Visual Effects: 100 Years of Inspiration. A collection of clips and making-of footage from notable visual effects films of the past century.

A case study in making things happen. many believe that Sam Rockwell's performance in sleeper hit MOON deserves an Oscar nod. Below Duncan Jones director of the Moon takes this belief one step further and chats with LAGenX.

Something that Duncan Jones doesn't mention that is if you
want to see more great inventive film making like MOON.
These guys need our support. Spread the word!

More info & deets on getting involved can be found on Duncan Jones' blog here!

RAY HARRYHAUSEN and TONY DALTON will be signing An Animated Life at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Saturday 24th October 1 – 2pm.

The last great animator before the introduction of CGI, Ray’s book takes us through sixty years of bringing dreams to life. From harpies and skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts to the six-armed Kali in Sinbad, Ray explains the films' journeys, from original concept through to the critics' reviews, as well as the basics of special effects and stop-motion animation. Now re-issued in softcover, An Animated Life is a wonderland guide through a golden age of SFX magic.

Mr Harryhausen is responsible for the barrier breaking animation in much loved classic films such as; Clash of the Titans, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, One Million Years B.C., First Men in the Moon, Jason and the Argonauts, Mysterious Island, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and many more.

Where
Forbidden Planet London Megastore
179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR

When
1-2pm Sat 24 Oct, 2009

"We Were Once A Fairytale" is a short film directed by Spike Jonze and made in collaboration with Kanye West. Shot a year ago it does seem that Life is imitating art.

The David Lean Lecture

The lecture series serves to carry on the legacy of the great director David Lean, one of the founders of the British Film Academy (as it was then known) in 1947 and continuing inspiration to many through his exceptional body of work. The David Lean Lecture in 2007 was presented by American Director David Lynch.

Previous lectures have been delivered by:
2007: David Lynch
2006: Oliver Stone
2005: Woody Allen
2004: John Boorman
2003 Ken Loach
2002 Robert Altman
2001 Sydney Pollack

The 2009 lecture will be given by Atom Egoyan. Over the course of three decades at the forefront of the international film industry, Egoyan has become one of contemporary cinema’s most celebrated auteurs. With feature films including The Adjuster, Calendar, Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter, Felicia’s Journey, Ararat, Where the Truth Lies and 2008’s Adoration Egoyan has garnered countless prizes and nominations, led by Grand Prix and International Critics Awards from the Cannes Film Festival and two Oscar® nominations for The Sweet Hereafter.

Egoyan’s elegant and inventive films feature lonely hearts and isolated figures of unfulfilled desire in often surreal and gloomy scenarios, yet all of his characters are redeemed by his extraordinary compassion for them and insight into their thoughts and feelings. His films are a rare mix of intellect, style and great heart.

Following the UK premiere of his Chloe at the London Film Festival, Egoyan joins the Academy for the prestigious Lean Lecture. With generous support by the Lean Foundation, the lecture is an event in which the world’s most celebrated and compelling directors provide insight into their experiences and into their unique take on cinema and the industry.

Where:
BAFTA
Princess Anne Theatre, 195 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LN

When:
7:45pm Friday 23 Oct, 2009

This autumn, the Ramblers, in association with Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival, will be holding an unmissable three week walking festival to celebrate London's world-class film heritage.

Timed to coincide with the Times BFI London Film Festival, the Ramblers second annual "Films on Foot" Festival (14 October-1 Novembwill er) see 9 walks focusing on different areas of London which have been stars of the big screen. The walks are free and open to everyone (new members are especially welcome). All the walks are led by volunteer members from the Metropolitan Walkers and the South Bank Ramblers Group.

The walks take place every Wednesday at 7pm, and every weekend at 1.30pm throughout the festival. There is no need to book, simply turn up at the meeting place indicated below.

An edit version of the programme is listed below:

Soho and the West End 'films on foot' walk - Wednesday 21 October 7pm
Join the Metropolitan Walkers for a 3 mile film stroll through Soho, the heart of the British film industry, and the West End with London's most famous landmarks captured on the big screen. The walk ends at a pub near Embankment tube station.

Notting Hill, Bayswater & Kensington Gardens - Saturday 24 October 1.30pm
Join the Metropolitan Walkers for a 8 mile film location walk This is a walk of contrasts taking in elegant 'Notting Hill' so popular with British romantic comedy film makers, the green space of Kensington Gardens and seedy Bayswater used in films such as 'Trainspotting'. The walk ends at a pub near Queensway tube station.

Isle of Dogs & Maritime Greenwich - Sunday 25 October 1.30pm
Join the South Bank Ramblers for a 5 mile film location walk through The Isle of Dogs - a frequent star of gangster and action films, and Maritime Greenwich - one of the most popular film locations in London. The walk ends at a pub in Greenwich.

Gangsters in the East End - Wednesday 28 October 7pm
Join the Metropolitan Walkers for a 3 mile stroll through the East End. This part of London was the play ground for real time villains, the Krays, and is a favourite film location for British gangster movies. The walk ends at a pub near Bethnal Green tube station.

Brompton Cemetery, Chelsea & Battersea Park - Saturday 31 October 1.30pm
Join the Metropolitan Walkers for a 6 mile film location walk. Brompton Cemetery and Battersea Park are two of the capital's most popular film locations, as well as being beautiful places to walk. The walk ends at a pub near Sloane Square tube station.

Westminster & the Royal Parks - Sunday 1 November 1.30pm

Join the Metropolitan Walkers for a 5 mile stroll taking film locations around Westminster and Belgravia, as well as the green spaces of St James's Park, Green Park and Hyde Park. The walk ends at a pub near Hyde Park Corner tube station.

For the full programme and information click here!

Every October SCI-FI-LONDON hold OKTOBERFEST, a Sci Fi based extravaganza. Arguably the most fun and varied Sci-Fi festival in the world. This year you'll be able to catch special events, screenings and their popular All-nighter events.

This year they have some really cool stuff happening including "a co-production we are doing with the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Yup, the home of GMT and all things astronomical, we have created SCI-FI-UNIVERSE, a planetarium show from an SF perspective. Also, at the Observatory we will have some talks and a writing workshop. And to celebrate the release of the DVD and Blu-ray, we will do an invite only screening of the new STAR TREK. Click here for details of how to register for this screening and how to buy tickets for this unique night at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park. Buy a planetarium ticket and you can attend on of the talks or workshop for free - places are very limited and on a first-come-first served basis, so get there early."

This years line up:
Friday 23rd October, 2009
Events held at the Royal Observatory Greenwich

6.30pm: Sci-Fi-Universe
8.15pm: Star Trek (2009)

Saturday 24th October, 2009
Events held at the Apollo Piccadilly Circus

9:00pm: SCI-FI-STAND-UP
Midnight: Anime All-nighter
11:00pm: Aliens and Predators All-nighter
11:30pm: MST3K All-nighter

A To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the very first ALIEN movie (and their 10th All-nighter!) SCI-FI-LONDON is giving you the chance to see these iconic movies as they should be seen - on a big screen from 35mm prints.

The event starts around 10.30 with DJ's in the bar and the first movie starts just after 11.00 - the whole. show ends around 10am the next day. There will be some very cool spot prizes and give-aways and a packed goody-bag. Throughout the night we keep you full of Redbull, Ice-Cream and coffee to help you make it 'til morning.



The line up:
ALIEN
ALIENS
ALIEN3
PREDATOR
PREDATOR 2 (Oops! Sorry) AVP: Alien vs. Predator
Tickets here!
Where
Apollo Piccadilly Circus
19 Regent Street
London
SW1Y 4LR

When
10:30pm Sat 24 - 11am Sun 25 Oct, 2009

Flashbacks of a Fool
Stars: Daniel Craig, Emile Robert, Olivia Williams, Mark Strong, Claire Forlani





















Daniel Craig stars as Joe, a hedonistic British actor whose Hollywood career is starting to nosedive. The death of his best friend from his English childhood causes him to journey back home for the funeral, and prompts flashbacks to his teenage experiences - including the tragedy that forced him to flee to the United States and a new life.

As well as playing the lead role, Daniel Craig is the executive producer of this film. It has been a pet project for a while. With the success of his new Bond fame the money came into place.

The part of the bitter and twisted film star was written with Craig in mind by his friend, Baillie Walsh, before the Bond star got famous.

"When he wrote the part for me about five or six years ago, I certainly didn't have the success I did now," says Craig, keen to stress that the tale of a successful but arrogant film star is not about him.

The film was mainly shot in Cape Town, South Africa and Malibu, California.

For the scene where Joe meets his agent and director of his potential next role. He meets the two at an upmarket restaurant overlooking the sea. Both the interior and exterior scenes were filmed at Salt Restaurant at The Ambassador Hotel in Bantry Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.

Where:
34 Victoria Road, Bantry Bay, Cape Town, South Africa, 8005

View Larger Map

CLIVE BARKER will be signing his new DVD, 'Midnight Meat Train' at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Thursday 15th October 6:30 - 7:30 pm.

Featuring Vinnie Jones and based on the short story by Clive Barker, Midnight Meat Train is the horrific tale of Leon, a New York photographer who saves a woman from being attacked. The woman then disappears and the police show no interest in Leon's story, forcing him to track down the killer on the subway system himself.


Please note that Clive Barker will only sign copies of 'Midnight Meat Train' and one other item per customer on the day. Due to time constraints, limits may change and Forbidden Planet cannot guarantee that every customer will be seen.

Where:
London Megastore
179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR

When:
6:30 - 7:30 pm, 15 Oct, 2009

The highly acclaimed artist and filmmaker comes to the BFI to discuss her career transition from gallery to cinema with Tim Marlow.



Whilst creating her first major artwork Killing Time in 1994, and the subsequent 1996 multi-screen works Travesty of a Mockery and Pent-Up, Sam Taylor-Wood gained valuable experience working with actors, and she has applied a cinematic sensibility to her still photographic work as well as her films ever since. Her diagnosis and recovery from both colon cancer in 1997 and breast cancer in 2001, influenced her already melancholic work, exploring and reflecting on the theme of mortality in such works as Still Life (2001) and A Little Death (2002) while experimenting with the distortion of time and motion. Pieces from 2005-2006; David, Prelude in Air and The Last Century, focus on moments of vulnerability and intimacy and remind us of elements now lost from our culture. Taylor-Wood's impressive short narrative film Love You More (LFF 2008) has much in common with her artwork, in as much that it is a simple idea, beautifully executed, and as with all of her work, it is the visual expression of the idea that is so original. We are proud to present the World Premiere of Sam's first feature Nowhere Boy as our Closing Night film, and very excited that she will be in conversation to discuss her work. Timothy Smith








Where
BFI NFT1

When
18:30 Tues 27 October

Disney's A Christmas Carol World Premiere and London's Christmas Light Switch-Ons

London will celebrate the launch of a traditional festive season with one of the capital's biggest-ever Christmas events on 3 November. This year, the Christmas Lights across the West End and in the City of London will be switched on simultaneously.

There'll also be a fantastic Christmas concert, and a unique light show at St Paul's Cathedral.

All this will be followed by the world premiere of Disney's A Christmas Carol, attended by the major stars of the movie.

Where & When
Christmas Lights Switch-on and Street Concert

London's Christmas lights will be switched on alongside street concerts between 5pm and 6.30pm on 3 November. Three locations across the city will come together to create London's first ever co-ordinated street concerts and Christmas light switch-on.

• Oxford Circus – live concert with major performing artists from 5pm, switch-on of Disney's A Christmas Carol lights by Jim Carrey – finishes at 6.30pm
• Regent Street – live concert with major performing artists from 5pm, switch-on of Disney's A Christmas Carol lights by Colin Firth and Robin Wright Penn – finishes at 6.30pm
• St Paul's Cathedral – live concert with major performing artists from 5pm, light show on St Paul's Cathedral switched on by Bob Hoskins

All events are free to the public – get there early to grab a good viewing spot.

Sing Your Way into the Record Books
Following the Christmas lights switch-on, the three stages will be linked for Londoners to join together to break the Guinness World Record for the largest number of people carol singing at one time! The singing will be led by the St Paul's Cathedral Choir.

The World Premiere of Disney's A Christmas Carol: Leicester Square 7.30pm
After the Christmas lights switch-on, the focus will shift to Leicester Square for the world premiere of Disney's A Christmas Carol.

The film's world premiere will be one of the most glittering and star-studded premieres that London has ever seen, attended by all the major stars including Jim Carrey and director Robert Zemeckis.

The film will be screened in three of London's leading cinemas – the Odeon Leicester Square, the Empire Leicester Square and the Odeon West End, all in cutting-edge Disney Digital 3D – creating the biggest-ever 3D screening.

For more info click here!