Knight and Day Red Carpet Interviews

Chatting to Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz on the red carept at the UK Premiere of Knight and Day.

Harry Potter World Premiere

After a painfully long two year wait, the world’s most famous boy wizard returned to Leicester Square for the world premiere of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Witches, wizards and Rupert Grint obsessed fangirls swarmed together in their thousands to celebrate the long delayed release of the sixth movie. Fans started camping out over 30 hours before the premiere to secure a front row spot to meet their beloved heroes and villains. It was hard to spot a muggle anywhere in the square.

Unfortunately dark magic worthy of he who shall not be named was most certainly at work on the weather. Mere moments before the cast arrived so did torrential rain and hailstones as big as a golden snitch. An hour of the most appalling weather imaginable proved too much for a small number of distraught fans, who gave up after days of waiting. It’s hard to blame them for being unprepared for such adversity in the middle of July. Those that remained kept their spirits up by singing Monty Python’s whimsical ballad ‘Always look on the bright side of life’. It’s a compelling testament to the devotion of fans that most toughed it out and were still waiting eagerly when the damp stars finally emerged.

The determination of fans was ultimately rewarded, as all of the film’s stars made special efforts to acknowledge their support. A half-drowned Daniel Radcliffe was predictably the main attraction. He’s the boy who lived and the boy everyone wants to meet. However his co-stars Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Evanna Lynch and Alan Rickman were greeted with equal adoration as they signed autographs and posed for pictures with the rain drenched crowds. Those fans were clearly also especially delighted to see that Rupert Grint had made a full recovery from his recent case of swine flu. In spite of the weather, he wore his usual cheeky grin. Some fans even got the rare chance to meet the actual author of their obsession, J.K. Rowling herself.

The films astonishing box office success is unsurprising given that ‘Pottermania‘ shows no sign of diminishing. After the fourth biggest opening day box office of all time, the film took a solid $78 million in its opening weekend in America. The film has brought in over $ 437 million worldwide to date. That’s an awful lot of muggle money for the goblins in the Warner Bros accounts department to play with. It’s also a figure set to rise as the film lingers in cinemas for many weeks to come. It’s hard to imagine what levels of hysteria and riches will greet the release of the final two films. We can only hope that it will at least stay dry...

For those who couldn’t make it or who want to relive the experience, enjoy the gallery of pictures and some video links below...

Daniel Radcliffe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeFOQCK8VAc&feature=channel

Emma Watson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU1rEm--cUI&feature=channel_page

Rupert Grint:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNov1IRhvS8&feature=channel

Valkyrie

Tom Cruise used to be a universally adored global superstar. He was Hollywood’s golden leading man. Unfortunately, in recent years that image has been tarnished by bizarre behaviour and his highly publicised association with the Church of Scientology. Perhaps in an effort to recapture his former popularity, Cruise’s latest film finds him fighting against the most despised of all history’s evils, the Nazis.

Directed by ‘X-men’ and ‘the Usual Suspects’ wonder-kid Bryan Singer, ‘Valkyrie’ is a film about the last of many attempts by Germans to assassinate Adolf Hitler during World War II. It’s an important story to be told, but one rarely seen on American screens. It’s too often forgotten that even at the height of Hitler’s power there were many German people who risked and ultimately gave their lives fighting against him. Whether or not it’s a subject more suited to documentary than dramatisation is a matter of debate.

Cruise remains a compelling leading man and he’s surrounded here by a cast of skilled (mostly British) character actors. However, even this laudable ensemble cast can’t breathe tension into a film which is fundamentally misconceived as a suspense thriller. The problem is that anyone with the most basic knowledge of world history knows that Hitler was not assassinated. With absolute historic certainty we know that their plans must fail. ‘Will they, won’t they’ excitement is instead replaced by a grim inevitability which makes the film difficult to watch at times. As an audience it’s hard to allow yourself to emotionally invest in characters doomed to failure and death.

‘Valkyrie’ is lucky to be able to rely on actors like Bill Nighy , Tom Wilkinson and Cruise to bring a credible intensity to its drama. It won’t bother global audiences, but British viewers may find it a little odd to see former transvestite comedian Eddy Izzard manning Hitler’s telephone switchboard. However, having worked to established himself as actor for some time, it’s easier to accept him amongst a sombre cast than you may think. Bryan Singer could not have hoped for a better collection of acting talent to demand respect and attention from an audience.

Playing Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg in ‘Valkyrie’ was actually a brave and surprising choice for Tom Cruise. His personal life may have affected audiences’ willingness to accept him as a hero, but this role is a very different type of challenge. From the Indiana Jones trilogy to Tarantino’s latest film ‘Inglourious Basterds’ , Nazi Germany has been relentlessly and justifiably demonized on the big screen. Portraying these German officers as men capable of honour and compassion sits a little uncomfortably with the reassuringly simple depiction of evil we’re used to. It’s simply impossible to see a man in a Nazi Uniform and ignore the horrific legacy it represents to mankind. This is yet another major hurdle to the film’s success.

There is a clear limit to how entertaining a film about such serious and tragic subject matter can be. However, any attempt to glamorize the story to fit the usual Hollywood action movie stereotypes would have been unwise. The film can’t hide from ugly truths and harsh realities, but at least it can aspire to educate its audience about them. Having taken $200 million at the box office it appears audiences do have an appetite for such an education. ‘Valkyrie’ is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now for those that still do...