This September will see the release of a number of fantastic films into the cinema! But which ones should you see? Well here’s a list of our top 5 films due for release this month!

First on the list is the Si-fi/Horror film ‘Apollo 18’ due for release on the 2^nd of September.

This film is based on a conspiracy theory that after the success of the first manned mission to the moon in the Apollo 17 launched 17^th December 1972, a year later a secret mission was launched dubbed the Apollo 18 manned by 2 American astronauts heading back to the moon, this mission was apparently funded by the US Department of Defense.

The film claims: ‘what you are about to see is the actual footage which the astronauts captured on that mission. While NASA denies its authenticity, others say it’s the real reason we’ve never gone back to the moon.’

With so much controversy around this film debating whether the footage is real or not it is unclear what the real truth is and isn’t is completely up to the audience’s own interpretation, but one thing is for sure this film is guaranteed to be a thrilling and spine tingling watch!!

Now maybe Horror/Si-fi isn’t your thing but if you’re looking for a comedy then ‘Born to be a Star’ is the film for you!

Due for release on the 9^th September this film follows a bottom feeder from nowhere who sets on an epic journey to become a porn star after discovering his parents are ex porn stars.

This film comes from the comic genius Adam Sandler! And if it’s like any of his other ones then you are guaranteed to be in stiches and crying with laughter from start to finish!!

The next film can only be described as ‘Piranha 3D’ on steroids!! ‘Shark Night 3D’ is set for release on the 2^nd of September.

‘Shark Night 3D’ tells a story of a group of friends who go away for a weekend on a remote island, but after a tragic incident occurs the group need to leave and get to the nearest hospital but they soon realize that they are not the only ones out their in the water!

From director David Ellis (‘The Final Destination,’ ‘Snakes On a Plane’), featuring a red-hot young cast including Sara Paxton (‘Superhero Movie,’ ‘Last House on the Left’), Dustin Milligan (“90210,” ‘Slither’), Chris Carmack (“The O.C.”), Joel David Moore (‘Avatar’), Chris Zylka (‘The Amazing Spider Man’) and Katharine McPhee (‘The House Bunny’).

This film will have you on the edge of your seats!!

Due for release on September the 9^th the film; ‘Warrior’ has shaped up to be an outstanding film!!

When two estranged brothers both skilled in various martial arts are separated by a tragic family event they thought they would never face each together again, but when a fighting tournament arises the two brothers both enter. As they climb the ranks and their inevitable fight draws near they are both have to confront the forces that tore their family apart!

From the director of ‘Pride and Glory’ Gavin O’Conner this film is set to take its audiences on an emotional ride that will have you cheering for more!

There is not much said about the final film on our list but ‘Contagious’ is set for release on the 9^th September.

Steven Soderbergh (director of ‘Erin Brockovich’) presents this look at what happens when an infectious disease threatens humanity through varied viewpoints from an ensemble cast, including Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, and Kate Winslet.

Although their isn’t much said about the plot it already has us interested and with a cast like that were bound to be in for a treat!!

There are many more fantastic films coming out this month but these 5 just stood out above the rest!! What films are you looking forward to seeing this month? And what do you make of our choices? Macs magazine is always interested in your views!

‘The Inbetweeners Movie’ was one of the most highly anticipated films to be released this year but did it live up to the hype?

The movie follows the four friends as they leave school and go on a ‘lads holiday’ before starting university and going their separate ways, with out revealing too much of the plot line this film gives ‘The Inbetweeners’ the sending off that it deserved, unlike the highly anti-climatic ending of the T.V. series.

The film defiantly lived up to the hype as it had the whole cinema (which was packed out!) in hysterics from start to finish! This film does a great job of grabbing its audience and immerses them into the film, so much so that when something embarrassing/ or ‘cringe worthy’ happens you find yourself feeling the same way as the character on screen, it actually feels like you are there with them!

The film seems to depict the traditional ‘lads holiday’ very well, there’s none of this Hollywood glamorization just realism showing the highs and lows that everyone faces on holiday it even has that one crazy person that everybody meets at least once on holiday!!

The movie gave you exactly what you would expect from ‘The Inbetweeners’ a lot of laughs along with those moments that make you squirm through embarrassment! This film absolutely lived up to the hype!! And is a definite must see film!! Trust us you won’t be disappointed!!

Ever have those nights where you want to watch a film, but you just don’t know what to watch? Well Macs Magazine is here to help, listing some of those hidden and forgotten gems to help you stop wondering and start watching!

If you’re in the mood for a ‘thriller’ why not try; ‘Black Swan’ (2011),  ‘Black Swan’ was released earlier this year and delivers an intense, heart stopping experience as you witness Nina prepare for her big debut show, but as the date draws nearer paranoia starts to settle in and she is convinced that someone is out to get her!!

This Oscar winning film is a one of a kind and is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Now if you’re hankering for something with a more ‘romantic/drama’ feel try ‘Walk the Line’ (2005), this is an autobiographical film based on the life of ‘Johnny Cash’ in which you witness his battle with drugs, the highs and lows of his musical career and of course the emotional struggle that he faced trying to win June Carter’s heart.

Walk the Line is a fantastic film!! And Cash’s life story combined with outstanding performances by ‘Joaquin Phoenix’ (‘The Village’ [2004]) and ‘Reese Witherspoon’ (‘Legally Blonde’ [2001]) makes an award winning formula. This is defiantly a film you won’t want to miss!!

If non of those wet you whistle and all you’re after is a good old fashioned laugh then ‘Step Brothers’ (2008) is the way to go; when two 40-year-old men (who have not yet experienced responsibilities of any kind, are completely reliant on their parents and are generally useless at life…) are forced to live with each other all hell breaks loose!! ‘Step Brothers’ will have you in stiches from the word GO! With comedy legends; ‘Will Ferrell’ (‘Elf’ [2003] and ‘Anchorman’ [2004]) and ‘John C. Reilly’ (‘Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby’ [2006]) you are guaranteed for a good laugh!!

This film will have you laughing on the floor within the first 10 minutes!!

Or maybe you want an old classic; many people have either seen or heard of this film making it a timeless classic!

The film in question is; ‘Labyrinth’ (1986), ‘Labyrinth’ is a fantasy film by ‘Jim Henson’ (creator of ‘The Muppets’) and is about a girl called Sarah who wishes for the Goblin King (played by ‘David Bowie’) to take her baby brother away. When this wish becomes reality Sarah knows she must get her brother back, but to do this she must venture into the goblin kingdom and solve the labyrinth that stands between her and her baby brother!

This film is in many people’s top 10 lists and would absolutely be a film that everybody should see at least once!!

If you really want to push the boat out and see something not so contemporary, try the anime film; ‘Spirited Away’. In 2005 ‘Spirited Away’ was voted the 8th greatest cartoon in Channel 4’s ‘100 Greatest Cartoons’, the film is about a 10 year old girl (Chihiro Ogino), who along with her parents stumbles into the sprit world after finding an abandoned amusement park. When the spirits start to appear Chihiro’s parents are transformed into pigs (a punishment for eating some food in the park) and Chihiro is forced to find her way around this world finding friend and foe alike in order to save her parents and escape!!

‘Spirited Away’ overtook ‘Titanic’ (at the time the top grossing film worldwide) in the Japanese box office to become the highest-grossing film in Japanese history!!

That is just a few of the hidden and forgotten gems that could solve that ‘what to watch?’ enigma on those nights in! But there are many more gems out there just waiting to be dusted off and watched!!

What are your hidden gems? Let us know below!

Film Title: Captain America

Release Date: 29^th July 2010

Budget: $140,000,000

Rating: 6/10

‘Captain America’ was hyped up to be one of the biggest films to be released this year!! But did it meet expectations? And is it worth going to see? Well this review is here to answer these questions!

‘Captain America’ was anticipated as a fantastic film with an all star cast featuring: Chris Evans (‘Fantastic Four’ [2005, 2007]), Hayley Atwell (‘The Duchess’ [2008]) and Tommy Lee Jones! (‘Men in Black’ [1997, 2002]) not to mention the $140 MILLION!! Backing it, this film looked set to amaze audiences worldwide.

Unfortunately this was not the case, stylistically the movie-looked great!! But holes in the plot line and a very clichéd script lead to an almost uncomfortable watch, a good example of this (without giving away any of the story) would be that Hydra (the German opposing force in the film) seem to over take Hitler and the Nazi population becoming the more dominant evil in the 2^nd World War and after this there was no mention of Hitler or any Nazis in that fact (that weren’t part of Hydra) throughout the duration of the film, it was like they disappeared.

Not forgetting some of the factual errors involving the 2^nd World War for example; the mention of MI5, which wasn’t active during the 2^nd World Ward period. It may be a fantasy but it would have been nice to see them get their history right.

You may think this is nit picking, but with a film with such a big title and budget you would expect not to see these problems, it made the whole production look a little lazy!

On the flip side there was a lot right about this film, the performances by; Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell built their characters to have real personality and great on screen chemistry and this really helped redeem the film from some of its lesser quality’s.

The film looked great, some of the CGI wasn’t too crisp (referring to the scene where they zip wire onto a train, it all looked too animated and really distracted you from the plot at times), but the majority of the visual effects and make-up really helped to invite its audience into a truly unique world.

If you do go to see this film it would be worth staying until the credits end because we get a sneak peek into ‘The Avengers’ film (set for release next summer) with a secret showing of its first ever trailer!! And with this film being rumored to be the most expensive film ever made, it is defiantly worth enduring the credits to watch!

Over all Captain America wasn’t a complete disaster, it did have its good moments and if anything it was a bit of fun. My advice is to save some pennies and wait for the DVD release, however if your one of those people that have to see it on the big screen just remember, don’t get swept up by the hype because you may be disappointed.

Marks out of 10 for this film would have to be a 6, it wasn’t too bad and is definitely worth a watch but there were a lot of elements preventing it from becoming a truly great film.

But we would like to know your thoughts if you have you seen this film, what did you think? Was it worth the hype or was it a complete let down? Macs Magazine would like to hear your views!

Whether you’ve read the books or not, whether you’re a fan of the films or not, it is impossible to escape the hype surrounding the final Harry Potter film. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows part 2 is the final adventure in a series which many people have grown up with.

In this epic finale the battle between good and evil escalates into an all-out war. All of the much loved characters from throughout the series are involved and no one is safe. With no Dumbledore around to protect him Harry and Co must fight their own battles and figure out how to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort.

The films have come under some scrutiny for questionable acting skills as well as not being entirely loyal to the books, but this finale is claimed to be better than all the other HP films put together!

Follow Harry into his final battle and find out whether good or evil will prevail.

In cinemas from the 15^th July and 3D in some theatres.  We can’t wait to see it. Let us know what you think of the film below!

I was intrigued by this film mainly because of the Moulin Rouge style billboards and the promise of seeing some 1930s fashion. On the fashion at least it did not disappoint.

I also wanted to see how Robert Pattinson handled a real role in which he wasn’t a mythical creature and the answer to that is well. R Patz surprised me, he showed an understanding of the role which I hadn’t thought him capable of and, although I know nothing about the Polish language, his grasp of it seemed quite believable to me.

A cheeky, all be it slightly lopsided, smile brought a bit of his own personality to the role, a personality which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before in public or in movies.  I am not one of those screaming girls who seem to follow him everywhere (In truth I find him a bit funny looking…) but I have to say that even I could appreciate his look in a more rugged role. I don’t know if it says more about me or him that I found him much more attractive after he’d been beaten up a bit.

Reese Witherspoon however disappointed me a little; I loved her in Walk The Line and was expecting great things from the 35 year old blonde bombshell. I’m not sure if it was the script or the actress, but something about the lines just didn’t sound real to me. Perhaps it was the fact that she had to portray a love triangle with one man 20 years her senior and the other 10 years younger than her. I didn’t like much about her performance, except that her wardrobe was excellent.

In a recent interview with MTV Witherspoon described her love scenes with the Twilight hunk as ‘Not pleasant’ mainly down to the fact that he had a runny nose. So for any ladies out there wishing they were playing opposite young R patz, be careful what you wish for.

Christoph Waltz, a relative newcomer to Hollywood, was by far the best actor in the film. In WFE he plays a similar sort of character to his role in Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds for which he won 27 awards. Poorly suppressed anger, jealousy, a slight underlying of evil in his animal cruelty scenes and a very odd mixture of accents make his character quite unlikable. He was certainly the most engaging aspect of the film though and without his character mixing things up a bit it could easily have become just another love story.

I couldn’t help but feel that the budget for this film was mainly spent on the all-star cast, with little left over for special effects; The dramatic scene towards the end of the film was spoilt by CGI animals which would have been top of the range ten years ago.

Having said all this, it is definitely a story of triumph over adversity and I loved the old man (Hal Holbrook) who appeared as a Titanic style narrator at the beginning and end of the film.

The depiction of life in a 1930s travelling circus gives the air of being realistic too, a hard life in which strong bonds of friendship are important and eventually save the day. So if you’re in need of a film which is visually stimulating and doesn’t require too much brain power then Water For Elephants is a great bet. Ignore the questionable script and focus on the gorgeous animals and relationship development which carry this film.

This movie is definitely worth a watch, however I wouldn’t buy it on DVD myself.

On June 3rd the story of X-men is set to truly begin. Before Professor X and Magneto there was Charles and Eric. Two close friends on a mission to help other ‘mutants.’ Charles played by James McAvoy is an English gentleman trying to get his point about equal opportunities across, until that is the Cuban Missile Crisis threatens the world.
This film offers a different take on the stories told by history books and shows the proverbial day being saved by the mutant crew.
We all know that if you like this sort of film, explosions and special effects, it’s going to be one of the best of the year. For me the X-men films never fail to disappoint with their clever direction, big budget special effects and fantastic actors.

But the real question on many people’s lips is do comic book movies make you want to head down your local store and get reading, or would you rather watch the story unfold on the big screen?
Personally other than the odd Beano (and I’m not sure they count to the die-hard comic fan) I’ve never read one in my life and whilst I quite like the idea of being The O.C’s Seth Cohan’s Wonder Woman I’m more into the big explosions and fight scenes of Warner Bros than torch light under the bed sheets comic reading.

Comic books although seen by some as a childhood introduction to reading are actually somewhat of a cult with fanatics flocking to conventions almost religiously. Some of the ‘graphic novels’ as the more serious fans call them, are actually quite dark and you’d struggle to find a parent willing to let their child read the likes of them at night time. For example ‘Irredeemable’ which, although a story about a super hero, is put in the ‘Adult’ section by many retailers and not because it’s raunchy either.

Whether you’re a reader or a watcher, you’re bound to agree the X-men series is another of Marvel’s good moves. After the epic success of the first X-men movies and then ‘Wolverine: The Origins’ too, this new venture is set to be a triumph also. Fox have pitched this as the first in a new X-men trilogy, but little is known about the forthcoming two.

Will the trilogy see the X-men throughout the ages? Was WW1 actually won because of these mutant’s special powers? Who knows what the folks at Marvel and Warner Brothers will come up with next, I just hope it comes with top notch special effects and explosions galore!
X-Men: First Class – Premiers in theatres across the country on June 3rd.

The sun is shining and it seems Hollywood’s film makers want to continue that feel good sunshine mood in the cinema too.

From romantic comedy ‘Something Borrowed’ starring tear jerker veteran Kate Hudson to the sequel of ‘The Hangover’ imaginatively named ‘The Hangover 2’ there’s something to get everyone laughing this month.

If action is more your bag then epic superhero movie ‘Thor’ released on the 6^th is tipped to be a box office smash. The film stars Hollywood newcomer Chris Hemsworth who you may recognise from Home and Away. Girl of the moment Natalie Portman features alongside the Australian heartthrob, but will she manage to teach the arrogant Thor the error of his ways?

Despite Pirates of The Caribbean being originally sold to us as a trilogy, ‘Pirates of The Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides’ hits our screens on the 20^th. Johnny Depp again stars as the lovably incompetent Captain Jack Sparrow looking for the fountain of youth, but there’s a problem Blackbeard and his daughter are searching for the illusive fountain too. Fans of Keira Knightly will be disappointed to know that the actress does not feature, however there’s no shortage of tottie for the boys; Spanish beauty Penelope Cruz stars as a woman from Captain Jack’s past. Can the fourth version of the film live up to the reputation of the previous three though? Let us know what you think.

For family fun there’s ‘Kung fu Panda 2’ starring Jack Black and Angelina Jolie who are tasked with the mission of defending Kung Fu from a powerful weapon which threatens its very existence!

With so many great films to choose from it looks like tanning may be taking a backseat this summer, all that good weather is wasted on us.

Perhaps one of the most exciting foreign films to grace our screens this year; ‘Little White Lies’ is a French comedy-drama starring the beautiful Marion Cotillard who has also starred in the highly esteemed films Big Fish and A Very Long Engagement.

The film mixes tension with comedy making for a mesmerising viewing. A traumatic crash involving party animal Ludo opens the film. This ordeal, though, will not hinder his and his friend’s plan of debauchery on their summer expedition. Tensions continue throughout the film in romance (an array of flawed relationships), and through characters with un-sociable drug habits. Drugs, love and drama, what’s not to love… The film’s set for release on Friday 15^th April, enjoy!

Perhaps the most anticipated release this March is the screen adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s coming-of-age cult classic, Norwegian Wood. Set in the late 1960s, a time of turbulent unrest and political uprising, the film follows Toru Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama), the protagonist and narrator, who looks back on his days as a freshman university student living in Tokyo. The novel is a dedication and personal confession of loss and sexuality and the film promises to transfer Murakami’s sensual prose to the screen. The title refers to The Beatles song, ‘Norwegian Wood’, which Toru recalls hearing, in a Proustian Madeline moment, and is transported back to his youth.

Critics have spoken of Murakami’s ‘unadaptability’ for the screen, but if there is one area that the film will excel in, it is its music. In the novel characters continually share meaningful moments through listening or playing music, as a reader we can imagine this and connect to the characters, but we missing a vital sense: sound.

Directed by Anh Hung, winner of a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1995 for Cyclo. It stars Kenichi Matsuyama, who won acclaim for his role in Death Note, and Rinko Kikuchi, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Babel.

Released on the 11th of March, we suggest that you sip on Sake and then watch Hung’s beautifully slow-paced and lingering translation of Murakami’s melancholic story.

The Dilemma

The Dilemma is a somewhat romantic comedy. Initially the audience is presented with what seems like a marriage made in heaven as they are college sweethearts. But the closer we get to the characters the more we start to see the cracks.

The marriage that seems perfect is a pretence, the wife is having an affair as she’s no longer getting any affection from her husband. Whilst the husband would prefer to get an erotic massage every Thursday than be intimate with his wife.

The comical aspects come when the Vince Vaughan’s character finds out about the affair and threatens to tell his best friend, from then on he presents the audience with the understanding that he’s in a difficult predicament but he’s going to have to deliver the devastating news to his best friend which could lead to serious repercussions.

The Green Hornet

In the beginning sequence the viewing audience does not know what to expect, they’re aware that the film will eventually lead to the action duo but are unaware of how it will get there from this sequence.

The film soon quickens in pace and we are following the life of Seth Rogens character an only child who is taken care of by his father financially and in every other aspect of his life. He wants for nothing and does nothing but rave forcing his dad to belittle him and tell him at every given chance that he is a disappointment as he’s doing nothing constructive with his life.

His life is soon thrown into balance when his father suddenly dies of an allergic reaction. He suddenly has to take on the responsibility of his fathers newspaper and vast amount of assets. But not truly understanding his father he is not willing to say what a great man he was as he couldn’t stand him majority of the time.

As the plot thickens and Seth meets one of his fathers faithful workers he hatches a plan to rid the town of gangs but attempting to impersonate them as the green hornet with his faithful sidekick. He soon hire Cameron Diaz’s character but rather than hiring her for all legitimate reasons he hopes at a chance of a relationship which will present the audience with endless comical moments.

With the connection of his fathers newspaper he is able to draw enough attention to the green hornet which initially seems a good idea until the head gangster gets aggravated by the green hornet persisting to ruin his smaller gangs. They’re soon having to invent gimmicks and devices to save themselves and the others around them as they’re secret identity is almost revealed.

Unstoppable

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A massive unmanned locomotive, nicknamed “The Beast” and loaded with toxic cargo, roars through the countryside, vaporizing anything put in front of it. A veteran engineer and a young conductor, aboard another train in the runaway’s path, devise an incredible plan to try and stop it — and prevent certain disaster in a heavily populated area.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is a much-anticipated motion picture event to be told in two full-length parts. The long-feared war has begun and Voldemort’s Death Eaters seize control of the Ministry of Magic and even Hogwarts, terrorizing and arresting anyone who might more »oppose them. But the one prize they still seek is the one most valuable to Voldemort: Harry Potter. Harry’s only hope is to find the Horcruxes before Voldemort finds him. As he searches for clues, he uncovers the legend of the Deathly Hallows. And if the legend turns out to be true, it could give Voldemort the ultimate power he seeks. No longer just a boy, Harry Potter is drawing ever closer to the ultimate battle with Voldemort.

Article by Glen Wigall

David Fincher’s take on the rise of Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, is a film that was scoffed at and panned upon its announcement over two years ago, but results in an interesting, and slightly poignant tale on how power, fame and a meteoric rise can lay waste to even the strongest relationship. Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Zuckerberg is slightly tragic, essentially being a nice guy that, through his infatuation and obsession in becoming the next big thing, ends up becoming the world’s youngest billionaire, at the expense of his closest friends and girlfriend. Justin Timberlake’s Sean Parker is Machiavellian in his entirety, and rising star Andrew Garfield shows why he’s being held in such high regard with his turn as Mark’s former best friend Eduardo Saverin, but at the core of the film is essentially a rich character study.

The only criticisms that can be levied at the film is that without Zuckerberg’s co-operation how true is the film, regardless of the content taken from the court cases, are we really seeing the full picture? And for a David Fincher film, who has brought us some of the most stylish films of the nineties and noughties, the style seems slightly subdued and detached from his usual mastery, almost to the point where unless you were told, you wouldn’t be able to tell it was his.

Verdict – 4/5 – An excellent cast makes use of an equally excellent script, telling a complex and insightful story about modern perils of wealth, fame and needing to be noticed, but falls flat in its style and tone, something almost unthinkable of Fincher only a few years ago.