Film Intel

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Ten Picks at LIFF30 - From A(utopsies) to Z(ombies)

As we near the start of November, Leeds is once again gearing up for just over two weeks of cinema past and present from all over the world. The 30th Leeds International Film Festival is set to begin this Thursday 3rd November with screenings at thirty different venues over the fortnight-and-a-bit.

Once again, Film Intel will be there to take in as much of the festival as possible, although for the first time since I began attending the festival in 2013 I will be our sole representative in Leeds. As with previous years, there is a colossal amount of cinema available for your viewing pleasure, so I've picked out ten films to look out for at LIFF30 to get you started. Whilst you're at it, have a look at our coverage of LIFF29 from November 2015 to whet your appetite in preparation for LIFF reaching the big three-oh.

Under The Shadow

Sat 5th Nov, 2016, 12:00 @ Vue at The Light
Sun 6th Nov, 2016, 20:45 @ Vue at The Light
Mon 7th Nov, 2016, 13:30 @ Vue at The Light

Mark Kermode has recently championed this 1980s set Iranian horror, awarding it five stars in his Guardian review. If that's not enough to get you interested, it's also the UK's foreign language film submission for the 2017 Academy Awards. One I'm incredibly eager to catch during my time in Leeds.

I Am Not A Serial Killer

Sat 5th Nov, 2016, 15:00 @ Leeds Town Hall - Victoria Hall

LIFF's annual Day Of The Dead event sees the Victoria Hall of Leeds Town Hall play host to a whole day of horror movies. Last year offered the chance to see Robert Eggers' The Witch for the first time, which ended up amongst my top films of the year, so this year's programme has a fair amount to live up to. On the surface, I Am Not A Serial Killer looks like a fairly straightforward indie horror, but the cast is what makes it stand out. Where The Wild Things Are's young talent Max Records (in his first role since featuring in 2011 Jonah Hill vehicle The Sitter) stars alongside veteran Christopher Lloyd in a role which the LIFF programme describes as being "about as far removed as possible from the lovable Doc Brown". I'll be in Leeds for Day Of The Dead once again, so this is another I'm certainly hoping to see.

Train To Busan

Sat 5th Nov, 2016, 20:30 @ Leeds Town Hall - Victoria Hall
Sun 13th Nov, 2016, 14:30 @ Cottage Road

As 2016 has already given us The Girl With All The Gifts, it's going to be hard for any other release this year to match that level of originality and craft within the zombie genre. That said, if any film can, it seems likely that Train To Busan will be it. The buzz around this Korean horror means it comes with some expectation, so hopefully it can deliver.

The Red Turtle

Sun 6th Nov, 2016, 15:45 @ Leeds Town Hall - Victoria Hall

At this point, I'm pretty much sold on anything involving Studio Ghibli at the very least offering solidly enjoyable animation. As the studio's first co-production outside Japan, this has the potential to offer something quite unique. The LIFF30 screening will also be paired with director Michael Dudok de Wit's short Father and Daughter, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2001, and the director is also scheduled to be in attendance on the day.

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

Thu 10th Nov, 2016, 19:00 @ Leeds Dock
Fri 11th Nov, 2016, 19:00 @ Leeds Dock

In celebration of this being the 30th year of the festival, LIFF has expanded its number of venues to thirty with a host of new and unusual places to watch the films on offer. One of the most creative has got to be screening Wes Anderson's 2004 quirky ocean-based tale on a barge at Leeds Dock. Whatever floats your boat...

Suntan

Fri 11th Nov, 2016, 20:30 @ Vue at The Light
Sat 12th Nov, 2016, 12:00 @ Vue at The Light
Tue 15th Nov, 2016, 20:30 @ Vue at The Light

Argyris Papadimitropoulos' Suntan tells the story of a forty-year-old doctor working on a Greek island, who falls in with a group of tourists half his age and becomes infatuated with one young woman in particular. The film was named as the best international feature at the Edinburgh Film Festival earlier this year.

The Handmaiden

Fri 11th Nov, 2016, 20:30 @ Leeds Town Hall - Victoria Hall
Mon 14th Nov, 2016, 16:00 @ Leeds Town Hall - Victoria Hall

The latest film from Park Chan-Wook, The Handmaiden sees the director return to filmmaking in his native Korean after 2013's Stoker, his first foray into the English language on screen. Whilst his last film divided opinion, Park's previous form makes anything from him very much worthy of your attention.

The Autopsy Of Jane Doe

Fri 11th Nov, 2016, 22:30 @ Hyde Park Picture House

Tue 15th Nov, 2016, 15:45 @ Hyde Park Picture House

Screening twice at Hyde Park, with the first as part of the cinema's Night Of The Dead event, The Autopsy Of Jane Doe is the first English language film from Troll Hunter director André Øvredal. Starring veteran Brian Cox as a man running a morgue out of his basement with his son, this is one to keep an eye on.

Napoleon

Sun 13th Nov, 2016, 11:15 @ Leeds Town Hall - Victoria Hall

LIFF has provided countless opportunities to take in classic cinema on the big screen in years gone by, and this year is no different. Clocking in at a whopping five-and-a-half hours, restoration of 1927's Napoleon has reportedly taken fifty years to complete and the film has now been re-released by the BFI with a new Dolby 7.1 surround soundtrack. And don't worry: there are three scheduled intervals during the screening, giving plenty of opportunities for leg-stretching and bladder-relieving.

Kids Police

Sun 13th Nov, 2016, 18:00 @ Hyde Park Picture House

Yûichi Fukuda's Kids Police spoofs crime dramas through the high concept of a police division who've been transformed into children by a mysterious terrorist organisation (yes, really). Even if Sam didn't get on with Fukuda's HK: Forbidden Super Hero - a film about a crimefighter who wears a mankini and pants on his head - at LIFF27, you can't fault the director for putting out films that aim to break the mould.

The 30th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 3rd-17th November 2016 at thirty venues across the city, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.

By Ben Broadribb. Ben is a regular contributor to Film Intel, having previously written at Some Like It Hot Fuzz. He is normally seen in the wild wearing t-shirts containing obscure film references. He is a geek, often unashamedly so. He's also on Google+ and Twitter.

Ten more non-franchise films to look out for in 2016

There are plenty of reboots, sequels and new additions to existing franchises on the way ready to get you plonked in front of a screen at your local multiplex, including film number three for the rebooted Star Trek series, the fifth Ice Age film, and Doctor Strange bringing the MCU movie tally up to a whopping fourteen and counting. So, after my first look at what this year had to offer away from franchise fare at the end of last year, it seems like a good time to have a look at what 2016's final six months have to offer as we reach the beginning of July.

All but two of the ten films I picked out last time have now been released, some offering pleasant surprises, others emerging as disappointing misfires, and others still doing exactly what was expected. The same will undoubtedly be true of the ten films below, but all at least potentially have something of interest within them.

Nerve
Directors: Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman
Stars: Dave Franco, Juliette Lewis, Emma Roberts
Expected in the UK: 12th August 2016
Horror films with a social media or online slant seem to be slowly growing in popularity - see Unfriended, Chatroom and Friend Request (not that I have) for recent examples. Nerve is the latest in this trend, based around an extreme game of truth or dare played online which is viewed and manipulated by those watching. Whilst the concept might not grab you immediately, those involved might. It's directed by the duo behind 2010 documentary Catfish, one of the most interesting online-based films of recent years, so Nerve feels like one to look out for.

Wiener-Dog
Director: Todd Solondz
Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Kieran Culkin, Danny DeVito
Expected in the UK: 12th August 2016
Four stories connected by a dachshund as the dog moves from one owner to another. It's not a lot to go on, but Solondz's film has had a very positive reception stateside where it was distributed by Amazon Studios. Hopefully the studio will retain distribution rights in the UK and make Wiener-Dog available through the Amazon Video service online, as it's the kind of film unlikely to receive more than a limited release in cinemas.

Morgan
Director: Luke Scott
Stars: Paul Giamatti, Toby Jones, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kate Mara
Expected in the UK: 2nd September 2016
The fact that Morgan is the directorial debut of Ridley Scott's son Luke makes it worthy of your attention alone. Add to that a story about an artificially-created being whose life is put in the hands of a corporate risk-management consultant, and a cast featuring all the reliable names above alongside The Witch's impressive young star Anya Taylor-Joy, and Morgan could prove very interesting indeed. There's something of Ex Machina about this, which can only be a good thing.

Free State Of Jones
Director: Gary Ross
Stars: Brendan Gleeson, Matthew McConnaughy, Keri Russell
Expected in the UK: 9th September 2016
Ross' first film after directing the opening installment of The Hunger Games franchise back in 2012 is a historical drama set during the American Civil War. The story of a farmer who leads a rebellion against the Confederacy and establishes a mixed race community in Mississippi sounds interesting enough on its own. Add in McConnaughy as the lead and this becomes still more intriguing, although critical reception in the US has been mixed so far.

The Infiltrator
Director: Brad Furman
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Diane Kruger, John Leguizamo
Expected in the UK: 16th September 2016
The latest from The Lincoln Lawyer director tells the true story of US narcotics special agent Robert Mazur, who helped to bring down Pablo Escobar's money-laundering operation in the 1980s. Cranston, who received a Best Actor nomination at this year's Oscars for Trumbo, plays Mazur alongside Leguizamo as his fellow agent. There are also a couple of noteworthy British performers within the cast, including Joe Gilgun of This Is England fame and Daniel Mays, most recently seen playing Walker in the big screen update of Dad's Army.

The Magnificent Seven
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Ethan Hawke, Byung-hun Lee, Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington
Expected in the UK: 23rd September 2016
A remake of the 1960 original starring Steve McQueen, which itself was based on Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, this feels as if it could go either way. The principal cast is strong, although many of those involved have had a few duff entries onto their CVs recently. Vinnie Jones is also lurking on the IMDB cast listing, and his presence is hardly a seal of quality. Fuqua's recent output also hasn't been great. That said, the images released so far look promising, so I'm willing to give this the benefit of the doubt at the moment.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
Director: Tim Burton
Stars: Asa Butterfield, Eva Green, Samuel L. Jackson
Expected in the UK: 30th September 2016
Burton's form has been iffy since 2010's Alice In Wonderland (some would no doubt argue going further back than that), but this looks like something of a return to weird, enchanting form for the director. Based on the 2011 novel by Ransom Riggs, with which I'm entirely unfamiliar, the subject matter sounds perfect for Burton to bring to the big screen. With a talented cast at his disposal this is the first Burton film I can remember feeling genuinely excited about for some time.

The Founder
Director: John Lee Hancock
Stars: Laura Dern, Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman
Expected in the UK: 30th September 2016
Keaton continues his career revival playing Ray Kroc, the man who turned McDonald's into the most successful fast food chain in the world. The film has been compared to both There Will Be Blood and The Social Network, and is the first film from Hancock after he directed Saving Mr. Banks in 2013, all of which bodes well for The Founder being a success. Kroc himself is a potentially fascinating character to bring to the big screen, so this could well prove to be one of the year's best films.

American Pastoral
Director: Ewan McGregor
Stars: Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning, Ewan McGregor
Expected in the UK: 4th November 2016
Set in the 1960s and 1970s during a turbulent period of American history, an adaptation of Philip Roth's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1997 novel - also named as one of Time Magazine's all-time greatest novels - has been in development since as early as 2003. Finally arriving on the big screen at the end of the year, American Pastoral marks the directorial debut of McGregor, who also stars. Judging by the first trailer, McGregor has picked up some impressive expertise from the filmmakers he's worked with over the years.

Sully
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Tom Hanks, Laura Linney
Expected in the UK: 2nd December 2016
Sadly not a solo outing for the big blue beastie from Monsters, Inc., Eastwood's latest tells the story of Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who successfully landed a passenger plane on the Hudson River after complete engine failure without a single fatality. I wasn't a fan of the director's last film, American Sniper, but with Hanks and Eckhart as Sullenberger and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles respectively this could be very worthwhile.

Ten non-franchise films to look out for in 2016

Whilst it seems every year is now one where we can't move for ever-expanding franchises, 2016 seems set to be a particularly sequel-packed series-continuation-focused twelve months. We've got more entries into the respective Marvel and DC Cinematic Universes, as well as sequels for the likes of Kung Fu Panda, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Finding Nemo and Zoolander to name just a few.

To offer something of a remedy for all of these studio cash cows, here's a selection of ten films (currently) free from the franchise label to be released in the UK throughout 2016. No guarantees that all will be a success - at least a couple have the potential to be really quite ropey, in fact, if things go awry - but all at least have something interesting or different to offer.

The Hateful Eight

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Kurt Russell, Channing Tatum

Expected in the UK: 8th January

As a long time Tarantino fan, every new release from the director is something I look forward to. But the third entry in QT's "period trilogy" following Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds, two of the director's most cinematically accomplished works, could be very special indeed. The concept sounds almost like a 19th Century remake of Reservoir Dogs, placing the eponymous octet in an enclosed setting and letting the drama unfold. With a cast including both seasoned Tarantino collaborators and some impressive new talent added to his canon, The Hateful Eight could spend much of the year floating within many film fans' top tens.

The Revenant
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Domhnall Gleeson, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter
Expected in the UK: 15th January
2015's Best Director Oscar winner, a star-studded cast and a superbly gripping trailer are enough to make this one of my most anticipated of 2016. DiCaprio seems once again destined to be mentioned in amongst the Best Actor nominations, but will this be the performance to break his much-memed unlucky streak at the Adademy Awards?

Dad's Army
Director: Oliver Parker
Stars: Michael Gambon, Blake Harrison, Toby Jones, Bill Nighy, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Expected in the UK: 5th February
So maybe it's not non-franchise in the same way as many others on this list, being as it is based on the classic BBC sitcom of the same name, but Dad's Army certainly isn't a studio juggernaut or even a sure thing. Did anyone actually ask for a remake of a comedy series set in the 1940s that started in the 1960s, especially one that's looked back on with such fondness by many? Whilst director Oliver Parker's recent filmography isn't exactly glowing - his last two films were Johnny English Reborn and St. Trinian's 2 - when you consider the British talent filling out the cast it's hard not to hold out hope that this will end up a little comedy gem waiting to be discovered.

Triple 9
Director: John Hillcoat
Stars: Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Paul, Kate Winslet
Expected in the UK: 19th February
John Hillcoat's earlier films, including The Road and Lawless, whilst not perfect felt as though they offered a great deal of promise for the director's continuing career. This crime drama has an intriguing concept focusing on criminals and corrupt policemen working together combining both a heist and a murder, as well as a solid cast. With the inclusion of actors who have made their names in TV series, such as Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul and The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus, it will be interesting to see if this will be their opportunity to transfer that recognition from the small screen to the big.

Hail, Caesar!
Directors: Ethan & Joel Coen
Stars: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum
Expected in the UK: 26th February
If the Coen Brothers have proven anything over their career, it's that you can't predict what they're going to do next. At the same time, however, each of Ethan and Joel's releases has a distinct feel that it's impossible to mistake for anyone else. Hail, Caesar! - a 1950s Hollywood-set mystery about the disappearance of a famous actor - follows that non-pattern brilliantly, looking completely different to the Coen Brothers' most recent release (the near-flawless Inside Llewyn Davis), and yet continuing their unique offbeat aesthetic. Like Tarantino, the fraternal film-makers are furthering some established relationships within the cast whilst throwing in a few Coen first-timers too.

Eddie The Eagle
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Stars: Taron Egerton, Jo Hartley, Hugh Jackman, Tim McInnerny, Christopher Walken
Expected in the UK: 1st April
I've seen neither Wild Bill, Dexter Fletcher's directorial debut (which looked good), nor his second feature, stage musical adaptation Sunshine On Leith (which looked awful). But the eclectic cast, couple with the unique life story of Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, means I'll be interested to see the reactions for this rather different take on the sports biopic.

Midnight Special
Director: Jeff Nichols
Stars: Adam Driver, Kirsten Dunst, Joel Edgerton, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard
Expected in the UK: 15th April
Jeff Nichols seriously impressed me with both Take Shelter and Mud, and Midnight Special looks to be another slightly unsettling, slightly ethereal slice of modern lore unfolded on the big screen through a talented cast. It will be great to watch Michael Shannon teaming with Nichols once again, as well as seeing what relatively new face Adam Driver, currently dark-siding it up as Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, can offer.

The Nice Guys
Director: Shane Black
Stars: Kim Basinger, Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Ty Simpkins
Expected in the UK: 20th May
Whilst Iron Man 3 received a mixed reception from some (although I really quite liked it), Shane Black's third directorial effort The Nice Guys looks to return to his buddy movie roots. With Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe starring as a private eye and hired enforcer respectively, teaming up to investigate the separate (yeah, right) cases of a missing girl and a dead porn star, this feels like prime territory for Black to return safely from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The BFG
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Jermaine Clement, Bill Hader, Mark Rylance, Penelope Wilton
Expected in the UK: 22nd July
It's perhaps surprising that Roald Dahl's beloved children's novel The BFG hasn't had another big screen adaptation since the 1989 Cosgrove Hall animation featuring David Jason as the voice of the titular colossus. That said, Dahl's work hasn't always transferred as well to film as you might expect. Steven Spielberg in the director's chair, however, and returning to proper family film-making for the first time since The Adventures Of Tintin, means it would be foolish to overlook this next summer.

Story Of Your Life
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Michael Stuhlbarg, Forest Whitaker
Expected in the UK: TBA
Denis Villeneuve has been attached to direct a sequel (or is it?) to Blade Runner, but before that he's set to direct this story of alien invasion and linguistic diplomacy. It sounds a world away from much of his previous work, his most recent film being drug war drama Sicario released earlier this year, but Villeneuve has proven himself a capable director, making this one to keep a firm eye on.

Eight Picks at LIFF29 - From Classic Horror to Unkillable Teachers

It's time for the Leeds International Film Festival to once more offer a veritable treasure trove of films from all over the world to those willing to sift through and find themselves a few gems. LIFF29 gets underway today, running for fifteen days throughout November, and Film Intel will be there once again marking our fifth year covering the festival (although only the third year for me personally).

Just as in previous years, there's a huge amount of films being shown throughout LIFF29, so here are eight picks from me to look out for at the festival, or elsewhere if you can't make it to Leeds. Have a look back at our coverage of LIFF28 from last year to see what Sam and I made of 2014's event.

The Thing, preceded by an interview with John Carpenter

Fri 6th Nov, 2015, 19:00 @ Leeds Town Hall - Victoria Hall

Part of LIFF29's programme will celebrate the work of John Carpenter, with many of the director's films, such as The Fog, They Live and Escape From New York, playing throughout the festival. The screening of Carpenter's sci-fi-horror classic The Thing promises to be perhaps the most enticing of all, however, as it will have an exclusive interview (recorded, not live) with Carpenter himself played before the film. The questions asked will be selected from those submitted by fans to the LIFF website, and will hopefully make for a fascinating insight into the director's experiences and imagination.

By Our Selves

Fri 6th Nov, 2015, 21:00 @ Everyman Leeds Trinity

Mon 9th Nov, 2015, 16:00 @ Everyman Leeds Trinity

Described as a "playful docufiction", there is something of Ben Wheatley's A Field In England about the apparent tone and execution of By Our Selves. With the ever-reliable Toby Jones in the cast alongside his son Freddie, this is one I'll be very eager to catch. However, with only two showings both at the Everyman - notorious for its limited seating - I'll have to do all I can to ensure I don't miss out.

Crumbs

Sat 7th Nov, 2015, 14:00 @ Vue in the Light

Mon 9th Nov, 2015, 14:30 @ Vue in the Light

Sun 15th Nov, 2015, 12:00 @ Vue in the Light

Exactly the kind of film I've come to expect to discover at LIFF through my attendance during the last two years. Made by Spanish director Miguel Llansó but set in Ethiopia, Crumbs is "a post-apocalyptic surreal love story" with a protagonist who thinks he's an alien seeking out Santa Claus to help him return to his home planet. It sounds crackers, which at Leeds usually means it's worth a look.

Therapy For A Vampire

Sat 7th Nov, 2015, 17:00 @ Leeds Town Hall - Victoria Hall

With What We Do In The Shadows winning the audience award at last year's LIFF, Therapy For A Vampire is bound to do well. An Austrian comedy focusing on a vampire's relationship with Sigmund Freud in the 1930s, this looks imaginative and different enough to escape Shadows', er, shadow.

The Club

Sat 14th Nov, 2015, 19:00 @ Hyde Park Picture House

Tue 17th Nov, 2015, 21:00 @ Hyde Park Picture House

Whilst the LIFF website describes The Club as "a riveting and complex moral drama", I can't help but think of it as a gritty, foreign language feature length version of Father Ted. Not only does it focus on a group of isolated priests living together, but they even have a female caretaker. The synopsis doesn't sound as though it will include a great deal of Catholicism-related comedy, however, with more serious themes of sin and escaping the past taking prominence. I'm guessing the cups of tea and appearances by Graham Norton will probably be kept to a minimum too.

Black Mass

Sat 14th Nov, 2015, 20:30 @ Leeds Town Hall - Victoria Hall

Showing at LIFF29 just ahead of its UK release date at the end of November, Black Mass looks in many ways like a straightforward gangster film. What makes it stand out for me, however, is Johnny Depp cast in the lead role. An undoubtedly talented actor, Depp has in recent years fallen foul of a few iffy parts (Transcendence) and rehashing his Jack Sparrow persona with limited success (The Lone Ranger). His casting as "Whitey" Bulger here is certainly transformative in terms of Depp's appearance, and from the looks of his performance in the trailer, it could be the role that takes Depp back to his brilliant best as an actor.

Bone Tomahawk

Sat 14th Nov, 2015, 01:00 @ Hyde Park Picture House

One you'll have to stay up late for to catch its only showing during Night Of The Dead, Bone Tomahawk looks worth it. A Western starring Kurt Russell - could this be the perfect lead into his role in Tarantino's The Hateful Eight at the end of the year? - with an unusual horror-inspired twist, this could well be one to watch out for.

Assassination Classroom

Sun 15th Nov, 2015, 14:30 @ Cottage Road Cinema

One of only two films playing at Cottage Road this year, Assassination Classroom is the kind of utterly insane idea that could only come from Japanese cinema. "Unkillable Teacher", taking the form of a yellow octopus-shaped alien, destroys part of the moon and then threatens to wipe out Earth, whilst the human race fights back in the hope of transforming it into, er, "Killable Teacher". It's playing as a double bill with Tokyo Tribe director Sion Sono's latest film, which should help to give you an idea of how loopy this is likely to be.

The 29th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 5th-19th November 2015 at venues around the city, including Hyde Park Picture House, Cottage Road Cinema and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.

Trailer Of The Week - Whiplash

Released in UK cinemas this past Friday, Whiplash also received five Oscar nominations last week including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for J. K. Simmons. It's a film I'm keen to see sooner rather than later; based on the trailer and the critical reaction thus far, it looks to be deserving of the recognition its received. I doubt you'll ever look at Simmons again and be able to think of him as J. Jonah Jameson from Raimi's Spider-Man films either, his performance here seemingly terrifying in its intensity.

Trailer Of The Week- Ant-Man

There was a time when Ant-Man was potentially the most interesting instalment yet in the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. That time was when Edgar Wright was in the director's chair shooting from a script he co-wrote with Joe Cornish. This felt like a genuinely fresh move from Marvel, putting their faith in writers and a director with proven records in bringing something different to the table. Then, Wright and Marvel parted company, his script also largely discarded in favour of one from Adam McKay and the film's star Paul Rudd. Peyton Reed - director of such forgettable fare as Yes Man and The Break-Up - stepped in as director, and all of a sudden Ant-Man went from one of the hottest prospects in Marvel's upcoming schedule to one of the most tepid.

The film's first trailer only confirms this further, offering little that we haven't seen before in countless other superhero films - and Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. Even Rudd's character Scott Lang, alter-ego of the titular superhero, feels like a half-hearted copy of Chris Pratt's Peter Quill from Guardians Of The Galaxy. With Ant-Man set to draw to a close a decidedly patchy Phase 2 for Marvel, the studio now needs to pull something very special out of the bag with both Avengers: Age Of Ultron and the imminent start of Phase 3.

Trailer Of The Week - Inside Out

Pixar's output over the last five years, whilst far from awful, has felt like something of a step down from the outstanding cinema many have come to expect as standard from the studio. Three of their last four films have been sequels, and the remaining original feature, Brave, felt as though it missed something of their usual magic. After a quiet 2014, Pixar are set to release two films this year, neither of which are sequels. The first is Inside Out, due in July, and from the trailer it seems as though this could display the invention of the studio's most beloved output such as Monsters, Inc. and Toy Story. The parent characters seem a bit clichéd from what we are shown, but the simple yet effective concept of different elements of the psyche crewing each characters' emotions has the feel of a winning Pixar idea. One I'm looking forward to seeing when it arrives.

Trailer Of The Week - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Quite probably the most anticipated 88 seconds of film of the year. Whilst we're on the topic, this seems like an opportune enough moment to mention that the only Star Wars film I've definitely seen all the way through is Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Which also seems like a good enough reason to reveal my intention to catch up on the other five installments (and revisit the one I've already seen) before The Force Awakens lands at the end of next year. Watch this space.

Trailer Of The Week - Jurassic World

Obviously a trailer gives only a somewhat manufactured glimpse of what the whole film might be like, but from the 160 seconds Jurassic World's first trailer offers us, Colin Trevorrow's return to Isla Nublar looks very, very promising. Trevorrow may actually have pulled off everything that a new installment in the Jurassic Park franchise needs to be: faithful to the original, whilst not just a rehash of what Spielberg did twenty two years ago; revisiting the themes and ideas that made the original brilliant, whilst being neither a remake nor a reboot (both of which are ideas that really don't need to happen); and bringing some new twists to the franchise that make this fourth installment seem worthwhile. Jurassic World feels like it could take the series in a new and interesting direction in a way that both The Lost World and Jurassic Park III ultimately failed to manage. Let's hope Trevorrow's film can live up to this potential when it's released in June next year.

LIFF28 - Trailer Of The Week - The Samurai

One of the films I'm hoping to catch whilst at LIFF28, The Samurai may have something of a ridiculous selling point by making its antagonist a cross-dresser in a wedding dress; but based on the trailer writer and director Till Kleinert looks to be a skilled filmmaker. Let's hope the film itself upholds this potential.

The Samurai plays LIFF on Monday 17th November at 19.15 and on Wednesday 19th November at 17.00 in the Everyman Leeds Trinity.

The 28th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 5th-20th November 2014 at cinemas around the city, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.

Five More LIFF28 Picks - From Irish Folk Tales to Cross-Dressing Killers

I've been looking forward to being able to return to Leeds for LIFF28 basically since I returned home from LIFF27, and I can't wait to spend some time taking in as much of what the festival has to offer as I can later on this month.

To get a flavour of what LIFF has to offer, take a gander at our coverage of last year's festival. Last Friday saw Sam pick out his five to watch from the LIFF28 programme, so here are my five to add into the mix.

Patch Town

Friday 14th November 17:00 @ Leeds Everyman Trinity

Sunday 16th November 17:00 @ Leeds Everyman Trinity

A film which the LIFF website lists as having similarities to "Dark City, Brazil, Repo! The Genetic Opera and even Elf", and telling a story which sounds like a twisted take on the '80s toy fad Cabbage Patch Kids, this may be the very definition of needing to be seen to be believed. And seeing it is something I certainly intend to do whilst in Leeds.

Song Of The Sea

Saturday 15th November 12:00 @ Hyde Park Picture House

Sunday 16th November 15:00 @ Hyde Park Picture House

The follow-up to 2009's The Secret Of Kells by director Tomm Moore, this animation based on Irish folklore looks beautiful and sounds genuinely enchanting. I'll be aiming to get to Leeds early enough on Saturday morning to hopefully make this my first film of the festival.

One Rogue Reporter

Saturday 15th November 17:30 @ Vue in The Light

Former Daily Star journalist Rich Peppiatt initially developed an Edinburgh Fringe stand-up show about his experiences, after leaving his job due to his frustration with the sensationalist tabloid world. That show has now become this documentary which feels incredibly relevant and potentially fascinating. The screening is followed by a Q&A with Peppiatt himself, making this a festival event I'll be eager to attend.

Love Is Strange

Sunday 16th November 18:30 @ Leeds Town Hall

Tuesday 18th November 14:30 @ Leeds Town Hall

Starring veteran talents John Lithgow and Alfred Molina as an aging gay couple marrying after forty years together, if this can rein in the sentimentality (which the critical reaction earlier this year from the Sundance, Tribeca and Berlin Film Festivals suggests it can) it feels as though it has the potential for excellence.

The Samurai

Monday 17th November 19:15 @ Everyman Leeds Trinity

Wednesday 19th November 17:00 @ Everyman Leeds Trinity

A horror film focused upon a rampage through a small German village by a man wearing a wedding dress. If nothing else, this has some interesting ideas to offer.

LIFF28 - Trailer Of The Week - What We Do In The Shadows

The 28th Leeds International Film Festival starts on Wednesday 5th November, with our coverage proper commencing on Saturday 8th. Both Ben and I will be at the festival for a number of days again this year, with the schedule looking as enticing as usual. A particular highlight which I should get to see on Saturday is the latest from the Eagle vs Shark team, as Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi return with What We Do In The Shadows. The combination of those talents and comedy vampires looks incredibly tantalising.

The film plays LIFF on Saturday 8th November at 18.30 in The Town Hall and on Monday 10th November at 20.30 in Vue In The Light. It is scheduled for a UK release on 21st November.

The 28th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 5th-20th November 2014 at cinemas around the city, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.

By Sam Turner. Sam is editor of Film Intel, and can usually be found behind a keyboard with a cup of tea. He likes entertaining films and dislikes the other kind. He's on Google+, Twitter and several places even he doesn't yet know about.

Five LIFF28 Picks - From Funny Vampires to Shin Bet

LIFF time of year is the best time of year! We'll be at the festival again for a smattering of days throughout its sixteen day run. Here are my five picks of things to catch if you're going, or to look out for elsewhere if you're not. Ben's five will be along shortly.

If you've not been to LIFF before then do check out our coverage of LIFF27, where plenty of good films were seen, in amongst attempting to eat most of Leeds' gourmet (or otherwise) food.

The Green Prince

Friday 7th November 15:00 @ Everyman Leeds Trinity

Saturday 8th November 17:00 @ Everyman Leeds Trinity

Reconstructions in documentaries rarely sit well with me, but The Green Prince, a documentary about the son of a Hamas founder, Mosab Hassan Yousef, who ends up spying for Shin Bet, is too tantalisingly political to dismiss it on that grounds. That said... I currently can't get it into my schedule.

Timbuktu

Saturday 8th November 16:30 @ Vue in the Light

Tuesday 11th November 14:00 @ Vue in the Light

And this is why I can't get The Green Prince into my schedule. The first film I added, I haven't heard a bad word about Timbuktu and have in fact heard many, many positive ones that put it up there as amongst the best of the year. Painting a picture of a locale ruled by religious fundamentalists, this is another one too topical to pass up.

What We Do In The Shadows

Saturday 8th November 18:30 @ Leeds Town Hall

Monday 10th November 20:30 @ Vue in the Light

Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi become vampires in a Horror-Comedy that, frankly, I really cannot wait for and needs no greater sell than the first half of this sentence.

A Hard Day

Friday 14th November 20:30 @ Leeds Town Hall

Saturday 15th November 20:00 @ Hyde Park Picture House

LIFF do a good line in Eastern Action and this from South Korea looks a good bet to deliver the goods this year. A police officer covers up his murderous mistake by burying the body in his mother's coffin, leading to an investigation by his own partner.

The Kingdom Of Dreams And Madness

Friday 14th November 15:30 @ Leeds Town Hall

Sunday 16th November 15:00 @ Cottage Road Cinema

Also know as 'The Ghibli Documentary', this is by all accounts a lovely look inside the world of the famed Japanese animation studio.

The 28th Leeds International Film Festival runs from 5th-20th November 2014 at cinemas around the city, including Hyde Park Picture House and Leeds Town Hall. Tickets and more information are available via the official LIFF website.

Trailer Of The Week - The Gambler

Pretty much everything I know about The Gambler comes from the teaser trailer released this week. But with Mark Wahlberg seemingly on form, and John Goodman as dominant on screen during the trailer's seventy-one seconds as he has ever been, this definitely has the potential for excellence. Before you click play, be aware that this is a red band trailer, as Goodman says a certain word beginning with "F" more than a few times throughout.

Divergent - Blu-ray Review

'Lumbered with the very flaky 'factions' setup, nearly all of the joy in Neil Burger's film comes towards both the end of the first act and most of the second.'

It feels highly unlikely that the current wave of Young Adult fiction adaptations will go down in film annals as either an overall 'good thing', nor as influential in the long run, at least not if you track trends further than those to do with Box Office. Arguably launched by The Hunger Games, though probably really traceable back to Harry Potter and Twilight's successes, it may well be that the decline of the genre begins when The Hunger Games series ends, towards the back of 2015, and certainly in terms of what has been brought to film as a form, you feel its eventual passing will leave not a mark.

All of which is not to say that many of the films it has produced do not have a level of sheen and quality, or tell satisfying stories whilst they last. Divergent, though nowhere near the standard of the second Hunger Games film, kicks off yet another series with a satisfying level of plot meat on its dubiously fleshy setup bones. With two direct nods to The Matrix in the first 5-10 minutes, it is at least a piece of YA with its genre references in the right place.

Lumbered with the very flaky 'factions' setup, nearly all of the joy in Neil Burger's film comes towards both the end of the first act and most of the second. Having dispensed with the dubious opening, Tris (Shailene Woodley) is firmly ensconced into an obligatory training narrative where allegiances are formed - notably with Zoë Kravitz's Christina - and brooding handsome trainer Four (Theo James) provides the eye candy. It's predictable, fun stuff. Kravitz provides effective support and Woodley, who must no longer be mourning the lost opportunity of Spider-Man's Mary Jane, given the profile this affords her, is a watchable lead presence. A War Game-alike scenario might have a bit too much cheese for its own good, and feature the very dubiously talented Jai Courtney too prominently, but it also shows Divergent at its base-level best.

Things start to fall apart again in the third act when Burger annoyingly fails to make clear when we have excited a dream-like part of the narrative and when we are still within it. It engenders a 'spot the twist' final act the film never needed, taking focus away from just allowing Tris and Four to complete their natural character arcs - much more of a success than any of the late reveals. Burger does manage, thankfully, to leave us in a position of some interest at the very end, though the fact that he takes one-hundred and thirty-nine minutes to get there marks Divergent out as yet another YA film too obsessed with every element of its source.

Trailer Of The Week - Night At The Museum 3: Secret Of The Tomb

I must admit to having a slight soft spot for the first two Night At The Museum films; whilst being far from perfect, both offer some enjoyable family-oriented fantasy fun requiring low levels of brain activity. Based on the trailer for the third film however, it looks like the franchise has most certainly gone one installment too far. Every joke here falls flat, which makes you wonder just how bad the bits that didn't make it into the trailer are. The sequence with Rebel Wilson in particular is seriously painful. It's also a shame that this is to become the final live-action credit for the late Robin Williams, who at least seems to continue his spirited turn as Teddy Roosevelt quite well from the glimpses of the character that the trailer offers.

Trailer Of The Week - Inherent Vice

There's little doubt on the Trailer Of The Week this week and that's because the first look at Inherent Vice has arrived, in all its surprising glory. Paul Thomas Anderson isn't really a director famed for the LOLs. I think There Will Be Blood is about as humourless a film as I can think of and all the better for it and The Master wasn't exactly a rib tickler. This film though, whatever it ends up like in its full glory, has a playful, debonair trailer with a version of Joaquin Phoenix that's seen Robery Downey Jr. in Zodiac and decided that he can do drunk-and-working even better. I've seen The Long Goodbye referenced and I can see that too, but where Altman's film operates through a sort of fog - hazy hippy neighbours and mumbled conversations with a cat - this looks pin sharp.

Trailer Of The Week - The Babadook

It's difficult to know what to make of The Babadook from the trailer. On the one hand, there's a lot here which seems pretty similar to other recent horror offerings such as Sinister and Insidious. And yet the fact that the trailer shows you a lot more than most horror trailers generally choose to suggests one of two things. Either this is a poorly made trailer; or - hopefully - there's something more on offer in writer and director Jennifer Kent's feature debut. The buzz around the film at Sundance thankfully makes the latter a bit more likely. Australia has produced a slow trickle of critically acclaimed cinema over the last few years too, adding extra hope for The Babadook being the breath of Antipodean fresh air the horror genre has needed for some time.

Trailer Of The Week - The Calling

Ageing police office? Check. Alcohol problem? Check. Serial killer? Check. Religious imagery? Check. Rookie cop out of his depth? CHECK! Oh yes, I will be watching the hell out of this.

Trailer Of The Week - Big Game

On paper, Big Game sounds great. The second feature written and directed by Jalmari Helander after Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale and starring Samuel L. Jackson as POTUS marooned in the Finnish wilderness, this has the potential to deliver the right balance of humour and grit as well as the wild imaginative streak Helander delivered in his first film. And yet, this first trailer-cum-edited-clip leaves me decidedly unsure. The buzz around Big Game following its TIFF premiere this week suggests an eighties John Carpenter vibe, but this feels a bit too Snakes On A Plane to have me anywhere near sold at the moment. Big Game still seems different enough to be worth a look when/if it gets a UK release though, so it's one for which I'll be keeping an eye out.