Urgh. Really? Really? Another live-action TMNT film? The old one was a masterpiece, but I have a feeling this one’s just going to look seriously weird. Regardless, I’m willing to give it a shot simply because it’s TMNT, and I’m a fan of the heroes in a half-shell. Which should really be “in half-shells”, but I guess grammar-checking wasn’t the original production’s strongest point.

Christmas seems reasonable, and probably ties in pretty well with a ton of merchandising opportunities (I could complain about the endless capitalist greed at play here, but god damn, I want me some turtle merch), and hopefully it’ll give them enough time to make a decent film. More on this as it happens.

In the mean time, who would you have play each turtle? I’m thinking:

Michaelangelo: Seth Rogen
Donatello: Jessie Eisenberg
Raphael: Taylor Lautner
Leonardo: Robert Pattinson

Thoughts?

It is thought that the teaser trailer was released on DVD at Target stores in America, and it didn’t take long before fans were uploading it to the internet.

The last time we saw Bella Swan, she was fresh faced, with pink rosy cheeks and bright eyes. But as we all knew, this was soon to change, because now she has pale white skin, razor sharp cheek bones and red eyes.

Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella, looks fang-tastic, yet freaky, as a vampire in the teaser trailer, but it’s not just her appearance which has changed. Since turning into a vampire, Bella now has the ability to create a protective shield around the ones she loves, using her new mind powers.

At the end of Breaking Dawn Part 1, we saw Edward change her into a vampire after she almost died giving birth to their child, Renesmee.

While most couples are exhausted after just having a baby, we see that Bella and Edward’s relationship is still as passionate as ever, as they share a loving kiss before Edward goes off to run a bath.

The trailer also shows Bella reading a tattered piece of paper which was torn from The Merchant of Venice which reads ‘Gather as many witnesses as you can before the snow sticks to the ground. That’s when they’ll come for us.’

Author if the Twilight Saga, Stephanie Meyer, wrote that Bella fitted into the vampire world perfectly.

The book reads from Bella’s perspective: ‘I was amazing now – both to them and to myself. It was like I had been born to be a vampire. The idea made me want to laugh, but it also made me want to sing. I had found my true place in the world, the place I fit, the place I shined.’

If you cannot wait until the release of Breaking Dawn Part 2 in November, then we hope the teaser trailer below satisfies your Twilight craving.

The trailer below is one of the many You Tube uploads by American Twilight fans.

This year’s Golden Bear, the highest prize awarded for the best film at the festival, went to Italian docudrama, Caesar Must Die (Cesare Deve Morire). The film follows a production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar put on in a maximum security prison on Rome, with inmates taking on the various roles of the play.

Although the film, from directors Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, was well received, it was certainly not the frontrunner for this highly-coveted award. However, the fact that it was this award which first helped gather awareness of Asghar Farhadi’s critically acclaimed Iranian drama, A Separation, just last year, undoubtedly bodes well for this film.

Cold War drama, Barbara, had been hotly tipped to nab the top prize, but director Christian Petzold did not leave empty handed after being given the Silver Bear award for Best Director. Similarly, Portuguese drama and festival favourite, Tabu, from director Miguel Gome, was recognised as a work of ‘particular innovation’ with the Alfred Bauer Prize.

Other Silver Bear awards went to Mikkel Boe Følsgaard for Best Actor in Danish period piece, A Royal Affair, where he took on the challenging role of King Christian VII. The film was the only multiple award winner, with writers Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg being rewarded with a Silver Bear for Best Screenplay. Meanwhile, the Best Actress Bear was presented to Rachel Mwanza, who made her film début at the festival in Kim Nguyen’s War Witch, which tells the story of one girl’s experience of civil war in Africa.

Cinematographer Lutz Reitemeier was given the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic achievement in recognition of his work on White Deer Plain, a three-hour Chinese epic from director Wang Quan’an. A special one-off Silver Bear was also awarded to Swiss filmmaker Ursula Meier for her film, Sister, which follows the story of a poor boy who steals ski equipment from a nearby resort.

Berlin’s jury grand prize, which is often considered to be the runner-up to the Best Film award, went to Hungarian drama Just The Wind. Directed by Bence Fliegauf, Just The Wind examines the issue of human rights by taking a look at a real life murder-plot against a Roma family.

The jury itself was made up of a number of familiar faces, with jury president Mike Leigh joined by Anton Corbijn, Asghar Farhadi, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jake Gyllenhaal, François Ozon, Boualem Sansal and Barbara Sukowa.

Despite a number of promising films being recognised for their achievements, there was something of an underlying feeling that this year’s line-up was not quite so spectacular as that which was witnessed by festival-goers last year. Whilst a number of big stars such as Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Robert Pattinson and Christian Bale may have been in attendance, it is thought that many of this year’s best films are being held back to receive their première at the Cannes Film Festival later on this year.

See the full list of this year’s Berlinale prize winners, here: http://www.berlinale.de

Some of the usual suspects have made the list – The Artist and Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady being two good examples – but there are some accolades that go to some great media. Here’s the list itself, starting with the awards given out by regional film critics:

Film of the Year: The Artist

Filmmaker: Michel Hazanavicius – director, The Artist

Screenwriter: Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Actor: Michael Fassbender – Shame

Actress: Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

Rising Star: Tom Hiddleston – War Horse, Thor, The Deep Blue Sea, Midnight in Paris

Not too many surprises there, to be honest – the aforementioned films have had considerable critical buzz, and despite some people not too happy about The Artist revealing itself as a silent film, the regional critics have spoken. Now comes the UK public vote section of the awards, which may be ever-so-slightly different:

British Film of the Year: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Animated Film: Arthur Christmas

Family Film: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

British Film Star: Robert Pattinson – The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

Film Blog: CineVue

Most Anticipated Film of 2012: The Dark Knight Rises

This is a list with a slightly different vibe – a little more focused on family and fun, and of course, R-Patz’s inclusion in the list proves it’s a public list – critics generally aren’t a fan of the Twilight series, and often by extension, anyone in them.

Next year’s RAFAs could look very different – there are a lot of major blockbusters hitting screens in 2012, and I’d wager Martin Freeman will take something home for The Hobbit, having been a British television mainstay for years. Oh, and no, we didn’t enter the RAFAs. That’s why there’s no “The Film Review” next to “Film Blog”. Seems unfair of us to enter if we’d crush everyone so utterly. But who knows, next year, we just might.

This year’s Glasgow Film Festival will be taking place from the 16th to the 26th February. It has run since 2005 and has a reputation for bringing together a whole host of talent and cinematic brilliance.

Glaswegian warmth and down-to-earth openness are key selling points for the festival. Allison Gardner herself says, “there’s no snobbery or pretension about what we put on”. Consistent with the artsy and creative feel that the city has become known for, they aim to recognise every film for its merit alone, not based on its prestigious cast or famous director. While many film festivals, like the Cannes Film Festival, are too far away and too expensive for most film lovers, Glasgow aims to offer tickets that won’t break the bank, in a quintessentially Scottish city that guests can really enjoy.

The Glasgow Film Festival is open to everyone from film-makers to film-fans, locals to tourists. While the government is currently excluding ex-pats from having the right to vote on the referendum regarding Scottish independence (likely to take place in 2014), this film festival has none of those restrictions. Audiences can enjoy exploring some unique and unusual locations used for screenings and exhibitions, in an intimate atmosphere that you would struggle to find in other film festivals. Previously two significant spaces have been a caravan in 2010 and a swimming pool in 2011 – where else but Scotland would this happen?

In addition to the main event, a number of smaller festivals are running as well, before the 16th. The Glasgow Youth Film Festival is designed to appeal to younger audiences and takes place from the 5th to 15th February. Designed by teenagers, this mini-festival aims to offer youngsters the opportunity to learn about the magic of film from industry professionals. In 2011 Hamish Gibson from Oban, a member of the Glasgow Youth Film Festival’s Youth Team won the right to represent the UK at Venice Film Festival. This is a fantastic opportunity for young people, ensuring that the creativity and uniqueness of Glasgow and the surrounding area is allowed to flourish.

This year’s Glasgow Short Film Festival will be the biggest to date, with more than 150 films showing at 53 events. Running between 9th and 12th February, the festival will feature live performances, master classes and everything to do with short film, so that those who are interested can really get stuck in, in true Scottish style.

Highlights from this year’s main event include A Boy and His Samurai, which has made it onto many ‘Best of 2011′ lists in the US despite only having been shown at film festivals. Audiences can also see This Must Be the Place, featuring Sean Penn as a bored rock star who searches for the ex-Nazi war criminal who killed his father. One of the bigger films that fans will be able to catch during the festival is Twilight star Robert Pattinson’s new film Bel Ami, in which he plays scoundrel Georges Duroy in an adaptation of the novel by Guy de Maupassant. A highlight of the Youth Film Festival is Being Elmo, a heart-warming documentary that follows the man behind the Sesame Street character and reminds us we should all have faith in our dreams.

The Glasgow Film Festival makes the city come alive with creativity and talent, all revolving around a shared love of cinema. Glasgow, and Scotland in general, is becoming much more prominent on the film map and has recently been used as a location for big Hollywood productions such as World War Z with Brad Pitt and Cloud Atlas starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. With Brave, an animated film starring Scottish actors and set in the Highlands coming out later this year, it looks as though this popularity is not going to decline any time soon. This should mean the Glasgow Film Festival will become even bigger in the future and that the wonderful atmosphere of the city can be experienced by many more people in years to come.

Get tickets for the Glasgow Film Festival here.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part I, manages to split itself into two contrasting genres, starting off with romance, before switching to a mild horror. The first half features Bella and Edward’s wedding, so for a girl, this is wonderful to watch, however, the tone quickly changes.

Against the odds Bella becomes pregnant, but her vampire child craves human blood in order to survive. This leaves Bella only one option – she sucks up the thick red gloop through a straw, as if it were strawberry milkshake. You know it is probably milkshake, but it doesn’t make it any less grotesque to watch.

If that’s too much to handle, then the tense and very gruesomely edited birth scene will put you off having children for a long time. All you hear is screaming and moist squelches, and all you see is blood, sweat and tears.

If you ever wondered what the medical complications were of having a half-human, half-vampire baby, this film will give you a very graphic idea. It is certainly not something you would enjoy watching more than once, unless you’re a vampire of course. Yum.

~ Cara Le Piet

It’s almost nice to see that the latest instalment in the Twilight series gives Bella more than a few reasons to be just as miserable as Kristen Stewart has always insisted on making her appear.

Breaking Dawn Part I plunges Twilight‘s atypical characters into a strangely conventional wedding, complete with family politics, wedding cake, and the world’s longest altar-kiss. After the celebrations, the (barely) happy couple head off on their honeymoon, and after a brief unexplained detour via Rio, Bella’s uncharacteristic girlishness continues with some leg-shaving and lingerie dilemmas – much as if she hadn’t married a vampire at all, really.

Of course, this ridiculous romance couldn’t go on for much longer – not without Katherine Heigl making an appearance anyway. Things take a dramatic turn for the worst (and thus get much more interesting) when Bella discover’s she’s pregnant, despite the pair of them whining that they “didn’t know it was possible!” like a couple of naive teenagers.

When Stewart genuinely appears to be on death’s doorstep, the film transforms itself into credible example of the body horror genre. Both Edward (Pattinson) and Jacob (Lautner), on the other hand, remain annoyingly handsome and continue to fuss over Bella, as per the rest of the Saga – leaving rather a lot to be answered in the final film.

~ El Harris

For many Twilight fans, it seems feasible to say that Breaking Dawn was the point at which the series got “real”. Virginity, pregnancy, teenage independence and the consequences of said independence (if you can call Edward a teenager) – these mature themes are definitely out in force, and it works from start to finish.

For once, nothing feels melodramatic or slightly ridiculous, as has always been the way of the Twilight films when compared to their more competent literary sources. The CGI-assisted starvation of lead Kristen Stewart is a haunting image that sticks with you throughout, as a vampire-human child in her womb threatens to destroy her from the inside, either by broken bones or starvation.

Her struggle to keep the child can be read as either her devotion to family, to caring for those who are different, or as a pro-life theme. Either way, it’s a source of humanity, which comes as a breath of fresh air in a saga about vampires and werewolves.

The rest of the cast reprise their usual roles and are, as always, flawless. I can’t fault them, for the same reasons I can’t fault the actor choices in Harry Potter - they feel correct, when in place and in character. Bella (Stewart), Edward (Pattinson) and Lautner (Jacob) maintain their high-drama chemistry, and even the most cynical might find this installment a little more attention-grabbing and worthy of its creepy reputation than the more childish Bella-view interpretations of the Twilight world prior to this one. A solid recommendation from me.

~ Chris Tosan

The main event members of ‘Team Jacob’ will be waiting for with 4:1 is for the tall, dark werewolf to rip his shirt off. Thankfully, fans only have to wait a few seconds before the first trademark ‘I must get my shirt off quickly otherwise Bella will die’ scene. After this, the wedding is gorgeous, before things turn darker with the fallout from vampire-human sex.

If the film is taken in the context of the rest of The Twilight Saga, then it is very entertaining. Gory birth scenes and blood-slurping aside, a lot happens that fans will have been waiting for. Bella and Edward’s wedding is delicate and beautiful, and their honeymoon is shrouded in a veil of perfection. That is until they realise that they have most likely made a demon baby.

A big change from the previous Twilight films is some well-placed humour. Their wedding night sees Edward break the bed, and later when Bella complains she is cold, Jacob exclaims “I’m on it’. It is refreshing to have some mood lightening moments, because you may want to watch the last part of the film from behind a pillow.
~ Mia La Rosa

Hundreds of Twihards greeted Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner as they walked up the red carpet at the new Stratford shopping complex.

Twenty-one year old Stewart, who plays Bella Swan in the vampire fantasy saga, wore a sparkling black Roberto Cavalli dress with a McQueen belt and high heels, but changed into trainers before greeting her fans.

She said the experience was ‘full on’ and it felt strange that the filming had finished.

According to the Metro, Stewart called the filming, ‘The most indulgent experience as an actor. It was essentially four years and it was so full on for so long’.

British heartthrob, Robert Pattinson, who plays Bella’s vampire lover (and her real-life boyfriend), wished the 12A rated film could have been saucier.

He was reported saying that ‘it’s funny when you’re doing a sex scene and they’re screaming, – no, don’t actually look like you’re having sex. That’s terrifying!’

Nicknamed by his adorers as R-Patz, he went on to praise Stewart as an actress with a unique niche; ‘a lot of modern female parts feed into that really well,’ he stated.

The 25 year old musician, who had two of his songs featured in the first Twilight film, was apparently looking for another film to work on with Stewart.

Breaking Dawn Part 1 sees the much anticipated wedding of Bella and Edward. Bella soon falls pregnant but the vampire baby is too strong for her human body and it starts to put her health at risk.

Also appearing on the red carpet was X-Factor judge, Tulisa Contostavlos, with some of this year’s contestants including Little Minx, Janet Devlin, Misha B and Amelia Lily.

Former Neighbours actress Holly Valance also attended, along with pop princess Pixie Lott and presenter Holly Willoughby.

The film will be released in cinemas on Friday, November 18th (tomorrow), but Twihards will have to wait until November 2012 for the final instalment, Breaking Dawn Part 2.

Experts have predicted that the last two films will have record-breaking ticket sales.

Darkness and saucy scenes

As we all know, the Twilight films are based on the vampire fantasy novels by Stephenie Meyer. If you haven’t read any of  the books, they are aimed at younger teenagers while the films are much darker.
Did you know that the original edit of Breaking Dawn Part 1 was considered an 18? Kristen Stewart (who plays Bella Swan) was shocked by the intensity of the sex scene, and said to herself ‘No Bella, what are you doing?!’. However, it has now been edited down to suit a younger audience.

Rocking out to Muse and Linkin Park

Stephenie Meyer is a huge fan of the Devon rock band Muse, and wrote the saga while listening to them. It must have been a dream come true when Supermassive Black Holewas featured in the baseball scene in the first film. The rock-loving author said that she would only consider Twilight: The Musical, if it was a rock production and her favourite band wrote it.

Have you also noticed that in Chapter 7 of Twilight, Bella listens to Linkin Park?

Robert Pattinson isn’t just a pretty face; he wrote, played and sung two of the tracks in the first Twilight film.

Twilight was born on a (dark and stormy) night

Twilight was in fact born in one of Stephenie Meyer’s dreams. Astonishingly, the author even remembers the date, June 2, 2003. The first chapter she wrote ended up being Chapter 13. Not so unlucky after all. For a while, Meyer didn’t have names for the characters of Bella and Edward, so she called them ‘he’ and ‘she’. Other characters in her books were named after previous boyfriends; does her husband know that?
Meyer also claims that much inspiration for her books comes from classic literature. Twilight is loosely based around Pride And Prejudice , while New Moon was inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

The real Forks

Meyer was originally going to call the first book ‘Forks’ because this is where the novel is set. In addition, Meyer grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, just like Bella did.

That gorgeous cast

Robert Pattinson was actually second choice for playing the heart-throb vampire, Edward Cullen. Smallville actor, Tom Welling, was the fan’s favourite, but in the end, Pattinson was cast. Before his appearances in Twilight, he was best known for playing Cedric in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. While Pattinson has grown out of his boyish geek look and turned into a handsome man which thousands of girls adore, it’s a shame we can’t say the same about his former co-star, Daniel Radcliffe…
Kristen Stewart was first discovered when she was just eight-years-old by an agent during a Christmas pageant. She acted in a number of films, including Panic Room, before being cast as Bella. As the filming for Twilight began, Stewart was only 17, meaning that during her breaks she had to do school work. So much for the Hollywood dream…

The additional Twilight books?

After completing the Twilight Saga, Meyer started work on a companion book, but this time, the story was to be written from Edward’s perspective. However, a close contact of the author leaked the opening chapters on the internet and after this incident, Meyer decided to abandon the idea. Hopefully this is only temporary and we will eventually see the book. However, Meyer did publish the leaked chapters on her website for her fans to see.

Dozens of dedicated Twilight fans had camped for days outside the theatre and yesterday they finally got a glimpse of Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Jamie Campbell.

The stars walked down a black carpet to promote the fourth instalment of the saga, which are based on the best selling vampire fantasy books by Stephenie Meyer.

Kristen Stewart ( who plays Bella Swan), vamped up in a long elegant purple sequinned dress with a thigh high split, while her on-screen and real life partner Robert Pattinson (the vampire Edward Cullen) wore a fitted grey suit.

Twenty-five-year old Pattinson (Water for Elephants) was reported by MTV as saying, ‘it’s like an alternate reality. My everyday life is so boring, and then you go to these things and everyone thinks something cool is happening’.

He went on to say that even though the film was edited down to fit a PG-13 audience, a R rated ‘harder, bloodier version would be way better’.

The UK première takes place tomorrow (Wednesday 16 November) at the new Westfield shopping centre in Stratford City. Sitting in the 5.45pm screening will be director Bill Condon, as well as other VIP guest stars. The film is released in the UK on Friday 18 November.

Breaking Dawn Part 1 sees Bella and Edward get married and begin their life together, but when Bella falls pregnant her life is put in danger as the vampire baby begins to overpower her body.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 is not expected to hit the cinemas until November 2012, but record numbers of tickets are thought to be sold for the final two instalments.

Red Riding Hood drops the ‘Little’ and replaces the child of the traditional Brothers Grimm tale with a young woman, although she keeps her red cape. That said, Seyfried is the perfect image of medieval innocence as Valerie, and the beginning of this film makes the most of its beautifully snowy setting. Sadly, there is only so long one can spend watching Valerie twirl around in the snow, exchanging looks of forbidden love with a handsome woodsman names Peter, played by Shiloh Fernandez. Eventually the plot has to kick in, and this is precisely where is all starts to go downhill.

Hardwicke has obviously learnt a thing or two from her Twilight days – mostly that all good heroines should spend the majority of their time moping around trying to choose between two equally gorgeous young men, at least one of which should be a little bit dangerous. It’s a tough life for Valerie, even more so when she finds out she won’t be able to spend quite so much time rolling around in dimly lit barns with Peter and must instead marry a wealthy blacksmith called Henry (Max Irons). Of course, Henry’s got to be horribly ugly or unbearably mean or something, right? No, he’s just a really nice guy, who understands that she probably isn’t in love with him, but hopes she’ll marry him anyway. Oh…

However, the villagers have bigger things to worry about than this unconvincing love triangle – they are under attack from a wolf. It all gets a bit Beauty-and-the-Beast-meets-Agatha-Christie, as Valerie’s sister is found dead, and the villagers decide the wolf is amongst them, and decide to kill the beast.

Seyfried steals the show, and certainly does her best to remain wide-eyed and delicate as cliché after cliché unfolds, but it’s not a patch on her comical stupidity in Mean Girls, or even her lovelorn character in Dear John. Julie Christie is cast as Valerie’s grandmother, and whilst she might be the one on the other end of the “What big eyes eyes you have” malarkey, anyone who’s ever seen any of the Twilight films will know that she’s unlikely to transform into a wolf any time soon.

Among this year’s abundance of fairytale adaptations and re-imaginings (Snow White and the Huntsman, Sleeping Beauty, Jack the Giant Killer etc) this sexed-up tale of village superstitions and wintery lust just doesn’t cut it. The Twilight comparisons are embarrassingly obvious, and without a pasty Pattinson and his vampire friends, Red Riding Hood is unlikely to interest even the most teenage of audiences.

Red Riding Hood is out on DVD in the UK now.