The Empire Strikes Back at the BFI IMAX

This August, Star Wars fans can see Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back at the BFI IMAX.

Read the official description:

"The Empire Strikes Back is not only one of the great film sequels of all time, it is the moment when George Lucas and Frank Oz introduced masterful Jedi knight Yoda into the Star Wars series. He takes young Luke Skywalker under his wing to teach him the ways of the Force. The resulting scenes between Hamill and Oz’s puppet are seamless and accomplished. Elsewhere, pioneering special effects are showcased to impressive effect, making for a perfect film in every measurable way."

The three screenings take place on Saturday 15th August, Friday 21st August and Monday 31st August.

Are you booking tickets to see Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back at the BFI IMAX? Let me know in the comments below.

Terror of the Zygons at the BFI

To mark the imminent release of Doctor Who: The Collection - Season 13, the British Film Institute (BFI) is hosting a screening of the season opener, Terror of the Zygons. The classic Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) story features the shapeshifting Zygons, which were childhood nightmare fuel.

When oil rigs come under attack from some force able to rip them to shreds, UNIT’s Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) summons the Doctor to Scotland. The Doctor has a theory about exactly what’s causing the destruction, but it couldn’t really be the Loch Ness Monster. Could it?

The event will be held on Saturday, 20th September at midday; it will be preceded by a screening of Chris Chapman’s documentary Worlds Within, about the much-missed actor and writer Ian Marter (Harry Sullivan). Besides acting in Doctor Who, Marter penned acclaimed Target novelisations. There will be a Q&A with producer Philip Hinchcliffe after the main screening.

Tickets will go on sale on 5th August to BFI members and on 7th August to non-members.

Pre-order Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 13 now on Amazon (affiliate link).

BFI to screen original Star Wars

This will be a screening long remembered by Star Wars fans (myself included).

The British Film Institute (BFI) will screen the original Star Wars from 1977 this summer at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX from 12th to 15th June.

"An unmissable treat for Star Wars fans. A long time ago, George Lucas’s original space fantasy set in a galaxy far, far away was released in 1977, captivating countless imaginations for generations to come and forever shifting popular culture. Film on Film presents Star Wars exactly as experienced by audiences on its original release, screening from one of the precious handful of dye transfer IB Technicolor prints produced for the first British release, preserved in the BFI National Archive.

On display to coincide with the opening night screening there is also a rare opportunity to view material from the original continuity script for Star Wars, which includes rare on-set Polaroids, annotations and deleted scenes. The script is from the collection of Ann Skinner, script editor on the original film, and is now cared for by the BFI National Archive."

Before the special editions, prequels, and social media.

The last time I saw the theatrical releases of the original Star Wars trilogy on the big screen was with college friends at The Elstree Star Wars Day in 1994. I regret not taking a camera with me to capture the memories. However, there were film props, and I met David Prowse (Darth Vader) and Warwick Davis (Wicket). This was one of Davis' earliest appearances at a Star Wars-related event before the first Star Wars Celebration in 1999.

Star Wars is the defining film of my life, and June marks the 18th anniversary of my mum's death. It's going to be emotional.

Tickets go on sale on 9th May.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance at the BFI

To celebrate The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on Netflix, an exhibition will open at the BFI Southbank this summer.

Jim Henson's original opus, inspired by the works of Brian Froud (my late mum knew Wendy Froud who worked on Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back), enthralled me as a young child. However, that first fateful viewing at the ABC Cinema, Exeter, was a little too intense - Garthim and Skeksis anyone? Rediscovering The Dark Crystal, on a special edition DVD in 1999, I was beguiled by its lyrical beauty once again!

In a post-Game of Thrones world, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance offers a rich universe populated by fantastical characters played by a cast of stars including Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie Dormer, Eddie Izzard and Mark Hamill.

The exhibition, featuring workshops, Q&A sessions, and a making-of gallery, will be open to the public and will run from 23rd August until 6th September.

The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance will premiere on Netflix on 30th August.

Misfits in the USA

Last week I attended the Misfits S3 launch and screening at the BFI.

I won't delve deeper into the premiere episode aside from saying that any concerns about the series' demise, with the departure of Nathan, were premature and assuaged by a breakout performance from Joseph Gilgun as Rudy.

During the cast and creator Q&A that followed. Misfits' creator Howard Overman outlined that Superhoodie's identity was decided midway through recording S2 and alluded to a US version, after it was noted that Misfits has garnered a cult following, in North America, since Hulu started streaming S1.

Josh Schwartz (The OC and Gossip Girl) confirmed that a Misfits remake will be produced by his company Fake Empire under Warner Bros.

The combination of Howard Overman and the power of the Schwartz is too compelling to fail! The OC's Rachel Bilson should be cast as Alisha. What do you think?

Misfits S3 starts on E4 Sunday, 30th October, at 10pm.

Watch Misfits online at LOVEFiLM.com today, LOVEFiLM stream a huge collection of movies, also sign up now and get a 2 week trial absolutely free.

No 'sloppy seconds' for E4's Misfits!

On Thursday I was invited to a press screening of Misfits S2 episode one at the BFI, which was followed by a Q&A, chaired by Jonathan Ross, with the cast and crew.

Alongside BBC Radio 1, I was fortunate enough to attend a pre-screening Bloggers Q&A with the cast, and left struck by their genuine warmth and camaraderie. David Monteith, from Geek Syndicate, had posed a prescient Star Wars-related question to kick things off...



Series 2 is off to a strong start with an opening sequence - introducing a new mysterious character - that owes much to Chris Nolan's The Dark Knight. Listen carefully to the soundtrack, and tell me that it doesn't evoke Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, too! However, the pomp is subverted, in Misfits' inimitable style, when a paper airplane pokes Kelly in the eye.

Featuring the revelation of Nathan's superpower, a spurned shape-shifter running amok and a Wall's Cornetto gag, episode one sets things up for a blockbuster second series.

If you're wondering if there'll ever be a Misfits movie, Howard Overman, the series' creator, nixed that idea during the subsequent Q&A. Overman was refreshingly candid. He revealed that there's no deliberate subtext pertaining to the 'disenfranchised' and nor will everything be explained.

In the spirit of transmedia storytelling (a term I learnt from Steve Berry at Channel Four). Follow the Misfits on Twitter @simonmisfits @alishamisfits @kellymisfits @nathanmisfits @curtismisfits and me of course!

Misfits. Thursday 11 November, 10pm, E4. For exclusive content visit www.e4.com/misfits. However, if you can't wait that long there's iTunes.