Top Hat 'n' Tails' first AICN UK: MATCH POINT -- Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Hey folks, Harry here - finally got someone to tackle the UK side of things for AICN - and "Top Hat 'n' Tails" is the bloke with the beat. So all you UKers - welcome him to the team in proper style and don't act like hooligans!

Hey-ho from the dark, wintery Isles of Brit. Top Hat ‘n’ Tails here with a look at all things UK in a new bi-weekly column.

January is always a pretty hot period for flicks over this side of the pond, as we get all the stuff that’s being lauded during awards season rammed into our first month of 2006 for us to rush out and catch before the envelopes start to be torn open – or, if they’re lucky, for us to rush along to as soon as they’ve reaped their many rewards from Oscar, BAFTA, Globes and the rest.

So in the next few weeks we’ll be blessed with the delayed delights of Brokeback Mountain, Match Point, Jarhead, Breakfast on Pluto, Memoirs of a Geisha and Munich – a veritable cinematic feast for all good movie lovers (or so we’ve heard).

NEWS

British film producers Golconda Films Ltd has launched a competition alongside The Script Factory to find new horror writers for the British film industry. First prize is a £1000 advance on a script option to make a horror movie from the winning screenplay, with two runners up receiving a full script-development course from The Script Factory. More info can be found at www.golcondafilms.com

Highly commended at last year’s Edinburgh Film Festival, where it received its world premiere, newbie-director Josh Appignanesi’s SONG OF SONGS, starring Natalie Press of MY SUMMER OF LOVE fame, has been picked up for UK distribution by Soda Pictures. Even more encouragingly, Soda’s managing director, Edward Fletcher, acknowledged the number of producers in the UK who are taking big risks in the films they are making and added, “It is important that distributors take risks alongside producers to foster the growth of an alternative British cinema.” As long as “alternative” doesn’t turn out to mean “rubbish”, we’re on a winner!

BAFTA screener DVDs of Spielberg’s MUNICH have been delayed in reaching BAFTA members due to the customs backlog caused by the Christmas period, so much so that they have missed the first round of voting. It was anticipated, however, that members should have received their screeners in time for the close of second round voting on January 12th and that the flick will still feature heavily when the nominations are announced on January 19th.

Meanwhile, in slightly more bizarre news, Richard Branson, head of the Virgin empire which includes Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Trains and started with the Virgin Record stores all those many years ago, announced last week the creation of VIRGIN COMICS and VIRGIN ANIMATION. The latter will produce movie versions of the former’s products, they first of which is reputedly being created by none other than action-supremo John Woo.

AWARDS / FESTIVALS

Berlinale’s Kinderfilmfest has announced that it will open this year with the international premiere of Brit-director Peter Cattaneo’s OPAL DREAM, about a young girl’s imaginary friends becoming slightly more than imaginary and threatening her whole family in the Australian outback.

The BAFTA’s have entered their second round of voting, which runs till Thursday, with THE CONSTANT GARDENER the current front-runner with 8 nominations, closely followed by BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK AND MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA with seven a piece.

BOX OFFICE

The biggest and best news reverberating around the Isles at the moment is the Box Office results for 2005. Bucking the world-wide trend, the UK managed to come in at 1% UP on 2004 with a haul of £840.35m ($1.44bn).

The year’s top 5 biggest earners:

1. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire - £46m*
2. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith - £39.3m
3. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - £37.3m
4. The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe £34.3*
5. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit £32m*

*still on release

As for the current trend, here’s the New Year’s Top Five:

1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
2. King Kong
3. Just Like Heaven
4. Cheaper By the Dozen 2
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

NEW RELEASES

Released in the last 2 weeks:
13 (Tzameti)
Brokeback Mountain
Exils
Jawani Diwani: A Joyful Ride
Just Friends
Match Point
Running Scared
Cheaper By the Dozen 2
Just Like Heaven
Rize

Released next week, eyes open for:
Breakfast on Pluto
Jarhead
Memoirs of a Geisha

Released On DVD Today:
Cinderella Man
Dear Wendy
Hellboy (Director’s Cut)
Last Days
Saints & Soldiers
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Island

On DVD next week, eyes open for:
Lords of Dogtown
Wolf Creek

REVIEWS

MATCH POINT

I’ve got to make a bit of an embarrassing confession for a geek here – I’ve never seen a Woody Allen movie all the way through. Some I’ve caught the start of and not made it to the end, others I’ve come in halfway through. Most of them, however, I’ve just plain not seen, save for the few scenes which come up again and again in retrospective TV shows and “Best Of’s”

Match Point, as any self-respecting film fan knows (even me), was shot in and around our fair capital and marks the first time Allen has worked here. Clearly, he liked it a lot, since he’s not long ago wrapped shooting on his immediate follow-up, SCOOP here too. Ahead of time, I’d heard that this was very much NOT a “Woody Allen film” – certainly not what you’d expect from a man who’s reputation was made from angst-y New York comedies.

Now, obviously, I’m not in much of a position to comment on that, but what I can tell you is that he’s made a very accomplished, considered European art film, set in London and starring a number of names familiar to Brits in supporting roles, alongside Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Brian Cox in the leads.

Although the dialogue often feels stilted and forced when transposed from Allen’s homeland, the performances are excellent throughout. There is a very naturalistic feel to the whole movie which really grounds the characters and the story and makes the events all the more believable and shocking.

It would be remiss of me to say more than that with regards to the plot, but suffice it to say it carries more weight than may first appear from the trailers and TV spots that have been airing to sell the audiences over here.

Clearly a departure for Allen, Match Point is a remarkably good film, provided you can put up with “European” pacing and character development. This is not, sadly, a film which will bring Allen into the mainstream, but as a move away from comedy into heavier waters, it is hugely successful.

That’s all for our first update on the UK scene, but we’ll be back looking at who’s won what so far in a couple of weeks time!

For now, I tip my hat to you all, both sides of the pond, and all over the world.

Top Hat ‘n’ Tails

Matchpoint is a departure? by loodabagel	Jan 9th, 2006 02:55:20 PM
Don't be surprised if Top Hat 'n' Tails is doing the by HypeEndsHere	Jan 9th, 2006 03:00:06 PM
but seriously. I saw Matchpoint. very good. except for Johans by HypeEndsHere	Jan 9th, 2006 03:04:09 PM
"Clearly a departure"...jeez, do your homework mate, even a curs by MaxCalifornia.	Jan 9th, 2006 03:05:55 PM
Well, MaxCalifornia, the film is somewhat of a departure for him by Lenny Nero	Jan 9th, 2006 03:21:22 PM
there's a UK scene?!!?! by RealDoubleJ	Jan 9th, 2006 04:05:34 PM
as someone who lives in the UK (though not british) by newc0253	Jan 9th, 2006 04:31:08 PM
Match Point by supertoyslast	Jan 9th, 2006 04:34:14 PM
i was thinking about annie hall being a murder mystery when it w by s0nicdeathmonkey	Jan 9th, 2006 05:06:24 PM
Tell cuffs and tails to fix the margins on his posts. by Grando	Jan 9th, 2006 05:21:57 PM
Saw match point by emeraldboy	Jan 9th, 2006 05:43:11 PM
Match Point post 2. by emeraldboy	Jan 9th, 2006 05:46:26 PM
"The Descent anyone?" a piece of shit with cliche 'scares by performingmonkey	Jan 9th, 2006 05:50:46 PM
Matchpoint was made by the "new" Woody Allen? by loodabagel	Jan 9th, 2006 05:51:51 PM
If there is one area where the Blair gvt has let the country its by emeraldboy	Jan 9th, 2006 05:58:33 PM
Whats the point of reviewing anything? by ElPaw	Jan 9th, 2006 08:00:46 PM
There's a reason box office is up from 2004 in the UK by Canada's King	Jan 10th, 2006 12:07:29 AM
...groan by knobjockey	Jan 10th, 2006 12:25:06 AM
Lots of negativity here... by Zino	Jan 10th, 2006 05:14:15 AM
POSH PEOPLE SWEARING by Ra Ra Rasputin	Jan 10th, 2006 06:23:21 AM
Canada's King by The Cosh	Jan 10th, 2006 06:35:56 AM
Two words explain the UK Box Office Rise: by RealDoubleJ	Jan 10th, 2006 07:33:38 AM
This film made Notting Hill look like Nil By Mouth by board shitlez	Jan 10th, 2006 07:40:56 AM
and incidentally by board shitlez	Jan 10th, 2006 07:45:01 AM
Congrats on your first column, TH'n'T. by raw_bean	Jan 10th, 2006 07:51:09 AM
I hope this is compensation from the country that gave birth to by Pumpkinsboy	Jan 10th, 2006 10:04:39 AM
Crimes And Misdemeanors by Lovecraftfan	Jan 10th, 2006 10:39:16 AM
"you know you've arrived on this site when you've a hord by newc0253	Jan 10th, 2006 10:42:44 AM
Oh, dear. by Plum	Jan 11th, 2006 01:11:03 AM
I wouldn't call random cries of "PLANT! This review's go by raw_bean	Jan 11th, 2006 07:44:14 AM