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Chicago – “The Lovely Bones,” which is directed by “The Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson with a relatively unknown executive producer credit from Steven Spielberg, has gone down in history as a poorly reviewed film that was based on a much better novel of the same name by Alice Sebold. “The Lovely Bones” was released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 20, 2010.

Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan stars as Susie Salmon in “The Lovely Bones” from Paramount Pictures.

Photo credit: DreamWorks Studios

Despite needing a higher-budget special effects department and featuring like a never-healing sore thumb one of the worst supporting performances in recent memory by the unknown Nikki SooHoo, the film did delicately tackle the sensitive issue of a pedophile murderer and rapist while still maintaining a “PG-13” rating. That role was hauntingly played by Stanley Tucci.

Tucci’s supporting role is the standout feature of this film. He earned...

The Lovely Bones is a good, not great, book written by Alice Sebold. And The Lovely Bones is also a good, but not great, film co-written, produced and directed by Peter (Lord Of The Rings) Jackson. The movie is mostly faithful to the 2002 novel, and while both have powerful moments and emotional potency, both also have their shortcomings.

Set in 1970s suburban Pennsylvania, the story centers on Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan, an Oscar nominee for Atonement and seen—or rather, Not seen—in 2008’s City Of Ember), a 14-year-old girl on the cusp of adolescence and womanhood who is raped and murdered by a neighbor, George Harvey (Stanley Tucci). That isn’t giving anything away. Susie is killed early on, and the movie isn’t a mystery about the identity of her killer.

Susie narrates the film from heaven (or a place that Susie thinks is heaven)—a CG-imagined afterlife...

And by “in pictures” of course I mean we have a gallery full of them below.

A plethora of Hollywood stars joined Royalty on the red carpet for the Royal World Premiere of Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones this week, in the one event of the year where Royalty are officially allowed to visit the cinema!

Joining Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall on the red carpet were Peter Jackson, Susan Sarandon, Carolyn Dando, Micheal Imperioli, Saoire Ronana, Rose McIver and Reece Ritchie who all attended the event at the Odeon, Leicester Square. Despite the damp English weather, spirits were high as the stars arrived to greet fans and mingle with the British Royal family.

While FilmShaft were not invited to attend the event (I’m guessing for security reasons – my excuse and I’m sticking to it), we have been sent some fantastic new images from the event,...

A movie about a 14-year-old girl who is brutally raped and murdered does not sound like prime popcorn fare. But when it is based on Alice Sebold‘s critically-acclaimed novel The Lovely Bones, directed by Lord of the Rings mastermind Peter Jackson and could potentially include a lesbian leading character, I’m ready to buy my ticket now. After keeping much of the production under wraps, the first full-length trailer has further upped my anticipation.

The film features a great cast, with Atonement star Saoirse Ronan as the murdered girl, Susie Salmon, who watches the aftermath of her murder from the afterlife. Joining her are Rachel Weisz and Mark Wahlberg as her parents, Susan Sarandon as her grandmother, Michael Imperioli as a detective and Stanley Tucci as her killer. The trailer, like the book, is pretty riveting. Unfortunately, it's not embeddable now as it's only available on Apple.com.

Jackson...