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Saoirse Ronan movies range the gamut from blockbusters to romantic comedies to historical epics. The American-born Irish actress made her acting debut in The Clinic, an Irish medical drama and her first film role was in I Could Never Be Your Woman, a romantic comedy directed by Amy Heckerling that was filmed in 2005 but not released until 2007. Ronan's career breakthrough came in 2007 with Joe Wright's romantic period drama Atonement, an adaptation of the 2001 novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. Her role as aspiring writer Briony Tallis brought her critical acclaim, including an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

This made Ronan, who was 13 at the time, not only a first-time Oscar nominee but also one of the youngest actresses nominated in that category for her role in the Joe Wright movie. Saoirse Ronan has enjoyed a long and fruitful career since then, working with noted directors...

Timeless Films and Ambient Entertainment announce cast for upcoming animation.

Emily Watson (Everest, War Horse) and Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs have joined the voice cast for 3D animation Happy Family.

The cast also includes Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey), Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) and Catherine Tate (Doctor Who).

Production and sales outfit Timeless Films is handling worldwide sales on the project and will be presenting new footage from the film at the American Film Market (Afm) (Nov 4-11) next week

Co-producer Ambient Entertainment has partnered with Warner Brothers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

The film is directed by Holger Tappe, who previously made Animals United, which was also produced by Timeless and Ambient.

Based on David Safier’s best-selling novel, with a script by Catharina Junk and Safier, Happy Family is a family adventure that follows the very much unhappy Wishbone clan - under pressure and constantly...

Timeless Films and Ambient Entertainment announce cast for upcoming animation.

Emily Watson (Everest, War Horse) and Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs have joined the voice cast for 3D animation Happy Family.

The cast also includes Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey), Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) and Catherine Tate (Doctor Who).

Production and sales outfit Timeless Films is handling worldwide sales on the project and will be presenting new footage from the film at the American Film Market (Afm) (Nov 4-11) next week

Co-producer Ambient Entertainment has partnered with Warner Brothers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

The film is directed by Holger Tappe, who previously made Animals United, which was also produced by Timeless and Ambient.

Based on David Safier’s best-selling novel, with a script by Catharina Junk and Safier, Happy Family is a family adventure that follows the very much unhappy Wishbone clan - under pressure and constantly...

2014 hasn’t seen a lot of American animated films. The biggest animated film thus far has been “Planes: Fire and Rescue,” but if that film didn’t do it for you, then perhaps you need to give “Justin and the Knights of Valour” a try. The Arc Entertainment film is directed by Manuel Sicilia and stars Freddie Highmore, Antonio Banderas, James Cosmo, Charles Dance, Tamsin Egerton, Rupert Everett, Barry Humphries, Alfred Molina, Mark Strong, David Williams, Julie Walters, Olivia Williams and Saoirse Ronan. The film follows Justin, a young man who goes on a quest to become a knight like his grandfather. “Young Justin dreams of following in his grandfather Sir [ Read More ]

The post Enter ShockYa’s Twitter Giveaway for a Chance to win Justin and the Knights of Valour Blu-ray! appeared first on Shockya.com.

Embarking on a powerful journey to fulfill your destiny and dreams, particularly when at times it can be filled with unpredictable struggles and people who are determined to prevent you from achieving your goals, can be a seemingly harrowing and daunting experience. That initially intimidating process of achieving your ambitions is powerfully showcased in the journey of the title character in the new animated family film, ‘Justin and the Knights of Valour,’ which is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. Accomplished and talented young actor Freddie Highmore, who voices Justin in the film, impressively infused the character with a powerful ambition to become a knight, despite the fact they have [ Read More ]

The post Interview: Freddie Highmore Talks Justin and the Knights of Valour appeared first on Shockya.com.

Doha’s youth festival to showcase Qatari filmmakers; unveils competition titles.

Films shot by Qatari nationals and those who call Qatar their home are to be showcased at the inaugural Ajyal Youth Film Festival (Nov 26-30), presented by the Doha Film Institute, in a Made in Qatar strand.

The programme will highglight the works of filmmakers across three segments.

The first will feature the works of winners from the Doha Film Institute’s 48-Hour online Family Film Challenge; the second from the 7-Day Filmmaking Challenge, both of which were open to filmmakers from across Qatar; and the third which will include the screening of Batal Wa Resalah (The Hero and the Message), from Al Rayyan Productions.

Ajyal festival director Fatma Al Remaihi said the Qatar strand would “honour the dedication, creativity and unique voice of our homegrown talent in front of a wide audience”.

She added that the festival is “dedicated to supporting local filmmakers and to...

No film managed to take in an excess of £1m, but Proclaimers musical Sunshine on Leith moves to second place and Le Week-end had a commendable opening

• Sunshine on Leith: watch the trailer for Dexter Fletcher's musical – video

• Read Peter Bradshaw's review of Le Week-end

The slump

From bad to worse: the expression is aptly applied to the currently becalmed UK box office. The weekend delivered the lowest overall grosses of the past year, with no film achieving takings in excess of £1m. The last time no title managed seven figures was back in June 2012, when a staggered release of Ice Age: Continental Drift saw it occupy the top spot with takings just from Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The poor result is partly an anomaly relating to the way the UK box office is tracked and accounted. In fact, new DreamWorks animation Turbo was playing previews on Saturday and Sunday,...

Prisoners has topped the UK box office chart for the third week running.

Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal's thriller earned just shy of £1 million to hold off competition from Sunshine on Leith to secure the number one spot.

Dexter Fletcher's Proclaimers musical showed impressive staying power on its second week on full release, seeing only a 5% drop in ticket sales. The film has now earned more than £2 million from UK cinemas.

Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine sits at number three ahead of Filth, while Formula 1 drama Rush rounds out the top five.

Elsewhere, new releases The Fifth Estate and Le Week-End enter the chart at numbers six and seven respectively.

The UK box office top ten in full:

1. (1) Prisoners - £968,990

2. (3) Sunshine on Leith - £732,296

3. (4) Blue Jasmine - £642,241

4. (2) Filth - £638,856

5. (5) Rush - £531,945

6. (-) The Fifth Estate - £502,495

7. (-) Le Week-End - £324,488

8. (6) Runner Runner - £279,339

9. (7) Justin and the Knights of Valour...

Prisoners has topped the UK box office for the second consecutive weekend.

Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal's dark thriller earned more than £1 million to see off competition from Filth and Sunshine on Leith to secure first place.

Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine lands in fourth place and rounding out the top five is Ron Howard's Rush, which falls from second place to number five.

Elsewhere, several new releases failed to trouble the top ten. Saoirse Ronan's How I Live Now landed at number 12 with £232,400 in box office takings, while Thanks for Sharing and Metallica: Through the Never reach numbers 13 and 14 respectively.

The UK box office top ten in full:

1. (1) Prisoners - £1,107,641

2. (-) Filth - £842,167

3. (-) Sunshine on Leith - £770,239

4. (3) Blue Jasmine - £724,693

5. (2) Rush - £708,598

6. (4) Runner Runner - £503,111

7. (8) Justin and the Knights of Valour - £381,294

8. (5) Insidious: Chapter 2 - £313,491

9. (6) About Time - £288,289

10. (7) White House Down - £284,061

Source: Rentrak...

After a quiet period at the box office, Britain's favourite movie remains unchanged for the first time since July

• Read Mark Kermode's review of Prisoners

• Read the archive of Charles Gant's UK box office reports

The winner

After a pretty dismal frame at the UK box office, Prisoners, starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, retained the top spot, with a 17% decline from the previous weekend. It marks the end of a long run where fresh titles conquered the chart summit each week – The Wolverine, The Smurfs 2, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, Kick-Ass 2, Elysium, One Direction: This Is Us, About Time, Insidious Chapter 2 and Rush. Prisoners is the first film to land consecutive number one chart placements since Monsters University back in July.

Jackman has now spent seven weeks at the UK chart summit, with Prisoners, The Wolverine and Les Miserables.

The runner-up

Following its very strong opening in Scotland the previous weekend,...

Jake Gyllenhaal cop drama was the only film to deliver a gross in excess of £1m, though Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine sneaked a nifty total to become his biggest ever opener

• Read Mark Kermode's review of Prisoners

• Read the archive of Charles Gant's UK box office reports

The winner

Late September, rarely a robust time for UK cinemagoing, continues the seasonally becalmed pattern. Overall, the 27-29 September session represented the third worst weekend for box office in the past year. Given that the previous frame delivered the second worst, it's clear just how sluggish the market is right now.

The only film delivering a weekend gross in excess of £1m was Prisoners, starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. Aside from the previous weekend, when Rush held on to the top spot with £1.34m, Prisoners' £1.37m tally is the lowest for a No 1 film since Dredd landed...

Hugh Jackman's Prisoners has topped the UK box office on its first weekend on release.

The thriller, co-starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Terrence Howard, earned £1.3 million to send last week's chart-topper Rush into second place.

Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine, which stars Cate Blanchett and Alec Baldwin, debuts in third place with £833,798. In fourth spot is Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck's Runner Runner, while Insidious: Chapter 2 completes the top five.

Elsewhere Monsters University re-entered the top ten, moving up five places from number 15 with £271,863.

James McAvoy's Filth has charted at number 12 after opening in Scotland over the weekend. It will release across cinemas in the rest of the UK this Friday.

The UK box office top ten in full:

1. (-) Prisoners - £1,365,527

2. (1) Rush - £987,549

3. (-) Blue Jasmine - £833,798

4. (-) Runner Runner - £764,886

5. (2) Insidious: Chapter 2 - £572,554

6. (4) About Time - £485,780

7. (3) White House Down - £441,591

8. (6) Justin and the Knights of Valour...

Rush has overtaken Insidious: Chapter 2 to top the UK box office chart.

Ron Howard's drama, starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, moved up from second place to secure pole position with £1.3 million in ticket sales.

White House Down and About Time hold their places at numbers four and five respectively, while Naomi Watts's Diana debuts at number five.

Elsewhere, Ripd and The Call are the only other new releases to make it into the top ten.

Next week will likely see a shake-up in the top five with the release of Blue Jasmine, Prisoners and Runner Runner this Friday.

The UK box office top ten in full:

1. (2) Rush - £1,336,449

2. (1) Insidious: Chapter 2 - £1,076,295

3. (3) White House Down - £710,772

4. (4) About Time - £701,473

5. (-) Diana - £623,051

6. (5) Justin and the Knights of Valour - £512,671

7. (-) Ripd - £506,521

8. (-) The Call - £409,975

9. (6) One Direction: This Is Us - £365,148

10. (7) We're The Millers -...

Today's ratings bulletin includes a bit of a surprise by including Bullhead director, Michael R. Roskam's follow-up, Animal Rescue, a new crime-drama featuring an impressive cast including Tom Hardy, James Gandolfini, Noomi Rapace and Matthias Schoenaerts. No surprise it's rated R and I've heard some buzz about a particular scene Gandolfini has in the film opposite Hardy that may be worth the price of admission alone. Additionally is a PG-rating for Kasi Lemmons' Black Nativity and a strong R rating for Kimberly Peirce's remake of Carrie starring Chloe Moretz and Julianne Moore. Also looking down the list I see Takeshi Kitano's sequel Beyond Outrage, which, considering the lackluster original, doesn't seem all that necessary, but Magnolia is going to give it to us and then I thought the PG-rating for Christmas for A Dollar was pretty funny considering it's for "some mean behavior", whatever that means. The complete bulletin is listed below.

Insidious: Chapter 2 has topped the UK box office on its debut weekend on release.

The horror sequel, starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, held off strong competition from Ron Howard's Rush and action-thriller White House Down to secure first place.

The new Insidious's £2.8 million gross is double that of its predecessor, which opened in third place in 2011 behind Thor and Fast & Furious 5.

Elsewhere in this week's chart About Time slipped down to number four, while animation Justin and the Knights of Valour rounded out the top five.

The biggest faller was Vin Diesel's Riddick, which dipped 73% in ticket sales to tumble down to number nine.

The UK box office top ten in full:

1. (-) Insidious: Chapter 2 - £2,877,742

2. (-) Rush - £2,099,308

3. (-) White House Down - £1,184,338

4. (1) About Time - £1,092,192

5. (-) Justin and the Knights of Valour - £831,011

6. (3) One Direction: This Is Us - £653,029

7. (4) We're The Millers...

Coming from good acting stock and of course animation stock, (how can we forget Puss in Shrek and subsequent spin offs etc.) Antonio Banderas is back lending his lungs to Justin and the Knights of Valour. For good measure, he’s also putting in some work as a producer. Well, after all you’d expect he’d have learned something from the animation trade from the last few years. Note the word “expect”. Justin, the son of chief counsel to the Queen, lives in a kingdom where knights have been outlawed, and the land is over subscribed with laws for everything imaginable. Not wanting to follow in his fathers legal eagle footsteps, Justin sets out on a quest to become one of the Knights of Valour, like his grandfather before him. Can he save the Kingdom from impending doom and a few other clichés? Of course he can. This is a kids animated tale,...

Rush | In A World | White House Down | The Artist And The Model | Borrowed Time | Insidious: Chapter 2 | 42 | Class Tous Risques | Justin And The Knights Of Valour | Sir Billi | Grand Masti

Rush (15)

(Ron Howard, 2013, Us/Ger/UK) Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde. 122 mins

In the tyre tracks of Senna comes another Formula One thrill ride, dramatising the Hunt vs Lauda rivalry that peaked in 1976. And again, it's hard to resist, even for non-fans. There's track action aplenty but the core is a clash of opposites: Hunt the debonair playboy vs Lauda the cold calculator (Brühl is terrific). To watch, it's more of a Hunt: playing fast and loose with the facts, but easy enough on the eye to get away with it.

In A World… (15)

(Lake Bell, 2013, Us) Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Michaela Watkins. 93 mins

Bell creates a fine showcase for her own versatility with this satire of the cut-throat...

A brand new animation hits UK cinemas tomorrow 13th September in the form of ‘Justin and the Knights of Valour’. The movie has a cracking voice cast which includes the likes of Saoirse Ronan, Mark Strong, Antonio Banderas, Freddie Highmore, Olivia Williams, Julie Walters, Charles Dance, Tamsin Egerton, Alfred Molina and Rupert Everett. Our friend James Kleinmann got to speak to Egerton and Banderas, the latter of whom also Produced the movie.

In the interviews, we get to hear what it is about Justin who wants to become a knight and impress the character of Lara played by Egerton. We also get to hear about her worst chat-up line that she’s ever had and working with some of the other members of the cast and why she finds working on an animation. Banderas talks about Producing the movie, what it was that he loved about working on the film...

Nobody likes a bureaucrat. Nothing but pesky pencil pushing meddlers, the lot of them. Imagine a world where the pencil pushers were given free reign, it would be intolerable, it would be… A kingdom without knights!

Idealistic Justin (Freddie Highmore) escapes from the rigid expectations of his Chief Counsel father (Alfred Molina) into daydreams of their kingdoms history. His grandfather, Sir Roland, was a legendary knight and the tales of his bravery have prompted Justin to pursue a life of adventure and heroism rather than study and legal acumen. On the eve of his departure for law school, inspired by the stirring words of his grandmother (Julie Walters), the spirited redhead sets off on a quest to honour the memory of the great man and become a knight himself.

Bearing, as a treasured favour, the stripy sock his disinterested lady-love tossed in his direction, Justin begins to search for the The Tower of Wisdom.

★★★☆☆ There are certain subjects and mediums which seem tailor-made for each other - one example being fairytales and animation. This union, which began with the release of Lotte Reiniger's The Adventures of Prince Achmed in 1926, is now continued with Manuel Sicilia's Justin and the Knights of Valour (2013). Though not derived from one of the common fairytale sources (such as the Grimms or Perrault), this new feature, starring the voice talents of Antonio Banderas, Freddie Highmore and Saoirse Ronan, has all the archetypal elements you'd expect including brave knights, fearsome dragons and damsels in distress.

Justin (voiced by Highmore) yearns to be a knight just like his late grandfather, Sir Roland. However, his father Reginald (Alfred Molina) has other plans and wants Justin to study and become a lawyer just like him. Determined to follow his heart, Justin sets off for the legendary Tower of Wisdom, which is watched...

Hey guys, get ready for a completely new animated movie, titled Justin and the Knights of Valour, which comes from Manuel Sicilia and is currently in post-production. If you ask me – this definitely looks promising, the movie has great voice cast on board, and the most important thing – we’re dealing with a heart-warming tale about friendship, honour & courage in here! Check out the rest of this report to check an international teaser trailer and lovely images from the whole thing!

Directed by Manuel Sicilia, this animated movie is set in a magical world that children still dream of: it’s a heart-warming story filled with adventure, action and fun.

Justin and the Knights of Valour voice-cast includes Freddie Highmore, Saoirse Ronan, Alfred Molina, Julie Walters, Mark Strong, Rupert Everett, Charles Dance, James Cosmo, Barry Humphries, Olivia Williams, Tamsin Egerton, David Walliams and Antonio Banderas.

Here’s the official synopsis:...