MSN Movies Blog: The Big Picture

By guest blogger Lucy Mapstone

If you’re a die-hard fan of the Twilight Saga, you might be aware there was a fan party last night for the new film, New Moon, which included appearances from Robert Pattinson (for the sake of this blog, I’ll call him R-Patz), Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and the director Chris Weitz. They sauntered along the red carpet, surrounded by hardcore fans (one came all the way over from Spain…) and got up on stage to answer questions from Radio One’s Nick Grimshaw.

Fans who managed to make it inside the event (including myself) were also treated to some live music from the bands, The Magic Numbers and Band of Skulls. It was a fine event, with red mood lighting and smoke-machines everywhere, just to add an appropriate vampire touch to the inside of the Battersea Evolution in Battersea Park, London.

The stars of New Moon were asked questions about the movie, and also about their personal lives. However, it was difficult for them to get a word in edgewise due to the thousand or so young girls screaming ‘TAYLOR WE LOVE YOU’ and ‘TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF’. One girl even shouted for R-Patz to go to bed with her.

As I sit here today, with a slight case of tinnitus (hearing teenage girls screaming for R-Patz and Taylor Lautner for three hours can have that affect) I can’t help but wonder if the whole Twilight ‘thing’ is becoming a little too much. Part of me wonders if it is snowballing too quickly. I can almost taste the backlash coming. New Moon, the second installment of the Twilight Saga, hasn’t even been released, but you wouldn’t be alone in thinking that it had. Never before has an impending movie release generated so much excitement from the female youth. Girls were wandering around the event in excited huddles, R-Patz and Taylor’s faces emblazoned across their T-shirts. Outside, on the red carpet, international fans were holding up posters, magazines and books to be signed by the three main cast members (who, by the way, admitted they would like some peace and quiet away from the Twilight madness. Can’t blame them really.)

Twilight is actually a decent film, and I’m not just saying that from a female/fan perspective. I can be objective here. It has a genuine atmosphere, a wonderful portrayal of teenage angst, fine actors and hot vampire action. However, if you are not part of the largely female fan-base, you will probably be put off ever watching it, or any of the sequels. It smacks of the Harry Potter phenomenon, where people avidly started to hate it just because it was so popular, and refused to watch it on that basis. It’s a real shame; the books are well-written for the particular audience, and the films are pure indulgence and a real pleasure to watch.

New Moon looks set to blow its predecessor out of the water, and yet while it may smash box office records next weekend (and I predict it will) there will be a substantial amount of critics and film-lovers who will slate it purely because of the immense popularity and hoards of girls who write fan-fiction and obsess over the possibility of a relationship with a vampire (or a werewolf, depending on what side you’re on.) ‘Fangs’ a lot fan-girls – you might have ruined the credibility of one of the greatest vampire movies of all time.

NIKOLAI VALUEV!!!

Not really. But isn’t he perfect for it?! Sinister scowl, seven foot tall, hairy like a gorilla…?! Perfect. It’s not like his boxing career is taking off. The man has a future!

In Sir Michael Caine’s latest film he plays Harry Brown, a modest law-abiding citizen who lives alone on a depressed housing estate, he also happens to be an ex-marine. After the murder of his best friend he decides to take action and, in a bid to clean up the run-down estate where he lives, becomes a vigilante taking the law into his own hands.

To celebrate the release of Harry Brown, in cinemas 11^th November, we’re going to look at some real life Harry Brown who, at a mature age, have still managed to dispense their own brand of justice.

What a choke:

Name: Mr Michalski

Age: 101

Mr Michalski was targeted by a thief who had befriended him and offered to help with some building work on his house. Whilst there he was caught trying to steal £300 from his wallet instead of fixing the roof. The thief, 54 years his junior was held in a bear hug until he could no longer breath and eventually gave up a fight .

"I was afraid I was going to suffocate him, so I let go. He was free. He ran down the steps and I wasn't able to chase and he escaped."

Granny gives it some stick:

Name: Gwyneth Davies

Age: 86

Gwyneth Davies gave a burglar more than he bargained for. The 86-year-old attacked him with her metal crutch and held him prisoner until police arrived. The 20 year old was left whimpering and according to Gwyneth “pretended to cry.” She managed to take down the intruder even after recently suffering from broken ribs, a fractured hip and double pneumonia.

When police arrived at the scene they asked if she was OK, she replied: “You’re asking the wrong one.”

Granddad takes a gamble:

Name: Ron Kennedy

Age: 77

Ron Kennedy was in his local shop buying his lottery ticket when a thief attacked the shop assistant and tried to grab all the money out the till. The brave pensioner lifted his walking stick and gave the thief two whacks around the head. "I heard the lady screaming and saw him leaning over with his hands in the till. I went straight over and gave him two good wallops. Ron’s act of bravery was caught on CCT, unfortunately the thief managed to escape but, was later caught and then jailed for four years.

Brushed Off:

Name: Ann Withers

Age: 55

When two thugs tried to rob a local store in Weston Super Mare, 55 year Ann Withers decided she’d had enough. In an act of rage she got hold of a plastic broom, on sale in the shop, and fought off the thugs, one of which was carrying a hammer. ''I was livid because I'm the type of person who can't stand people like that.”

Knife one Frank:

Name: Frank Corti

Age: 72

After a row over noise with his neighbour, Frank Corti was forced to defend himself. Gregory McCalium had been up all night drinking and decided to force his way into to Frank’s home. He then attacked Mr. Corti with a Knife, little did he know though that Mr.Corti was an ex boxer. He managed to dodge the blade and then hit McCalium twice in the face, in an effort to protect his wife and himself.

“I was scared when he first threw the knife, but most people would have acted in the same way.”

By Tom Botting

The magic of the movies means little to some.

There’s a certain personality type out there, particularly on the internet, that enjoys taking works of art and turning them into cold hard numbers, graphs and diagrams. These are the people who count the number of f-words used in Scarface in order to produce a chart of the most profane movies.

But, meaningless as all this is, you have to admire their work sometimes.

Behold a graph showing characters in major movie franchises. The diagram charts exactly when certain characters spend are with each other, producing a “time map” of the film’s plot. This must have taken a long time to come up with!

Click the pic to check out the full-size chart… if you’re into this sort of thing…

Stunning new Green Zone trailer today. MSN is th only place you'll find it. The Bourne star/director duo of Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass returns.