The making of Danny Boyle

A new Bond, a new Star Wars, a new Terminator, plus movies from Scorsese, Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson – 2015 is shaping up to be a humdinger

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From blockbusters to biopics, we look forward to the best films coming to cinemas between now and Christmas The latest film interviews Andy Serkis As the actor monkeys around in ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’, he talks chimps, ‘Star Wars VII’ and playing Hitler Few actors have done more to revolutionise filmmaking than Andy Serkis, the unseen star of apocalyptic blockbuster ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’. Wearing a ludicrous green Lycra ‘performance capture’ suit (basically a high tech leotard), Serkis has no qualms about wriggling around as Gollum in ‘Lord of the Rings’, or chestbeating in ‘King Kong’. Rather than view it as a sideline to ‘proper’ acting, the 50-year-old north Londoner has become the king of performance capture technology, where an actor’s movements are digitally recorded and translated into a computer image. He’s even opened a dedicated studio in Ealing, the Imaginarium, where he’ll direct ‘The Jungle Book’. His turn as chimp leader Caesar in the new ‘Apes’ was shot in performance capture. It’s a breathtaking example of technology and Serkis’s raw and powerful acting – even if you can’t see his face.Is performance capture your life’s work? ‘I’ve championed the technology because I really believe in it. It’s the most liberating tool for an actor. It enables you to play anything, regardless of shape, colour or sex. I wouldn’t say it’s everything, but it’s a massive chunk of my life.’ You’ve been doing it for years, but are there still times when you feel

We chart the skyscraping highs and bum-flashing lows of wisecracking action man and all-American idol Bruce Willis The latest film interviews Andy Serkis As the actor monkeys around in ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’, he talks chimps, ‘Star Wars VII’ and playing Hitler Few actors have done more to revolutionise filmmaking than Andy Serkis, the unseen star of apocalyptic blockbuster ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’. Wearing a ludicrous green Lycra ‘performance capture’ suit (basically a high tech leotard), Serkis has no qualms about wriggling around as Gollum in ‘Lord of the Rings’, or chestbeating in ‘King Kong’. Rather than view it as a sideline to ‘proper’ acting, the 50-year-old north Londoner has become the king of performance capture technology, where an actor’s movements are digitally recorded and translated into a computer image. He’s even opened a dedicated studio in Ealing, the Imaginarium, where he’ll direct ‘The Jungle Book’. His turn as chimp leader Caesar in the new ‘Apes’ was shot in performance capture. It’s a breathtaking example of technology and Serkis’s raw and powerful acting – even if you can’t see his face.Is performance capture your life’s work? ‘I’ve championed the technology because I really believe in it. It’s the most liberating tool for an actor. It enables you to play anything, regardless of shape, colour or sex. I wouldn’t say it’s everything, but it’s a massive chunk of my life.’ You’ve been doing it for years, but are there still times when y

We pay tribute to the wild, unpredictable Hollywood star whose career ranged from outright comedy to Oscar-winning dramatic roles The latest film interviews Andy Serkis As the actor monkeys around in ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’, he talks chimps, ‘Star Wars VII’ and playing Hitler Few actors have done more to revolutionise filmmaking than Andy Serkis, the unseen star of apocalyptic blockbuster ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’. Wearing a ludicrous green Lycra ‘performance capture’ suit (basically a high tech leotard), Serkis has no qualms about wriggling around as Gollum in ‘Lord of the Rings’, or chestbeating in ‘King Kong’. Rather than view it as a sideline to ‘proper’ acting, the 50-year-old north Londoner has become the king of performance capture technology, where an actor’s movements are digitally recorded and translated into a computer image. He’s even opened a dedicated studio in Ealing, the Imaginarium, where he’ll direct ‘The Jungle Book’. His turn as chimp leader Caesar in the new ‘Apes’ was shot in performance capture. It’s a breathtaking example of technology and Serkis’s raw and powerful acting – even if you can’t see his face.Is performance capture your life’s work? ‘I’ve championed the technology because I really believe in it. It’s the most liberating tool for an actor. It enables you to play anything, regardless of shape, colour or sex. I wouldn’t say it’s everything, but it’s a massive chunk of my life.’ You’ve been doing it for years, but are there sti

The 100 best sci-fi movies Check out our epic celebration of sci-fi on screen, from established masterpieces to small-scale oddities. We hope it’ll serve not just as a fun read for film fans, but as inspiration for future directors, writers and perhaps even budding scientists. Get it right, and science fiction can be the most awe-inspiring cinematic genre there is. Get it wrong, and the results can be catastrophic, embarrassing – and really fun to watch Take a closer look at the world of sci-fi... The 100 best sci-fi movies This is a golden age of science fiction cinema. But how did we get here? How did this hugely popular but critically frowned-upon genre go from cardboard spaceships on strings at the local drive-in to the world-conquering pinnacle of blockbuster success? To find out, we created ‘The 100 best sci-fi movies’, a definitive look at the genre from the silent spectacle of 1927’s ‘Metropolis’ to the emotional intimacy of 2013’s ‘Her’. More on sci-fi movies What sci-fi planet should you live on? The 20 most hilariously bad sci-fi movies The biggest sci-fi movies of all time The ten sci-fi movie inventions we wish were real The 20 most horrific sci-fi movie deaths 1977: the most important year in sci-fi movie history From a spaceship on strings to guy-in-a-rubber-suit aliens, cardboard robots, Mick Jagger in leather chaps and John Travolta with dreadlocks, the worst sci-fi movies offer us a whole universe of wrong. Strap on your blaster, pour yoursel

From his famous uncle to tripping with a feline friend, there’s more to the ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ star than you might have thought 1. He’s big on superheroes Born Nicolas Coppola, he got sick of being teased that he only had a career because of his surname (thanks to uncle Francis Ford). So he changed it to Cage after Marvel superhero Luke Cage. Well, it’s better than Thor. Latest film interviews Elle Fanning ‘I’m 16. I still go to school dances’ The teenage actress talks Disney princesses, fashion, feminism and getting star-struck. Read the interview Ken Loach ‘It’s difficult to keep out of mischief’ We speak to veteran director Ken Loach about rumours of retirement and his new film ‘Jimmy’s Hall’. Read the interview Michael Fassbender ‘You have to take risks’ We ask the star of ‘Shame’ and ‘12 Years a Slave’ why he’s hiding inside a giant fibreglass head. Read the interview Joanna Hogg ‘I tend to draw from my own life’ The British director discusses her new film, which explores the lives of two middle-aged artists. Read the interview Adam Driver ‘The military is the best acting training’ The accidental sex symbol talks about joining the US Marines, ‘Girls’ and his new film ‘Tracks’. Read the interview 2. He also likes dinosaurs In 2007, Cage paid $276,000 for a dinosaur skull, outbidding Leonardo DiCaprio. Excessive? This is a man who once owned nine Rolls Royces. The best films now showing Dawn of the Planet of the Apes The sequel to the prequel is a knockout Bo

All the big news from this year’s ultimate gathering of movie geeks The world’s biggest celebration of geek-friendly movies, comics and TV shows, San Diego’s Comic-Con International took place at the weekend. The internet is full of news pieces, screaming headlines and insider reports – but we’ve broken it all down into one handy five-point piece. This is all you need to know. 1. The Marvel Express shows no signs of slowing   For the past few years, Marvel Comics have dominated our summer viewing schedule. That’s not likely to change any time soon. Top of their upcoming release slate is ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’, next summer’s sequel to 2012’s ‘Avengers Assemble’, which is their biggest hit so far and one of the most successful films of all time. Cast members Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans and Samuel L Jackson were all on hand to promote the new movie, alongside villains James Spader and Josh Brolin. Comic-Con attendees were treated to a clip depicting the Avengers in their civvies sharing a drink, before a horde of galactic warriors came to gatecrash their party.In other Marvel news, footage was screened from the upcoming ‘Ant-Man’, in which Paul Rudd plays a hero able to shrink to insect size, and a sequel was announced for this summer’s sure-to-be-smash, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. Latest film interviews Elle Fanning ‘I’m 16. I still go to school dances’ The teenage actress talks Disney princesses, fashion, feminism and getting sta

1. ‘Star Wars’ is a hit George Lucas was a punk. He may not have had a Mohican or a safety pin through his nose, but the California-born director’s bloody-minded determination to make ‘Star Wars’ his way – building from scratch his own SFX studio, refusing to cast major stars, ignoring the advice of experienced industry insiders left and right – displayed a total dedication to the DIY ethos. Of course, it paid off handsomely, but there was never any guarantee. And if audiences hadn’t warmed to this odd little film about spaceships and mystical forces, the movies as we know them might look very different.‘Star Wars’ has been blamed for everything from infantilising filmgoers to celebrating American military might and thereby putting Ronald Reagan in power. But it also brought joy to millions of people around the world, and helped to make filmmaking a more democratic, grassroots process. God save George Lucas. We mean it, man.‘Star Wars’ is number six in our list of the 100 best sci-fi movies The 100 best sci-fi movies Check out our epic celebration of sci-fi on screen, from established masterpieces to small-scale oddities. We hope it’ll serve not just as a fun read for film fans, but as inspiration for future directors, writers and perhaps even budding scientists. It wasn’t just ‘Star Wars’ that sent the popularity of the genre into orbit. Here’s why the late ‘70s were a golden time to be a nerd 2. ‘Damnation Alley’ flops The likelihood is you’ve never even heard of ‘Damnati

There are some serious potential downsides to mucking about with the space-time continuum...