Glasgow Film Festival

Matt Damon as you've never seen him before

Well as you all should know the Glasgow Film Festival is in full swing and runs until this Sunday - 26th of February. One of the highlights so far of the Festival has been We Bought a Zoo directed by the acclaimed Cameron Crowe - the man behind Almost Famous. 
We Bought a Zoo is an autobiographical story of a Benjamin Mee, a widower played by Hollywood superstar and mega-babe Matt Damon, who turns his young family's life upside down after making a slightly odd purchase: a zoo.
The film caused quite an emotional stir at the festival and even the toughest critic was moved to tears. However, do not be fooled into thinking that this film is just a tear-jerking sob story because you would be catastrophically wrong. It is a story of fun, hope, peace and inner strength. An STV News review of the film stated that;
"Essentially, We Bought a Zoo focuses on how new people and places can unexpectedly lead to rebirth and rejuvenation after the loss of a loved one."

A classic in the making if you ask me!

From Bogart to Pattinson..

Let by-gones be by-gones

 Unlike the days of Casablanca, Rebecca, Gone With The Wind and Clockwork Orange, the films shown nowadays  are pretty basic - even a major movie buff and frequent cinema-goer like myself has to admit that - and there are not many original plots left out there. It tends to be one hype and then many films follow the same storyline.

For example, the Twilight Saga (I don't aim to offend any Fang-girls out there - I was once one myself!) boy meets girl, girl falls in love with boy, girl finds out boy is a   vampire, vampire boy has been waiting for her for eternity and blah de blah blah. In the wake of the Twi-fever epidemic we have had the likes of The Vampire Diaries and True Blood spring up on our TV's and many other vampire related films released - same storyline, different characters.

So it is always refreshing when you hear of a movie that will soon be released in Scotland and the rest of the UK that is a complete change to everything you've ever seen!!

The Hunger Games are coming soon and it'd be a severe understatement to say that I was only just excited about this! I won't give the storyline away (I've read the books - which I seriously suggest you do too!) so here is the trailer to tingle your tastebuds!

Enjoy!

p.s there's also a lot of eye candy for the ladies - I'm thinking a new R-Patz could be found amongst them!

Gone With the Wind..

Did you know back in the city’s cinema-going heyday, Glaswegians went to the cinema more often than people anywhere else in the world?

With the likes of the The Grosvenor and The Hillhead Picture House (now known as Salon) opening around Glasgow the industry boomed. 

However, when the buildings started to get dated and crumble they were lost in history until the day came when they were restored - The Grosvenor made it out alive but The Hillhead Picture House was lost to history and is now a bar/restaurant called The Salon.

As much as this loss saddens me it has made way for new cinemas with more modern equipment to pop up such as the Cineworld (The tallest cinema in Europe) and Odeon Cinemas Quay.These buildings - specifically the Cineworld- are architecturally striking. However, we must ask ourselves was it worth it. 

Letters from Philadelphia...

The Glasgow film scene has been thriving in recent years and after a summer of a zombie fighting Brad Pitt the Glaswegian film industry has had an enormous boost! 

To be released this year, World War Z which, unless you lived under a rock for 17days last August, you will know was filmed right here on the streets of Glasgow turning our very own George Sq. into down-town Philadelphia - yes, I will be the first to say that I went 'Pitt-hunting' in Glasgow in the summer of '11. 

Much to my dismay I saw no sign of Bradley but I did manage to get close enough to the set to see some wonderful changes to George Sq.

                          Went to Philadelphia and all I got were these lousy pictures....

The film apparently brought in a brilliant £3.33million and its imminent release is highly anticipated (watch this space!). With the likes of Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, Eva Green and Scarlett Johansson following in Brad's beautiful footsteps filming in Glasgow and with more and more producers demanding to film in Glasgow it is clear that the city is on the cusp of film history! #GOTEAMGLASGOW

Here's the trailer for y'all! Now, who's excited?! On the count of three.. one, two, three... ME!