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Chicago – Sequels are the bane of film’s existence. They tend to end with unresolved plotlines in an attempt to promote the need for another film. Disappointing film franchises have been built this way, but Danny Boyle is the last person I would have expected this from. “T2 Trainspotting” is the sequel to “Trainspotting” that we never wanted but are surprisingly happy to have.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

“Trainspotting” didn’t end the conventional way by resolving every conflict, but instead ended with the limitless potential of a new beginning. Danny Boyle has never been a slave to conventions so this comes as no surprise, but the way he ended the first film left it completely open-ended and up to the imagination of the viewer. There is a purity to that approach that forces the audience to take everything they have experienced and learned during the film and use it to create their own ending.

Chicago – Rarely does a filmmaker have a long or influential enough career to revisit a story and characters that they’ve explored in a previous film. Oscar winner Danny Boyle has both qualifications, as he again takes on – 20 years after its 1996 release – his classic film “Trainspotting, which is elegantly titled “T2 Trainspotting.”

The boys of the original “Trainspotting” have reunited for the outing, portrayed by Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Ewen Bremner and Jonny Lee Miller. Middle age angst is the theme, as each of the characters are going through some life changes, but the spirit of their larcenous souls are still intact. The first film launched the uber-careers of Ewan McGregor and director Danny Boyle, and the re-exploration of the energetic style and quick-cutting scene work are back in the new story as well.

Jonny Lee Miller and Ewan McGregor in ‘T2 Trainspotting,’ directed by Danny Boyle

Photo credit: Sony Pictures Releasing...

In 1997 there came a little movie called Trainspotting, adapted by director Danny Boyle and scenarist John Hodge from Scottish writer Irvine Welsh’s novel of the same name. It was the loose-limbed story of a group of childhood friends spinning their collective wheels in the working-class gloom of Edinburgh, Scotland, scheming schemes, committing petty crimes, arguing the merits of Sean Connery (and, by extension, Scotland) and trying to sustain those decaying friendships all while rotating in and out of a seemingly hopeless cycle of heroin addiction, indulgence and withdrawal. For me, Trainspotting’s exuberant, hyperkinetic style decorated a somewhat sensationalistic attitude toward tragedy, on a sociopolitical as well as personal scale, and its scabrous energy always seemed too much at odds with the overwhelming lethargy which follows the orgasmic relief of a desperately needed hit. (I guess I’m more of a Panic in Needle Park kind of guy.)

But what do I know?...

"I'm not sure that Americans have penises," Ewan McGregor declares, carefully and painstakingly keeping his expression as deadpan as possible.

Danny Boyle's ears suddenly perk up. "Wait, your penis isn't there? Did they blur it out?" He lets out a laugh that might be characterized as the sound of exploding joy. "That would explain a lot!"

"They have to import them from Scotland," Jonny Lee Miller adds, at which point McGregor's stone-faced look begins to crack a bit.

"Scottish sausage!" Ewan Bremner chimes in, chuckling. "It's where the term comes from.

The most remarkable thing about “T2 Trainspotting” (other than the sequel’s stupid in-joke of a title) is that all of the original film’s heroin junkie heroes are somehow still alive. It’s been 21 years since Danny Boyle first made smack look a little bit too cool, and 1996 feels several eons removed from the post-Brexit nonsense we’re dealing with now, but Scotland’s four favorite dope fiends haven’t changed nearly as much as the world around them. They’re still addicts, even if some of them have found a new drug of choice. They’re still fools, even if Boyle has made so many slick movies about the perils of romanticizing self-destruction (e.g. “A Life Less Ordinary,” “The Beach,” and “Steve Jobs”) that it’s hard to take him seriously as a voice of reason. Worst of all, they’re still a lot of fun to watch,...

Back in 1996, Trainspotting (adapted from Irvine Welsh's 1993 cult novel) emerged as one of the great British films of the era, one that bristled with incendiary sense of style and danger. The daring dims a bit in T2: Trainspotting, though director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Steve Jobs) and doctor-turned-screenwriter John Hodge try their damnedest to force lightning to strike twice. The passing of two decades can take the piss out of characters, especially the four slum-dwelling Scotsman who caught that generation-defining moment of youth-in-revolt set to a pulsating Brit-pop score (Elastica,...

A staple of mid 90’s independent breakthrough cinema, Trainspotting has long been a movie that seemed poised to get a sequel. After all, author Irvine Welsh did write a sequel to his novel of the same name, that one called Porno. This week, the sequel does arrive, though this is with the slightly more multiplex friendly title of T2: Trainspotting. The film looks to recapture what people loved so much about the first one. Considering how long this next installment had been brewing before everyone signed on the dotted line, it would have to be in order to work. Luckily, that seems to be the case. Crisis averted! This sequel is a return to the world initially presented to us in Trainspotting, obviously. After having spent 20 years abroad following his escape in the first one, Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) makes a returns to Scotland. There, he reunites with his...

Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out. And if you're into box office and how movies might do, come play some of the box office games at EZ1 Productions including their new Pick 5 game!

This Past Weekend:

As expected, Legendary Pictures’ Kong: Skull Island won the weekend, and honestly, the Weekend Warrior’s original prediction of $61.6 million was pretty darn close to the movie’s opening weekend which ended up at $61 million. (Unfortunately, I chickened out on Thursday because my prediction was so much higher than all others and lowered it to $58 million, which was Still closer to than every other prediction last weekend.) Also, as expected (at least by me), Hugh Jackman’s Logan took a 2nd weekend tumble as has been the case with most X-Men movies,...

Danny Boyle-directed T2 Trainspotting is ready for its close-up at the Berlin Film Festival, where it screens out-of-competition. 

Boyle and stars Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Anjela Nedyalkova are speaking during a press conference at 5:30 p.m. Berlin time (8:30 a.m. L.A. time) on Friday. 

Watch the press conference live here.

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It’s time to feel the “Lust For Life” again. Danny Boyle got the boys back together for the follow-up to his iconic “Trainspotting,” and while the soundtrack boasts some new acts for the current generation (Wolf Alice, Young Fathers), Iggy Pop’s glorious anthem returns (albeit in a remix by The Prodigy).

Read More: Danny Boyle’s ‘T2: Trainspotting’ Starring Ewan McGregor Is A Nostalgic But Messy Sequel To The ’90s Classic [Review]

Nevertheless, the first clip from “T2: Trainspotting” has landed, pumped up by Pop’s tune, and sees Renton (Ewan McGregor) regaling Simon (Jonny Lee Miller) and his girlfriend Veronika (newcomer Anjela Nedyalkova) about footballer George Best, while Boyle adds his visual flourishes to the anecdote.

Continue reading Feel The Lust For Life Again In First Clip From ‘T2 Trainspotting’ at The Playlist.

Stars: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle, Anjela Nedyalkova, Kelly Macdonald | Written by John Hodge | Directed by Danny Boyle

20 years on, the idea of a sequel to a film that was so entrenched in a time and place in modern British history might seem like folly. And while it’s not as bad as it could have been, T2 Trainspotting (as it’s clunkily named) struggles to find a personality or a cultural relevance of its own. It tries hard – too hard – and ends up being a cover version as dodgy as the remixes that dominate its soundtrack.

First we find a middle-aged Renton (Ewan McGregor), running on a treadmill. Still running. Always running but getting nowhere. He’s living in Amsterdam, but he’s drawn back to Edinburgh. There, Spud (Ewen Bremner) has barely moved on. The clocks changed for British summertime and he got confused...

Author: David Sztypuljak

Last night, Edinburgh saw the stars of T2: Trainspotting (Trainspotting 2) attend the world premiere. It may have been a cold night but it didn’t stop hundreds of fans attending the star-studded event.

It’s been 20 years since the original Irvine Welsh novel was turned into a movie and saw the likes of relatively unknown actors Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Ewen Bremner, Kelly Macdonald and Jonny Lee Miller all take to the screen helmed by the one and only Danny Boyle at the directing helm.

T2: Trainspotting Movie Poster

In those 20 years, a sequel to the movie has been attempted but have never come to fruition but now is the time for that sequel to land and we’ve been very excited for a long time.

Related: Our T2: Trainspotting Movie Review

All the actors mentioned above were in attendance at the world premiere...

Author: Stefan Pape

When Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting first graced our screens in 1996, it transcended expectations spectacularly. It was more than just a movie, it was a cultural event, a film that spoke (well, shouted) directly to an entire generation. So how do you emulate what came before? The answer is, you don’t. You can’t. This eagerly anticipated sequel was never going to have the same impact as the original endeavour, but as long as you bear that in mind there is plenty to take away, for there is no doubting this picture carries that same, familiar swagger that illuminated the original. It’s a worthy follow-up – and that in itself is commendable enough.

Based on Irvine Welsh’s Porno, there is a semblance of confidence going into this film, knowing you’ve got a pre-existing narrative in place, while Boyle – and the cast – have all returned, when...

Ewan McGregor and the rest of the gang are back in Danny Boyle's sequel to Trainspotting. Here's our review of the unexpectedly moving T2...

Time can play cruel tricks. A recent strain of Hollywood movie showed us the cosy side of nostalgia - the dinosaurs roaring again in Jurassic World, the Millennium Falcon taking flight in Star Wars: The Force Awakens - but there can be a bittersweet, even cruel side to the lure of old memories.

See related Jessica Jones’ Kilgrave: Marvel’s creepiest villain yet Iron Fist: episode titles and directors confirmed Luke Cage smashed Marvel's 2016 Netflix ratings

For Renton (Ewan McGregor), heading back to his old stomping ground in Edinburgh after 20 years is akin to opening a box of old photographs. There’s a comfort at seeing old faces, but then the regret starts flooding back: the drugs, the alcohol, the friends he's lost and...

The Netherland’s submission to the upcoming Academy Awards’ Best Foreign-Language Film category will be Joost van Ginkel’s The Paradise Suite.

The Paradise Suite, written and directed by Joost van Ginkel, has been chosen as the official entry from the Netherlands to the 2016 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

The film is set to premiere at Toronto International Film Festival on September 13 as part of the Discovery programme.

Starring Issaka Sawadogo (The Invader), Anjela Nedyalkova (Avé), Magnus Krepper (The Bridge), Raymond Thiry (Between 10 and 12) and Dragan Bakema (Brownian Movement), the film’s plot follows six people from varied backgrounds seeking a better life in Amsterdam.

German outfit Media Luna New Films are handling international sales. September Film are distributing theatrically in the Netherlands.

Avé

Written by Arnold Barkus and Konstantin Bojanov

Directed by Konstantin Bojanov

Bulgaria, 2011

Bulgarian film Avé is the fiction feature debut of its director Konstantin Bojanov. A road movie, it is concerned with two hitchhiking youths whose paths collide, leading them to travel together to a small town close to the Romanian border for the wake of the friend of one of them. The boy, Kamen, meets eponymous girl Avé at road side, both intrigued and repelled by her tendency to lie her way in and out of situations. Latching to him despite his attempts to escape her during his journey, she constantly reinvents a new story for their relationship and her past for everyone they meet, when they in fact don’t even know each other’s names. Never warning Kamen of her detours into fiction, she paints the boy as both her brother, her perverted boyfriend, and the...

A young hitchhiker meets an intriguing girl with a penchant for fabulous lies.

Kamen (Ovanes Torosian) is hitchhiking by the side of the road when he meets Avé (Angela Nedialkova). Both are trying to get to Ruse on the north eastern Bulgarian border, so, despite Kamen's hesitation, it makes sense that they share rides. Once they are in a car together, Kamen is shocked when Avé begins to make up stories about him as if they have known each other all their lives. The further they travel together, the more extreme her lies become, yet although he makes clear his rising anger he can't...