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Terrific sniper scenes can be found in all kinds of movies, from action and war films to thrillers and even comedies. There are fun scenes like the ridiculous curved bullets in "Wanted" and wild train shot in "Gemini Man," and there are gut-wrenching sequences like the ones in "Saving Private Ryan" (one of the most brutal  scenes in the movie) and "Full Metal Jacket." They're just scenes, though, in films focused elsewhere -- but there are other movies where the sniper sits as an integral element throughout.

Sniper movies put the shooter and their rifle front and center as main characters. Some are heroes, some are villains, and others can exist in the nebulous space between. All of them, though, are integral parts of the story being told. Now, keep reading for a look at the 15 best sniper movies of all time, ranked.

Read more: The 12 Best Navy Seal Movies,...

Its mean streak doesn’t get much press, but the hippopotamus is actually an incredibly dangerous creature. They’re so aggressive, they’re officially the deadliest large land mammal on the planet and are said to kill around 500 people every year in Africa. Now their rampage is set to extend to the screen, as Variety reports that the “nature run amok” survival thriller Hungry, which “pits a hungry hippo against a group of tourists,” is currently filming in Malta. Of course, the fact that a killer hippo movie is going by the title Hungry is a nod to Hasbro’s popular tabletop game Hungry Hungry Hippos, but this movie doesn’t have anything to do with Hasbro.

Written and directed by James Nunn, Hungry tells the story of a group of holidaymakers who must fight for their lives against a rampaging hippo on the loose after becoming lost in the Louisiana swamplands.

One More Shot features a strong ensemble cast of familiar faces from the action genre. The main cast of the movie includes action icons Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, and Tom Berenger. The supporting cast of the movie features a returning star and former stunt performer alongside quite a few newcomers.

The One More Shot cast contains a robust roster of fresh and familiar faces. The new movie, which premiered in theaters and via VOD in early 2024 before a streaming release on Netflix in May, is a sequel to the 2021 British action-thriller outing One Shot. Both movies were directed by James Nunn from a screenplay by Jamie Russell, though Nunn also has story credit on the pair. Other returning behind-the-scenes figures include producer Ben Jacques, composer Austin Wintory, and editor Liviu Jipescu.

The 2024 action movie is presented as a single, continuous take just like the previous installment in the franchise,...

In new French scifi thriller The Lockdown Tower, the inhabitants of a tower wake up one morning to find that their building is shrouded in an opaque fog, obstructing doors and windows - a strange dark matter that devours anything that tries to pass through it.

Trapped, the residents try to organize themselves, but to ensure their survival, they gradually succumb to their most primitive instincts, until they sink into horror.

Check out the trailer below.

Recommended Release: Tower Block...

Exclusive: A prominent Scottish MP is attempting to block former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries’ path to the House of Lords over her controversial claim that Channel 4 used actors in Love Productions’ reality format Tower Block of Commons.

John Nicolson, who sits on the influential Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee (Dcmsc) and famously grilled Dorries over Tower Block of Commons in May, has written to House of Lords Appointments Commission Chair Lord Bew and referred the matter to the UK’s Commons Committee of Privileges. Deadline has seen the letter.

Nicolson argues that Dorries’ knowingly misled a parliamentary committee with her “seemingly entirely false” claim and therefore should not be allowed to enter the House of Lords. The former I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! contestant stepped down as Culture Secretary earlier this week and is expected to be given a peerage.

In July, Channel 4 and Tower...

To celebrate the home entertainment release of the nail-biting terrifying thriller Shark Bait, we have a copy of the DVD up for grabs courtesy of Altitude!

Shark Bait is being released on DVD, on altitude.film and other digital platforms from 6th June.

This edge-of-your-seat nerve-shredder, from the producers of 47 Metres Down, Attack The Block and Boss Level, sees a group of spring-breakers being terrorised by a fearsome predator off the coast of Mexico. Director James Nunn delivers an adrenaline rush of a film packed with seriously intense set pieces, with a taut, twisting script from Nick Saltrese (who wrote the acclaimed and award-winning prison boxing film A Prayer Before Dawn). We dare you to watch it with your toes on the floor!

The fantastic cast includes Holly Earl (from the TV series Humans), Catherine Hannay (Doctors), and Malachi Pullar-Latchman (soon to be seen as D’Artagnan in The Three Musketeers), who discover,...

Mimicking the infamous Jaws poster, complete with Megalodon-sized shark about to chomp on an unsuspecting female swimmer, poster artwork for director James Nunn’s Jetski – renamed Shark Bait – offers up exactly as it says in its new title, complete with Noughties-style effects. Fans of shark thrillers will be pleasantly entertained by it, but do not expect anything more innovative to reinvigorate the genre, first born out of Steven Spielberg’s iconic 1976 film.

A bunch of carefree teens – Nat (Holly Earl), Tom (Jack Trueman), Milly (Catherine Hannay), Tyler (Malachi Pullar-Latchman) and Greg (Thomas Flynn) – are on their spring break weekend at a unidentified Spanish-speaking location. After a night of drinking and partying they continue their fun by jumping on two parked jetskis in the early hours, long before opening time and with none of the seaside residents up and around to witness their hedonistic act.

Far out to sea, they decide...

Stars: Holly Earl, Jack Trueman, Thomas Flynn, Malachi Pullar-Latchman, Catherine Hannay | Written by Nick Saltrese | Directed by James Nunn

Shark movies. What to say about the genre? Well, one thing you can say is that genre films featuring sharks terrorising humans are certainly prolific in their production, it feels like every month we get another shark movie of some kind. However, at this rate, there’s not many stories left to tell about shark versus man so filmmakers need the extra special something to make their movie stand out… So what does Shark Bait offer?

Well for a start it comes from director James Nunn, the British filmmaker behind a slew of great low-budget action movies over the years. He originally exploded on the scene with 2012’s Tower Block, before helming the likes of Green Street 3, Eliminators and One Shot, all starring Scott Adkins; as well as lensing The Marine...

Stars: Colm Meaney, Stephen Moyer, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Kris Johnson, Sadie Jean Shirley | Written and Directed by David Beton

Much of the pre-release discussion about Confession, (not to be confused with the 2020 serial killer film of the same name) centred on its stars Colm Meaney and Stephen Moyer. And although they both are excellent actors, that wasn’t why I decided to review it.

I was more interested in writer/director David Beton, Aka Ronnie Thompson. As Ronnie Thompson, he’d directed, but not written, the tense thriller Tower Block. And as David Beton, he’d co-written, but not directed, The Banishing, an enjoyable ghost story that also had significant religious content. I was curious to see what he could do filling both roles.

After a rather cryptic prologue, we join Father Peter (Meaney) as he’s wrapping up his duties for the evening. That’s interrupted by a knock on the door,...

In 1948, making a film of the stage play Rope, Alfred Hitchcock decided to try to make it appear as though the action took place in a single take. At that time, the technology didn’t exist to allow him to actually achieve this and so every ten minutes the viewer will notice a zoom on a static object, something that will allow Hitchcock to dissolve and link to the next ten minute take.

In almost 75 years, technology has advanced much further. Today, cameras allow for shooting entire features in a single take and editing has advanced to a point that transitions needn’t be the slow, awkward moments seen in Rope, meaning that films like Birdman and 1917, while shot in multiple takes over many days, can appear to be a single shot.

One Shot is a real time action film that finds Jake (Scott Adkins) and his Navy Seal team...

Stars: Scott Adkins, Ashley Greene, Waleed Elgadi, Ryan Phillippe, Emmanuel Imani, Dino Kelly, Jack Parr, Jess Liaudin, Lee Charles | Written by Jamie Russell | Directed by James Nunn

One Shot is both the title of the new Scott Adkins film, it’s also the film’s gimmick and reason for being made in the first place. Director James Nunn, working from a script by Jamie Russell, has given us a feature-length action film shot in one continuous take.

Needless to say, One Shot keeps the plotting to a minimum. CIA operative Zoe Anderson has been assigned to bring terrorist Amin Mansur (Waleed Elgadi; Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar) from a Black Site to the US for questioning. The base’s commander Jack Yorke doesn’t think that’s a good idea and is refusing to release him.

Lt. Jake Harris (Scott Adkins) and his team, Whit (Emmanuel Imani; Hold the...

Screen Media has acquired North American rights to James Nunn’s “One Shot,” a thriller about a team of trapped Navy SEALs that unfolds in real time.

The movie features martial arts star Scott Adkins, who previously worked with Nunn on “Eliminators,” “Tower Block,” and “Green Street 3.” The cast also includes Ashley Greene Khoury of The Twilight Saga fame and “Shooter” and “Cruel Intentions” star Ryan Phillippe. Screen Media will release the film theatrically and on video on-demand in late fall.

“I am delighted ‘One Shot’ has found such a tremendous home in Screen Media for its North American release,” said producer Marc Goldberg. “I know the Screen Media team will do a fantastic job with its release; the film is a nonstop action, thrill-a-second ride and will delight audiences in the USA.”

“We know audiences are going to be blown away by the action that James and his cast and crew have captured here.

Exclusive: 47 Meters Down outfit Tea Shop Productions has signed writer-director Natasha Kermani (Lucky) to adapt and direct Locke & Key co-creator Joe Hill’s short story Abraham’s Boys as a feature film.

The action-horror story is a follow-up of sorts to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, testing the relationships Stoker formed in his original novel. The plot follows Max and Rudy Van Helsing, who know nothing of their father Abraham’s past and cannot understand his overprotective attitude and strange behavior. To make matters worse, Abraham is becoming increasingly more unhinged, paranoid, and violent.

Kermani’s adaptation is set to explore the boys’ trauma through the eyes of a young Asian woman who is no stranger to death.

The project will mark the third feature for Iranian American filmmaker Kermani, who last year played in SXSW with her genre film Lucky, which was picked up by Shudder.

Author Hill, the son of Stephen King,...

Veteran Irish actor Colm Meaney, star of Star Trek, Con Air and, more recently, crime-caper Pixie and the Sky/AMC series Gangs of London, has joined True Blood’s Stephen Moyer in upcoming thriller Confession.

Announced by Signature Entertainment and Picture Perfect and from writer/director David Beton (The Hatton Garden Job, Tower Block), the film follows a wounded, bloodied man (Moyer) who takes a priest (Meaney) hostage, hell-bent on confessing a vengeful truth before it’s too late. But why here, why now? There is nothing random about this encounter as it’s revealed their pasts are inextricably linked.

Shooting on Confession — which reunites Moyer and Beton for a second ...

Veteran Irish actor Colm Meaney, star of Star Trek, Con Air and, more recently, crime-caper Pixie and the Sky/AMC series Gangs of London, has joined True Blood’s Stephen Moyer in upcoming thriller Confession.

Announced by Signature Entertainment and Picture Perfect and from writer/director David Beton (The Hatton Garden Job, Tower Block), the film follows a wounded, bloodied man (Moyer) who takes a priest (Meaney) hostage, hell-bent on confessing a vengeful truth before it’s too late. But why here, why now? There is nothing random about this encounter as it’s revealed their pasts are inextricably linked.

Shooting on Confession — which reunites Moyer and Beton for a second ...

Production is underway in Malta on survival thriller “Jetski,” which is being shopped globally by Altitude Film Sales.

Directed by James Nunn, best known for British thriller “Tower Block” (2012) and actioner “Eliminators” (2016), the film follows a group of spring-breakers enjoying a weekend in Mexico. After a big night of partying on the beach until dawn, the friends steal a couple of jetskis and take them out to sea, but end up in a horrific head-on collision.

After one of the jetskis sinks, the group finds itself stranded two miles from land on one remaining, broken-down jetski, and struggling with a badly injured friend. With no clear way home and predators circling in the choppy waters below, the true horror begins.

The film, which is written by Nick Saltrese (“A Prayer Before Dawn”), will be shopped to buyers at the American Film Market, which runs virtually from Nov. 9-13. Originally set...

Stars: Adam McNab, Nicky Evans, Rosanna Hoult, Jean-Paul Ly, Richard Sandling, Kaitlyn Riordan, Mica Proctor, Nicholas Aaron, Ben Shafik, Doug Allen, Karanja Yorke, Marcus Shakesheff , Hung Dante Dong, Phil Deguara, Daisy Aitkens | Written and Directed by Marc Price

Nightshooters, from writer/director Marc Price (Colin), is a non-stop action-thriller about a group of filmmakers who find themselves on the run from a violent mob of criminals, after witnessing a brutal gangland execution. Unable to escape their set, the hapless film crew must use their technical skill and cinematic knowledge to survive. As the hoods draw near to eradicate all witnesses, stunt man Donnie (Jean-Paul Ly) is forced to take his martial arts capabilities off script, putting his skills to practice for survival. The sound team resourcefully use their equipment to track their surroundings as the special effects guru disregards all the rules of set, abandoning safety to set lethal traps...

Exclusive: International sales vet Simon Crowe, financier Matthew Joynes and former Kaleidoscope executive Michael Chapman are setting up new UK/Ireland distribution company Blue Finch Film Releasing.

The label will look to pick up commercially-oriented and cast-driven movies and is aiming to release up to 20 pics per year, including a select number of theatrical titles.

Officially launching in September, the company is in discussions about first movies on the slate. I understand there are also advanced conversations with at least one other established sales and finance outfit who could join the Blue Finch fold.

Chapman, who recently left UK distributor Kaleidoscope after six years, will serve as COO while Crowe will be acting CEO. The latter will continue to run his sales outfit Sc Films.

Well-liked sales vet Crowe set up Sc Films with financier Joynes in 2008. The company has ploughed a furrow in animation working on movies such as...

WWE Studios and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions have announced that the two studios will partner again to release the latest film in the long-running WWE superstar-led The Marine franchise, The Marine 6: Close Quarters - which will once again star The Miz as Marine Jake Carter, this time teaming up with bad-ass wrestler and former Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels(!)

Set to begin production on Monday November 27th in London, the film is written by Craig Walendziak (Contracted: Phase II) and directed by James Nunn – who helmed the previous film in the series along with the awesome Scott Adkins actioner Eliminators, Green Street 3: Never Back Down (which also starred Adkins) and the critically acclaimed horror/thriller Tower Block. All of which make Nunn four-for-four when it comes to superb genre flicks… Add Becky Lynch to that equation – in whatever role she is...

We at ScreenAnarchy, and I expect many of our readers, are big fans of James Moran, screenwriter of Severance, Cockneys vs Zombies, Tower Block, and episodes of Doctor Who and Torchwood. He's also directed some fantastic shorts, such as Crazy for You and Ghosting. Now, he is joining forces with his equally talented partner Cat Davies (writer/director of shorts Keen-Wah and Connie), and they are bringing us a new horror-comedy, Blood Shed! Jack loves a bargain. And he loves sheds. When he buys suspiciously cheap second-hand parts online to build his very own dream shed, he and long-suffering wife Helen find they’ve got more than they bargained for: a killer shed with an appetite for blood. As the body count rises, and the shed’s ferocious...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Stars: Scott Adkins, Lily Ann Stubbs, Wade Barrett, James Cosmo, Daniel Caltagirone, Stephen Marcus, Nick Nevern, Ty Glaser, Sean Cronin, Mark Wingett, Mem Ferda | Written by Nathan Brookes, Bobby Lee Darby | Directed by James Nunn

If there’s ever a phrase that will have me instantly reaching for my wallet it’s “a Scott Adkins film…” Honestly, nine times out of ten I will buy an Adkins film without so much as seeing a trailer. Why? Well because for me, Adkins is keeping the Dtv dream alive, picking up the action hard-man mantle from 90s pioneers like Jeff Speakman, Olivier Gruner, Gary Daniels and in particular Jeff Wincott, one of the only other true action heroes to have the same perfect blend of fighting skills, charisma and acting chops as Adkins.

Eliminators sees Adkins re-team with his Green Street 3 director James Nunn (who also co-directed the fab British thriller Tower Block...

Author: Zehra Phelan

Back in 2015, Britain witnessed a robbery that could have been straight out of the movies. It was a throwback crime to the days of the Great Train Robbery of 1963, a crime which made the likes of Buster Edwards and Ronnie Biggs household names. It was only a matter of time before this new story was adapted for the big screen and The Hatton Garden Job is just that film.

The Hatton Garden Job is directed by Tower Block and I Am Soldier writer and director Ronnie Thompson, though looking at the new trailer anyone would think this has a touch of Guy Ritchie about it. The cast is none too shabby either; the gang of aging criminals is lead by Brian Reader who is played by Larry Lamb who may be most recognisable as Gavin’s Dad in Gavin and Stacey. He also had the evil role...

Sarah Dobbs Oct 28, 2016

Seven horror screenwriters share their tips on how to write a really scary movie

It’s easy to write a horror movie, isn’t it? Pack up a couple of kids, send them off somewhere isolated, and have a monster chase them through the woods. Throw in some loud bangs on the soundtrack and you’re sorted. Right?

Wrong. Well, okay, not wrong if you want to write a basic, generic, forgettable kind of horror movie. But if you want to do something better than that, things get a bit more complicated. You need a proper story; characters worth investing in; a carefully constructed atmosphere of dread punctuated by the kind of scares that make your audience hide behind their hands. And that’s not easy.

To get the lowdown on what works and what doesn’t, I interviewed some working horror writers. Here are their tips:...

The Los Angeles-based company will handle international sales on the thriller starring Matthew Goode and Joely Richardson depicting the infamous London jewellery heist in 2015.

Principal photography is underway in and around London for four weeks. Stephen Moyer, Lamb, Clive Russell, Sarah-Jane Crawford, David Calder, Mark Harris, and Phil Daniels round out the key cast.

Ronnie Thompson (Tower Block) directs from a screenplay he wrote with Dean Lines and Ray Bogdanovich. Ben Jacques serves as producer.

The Hatton Garden Job centres on the eight men who carried out the biggest burglary in British history.

The story follows a recently released convict who recruits a team of veteran criminals known as “the bad grandpas” or “the Enfield Expendables”, all aged between 68 and 76 and eager for one final chance at glory. The gang is currently all behind bars.

“We’re excited to work on this wildly interesting project and are confident that the film will resonate the world over,” said...

Exclusive: 47 Meters Down collaborators are merging to launch London-based The Fyzz Facility Pictures.

UK financier-producer The Fyzz Facility has closed a deal with The Tea Shop & Film Company producers Mark Lane and James Harris to launch The Fyzz Facility Pictures.

Tea Shop owners Lane and Harris have been appointed directors of The Fyzz Facility Pictures alongside The Fyzz Facility co-founders Wayne Marc Godfrey and Robert Jones.

The two companies have worked together on three films in the last 18 months including upcoming thriller 47 Meters Down, which is due for release later this year through TWC in North America and eOne in the UK.

The new outfit will focus on developing existing and new IP and has a plan to produce three to five features and TV productions each year.

The Usual Suspects producer Jones launched The Fyzz Facility with producer Godfrey five years ago since when the outfit has helped finance a host of large-scale titles including [link=nm...

Simon Brew Jan 24, 2017

James Moran, of Doctor Who, Cockneys Vs Zombies and Tower Block fame, chats to us about writers, and whether they're getting a raw deal...

James Moran is a screenwriter, and has been since he was able to quit his full time job, once he sold his first movie script, Severance. He wrote Severance across many, many evenings, and off the back of its success, he's since penned movies (Cockneys Vs Zombies, Tower Block) and TV (Doctor Who, Torchwood: Children Of Earth) as well as moving into directing.

He's a writer working at a point where screenwriting continues to get scant regard in some quarters. Read reviews of a movie, and how often is the writer mentioned? When a press junket comes along for a big production, it's the stars and director that tend to get wheeled out, but what about the person who wrote the words on the page?...

People Just Do Nothing returns to BBC Three tonight for a second run - one year on from its first full series, three years after its launch as an iPlayer 'Comedy Feed' pilot, and five years since its earliest outings on YouTube.

Devised by a group of friends, the sitcom / mockumentary was inspired by The Office, Spinal Tap and Curb Your Enthusiasm - but especially (and appropriately) by a BBC Three documentary series, Tower Block Dreams, which explored the underground music scene in UK council estates.

The early webisodes of People Just Do Nothing - following the deluded crew of pirate radio station Kurupt FM, led by Mc Grindah (Allan Mustafa) and DJ Beats (Hugo Chegwin) - were shot guerilla-style, with no budget and, for the most part, no scripts.

But these early amateur efforts generated a cult following and eventually attracted the attention of Roughcut TV's Ash Atalla, producer on The Office.

Exclusive: The Vampire Diaries and The Originals star Claire Holt has landed the co-lead role opposite Mandy Moore in 47 Meters Down, the Dimension Films underwater thriller that the label picked up last spring. Production is now set to start in June with Mark Lane and James Harris producing via their The Tea Shop and Film Company, the outfit behind Cockneys Vs. Zombies and Tower Block. Moore boarded earlier this week. The two will play sisters on a dream vacation to…...

You love the horror, suspense thriller, action and science fiction films that make up the world of Canadian cult cinema affectionately known as Canuxploitation.

You’ve watched the entire David Cronenberg genre filmography (if not, please do so now as The Brood, Scanners and The Fly are three of the greatest horror films ever made).

You’ve seen Black Christmas and The Changeling and watched a slasher-ific marathon of Prom Night, Terror Train, Happy Birthday to Me and My Bloody Valentine.

You caught up with Cube, the Ginger Snaps series, Splice, Hobo with a Shotgun and WolfCop all while keeping close tabs on the works of Astron-6.

Yet your hunger for Canadian genre film productions and co-productions cannot be satiated.

To aid you in your deeper exploration of the field, following is a chronological look at a number of Canadian genre films that simply don’t get enough attention.

****

The Groundstar Conspiracy...

Exclusive: Independent boards sales; Robbie Ryan to produce, DoP.

Shoot is underway in Minnesota, Us, on Irish writer-director Billy O’Brien’s adaptation of novelist Dan Wells’ supernatural-thriller I Am Not a Serial Killer.

Christopher Lloyd (Back To The Future), Max Records (Where The Wild Things Are) and Laura Fraser (Breaking Bad) star in the feature, which charts the story of a teenage boy hunting for a supernatural serial killer in his snowbound mid-western town.

Production started on February 28, with Nick Ryan, Robbie Ryan and Billy O’Brien of Floodland Pictures (The Summit) producing alongside The Tea Shop and Film Company’s (Tower Block) James Harris and Mark Lane.

The Irish Film Board, Quickfire Films and The Fyzz Facility provide finance while post-production will be handled by Egg in Ireland and London-based sales outfit Independent handles international sales.

Slow West and Philomena DoP Robbie Ryan will produce and handle cinematography, while [link=nm...

Following its UK premiere at FrightFest, Second Sight have announced the UK rights acquisition of acclaimed supernatural tale of Victorian revenge, The Sleeping Room.

The directorial debut of John Shackleton (Writer/Producer Panic Button) the film will make its UK debut On-Demand and Download on 27th April 2015 and DVD on 11th May 2015. Produced by Gareth I. Davies, The Sleeping Room marks Movie Mogul’s second feature.

Orphaned 19 year-old Brighton call girl Blue (Leila Mimmack – Becoming Human) is sent by her violent pimp Freddie (David Sibley – Downton Abbey) and his blowsy partner Cynthia (Julie Graham – Tower Block) to meet a new punter in Brighton, unaware of the horrifying impact it will have on her life. As Blue begins to fall for the quirky charms of her client Bill Hepworth (Joseph Beattie – Hex), she’s even more intrigued by the grand Regency terraced house that he is renovating; a once infamous Victorian brothel.

Young German director Nikias Chryssos first appeared in these pages way back in 2009 with his acclaimed short film Tower Block and he now returns with his debut feature film - the dark satire The Bunker. A young student is lodging with a family in the forest where the peace and seclusion of their subterranean bunker will allow him to concentrate on an academic work. The family welcomes him with great friendliness and, at first, everything seems to be fine. But after a while the parents increasingly use the student as a private tutor for their eight year old son, Klaus, who up until now has been educated exclusively by his father at home. They want the boy to receive a comprehensive education - this...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

A new year of films may beckon, but there are lots of movies from 2014 you may have missed. Here's a list of 2014's most underappreciated...

There was no shortage of magnificent films in 2014 of every kind, from the expensive and explosive to the low-key and experimental. But it's a sad fact of life that not all movies do as well as they should, either because of poor distribution or simply because they'd been released at the same time as something much bigger and more star-laden.

While the list below is by no means an exhaustive one - there are plenty of great films from 2014 that we're still getting around to seeing - it's our attempt to highlight a few fine pieces of work that didn't get quite as much love as they deserved.

So without further ado - and in no particular order - we'll start with a stunning...

Exclusive: Feature marks debut of award-winning commercials director.

Goldcrest and The Tea Shop & Film Company are joining forces to produce supernatural thriller Slumber.

The film marks the feature debut of commercials director Jonathan Hopkins who has previously directed campaigns for McDonalds, Sony and eBay.

Slumber, written by Hopkins and 2013 Blood List screenwriter Richard Hobley, will be produced by Mark Lane and James Harris for The Tea Shop, the London-based production outfit behind Tower Block and Cockney vs Zombies.

Executive producers are Goldcrest’s Nick Quested and Pascal Degove. The company will handle sales and tease advance footage shot by the director during the upcoming Afm.

Slumber will tell the story of a sleep doctor who is forced to abandon scientific reason and accept that a family is being terrorised by a parasitic demon, which paralyses victims as they sleep.

Production is scheduled for next spring with casting underway.

Goldcrest Post, under managing...

Stars: Roxanne Pallett, Jason Mewes, Frances Ruffelle, Jessica-Jane Stafford, Emma Buckley, Peter Barrett | Written by Adam J. Marsh | Directed by Owen Tooth

Albion Court is the least ‘des res’ in the neighbourhood – a hangout for drug dealers, rife with squatters and two residents recently died in an apparent bizarre suicide pact. However when Sarah (Roxanne Pallett) in thrown out by her abusive, alcoholic mother (Frances Ruffelle), she has no choice but to move in to the notorious block. Determined to make the best of things Sarah tries to settle in but she is disturbed by bizarre neighbours, strange sounds coming through the paper-thin walls, creepy images on the TV and an overwhelming feeling that she is being watched.

Things get a whole lot worse when a badly mutilated body of one of her neighbours is found hanging in the lift and more and more residents begin to disappear – including squatter-come-burglar...

If you haven't yet seen The Devil's Rock, a WWII-based horror film that marked the feature debut for New Zealand director and Weta Workshop special effects artist Paul Campion, you've missed a dark, gruesome and intense tale that feels like it's torn straight from the pages of the classic horror comics... although it's actually based in part on historic events, along with some chilling occult lore. Here's the trailer: I was introduced to Campion recently (by Bane of Yoto author Josh Viola), and I found out he's got tons more amazing horror projects in the pipe – most notably a feature adaptation of Brian Keene's acclaimed horror novel Dark Hollow. Naturally, I had to learn more about that, as well as Paul's amazing short films, and he graciously offered us the scoop. Fearnet: For those who haven't yet seen The Devil's Rock, can you explain the genesis of that project?...

Lions Gate Home Entertainment

To celebrate the upcoming release of Noel Clarke’s latest British flick, I Am Soldier, on 17th March on blu-ray and DVD, we are giving 3 lucky WhatCulture.com readers the chance to win a copy of the film on blu-ray.

I Am Soldier follows Mickey (Tom Hughes, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll) taking on the most dangerous military training known to man: Sas selection. The Special Air Service is the UK’s most renowned Special Forces regiment, tasked with missions in some of the most dangerous and hostile locations on the planet. Mickey is smashed by the grueling selection process – physically, mentally and emotionally. But, when the Counter Terrorism Squadron take charge of a deadly situation, Mickey, Carter (Noel Clarke, Star Trek Into Darkness) and their fellow recruits advance into conflict to see if they really do have what it takes. Many try to get into the Sas.

There was a spirit and drive on set of Ronnie Thompson’s latest drama I Am Soldier, and a commitment to the cause not to dissimilar to the special forces themselves, with a palpable, tireless work ethic spreading around the camp. It seems only right this be the case, as the one thing Thompson – whose previous directing credit is Tower Block – was hellbent on guaranteeing, is that his film is rife with authenticity, as he uses his own personal experiences as a serviceman, to help craft this piece of cinema.

“Because I have a service background, it’s always something I’m naturally interested in,” he told us on set. “I don’t know many directors or writers that have that kind of experience to draw on and that mindset of a service person. So it’s always something I wanted to do. I’m a director who has more...

To mark the release of I Am Soldier on 17th March, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on Blu-ray.

Following the successful release of ‘Screwed’, I Am Soldier is penned by bestselling writer and accomplished director Ronnie Thompson (Tower Block). This gritty action drama takes you on a journey through torturous escape missions, exhausting physical programmes and highly classified interrogations.

I Am Soldier features a formidable cast of all British talent, including Tom Hughes (About Time, Cemetery Junction) as lead recruit ‘Mickey’, BAFTA Award winner Noel Clarke (Star Trek: Into Darkness, Adulthood) as instructor and mentor ‘Carter’, George Russo (Green Street 3, Top Dog) as fellow candidate ‘Jj’ and Miranda Raison (My Week with Marilyn, Match Point) as ‘Stella’.

With former Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan Richard Kemp Cbe overseeing the authenticity of combat scenes, I Am Soldier gives a true to life portrayal of what soldiers...

With 2012 British Thriller, Tower Block, James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson had hoped to create a nerve-shredding ninety minutes of tension and torment. The tower block in question might be showing signs of decay, but it doesn't hold a candle to James Moran's predictable script. Fortunately, with strong performances and genuine shocks, Nunn and Thompson have crafted an effective British thriller that hits the target more often than not. The last remaining residents of a run-down London tower block find themselves targeted by a deadly sniper, and they soon discover that they're all connected to a brutal murder that took place sometime before. Becky (Sheridan Smith) and the other remaining residents kept quiet, fearing retribution, but panic quickly spreads when all communication to the outside world is severed and the group are picked off by an unknown marksman with a high-tech rifle. The big reveal is telegraphed early on and...

With 2012 British Thriller, Tower Block, James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson had hoped to create a nerve-shredding ninety minutes of tension and torment. The tower block in question might be showing signs of decay, but it doesn't hold a candle to James Moran's predictable script. Fortunately, with strong performances and genuine shocks, Nunn and Thompson have crafted an effective British thriller that hits the target more often than not. The last remaining residents of a run-down London tower block find themselves targeted by a deadly sniper, and they soon discover that they're all connected to a brutal murder that took place sometime before. Becky (Sheridan Smith) and the other remaining residents kept quiet, fearing retribution, but panic quickly spreads when all communication to the outside world is severed and the group are picked off by an unknown marksman with a high-tech rifle. The big reveal is telegraphed early on and...

Jack O'Connell, who will be seen in 300: Rise of an Empire next month, has signed on to star as the younger lead in Universal Pictures' spy thriller Section 6.

Aaron Berg wrote the script, which the studio acquired in October after a heated bidding war, that also landed on the 2013 Black List. The story centers on the formation of British spy agency MI6 during World War I, and its first director, Sir George Mansfield Cummings, who served as the inspiration for M in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. No details were given for Jack O'Connell's character.

The project doesn't have a director attached at this time, with the studio set to begin its search for a filmmaker in the near future. Lawrence Grey, who helped develop the script with Aaron Berg, is producing alongside Marc Platt and Adam Siegel. No production schedule was given at this time.

Stars: Dougray Scott, Kara Tointon, Iddo Goldberg, David Schofield, Joshua Kaynama, Lindsay Duncan | Written by Omid Nooshin, Andy Love | Directed by Omid Nooshin

What’s this? I’m reviewing a new British movie? Yes indeed, if you’ve been a long time reader of my work, you may have noticed a proclivity for me to review mainly American movies be it of the mainstream or independent variety. But every so often a British flick comes along that grabs my attention – usually they’re of the horror or thriller variety of course, and Last Passenger is no different.

The film tells the story of a small group of passengers on a late night train out of London. In the sleepy and abandoned carriages stop after stop are missed and Lewis (Dougray Scott), with five other remaining passengers, end up on a ride of a lifetime as the train hurtles relentlessly down the track.

Multiple deals for Spooks film, Big Game, 47 Metres Down, more.

UK sales outfit Altitude Film Sales has confirmed a slew of sales on their growing slate.

Pre-sales on Spooks: The Greater Good, Shine Pictures’ action-thriller based on the hit TV series, have been inked with Constantin (German-speaking Europe), Swen (Latin America), Gulf Film (Middle East), Cinesky (airlines) and Cinemania (former Yugoslavia).

47 Metres Down, Johannes Roberts underwater thriller which is scheduled to shoot in Q2 2014 and has Screen Star of Tomorrow Vanessa Kirby attached, has been picked up by Entertainment One (UK), Square One (Germany), Wild Side (France), Vendetta (Australia/Nz), All Media (Cis), Dutch Filmworks (Benelux), Gulf Film (Middle East), Pictureworks (India), Suraya (Malaysia), Shaw (Singapore), Cmc (Taiwan), Impuls (Switzerland) and Cinemania (former Yugoslavia).

Launched at Cannes last year, the thriller from Tower Block and Cockneys vs Zombies producers James Harris and Mark Lane, has clocked up an impressive string of pre-sales and continues to generate interest...

The purpose of this roundup is to put the highlights of all things Star Wars from the last week in one location. If you read this each week, you should be able to converse fluently with any Star Wars fan on everything from the latest Star Wars: Episode VII developments to the latest toys. And maybe you'll even share with them something that they might have missed. Let's get to it! Image from Honey Bee Revenge Party Episode VII Movie News Summary Bleeding Cool reported this week on a new casting rumor: Jack O'Connell, who was excellent in Tower Block, Harry Brown, Skins and many more, is a real contender for a key role in Star Wars: Episode VII. I believe that he's met with Abrams and the signs I'm getting are that this meeting went very well....

Director J.J. Abrams is still in the process of casting Star Wars: Episode VII. I'm actually surprised that there have been no official casting announcements yet, but I imagine they are coming soon.

There's a rumor that an actor named Jack O'Connell is up for a "key role" in the film. I'm not really familiar with the actor, but he's been in films such as Tower Block, Harry Brown, and Skins. According to sources at Bleeding Cool, the actor has "met with Abrams and the signs I’m getting are that this meeting went very well."

Up to this point, some of the names we've heard that are up for parts in the film are Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matt Smith, Rachel Hurd Wood, and Jason Flemyng.

I'm excited to see who actually ends up being cast in the movie. In the meantime, all we have to go on are...

Yup, another Star Wars: Episode VII rumor has surfaced, this time over at Bleeding Cool. The site is reporting that English actor Jack O'Connell (television's Skins, Harry Brown, Tower Block) is a "real contender for a key role" in the upcoming film. They also believe O'Connell has met with J.J. Abrams, and the site believes the meeting went extremely well. Bleeding Cool thinks Jack O'Connell's role might be the same one Matt Smith was...

Production is scheduled to begin next month on Star Wars: Episode VII. With casting still in full swing, no one has been confirmed for this highly-anticipated sequel yet. Until that day comes, we only have the many casting rumors, the latest being that British actor Jack O'Connell is up for an unspecified role.

The actor has reportedly already met with director J.J. Abrams, and it is believed that the meeting went very well. It's also worth noting that the actors who have been previously rumored to be up for roles in the sequel all hail from England, including Saoirse Ronan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matt Smith, Rachel Hurd-Wood and Jason Flemyng.

It isn't known if the part Jack O'Connell read for is the same role that Matt Smith is vying for.

J.J. Abrams is directing from a screenplay he co-wrote with Lawrence Kasdan, based on an original draft by Michael Arndt.

According to sources for Bleeding Cool, English actor, Jack O'Connell, is now very much in the mix for a part in J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII. Jack O’Connell, who was excellent in Tower Block, Harry Brown, Skins and many more, is a real contender for a key role in Star Wars: Episode VII. I believe that he’s met with Abrams and the signs I’m getting are that this meeting went very well. O’Connell, 23, has made name for himself in Tower Block, Harry Brown and Skins. Though he is a name in the states just yet, that all might change when 300: Rise of an Empire and Angelina Jolie's Starred Up open in theaters next year. Release Date: December 18, 2015...

We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes multiple teaser trailers, a call of submissions for the Hollywood Horrorfest, a Fear Clinic casting update, a Q&A with Hannah Cowley from Haunting of the Innocent, and much more:

Hollywood Horrorfest Details: “From the man who brought you both The Los Angeles Animation Festival and the Boobs & Blood Film Festival, comes the first annual Hollywood Horrorfest (March 28-29, 2014).

Hhf not only showcases new films in competition, but also helps guide filmmakers through the new digital age of filmmaking – from new approaches to financing and production to how to get sales and distribution.

Screenings, awards, red carpet photo opps, industry panels and networking – Hhf has it all, and under one roof, the legendary and now Quentin Tarantino owned, New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles.

“Our focus is on the filmmaker.