Pride Of Manchester Award for Best Movie with a Manchester Connection
2009 was an amazing year for Mancunian movies. In January, Radcliffe Director Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire' wowed audiences across the globe and went on to runaway success at the Oscars, winning 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture & Best Director. Closer to home, Ken Loach's Cannes-shortlisted Manchester flick 'Looking For Eric' boasted a cast of well-loved local actors and comedians plus Eric Cantona as himself. It's already being touted as being the best Manchester film ever. Mancunian actors appeared in a whole host of Hollywood blockbusters whilst the year ended with the huge Guy Ritchie smash Sherlock Holmes, filmed in Manchester (although actually set in London).
Ken Loach returns to his absolute best with the film that many, including us, are calling 'the best Manchester film ever'. Filmed in the city with a cast that includes Steve Evets, John Henshaw, Gerard Kearns, Justin Moorhouse, Mick Ferry, Smug Roberts and, of course, Eric Cantona as himself.
Shortlisted at Cannes, the story follows Eric, a depressed Mancunian postman whose life has gone off the rails ever since his wife walked out on him. Things get worse as his teenage son gets mixed up with the local gangster. With the help from his mates and an apparition of his idol, Eric Cantona, he tries to rebuild his life, win his wife back and sort out his son's troubles. This is Mancunian comedy at its best mixed with Loach's trademark dark story-telling.
It's absolutely wonderful stuff that is a must-see for any proud Mancunian. You don't have to be a United fan to enjoy it, let alone a football fan... we watched it with die-hard Liverpool and City fans, as well as girl who couldn't careless. They all rated it (nearly) as highly as the reds who've seen it. C'est fantastique!
~ Night At The Museum 2 - Battle of the Smithsonian ~
Middleton comedian Steve Coogan continues his roll as Octavius in the sequel to the 2006 family film. Starring alongside Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, Amy Adams and Hank Azaria in this fun-filled flick where the exhibits of the Museum of Natural History come to life at night. They're not happy about being shipped off into deep storage at the Smithsonian Institution and, to make matters worse, the exhibits at the Smithsonian, including the pharaoh Kahmunrah are not at all happy about their new visitors either. Can they be saved?
Last time Jude Law filmed in Manchester, the streets of the Northern Quarter stood in for New York in his remake of 'Alfie'. This time around, along with the Castlefield canal basin, it represents Victorian London in Guy Ritchie's action-packed updated take on Sherlock Holmes. Stars like Law, Robert Downey Jr and Mark Strong were also on set inside Manchester Town Hall, which stands in for the Houses of Parliament in the Hollywood Blockbuster.
The movie sees Arthur Conan Doyle's famous super-sleuth and his loyal accomplice, Dr Watson, investigating a nemesis who threatens to wreak havoc on England. What follows is a test of brains and brawn as the pair go to work once more.
Radcliffe Director Danny Boyle's heartwarming Indian tale scooped 8 Oscars, 7 Baftas and 4 Golden Globes so it's probably no surprise it made the shortlist for Best Movie with a Manchester connection. This gorgeous rush of colour, sound and motion is Boyle at his best.
The story follows a street kid who has landed an appearance on India's version of 'Who Want To Be A Millionaire?' and goes on to exceed expectations, the producers alerting the police after they become suspicious of his methods. Danny Boyle's masterpiece takes us on the dark but cheery story of how he knew the answers, highlighting the terrible poverty of Mumbai in the process.
Mancunian acting legend Bernard Hill plays a bit part in the WWII thriller which boasts drama and suspense in equal measure and is based on the true story of a group of Nazi officers who grew to oppose Hitler's murderous pursuits and make several attempts to kill him.
Valkyrie features an incredible top-flight cast including Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard and of course, Bernard Hill, who plays a Nazi General in the Tunisian desert. He is joined by fellow Mancunian actor David Schofield who stars as Erwin von Witzleben.
Co-written by Christopher McQuarrie, who also penned 'The Usual Suspects', Valkyrie is constructed like a heist film with a team of like-minded men coming together for a common purpose and facing incredible odds. This is a taut and effective historical thriller... the thinking person's action movie.
