

Based on the first three books of the fifteen-book series Guardians of Ga.Hoole by Kathryn Lasky, the film follows the tale of Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess), a young owl who loves listening to his father.s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga.Hoole. According to his dad, the Guardians are a mythic band of winged warriors who fought the evil Pure Ones to save all of owlkind.

While Soren dreams of one day joining his heroes,...

FilmoFilia Movie Photo Gallery has been updated with 33 new images from Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. Check them out!

Synopsis: Soren, is a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owl kind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father’s favor from his younger sibling. But Kludd’s jealousy has terrible consequences–causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones. Now it is up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave young owls. Together they soar across the sea and through the mist to find the Great Tree,...

Vanessa Hudgens has wowed fans at the world premiere of "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole". Making an appearance at the black carpet rolled outside the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Sunday evening, September 19, the "Sucker Punch" beauty looked fabulous in a mini dress with flowers details.

Appearing solo without the company of her actor boyfriend Zac Efron, the 21-year-old actress paired her Summer Lovin' Dress from Planet Blue with nude heels. She and her "Sucker Punch" co-stars, Jamie Chung, Emily Browning, Jena Malone and Carla Gugino, showed their support for director Zack Snyder.

A number of other celebrities also made an appearance at the special screening event. The actors filling in the characters' voices, Jim Sturgess, Ryan Kwanten and David Wenham among others, were among those hitting the black carpet. Other guest celebrities included Russell Brand and Kevin McKidd.

"Legend of the Guardians" is the first animated movie...

This is the review for Tamara Drewe, directed by Stephen Frears and starring Gemma Arterton, Roger Allam, Bill Camp, Luke Evans, Tamsin Greig, Jessica Barden and Josie Taylor. Written by Suki Ferguson for Pure Movies. Tamara Drewe is a pastoral romp rooted in a very English way of life. It takes Posy Simmonds’s graphic novel of the same name as a storyboard, a source that, in its turn, was based upon Thomas Hardy’s classic 1874 novel Far From the Madding Crowd. The story takes place in rural Dorset, where meek middle-aged Beth Hardiment (Tamsin Greig) runs a writer’s retreat and caters to the whims of her crime writer husband, Nicholas (the deliciously sleazy Roger Allam). The countryside calm is abruptly ended by the return of the prodigal village girl Tamara (Gemma Arterton) – a once homely child who has now blossomed into a beautiful, successful journalist.

Opening next weekend is director Zack Snyder’s Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole. Based on the Guardians of Ga’Hoole books by Kathryn Lasky, everything I’ve seen from the film leads me to believe this is going to be a special movie and something that’s going to surprise audiences. If you haven’t seen the awesome trailer, you should start there. Based on the trailer and getting to see five sequences from the film at a recent WB press event, Legend of the Guardians looks like Lord of the Rings with owls. This is a good thing. Anyway, with the film getting ready to hit theaters, I’ve been given seven clips from the film and over 40 images. Hit the jump to check everything out.

For more Legends of the Guardians coverage, here’s an interview I did with Snyder and his wife and producing partner Debbie Snyder.

With director Zack Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole arriving in theaters on September 24th, we’ve been given some very cool movie related swag to giveaway to a number of Collider readers. While most of the items are kid friendly, we’ve also been given IMAX tickets, soundtracks, and so much more. Hit the jump for the full list of what we’re giving away and how to enter:

To enter please email thecollidermailbox@gmail.com with your name and address and say Legend of the Guardians Giveaway in the headline. This giveaway will be open until October 5th at noon Pacific Time and is only open to residents of the United States. Also, only one entry per person.

Once the giveaway ends, I’ll look over all the entries and randomly pick out some winners. Good luck and here’s what you can...

In The run-up to next month's release of 3D animated fantasy film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Gahoole, we've been sent the official music video for Owl City's To The Sky theme song.

The clip is embedded below. We've also been sent eight banners, for the various characters; two are included here, the others will be featured with forthcoming articles on this movie.

Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) makes his animation debut on the project, which features the voices of an all-star cast including Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Ryan Kwanten, Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham. It's released on UK screens on October 22.

Based on the books by Kathryn Lasky, the film follows Soren (see picture above), a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga' Hoole, a mythic band of winged...

Legend of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole is an amazing new 3D animated adventure from visionary director Zack Snyder, based on the popular books by Kathryn Lasky. We're so excited about this September 24th release that we've decided to throw a contest in honor of its arrival in theaters. To get into the spirit of this magical journey, we're giving away some very cool owl prizes, including an owl beanie, awesome T-shirts for both boys and girls featuring artwork from the movie, a stitched baseball cap with a felt owl patch, a canvas bag for carrying all of your matinee snacks in, a stationary book, and more. If you love owls, you're not going to want to miss this opportunity. Our Legend of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole isn't going to be around for long, so hurry and enter this contest today! Full details and a full list...

Here’s the first clip for Zack Snyder’s animated film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.

Legend of the Guardians is based on the first three books of Kathryn Lasky’s series, Guardians of Ga’Hoole. It follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, a band of warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. When Soren and his owlet siblings fall out of their treetop nest, it’s up to him to make a daring escape with the other brave young owls. Together they soar across the sea and through the mist to find the Great Tree, home of the legendary Guardians of Ga’Hoole, who are Soren’s only hope of defeating the Pure Ones and saving the owl kingdoms.

The film features the voice talent of Sam Neill,...

Acclaimed filmmaker Zack Snyder makes his animation debut with the fantasy family adventure Legend Of The Guardians – The Owls Of Ga Hoole based on the beloved Guardians of Ga’Hoole books by Kathryn Lasky. Warner Bros. Pictures has released this music video “To The Sky” by Owl City. Enjoy!

Synopsis:

The film follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’ Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father’s favor from his younger sibling. But Kludd’s jealousy has terrible consequences.causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones. Now it...

This new film clip from Zack Snyder's Legend of the Guardians: The Owes of Ga'Hoole is fantastic! From the trailers that I've seen, I knew this film was going to look good, but this clip shows us just how awesomely detailed this movie is going to be. The CGI animation from this movie looks absolutely beautiful. I'm really impressed with this, and I think you will be as well. 

The young owl Soren (voiced by Jim Sturgess) learns to fly in through an air current in a violent rainstorm.

The movie is based on the books by Kathryn Lasky, and the animated fantasy adventure is voiced by Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Ryan Kwanten, Jay Laga'aia, Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Richard Roxburgh, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham.

Synopsis:

Soren, is a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole,...

Three new TV spots for animated film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole have just hit the Internet.

Legend of the Guardians is based on the first three books of Kathryn Lasky’s series, Guardians of Ga’Hoole. It follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, a band of warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. When Soren and his owlet siblings fall out of their treetop nest, it’s up to him to make a daring escape with the other brave young owls. Together they soar across the sea and through the mist to find the Great Tree, home of the legendary Guardians of Ga’Hoole, who are Soren’s only hope of defeating the Pure Ones and saving the owl kingdoms.

Legend of the...

Warner Bros. Pictures has started airing these three TV spots for Zack Snyder's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole , opening in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on September 24th. The movie is voiced by Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Ryan Kwanten, Jay Laga'aia, Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Richard Roxburgh, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham. Based on the books by Kathryn Lasky, the film follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal...

Warner Bros Pictures has released their film schedule for the upcoming fall/holiday season. The one that I found the most curious was this first photo of Matt Damon and Bryce-Dallas Howard in Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter. Variety’s article from 2008 said, “it is described as in the vein of The Sixth Sense.” I’m very interested to see what Eastwood does with this genre.

The other films in the WB press kit are The Town, Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Gahoole, Life As We Know It, Hereafter, Due Date, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows – Part 1, and Yogi Bear.

The Town (Crime Drama) September 17:

There are over 300 bank robberies in Boston every year. And most of the professionals live in a one-square-mile neighborhood called Charlestown. One of them is Doug MacRay, but he is not cut from the same cloth as his fellow thieves. Unlike them,...

Warner Bros. has released their Fall/Holiday 2010 Preview and included are some new and previously released images from The Town, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, Yogi Bear, Due Date, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Hit the jump for high resolution versions along with updated cast lists and synopses:

click on any image for high resolution

The Town

In theatres on September 17

Director: Ben Affleck

Writers: Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard

Based on the novel Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan

Producers: Graham King, Basil Iwanyk

Executive Producers: Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, William Fay, David Crockett

Cast: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Titus Welliver, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper

Crime Drama. There are over 300 bank robberies in Boston every year. And most of the professionals live in a one-square-mile neighborhood called Charlestown. One of them is Doug MacRay,...

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 30th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

Zack Snyder'S first flight into animation comes with the 3D family fantasy adventure Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, based on the books by Kathryn Lasky.

We've just been sent a new featurette for the film as well as two stunning new posters. In addition, the movie has a new UK release date of October 22.

The earlier teaser poster is featured above, while the new posters and featurette are below along with the trailer.

The Warner Bros film follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga' Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones.

While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother Kludd scoffs at the notion and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father's favour from his younger sibling.

While there are a lot of movies arriving later this year, one of the ones I’m most excited to see is director Zack Snyder’s Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole. Based on the Guardians of Ga’Hoole books by Kathryn Lasky, everything I’ve seen from the film leads me to believe this is going to be a special movie and something that’s going to surprise audiences. If you haven’t seen the awesome trailer, you should start there. Based on the trailer and getting to see five sequences from the film at a recent WB press event, Legend of the Guardians looks like Lord of the Rings with owls. This is a good thing. Anyway, Warner Bros. in the UK have released a new quad poster and you can check it out after the jump. It’s like a previous poster only wider.

Never Let Me Go has been announced as the opening film of the 54th London Film Festival Mark Leach reports for Pure Movies. Never Let Me Go is directed by Mark Romanek and stars Carey Mulligan (An Education, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean, Atonement), Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky, Made in Dagenham), Andrew Garfield (the new Spiderman) and Charlotte Rampling. The 54th BFI London Film Festival has announced that this year’s Festival will open on Wednesday 13 October with the European premiere of Never Let Me Go, directed by Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo), based on the bestselling novel by Kazuo Ishiguro and adapted for the screen by Alex Garland (Sunshine, 28 Days Later).

We started hearing about director Zack Snyder working on adapting Kathryn Lasky's Guardians of Ga’Hoole as his first foray into animation as his work on The Watchmen was concluding. Legend of the Guardians is finally opening on September 24 and Warner Bros. just released the first one-sheet for the feature.

Here are the other vital stats:

Cast: Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Ryan Kwanten, Anthony Lapaglia, Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham

Writers: John Orloff and Emil Stern

Producer: Zareh Nalbandian

Executive Producers: Donald De Line, Deborah Snyder, Lionel Wigram, Chris DeFaria, Kathryn Lasky, Bruce Berman

Fantasy Adventure. Acclaimed filmmaker Zack Snyder makes his animation debut with the fantasy family adventure. The film follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought...

Yahoo! Movies has premiered a new movie poster for Zack Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians The Owls of Ga’Hoole.

Soren, is a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owl kind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father’s favor from his younger sibling. But Kludd’s jealousy has terrible consequences–causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones. Now it is up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave young owls. Together they soar across the sea and through the mist to find the Great Tree,...