Paddington Teaser Trailer Released

And no, it's not Heyday Films' answer to Warner Bros' whimsical rendition of King's Cross in their Harry Potter adaptations!
Heyday Films and StudioCanal have today released the first teaser trailer for their Winter family film Paddington. Based loosely on Michael Bond's classic Paddington Bear children's novels, this new adaptation will star Colin Firth in the titular role alongside Nicole Kidman, Peter Capaldi and Julie Walters (now you're interested, eh?).

An Oscar shoo-in this probably isn't, but the preview (below) does at least indicate that we're looking at a higher quality benchmark than the increasingly concerning big-screen take on Postman Pat which is also due out this year. If nothing else, however, with the cracking cast ensemble who've climbed aboard this part-animated, part-live action project, Paddington could surprise on the basis of its vocal performances, even if the shock factor doesn't have the same enduring impact as The LEGO Movie did in February. Doubtless, no-one will be denying in ten months' time that this is the perfect Christmas treat for the kiddies.

Paddington stumbles- with its red hat and brown suitcase in tow, naturally- into UK cinemas nationwide on November 28th.

The Walking Dead Season Two Episode 2 Release Date Announced

The video game industry's busiest developer confirms the launch date for its latest offering!
Telltale Games have today announced the global release date for the second chapter in their episodic DLC campaign The Walking Dead: Season Two. Titled A House Divided, the latest instalment in the point-and-click franchise will be a timed digital retail exclusive as was the case with Episode 1, All That Remains.

If, like this writer, you missed out on Season One when it originally launched over the first half of 2013, then there's no need to despair. Telltale launched a retail boxed package of the first 'season''s five episodes and the DLC bridge between Seasons One and Two, 400 Days, last November, so there's still ample opportunity to catch up on what's come to pass so far, and there's every chance that another Game of the Year Edition for the second batch of episodes will release before the year's out. For all the latest news on the development and release of The Walking Dead: Season Two Episodes 3-5, keep it On-Screen in the weeks ahead...

The Walking Dead- Season Two Episode 2: A House Divided has launched on PlayStation Network and PC marketplaces today, and will retail via Xbox Live and the iOS App Store from March 6th.

New Gotham Cast Members Announced

Find out who'll be playing Bruce Wayne and Selena Kyle in the prequel series right here.
Fox have today announced two new regular members of the cast of their upcoming detective drama Gotham. Taking place years before Bruce Wayne's ascension into the guise of Batman, the show's first season will comprise of over twenty fifty-minute instalments based around Captain Jim Gordon's first investigative cases for the Gotham City Police Department.

The more recognisable face of the pair of newly-announced stars is David Mazouz, a 13-year old American actor who will portray a teenage incarnation of Bruce Wayne in the series. Mazouz is best known for his appearances alongside Kiefer Sutherland in the divisive thriller series Touch (also produced by Fox, not-so-coincidentally), as well as Bryan Ortiz's 2013 horror flick Sanitarium. Meanwhile, Camren Bicondova is a relative newcomer to the TV scene, with no major starring roles to speak of on her CV so far, yet she's taking up the persona of none other than Selena Kyle (here an orphaned teen in her pre-Catwoman phase) later in 2014. These two castings may not exactly enable Gotham's ensemble to be dubbed as 'star-studded' at this point, but perhaps up-and-comers are just what an ambitious drama such as this needs to get off the ground in its opening days!

Gotham premières on Fox this Autumn.

Batman: Arkham Knight Announced

Rocksteady are back to reclaim their throne from pretenders WB Montreal...
Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment and Rocksteady Studios have today announced the development of Batman: Arkham Knight for release later this year. The third and final instalment in the latter developer's franchise of action-adventure games, Knight will take place after the events of 2011's critically acclaimed Arkham City and retail exclusively on next-generation consoles.

So, what's new, we hear you ask? Well, the detail that's doing the rounds most prominently on the interwebs right now is that the Batmobile will play a physical role in Arkham Knight's main campaign, with players now able to commandeer the iconic DC vehicle and take it into battle against classic foes including Scarecrow (the narrative's central antagonist), Harley Quinn, Two-Face and the Penguin.

There are a couple of tidbits in Rocksteady's earth-shattering press release that have been largely neglected by the gaming community in the hours since the announcement: firstly, an free-roamable Gotham City will feature as the game's setting, and what with the development team's past repertoire, don't expect it to be a mere facsimile of Arkham City as WB Montreal's rendition was in Arkham Origins last year. On top of that, the narrative itself will serve as the final chapter in Rocksteady's Arkham story arc. Warner Brothers have made clear their intent to annualise the beloved saga, so WB Montreal will probably produce yearly instalments in the Origins timeline a la Activision with COD from now on, but at present, we're simply more excited than anything else to get our hands on this 3-years-in-development product and revel in the high-octane Caped Crusading that is to come. Check out the stunning first CGI trailer, titled Father and Son, below...

Batman: Arkham Knight glides onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC this Autumn.

February 2014: Best Release

Warner Brothers' latest and greatest animated blockbuster scoops up our Best Release award for last month.
Against all the odds, February turned out to be another stellar month for entertainment fans, offering up a variety of remarkable releases within its delicious platter of treats. The natural result of its consistent output was a degree of difficulty that came with deciding if Arrow: Heir to the Demon or The LEGO Movie should take our Best Release title for the month, but in the end, there was only ever one brick-tastic motion picture which was going to come out on top.

If you haven't already witnessed the masterful tour de force of animated filmmaking that is Phil Lord and Chris Miller's latest creation, then close your laptop right now, get thee to your nearest auditorium, purchase a ticket and share in the glory ASAP. Back? And is your life not one-hundred times better for it? We thought as much. In all seriousness, this stellar original instalment of cinema represents the latest in a series of breakthrough moments for the animated genre, kicked off by Monsters' University and Frozen last year, whereby boundaries and belittling expectations are being rapidly broken and dissolved respectively, such that the genre as a whole has reclaimed its rightful place in viewers' hearts as one of the most beloved modes of entertainment in 2014.

Paramount to this newfound success is the incredible behind-the-scenes CGI work conducted by The LEGO Movie's two aforementioned helms, yet they're hardly alone in warranting heaps of praise: indeed, the film's well-rounded cast ensemble is one of the superior examples of a star-studded team who never let their fame breed complacency in their latest performances. Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Will Ferrell and so many other celebrity guest stars whose appearances will remain a secret for the sake of the brilliant surprises that lie within the first viewing are each perfect for their satirical-yet-layered roles within a part-metatextual, part-life affirming narrative that (we can attest) captivates to just as great an extent as Toy Story or Shrek ever did. Between 12 Years A Slave and this incredible animated marvel, the Film of the Year race for 2014 is already heating up dramatically, and we cannot wait to see how it all pans out over the next ten months!

JANUARY 2014- 12 YEARS A SLAVE
FEBRUARY 2014- THE LEGO MOVIE

Academy Awards 2014 Winners Announced

12 Years A Slave, Gravity and Frozen reign victorious at the US awards ceremony!
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have this week announced the winners of their annual film awards. All in all, the awards ceremony itself was relatively predictable, with no major surprises or controversial defeats to speak of (although condolences must go to Leo DiCaprio on his failed Best Actor acquisition for what seems like the 86th time), but a round-up from us is necessitated nonetheless.

Without further ado, then, here's the final instalment of our film and TV awards season victors round-up, recapping all of the major revelations fresh from the Oscar showfloor and featuring our alternative selections for those titles which were presented to the wrong nominee (with the original winner highlighted in red and our selection highlighted in green):

BEST FILM- 12 Years A Slave (see our 'Opinions Omnibus' feature for more on this one); American Hustle; Captain Philips; Dallas Buyers Club; Gravity; Her; Nebraska; Philomena; The Wolf of Wall Street
BEST DIRECTOR- David O'Russell (American Hustle); Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity); Alexander Payne (Nebraska); Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave); Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street)
BEST ACTOR- Christian Bale (American Hustle); Bruce Dern (Nebraska); Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street); Chiwetel Ejofor (12 Years A Slave); Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
BEST ACTRESS- Amy Adams (American Hustle); Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine); Sandra Bullock (Gravity); Judi Dench (Philomena); Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- Barkhad Abdi (Captain Philips); Bradley Cooper (American Hustle); Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave); Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street); Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
BEST SUPPORTING ACRESS- Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine); Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle); Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years A Slave); Julia Roberts (August: Osage County); June Squibb (Nebraska)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY- American Hustle; Blue Jasmine; Dallas Buyers Club; Her; Nebraska
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY- 12 Years A Slave; Before Midnight; Captain Phillips; Philomena; The Wolf of Wall Street
BEST ANIMATED FILM- The Croods; Despicable Me; Ernest & Celestine; Frozen; The Wind Rises
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM- Feral; Get A Horse!; Mr Hublot; Possessions; Room on the Broom
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE- The Book Thief; Gravity; Her; Philomena; Saving Mr Banks
BEST ORIGINAL SONG- "Happy" (Despicable Me 2); "Let It Go" (Frozen); "The Moon Song" (Her); "Ordinary Love" (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)
BEST SOUND EDITING- All Is Lost; Captain Phillips; Gravity; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; Lone Survivor
BEST SOUND MIXING- Captain Phillips; Gravity; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; Inside Llewyn Davis; Lone Survivor
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN- American Hustle; Gravity; The Great Gatsby; Her; 12 Years A Slave
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY- The Grandmaster; Gravity; Inside Llewyn Davis; Nebraska; Prisoners
BEST MAKE-UP & HAIRSTYLING- Dallas Buyers Club; Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa; The Lone Ranger
BEST COSTUME DESIGN- American Hustle; The Grandmaster; The Great Gatsby; The Invisible Woman; 12 Years A Slave
BEST FILM EDITING- 12 Years A Slave; American Hustle; Captain Phillips; Dallas Buyers Club; Gravity
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS- Gravity; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; Iron Man 3; The Lone Ranger; Star Trek Into Darkness

For all the latest news and features on the biggest developments in the film industry, stay tuned to On-Screen in the weeks ahead...

Game of Thrones Episodes 1-4 Titles Announced

Swords are forged, chains are broken and oaths are kept as Game of Thrones returns in April!
HBO Studios have today announced the titles of the first four episodes of the fourth season of their fantasy drama Game of Thrones. Set to première next month in the US and the UK, the latest run picks up in the aftermath of the Red Wedding, as another set of nuptials dawns for the Lannister and Tyrell households and the War of the Five Kings reaches its unforgettable conclusion.

Here are the titles for Episodes 1-4 and our spoiler-free speculation on their implications for Season Four's structure and ongoing narrative:

• 4x01: "Two Swords"- Ice and Fire: A Foreshadowing offered a glimpse at two sword-shaped moulds for molten forgery, so it's not a far stretch to assert that the season première will reveal the process of these weapons' creation and, more pressingly, their owners...
• 4x02: "The Lion and the Flower"- Given that the sigil of House Lannister features the image of the Lion and House Tyrell's a flower, the meaning behind this particular header should be pretty obvious- it's time for the Purple Wedding (i.e. of Joffrey Lannister and Margaery Tyrell), folks!
• 4x03: "Breaker of Chains"- Moreso than the first two episode titles, this one could hold a still-to-be-determined metaphorical significance in light of the startling events which transpire at the Purple Wedding (and which for good reason we shan't spoil here). On a literal basis, however, Danaerys Targyrean dedicated a substantial amount of her screen-time in Season Three to liberating slaves- could another such liberation be on the way here?
• 4x04: "Oathkeeper"- Readers of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels will know the exact nature of the object which Episode 4's title refers to, but to maintain our spoiler-free stance, we'll just tease you with the following reminder- Brienne is sworn to the oath of releasing Sansa Stark from her captivity in King's Landing, and now she's returned to the Lannister base with Jaime in tow, who knows, perhaps the time has come for her promise to the late Catelyn to be fulfilled...

Game of Thrones premières its devastating fourth season on Sky Atlantic this April 7th at 9pm.