This looks like it might be one to watch - the directorial debut of Joe Cornish (out of Adam and Joe) - it's a sci-fi comedy ('Chavs vs Aliens' is the pitch) and could be the next
Shaun of the Dead.
SotD director Edgar Wright is producing, it stars Nick Frost and it's just been announced that Basement Jaxx are doing the soundtrack. It's out early April so a trailer should be imminent...
The film is also partly the reason that the wonderful Adam and Joe 6Music show has been curtailed, so it better be good!
QuoteAttack The Block is a fast, funny, frightening action adventure movie that pits a teen gang against an invasion of savage alien monsters. It turns a housing estate into a SCI-FI PLAYGROUND. A tower block into a fortress under siege. And weapon wielding teenage thugs into heroes. Think ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 only with monsters and a tower block. Or LA HAINE crossed with ALIENS. It's inner city versus outer space.
(http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2011/01/500x_attacktheblockfront-1.jpg)
This may well turn out to be great!
But, it's an indictment of my age, that i read that synopsis, along with the list of who's involved and immediately knew for certain that i will never, ever, watch this.
SBT
...well, at least I'm interested in it!
First clips from the film were shown on last night's Film 2011, along with a short interview with Joe - skip to 22.30.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00z61qr/Film_2011_with_Claudia_Winkleman_Episode_8/ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00z61qr/Film_2011_with_Claudia_Winkleman_Episode_8/)
It's hard to tell much from the short clips, but I imagine that the it was the script for this film that led to Cornish working with on high profile projects like Ant Man and Spielberg's Tin Tin, so I have very high hopes for it.
Trailer is due today too.
..and here's the trailer:
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=30314 (http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=30314)
Harry Brown meets Aliens? Count me in.
Is it wrong to want the aliens to win?
Quote from: locustsofdeath! on 03 March, 2011, 01:43:49 PM
Is it wrong to want the aliens to win?
I was thinking that. It's a bit teal and orange too isn't it.
Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 13 January, 2011, 05:36:54 PM
This may well turn out to be great!
But, it's an indictment of my age, that i read that synopsis, along with the list of who's involved and immediately knew for certain that i will never, ever, watch this.
SBT
it's an indictment of my age, I never recognised anyone from that list :-[
QuoteI never recognised anyone from that list
You've seriously never heard of Nick Frost or Edgar Wright?
It looks like a whole heap of fun to me - there's loads of great lines in the trailer.
I'm getting a real
The Thing vibe - wasn't sure what to expect from the aliens until now - thought they might be a more generic, technologically advanced race like the usual alien invasion flicks, but I'm pleasantly surprised.
It's out mid-May, btw.
Just watched the trailer and have to say it looks bloomin' great. Looking forward to this... or more realistically for me when it comes out on DVD!
Quote from: radiator on 03 March, 2011, 01:46:27 PM
QuoteI never recognised anyone from that list
You've seriously never heard of Nick Frost or Edgar Wright?
Now I see his picture all becomes clear...
Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 03 March, 2011, 03:04:33 PM
Looking forward to this... or more realistically for me when it comes out on DVD!
Yep. DVD for me too. I look forward to buying that in May.
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/19899/uk-comedy-block-gets-u-s-subtitles-
Bless the 'mericans.
Quote from: James Stacey on 21 March, 2011, 11:45:44 AM
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/19899/uk-comedy-block-gets-u-s-subtitles-
Bless the 'mericans.
::)
Stupid execs.. How are we supposed to take the States seriously when a handful of idiots make everyone else look like morons?
This looks fantastic!
That subtitles nonsense is ridicularse! Besides, if people are as down on foreign movies over there as we're led to believe, surely slapping subtitles on it is a sure fire way of stopping anyone bothering with it.
It's getting rave reviews all over the place, and has been the darling of the SXSW festival in the US where it has premiered...
The subtitles thing doesn't surprise me after seeing loads of non-ironic complaints from Americans about Shaun of the Dead's "difficult" accents, including... Simon Pegg's. Frankly, if you can't understand Simon Pegg, you're pretty much fucked when it comes to British accents. Of course, if it is subtitled, you can bet a LOT of people would stay away just because of that. A top-notch double failure in waiting.
As for the trailer, looks pretty good to me. Nice also to see another British film doing something different.
Hmm.
I love Adam and Joe, and I really want this to work, but the trailer left me pretty cold.
Poster...
(http://bitcast-a-sm.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/ZZ2853AF79-550x412.jpg)
Bigger view here: http://bitcast-lhr1.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/ZZ2853AF79.jpg (http://bitcast-lhr1.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/ZZ2853AF79.jpg)
Bit surprised this seems to be getting so little attention on the board, as it seems to me like the sort of thing that would really appeal to 2000ad readers - gritty homegrown sci-fi with a satirical, humourous twist... It's getting very strong reviews across the board, too.
I'm going to see the film tonight, followed by a Q&A with Cornish and (hopefully) some of the cast/crew - can't wait.
Quote from: radiator on 13 May, 2011, 11:08:32 AM
Bit surprised this seems to be getting so little attention on the board, as it seems to me like the sort of thing that would really appeal to 2000ad readers
Because of this
Quote from: Steve Green on 21 March, 2011, 12:25:47 PM
I love Adam and Joe, and I really want this to work, but the trailer left me pretty cold.
I only just found out about this movie yesterday, courtesy of a picture in the metro herald. Hadn't heard I think about it --- although I haven't been to the cinema all year so that's not surprising. Think it looks like fun though, love Nick Frost so this might be the movie that finally tempts me to break my cinema abstinence and go and pay an extortionate amount of money for a ticket. Thanks God its not in 3d!! Pretty much sick of that!!
I suspect Nick Frosts part isn't much more than shown in the trailers. It's only a cameo
Awww. :(
I can't bear to hear people speak like this when i'm on the bus/tube etc.
why in god's name would i watch a whole film?
don' get in my grill, don' come facesty right i'll brack you up, d'you get me?
scrabble dictionary now had the word init etc.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I've seen a lot of comments recently like the one above - frankly if you're going to let prejudice stop you from seeing the movie then it's your loss.
Just saw the film and it's aces. Funny, creepy, sharply scripted, positive and surprisingly grisly in places. The influences are easy to see - there's a lot of The Thing, Assault on Precinct 13, Predator and The Warriors in the mix. The cast are all great - particularly the lead actor John Boyega who surely has big things ahead of him. Nick Frost's part is more than a cameo, but yes, he plays a fairly minor character.
Quote from: Keef Monkey on 21 March, 2011, 12:15:54 PM
That subtitles nonsense is ridicularse!
Sort of yes, sort of no. Urban slang is generally deliberately exclusive so it's hardly surprising that people from another country might find it difficult. If you were able to follow The Wire without ever having to rewind or turn on the subtitles then you're a better man than me and I had to give up on the Spike Lee film Clockers after about half an hour as I simply couldn't understand anything that was going on.
There were a couple of lines in the film where I couldn't even tell what they were saying, far less what it meant and I only live 400 miles away.
QuoteSort of yes, sort of no. Urban slang is generally deliberately exclusive so it's hardly surprising that people from another country might find it difficult. If you were able to follow The Wire without ever having to rewind or turn on the subtitles then you're a better man than me and I had to give up on the Spike Lee film Clockers after about half an hour as I simply couldn't understand anything that was going on.
There were a couple of lines in the film where I couldn't even tell what they were saying, far less what it meant and I only live 400 miles away.
I did find the subtitles thing amusing at first, but on reflection I'd agree - in fact I tend to use subtitles quite a lot despite having good hearing, especially for stuff like The Sopranos where there is a lot of slang and it's easy to miss things.
I think the slang is used quite well in AtB though, they have been quite clever in how they restrict it to within sensible levels whilst keeping it authentic, and repeat words a few times so the average viewer will be able to work out whats what by the end of the film.
I should mention the soundtrack too (by Basement Jaxx), which is really good. Very fresh sounding and helps give the film its identity.
Here's a preview track:
http://soundcloud.com/basement-jaxx/basement-jaxx-the-ends (http://soundcloud.com/basement-jaxx/basement-jaxx-the-ends)
Good stuff radiator, I'll hopefully get to check it out this weekend. Looking forward to it.
Saw some clips at Kapow last month and it was very good and once you have conquered your 'yoof aloofness' theres a decent and funny movie underneath.
Just back from seeing it. Mixed feelings - great aliens (although The Simping Detective may want his pet back) some good horror jumpy bits and nice sci-fi nods here and there. The language isn't an issue but it does feel very limited and more 'hey old person understand 'ya get mi... bare jokes.... merked' than actually funny.
However there is a much bigger problem with it - one the film-maker either hasn't understood or dosn't overcome... the point could be simply put 'the heroes are scum' but thats obviously not nuanced or intelligent enough. More precisely - the 'heroes' are deeply dislikeable characters who engage in mugging single females at knife point. Now Ken Loach may be able to add something sensible to a movie with such character flaws, even Kidulthood may but a Tremors-Critters action-comedy-horror simply cant. The obvious 'redemption' speech isn't in anyway convincing (and cut with some creepy sexist and oddly jarring right-wing tosh from another character)and in the finale the main characters are still 'against' the authorities even after victory. If anything the film's coda makes them emboldened. Frankly you are left feeling it is more than likely they will be back mugging single women at knife point again soon enough. And the responsibility for that isn't the viewers, its the film-makers.
Its a good popcorn movie and worth seeing in the cinema rather than on the D/L or DVD but it definitely has a circle it can't square.
Strongly disagree with you, BPP. Personally I thought the film had a strong moral core and refreshingly positive view on things. [spoiler]Moses is clearly at a crossroads in his life, and he ultimately accepts responsibility for his actions and decides to make a change for the better.[/spoiler]
I respect the fact that the film refuses to sand all of the rough edges off it's characters - yeah they are flawed, but mugging someone is hardly an unforgivable offense that deserves the death sentence. In films, we're frequently asked to sympathise with and root for protagonists who are guilty of far worse crimes - but perhaps AtB is hitting nerves with viewers because it's characters represent a particular type of criminal that is closer to home than the norm.
Just got round to seeing this at home.
It was a lot better than I expected from the trailer, lovely cinematography and a great soundtrack. Really impressed with the amount of work the creature performers put in with the practical costumes...
There's one line which really jarred from Moses - [spoiler]The one about the Government sending their guns, their drugs and now these things into the estate...[/spoiler], felt so forced...
I can see why they went with a limited vocabulary, but the dialogue felt a bit repetitive at times as a result...
Definitely worth a watch though. I don't think the trailer did it justice.
It is rather well put together and underrated. The ending reminded me of the Midnight Surfer- [spoiler]the crowd chant Moses, Moses...as he's carted off by the law.[/spoiler]
Yeah, didn't make that connection myself, but seeing as Cornish has cited Dredd as a big influence, its entirely likely.
Quote from: BPP on 18 May, 2011, 12:13:31 AM
Just back from seeing it. Mixed feelings - great aliens (although The Simping Detective may want his pet back) some good horror jumpy bits and nice sci-fi nods here and there. The language isn't an issue but it does feel very limited and more 'hey old person understand 'ya get mi... bare jokes.... merked' than actually funny.
However there is a much bigger problem with it - one the film-maker either hasn't understood or dosn't overcome... the point could be simply put 'the heroes are scum' but thats obviously not nuanced or intelligent enough. More precisely - the 'heroes' are deeply dislikeable characters who engage in mugging single females at knife point. Now Ken Loach may be able to add something sensible to a movie with such character flaws, even Kidulthood may but a Tremors-Critters action-comedy-horror simply cant. The obvious 'redemption' speech isn't in anyway convincing (and cut with some creepy sexist and oddly jarring right-wing tosh from another character)and in the finale the main characters are still 'against' the authorities even after victory. If anything the film's coda makes them emboldened. Frankly you are left feeling it is more than likely they will be back mugging single women at knife point again soon enough. And the responsibility for that isn't the viewers, its the film-makers.
Its a good popcorn movie and worth seeing in the cinema rather than on the D/L or DVD but it definitely has a circle it can't square.
Yeah, I have similar reservations and won't watch it because I'd just want every one of the cunts to be killed.
Finally got around to seeing this last night and really enjoyed it. The whole thing was done very well and it got a lot of delicate stuff to balance absolutely spot on in my book.
Mainly though how cool were the creature designs. Bloody loved them!
I turned it off after 20 minutes - hated it!
I quite enjoyed it, but really didn't empathise with the main characters. Starting the film showing them as mugging with threat of violence really didn't help and there was no real 'redemption arc' just a 'we are the product of our environment'. Having said that Nick Frost was good and the aliens were well done and scary. I'd have just enjoyed it more if all the kids had died and maybe if they had spoken English.
No redemption arc? Wha?
Moses walks away from a life of drug dealing, makes peace with Sam (and returns her jewellery), takes responsibility for the situation that his recklessness and bravado created and risks his life to destroy the aliens, save the block and protect his neighbours.
Yeah his surviving friends may well return to their usual ways, but it's strongly implied that Moses at least has turned a corner.
OK fair point, maybe if his annoying friends had been eaten I'd have thought better of it.
One other thing to bear in mind: this wasn't Hollywood. It wasn't a black-and-white movie, but one in shades of grey. I really liked that aspect of it, and the obvious notion that some of the kids were 'caught up' in the gang thing and not 'bad' per se, whereas others were rather nastier. To my mind, the subtle shifts in that film beat the typical hackneyed 'and with one bound he was forever redeemed' crap so many American movies shovel into our eyes.
Quote from: James Stacey on 23 March, 2012, 09:27:49 AM
I quite enjoyed it, but really didn't empathise with the main characters. Starting the film showing them as mugging with threat of violence really didn't help and there was no real 'redemption arc' just a 'we are the product of our environment'. Having said that Nick Frost was good and the aliens were well done and scary. I'd have just enjoyed it more if all the kids had died and maybe if they had spoken English.
Same here i enjoyed it but found myself wishing for a translator.
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 23 March, 2012, 10:59:01 AM
One other thing to bear in mind: this wasn't Hollywood. It wasn't a black-and-white movie, but one in shades of grey. I really liked that aspect of it, and the obvious notion that some of the kids were 'caught up' in the gang thing and not 'bad' per se, whereas others were rather nastier. To my mind, the subtle shifts in that film beat the typical hackneyed 'and with one bound he was forever redeemed' crap so many American movies shovel into our eyes.
I was just about to come back to this thread and try to piece together a point that this post covers and so much more effectively than and eloquently then I would have.
The fact that the main protagonists carry out the mugging at the start is so central to the whole film. The different feelings they show in doing that, the fear some have as opposed to excitement of others, when the knife is drawn etc all percolate throughout the film.
There's a bit later when Moses (I think) says if he'd have known Sam was from 'The Block' they'd have have never attacked her in the first place and she retorts something along the lines of 'So it'd be okay if I came from elsewhere then.' really emphasises the sense of isolation from the rest of society some groups feel. The little kids trying to make an adventure of the situation, a very dangerous one, again reflects that, how they can so easily be drawn in to something so potentially destructive. The wider story shows that when these 'disparate' groups are brought together to face a different 'enemy' for want of a different word, the dynamic between them all changes. Don't forget when Moses jumps from the flat at the end of the film he does do hanging onto a Union Flag.
As Indigo Prime says there's shades of grey amongst it all of this as its a smarter film than many blockbusters, it goes a more typically horror satire of a situation, but I think its handled brilliantly. It kinda deals with many of the issues 'Cradlegrave' does.
Based on these reviews l'm going to give it a watch this weekend.
I think Attack the Block is available on Lovefilm streaming. Don't quote me on that though!