Glasgow – Filming Highlight

Recently it’s come to my attention just how often Glasgow has been used for setting in films – already out and upcoming!

Perhaps the most exciting of which would be ‘World War Z‘ starring Brad Pit. This fantastic film based on Max Brooks’ book of the same name is due out for release in June 2013 and in almost every single advert I’ve seen so far  I can spot my pretty little Glasgow! It’s insane to think that during the American Superbowl as this advert was played hundreds of thousands of eyes were looking at Glasgow and they didn’t even know it.

An encounter with Eli Roth

For the ninth Glasgow Film festival the line up was incredible, with an amazing 368 screenings, panel discussions, live performances and special events such as meet and greets with famous actors and actresses. This fantastic program has certainly worked in favor for the festival, as it seen a fantastic 12% rise in admissions, hitting an amazing 39,106 total.

Recently just before the festival came to a conclusion , while I was stuck at home babysitting, my best friend (Cara Stewart ) was lucky enough to get tickets to the screening of Eli Roth’s film ‘Aftershock‘with special attendees director Nicolás López, actress Lorenza Izzo and Eli Roth himself  – and lucky enough to be grilled by me.

Before the screening Eli Roth appeared and introduced a few films that showed before his own and promised to return after the end of the movies.  As he left he asked the audience if they would return for the screening of his film (as there was a substantial time between the films – the first at 3pm ‘Aftershock’ at 9pm) and was met with cheers and applause. A sure sign of his growing fan base.

Trailer Talk

It’s official, 2013 is going to be a great year for the sequels ( and trilogies, and prequels – in fact any and all follow up movies seem to be popping up this year…). As I sat and went through the movies I was most looking forward to, I decided that maybe this would be something good to share here. So sit back, relax  and take in the brilliance of the following trailers.

Kick ass’ 2 – 

<Warning explicit language >

Oh.  Dear. God. It’s beautiful. Explosions, car chases, general violence – exactly what a trailer for an action movie should be . I also think that comic book superhero fans will appreciate the tip of the hat to the original superheroes. It appears that ‘Kick-Ass’ (Aaron Johnson) and ‘Hit-girl’ (Chloë Moretz) are facing that age old problem of being the superheroes the city deserves not the ones it needs right now (see what I did there?).  Chloë Moretz was certainly the star of the first movie, and we see the return of her scarily violent character in this trailer, promising more of the same brilliant action shots. I am eagerly looking forward to seeing more of Jim Carrey’s character ‘Colonol Stars’ who bears a resemblance to a G.I Joe Doll (action figure – sorry!) that my little brother once had. Kick Ass is due for release in August 2013

Actor Highlights: James McAvoy and Billy Connolly

Sometimes its hard to believe just how connected Glasgow is with Hollywood. But it’s true, our bonny city in the heart of Scotland has plenty of famous stories to tell, from actors born and bred on Glaswegian soil to our familiar streets being used in movies. And it’s easy to see why Glasgow is so popular, although us locals can forget just how lucky we are. After my last blog post I realized just how little I knew about Glasgow and its links to movies, which is why for the next couple of posts I’ll be researching and talking about just  that.

Busy Buchanan Street (photo from Chris Kueh -Flickr)

Ahoy Film Goers!

Welcome to my first ‘Glasgow Film Blog’ post,

Over the course of the next couple of weeks I hope to start something here that you’ll want to read. In this technological age some people believe the appeal of the cinema is dying, as movies are easily available online from the comfort of your own home (and potentially at no price for those in the know). Yet we all still look forward to the occasional trip to the cinema. Personally I find it one of my favourite things to do, nothing in the world quite compares to becoming engrossed in a good film and forgetting the outside world for an hour or two, be it  with friends, family or even on your own. Films are constantly being released improving the appeal of the cinema – as there is something for every taste. In this blog I hope to keep you updated on the film scene in bonny Glasgow, the city where I study and live. For now I’m being rushed to publish my first post, but stay tuned and hold on tight. I’ll post again ASAP,

See ya soon!

M.

Fun Fact: My favourite film at the moment is by far ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. If you’ve not seen it, you’re missing out!