The first trailer did not do the film justice at all, this is a lot better(the new poster is terrible though). This film was hands down my favorite film of the London Film Festival. Check out my interview with Viggo Mortensen if you missed it here

When it becomes apparent that the recession is hitting the criminal world as hard as it is hitting Wall Street, notorious gangster and loan shark, Mr. Thigo (50 Cent) arrives in London to shake things up and make an example out of one of his late payers.

Already struggling financially, reformed ex-con Nick is given exactly 24 hours to come up with the money left on his bill or he is literally a dead man running. As a guarantee, Thigo’s men hold Nick’s wheelchair-bound mum (Brenda Blethyn) hostage, leaving him no choice but to comply. Enlisting the help of his best mate, Bing (Danny Dyer), the boys embark on a frantic race against the clock. Their mission takes them from the dog tracks of East London to the underground drug scene of rural Manchester as they try every trick and scam in the book to get the cash before it’s too late…

I caught up with lead actor and executive producer Tamer Hussan and Academy Award nominee Brenda Blethyn while they were on the promotional campaign for Dead Man Running below`s the result!

Brenda how was Tamer as a son and Tamer how was Brenda as your Mum?

Tamer: It was a match made in heaven (laughs)

Brenda: We had an instant rapport it was weird wasn`t it?

Tamer: She had me at hello

Brenda: (laughs)

She made you tea and everything?

Tamer: She did (laughs) we were getting like that on set because I was calling her Mum she was calling me son, I remember once on set you said do you want a cup of tea son?

Brenda: You got me a hot water bottle one day because it was cold and I put it under my blanket

The movie is alot of fun to watch, was there a particular scene for you both that stood out? Both of your roles had some great moments.

Tamer: Yeah for me it`s hard I was probably in almost every scene, the whole thrill ride of it, working with Brenda, working with 50 Cent, back working with Danny.

Brenda: Yeah there was a lot of really good cameo appearences from some brilliant actors not necessarily big names but superb.

Tamer: You got to work with Phil Sands again.

Brenda: Yeah he was holding me hostage

in the film, I worked with him back in the early 80`s, he`s great in the filmTamer your character is all over England while Brenda your character is just in one room near enough the whole movie what was that like?

Brenda: For me being confined in a chair for a whole film I had never done that before, my whole performance had to be portayed from my shoulders up

Tamer: You were brilliant though

Brenda: Thanks son (laughs). Watching it last night on a big screen with such a wonderful reception for the film and seeing people laugh was great. To see the journey her boy goes on was great

Tamer: The funny thing is when we were shooting the film Brenda would probably say the same thing, as we were acting with our characters we didnt find it that funny

Brenda: That might be why it got people laughing because it was honestly done.

So Tamer how does it feel the movies finally coming out? You must have put so much work into it as the producer, getting the cast involved and lead actor?

Tamer: It`s been a long time coming, I`m a little bit relieved alot of people wouldn`t want it to end, but it was great, the premier was brilliant, I`m an out and out lead in the movie and I`ve worked long and hard to get to that point, the films not only a success for me but for everyone. Getting Brenda involved, 50 Cent involved, back in the room with Danny, Alan Ford getting all these great names involved it was so overwelming, it couldnt get any better.

One thing I saw yesterday that I couldn`t understand to be honest with you was on the news they were saying the film was very violent I didn`t really think it was that violent.

Tamer: I don`t think the poster and the trailer give the film justice, the poster is me with a gun, Danny with a gun. Distributors do that, they`re geniuses at what they do and they`ve got a method of things, Revolver have to market it and try and make it successful so if they feel thats gonna sell the film then fair enough, the trailers a bit fast and furious but when you watch the movie it`s more of a comedy, it“s a buddy movie, it`s a road trip, most gangster films your cutting the sides of peoples mouths, wearing silly suits and walking down the east end, this film isn`t doing that . There`s elements of the film people can relate to, its an honest movie.

Have you got any last words, any other bits your working on?

Brenda: I`m working in Northumberland at the moment on Hidden Depths

Tamer: I`ve got the remake of Clash Of The Titans coming up, Wrong Turn 3, I`ve got loads of bits.

Brenda: Your Mum is in another film called The Calling where I play a nun

Tamer: A nun with a gun

Brenda: (laughs)

Dead Man Running is in cinemas now

The Al Pacino impersonation is too funny! Interview with Kevin Spacey for The Men Who Stare at Goats coming this weekend

At the London Film Festival I attended the press conference for Chloe (Atom Egoyen’s new film starring Liam Neeson, Julian Moore and Amanda Seyfried) attending the press conference were Egoyen, Moore, Seyfried and the producer Ivan Reitman – director and producer of the Ghostbusters movies. Ivan gave us a nice little update on the progress of Ghostbusters 3.

‘I produced and directed the first two, I would feel very weird to give it up to someone else for the third one. The key question is can we get a script that best honours particularly the first movie, its somehow held on after over 25 years, people respond to it in a remarkable way. The Ghostbusters game came out a year ago which turned out to be the 2^nd most popular game in the world, it reminded us that wow people really love these characters, Sony has been desperate for another sequel, they really hired these writers on there own, slowly Harold Ramis, Dan Ayckroyd and I have got on board, I’ve been meeting now regularly with the writers trying to get a draft everyone can sign off on and that’s where we are. Probably in the Ten or more years since the last one this is probably the best shot we’ve had at it’

The first trailer was a bit of a let down for me especially after attending Avatar day and seeing around 20 minutes of the film in 3D, the teaser blew me away, this trailer much better represents the clips I saw.

Today I attended the screening of 1 Day a British Hip Hop musical set on the inner streets of Birmingham. The film utilised local talent both in front of and behind the camera, which for me definitely enhanced the authenticity. Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Penny Woolcock (Tina Goes Shopping, The Death of Klinghoffer, Mischief Night ) 1 DAY stars newcomers Dylan Duffus (as Flash pictured above^), Orhan Whyte, Yohance Watson and Tobias Duncan. The film chronicles 24 hours in the life of Flash a young street hustler. Flash wakes up to a phone call from Angel announcing that he’s being released and wants the 500k he’d left with Flash for safekeeping. Short of the full amount and pushed for time, Flash is forced to strike a deal with Evil a shady character who slyly affiliates himself with two rival gangs. 1 Day follows Flash’s race against the clock as he’s pursued by a rival gang, the police, his there irate baby mothers and his granny (who was hilarious).

I was really impressed, out of all the films I have seen concerning this type of subject matter it was definitely been the most authentic by a long shot. The film was extremely engaging, the music was great and I liked the fact that even though it was in no way glorifying that life it wasn’t preachy, the film just acted as a mirror showing the consequences and even positives (financially) of that life. Too many young men are being drawn in to that lifestyle (some of my friends included, a couple who have died from it)

I’m glad there is film on this subject matter, it only seems to be an issue when a little white child or an innocent bystander dies, if a black youth dies its barely reported you’d be lucky to see 50 words on page 46. When a white child dies certain papers (The Sun) offer rewards. Another young black man died the other day and all I saw in the paper was the Mum of the young man asking for armed police on the streets, that’s the only dialogue about the issue at the moment. Simplified ‘cures’ like harsher prison sentences do not cut at the root, the cycle will just continue. In fact I really hope this film is seen as controversial so more of a dialogue can happen. I’m tired of people like David Cameron and Trevor Philips chatting sh*t about ‘hoodies’ and blaming Hip Hop for violence. Every single life means something not just the ones who vote for you or put money in your pocket. I commend Penny Woolcock and everyone involved in this film. The cast was great, the film was great it .  Crime pays but as has been shown countless times it brings its fair share of tragedy.

8/10

http://www.1daythemovie.co.uk/

1 Day is in cinemas November 6th

Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley and Jackie Earle Haly. In 1954, US Marshall Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) hunts down a murderess who’s escaped from the Shutter Island hospital for the criminally insane. Though she can’t get off the island, Daniels’ job is made harder by an approaching hurricane.

I’ve really looking forward to this, Martin Scorsese for me and most mentally abled people is one of the top 5 directors of all time, he’s made classic after classic. The only thing that makes me slightly sceptical about the film is that it was due to be released this October but has now been given a Febuary 2010 release, this kinda showed that Paramount don’t have much confidence for it’s Oscar appeal. The Oscars themselves for me are a joke though it’s all down to movie making insider studio politics so you never know.

The Keanu Reeves one is my favorite

Been looking forward to this for a while now, was pissed it got pushed back! the three films I was looking forward to this year (Terrence Malick’s Tree Of Life, Scorsese’s Shutter and this) were all delayed to a bloody 2010 release, Green Zone now has a release date of March 12th, 2010. Paul Greengrass director of The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum re teams with Damon for Green Zone, Damon stars as Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller, a rogue U.S. Army officer who must hunt through covert and faulty intelligence hidden on foreign soil before war escalates in an unstable region. Is does look a bit Bourne’esque but I give that a pass I’m a sucker for intelligent action films!

About a pair of CIA agents (Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear) on the trail of Weapons of Mass Destruction and a foreign correspondent following their mission. Inspired by “Imperial Life in the Emerald City.” Green Zone is directed by Paul Greengass of Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum as well as Bloody Sunday and United 93. The script was written by Brian Helgeland, of L.A. Confidential, Conspiracy Theory, Mystic River, and Man on Fire previously. This is loosely based on Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s non-fiction book The Imperial Life in Emerald City.

International trailer

UK Trailer

Wired recently caught up with the legend that is Stan Lee – co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, X Men, Thor and Hulk.  At the Scream 2009 awards show Stan Lee was awarded the Comic-Con Icon Award dedicated to honouring the best in fantasy, science fiction, comics, and horror. Lee arrived on stage on a giant spider an entrance worthy of one of his superheroes – Legend!

You’ve had a number of cameos in Marvel’s recent run of films. Did you enjoy doing those?

Oh yeah. I’m a real ham. I love doing those cameos. And I also have a cameo in the latest Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 video game. I’m in that as Stan Lee. And I’m also the mayor of the town in the  Super Hero Squad show. I love doing those things. I’m thinking of putting a notice in Variety saying, “Stan Lee available for cameos.”

Have you been called yet for Iron Man 2?

I’ve done it already! I’ve already been told that I’ll be in the next Spider-Man movie. You know what I’m really trying for, I think it would be a kick. I don’t know why DC hasn’t asked me to do one. I’m waiting. Maybe they’ll read this interview and get the idea.

Out of all the super powers you could possibly have, which one would you want?

Believe it or not, good luck. Because if you’re lucky then everything goes right for you. Right? if somebody shoots at you, they’ll miss. Somebody takes a swing at you, they’ll trip and fall before the blow lands. If you buy a lottery ticket, you’re sure to win. I think luck is really the most important thing you could have.

Click here for the full interview