Much of the recent positive attention lavished upon British director Steve McQueen's latest movie Shame has focused on the continuing, fruitful relationship between McQueen and leading man Michael Fassbender. Shame is the second collaboration between the pair, who worked together on McQueen's acclaimed debut Hunger and are set to join forces once more on his third film Twelve Years A Slave, due out sometime later this year.

The general consensus is that working in tandem brings the best out of both artists, which makes one think about the other great directing and acting duos of cinema history. The obvious place to begin is, of course, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro who, over a remarkable 22 year period teamed up to produce 8 films, many of which are commonly cited as being amongst the best of all time. With work such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas on their collaborative CV, Scorsese and De Niro have claim to being the most extraordinarily consistent director- actor partnership in the history of cinema.

Yet there are many other partnerships which challenge for the title. What about Tim Burton and Johnny Depp whose shared sense of humour and pathos so enriched Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood, amongst other titles? Or Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant, whose partnership produced suspense classics like North by Northwest and To Catch a Thief? More recently David Fincher has done much of his most potent work in collaboration with Brad Pitt, who brought a sense of likability to his hard edged thriller Seven and a sense of raw physicality to his anarchic Fight Club.

A new, potentially explosive, addition to the dirty cop genre of procedural crime movies Rampart will be landing on UK screens in February of this year. Starring Woody Harrelson, Steve Buscemi and Sigourney Weaver and helmed by Israeli writer/ director Oren Moverman (whose debut film The Messenger earned Harrelson an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2009) Rampart is based on the true life story of the fallout which followed the notorious LAPD Rampart scandal of the late 90s. That scandal, in which a group of LA Detectives were accused of everything from drug peddling to armed robbery to involvement in the Biggie Smalls shooting , had plenty of material for an exciting movie so fans of the genre would appear to have plenty to look forward to.

Adding more intrigue to the story is the presence of the famously cantankerous crime novelist James Ellroy on the credits as a co-writer. Ellroy, whose formidable body of work includes classics like LA Confidential, American Tabloid and My Dark Places, has had a somewhat difficult relationship with Hollywood during his long and storied career and has never been shy about criticising the film industry. However, it is his original draft of the screenplay that Moverman took on and shaped into the finished film and, apparently, the easily displeased Ellroy is happy with the results.

Further flavour is added to the film by the reaction of Harrelson to the final cut. Harrelson professed to be unhappy with Overman's finished cut on first viewing but on second viewing came to the conclusion that it was “one of the greatest things to ever happen to me in my career.”

It is common to hear critics on the more self-consciously “serious” edges of film journalism accuse modern cinema of being, creatively, on its knees. Usually this is argued by citing the box office Top 10 populated, as it generally is, with CGI heavy Hollywood fare. “Where are the great artists of the1970s?” they have asked repeatedly to the point that it has become a kind of accepted truth: that movies are just not as good as they used to be and there is no longer an audience for creatively interesting filmmaking.

Yet, when looking back at film in 2011, one is struck by just how many brilliant and brilliantly creative movies were released and how many of them broke through at the box office. Think of things like Black Swan, True Grit, 127 Hours, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Drive – all praised by critics, all true expressions of their directors' artistic visions and all, crucially, box office hits. None of them looked in anyway compromised by commercial concerns nor “dumbed down” to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

A glance at the more definitively arty end of the spectrum in the last year also reveals a great richness in the vision of today's filmmakers – We Need To Talk About Kevin, La Quattro Volte, Kill List, Animal Kingdom and Cave of Forgotten Dreams are just a few examples of the truly maverick nature of so much that came from cinema's periphery in the last year.

And then look at the box office Top Ten itself, the list that we are so often told represents all that is wrong with modern filmmaking. With, The King's Speech, The Inbetweeners' Movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Bridesmaids on the list it can hardly be considered lacking creative merit. Plus, the fact that the top 5 of last year all took more than 50 million in the UK alone is further testament to just how healthy and thriving the industry is.

So, huge audiences in the multiplexes, big name directors taking massive risks on interesting, popular movies and a thriving art house scene.

New movies are produced every day worldwide; featuring big and small names, as well as new up-and-coming actors. Movies are all made with different budgets, which depend on varying factors such as the requirements of the film and the amount of money available. Plenty of films do make a substantial loss, but often they can make a significant profit. There is one thing that is rarely achieved and that is hitting the BILLION Dollar mark.

5. The Dark Knight – ($1,001,921,825).

This 2008 movie features Christian Bale as Batman, as well as Aaron Eckhart and Heath Ledger among other well-known faces in the supporting cast. The budget for this movie is estimated to have been $185,000,000.

There are several films in this series, including At the world’s end, On stranger tides and Dead Man’s Chest. Out of all these, it is the Dead Man’s Chest that reached the billion dollar club. Its budget is estimated to have been $300,000,000.

This movie had an estimated budget of $94,000,000. Just like the Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings was a series of films and it was The Return of the King that proved to be the most successful and reach sales of over a billion dollars.

The sole romantic movie that has made the list, produced with a budget of $200,000,000, Titanic, featured one of the highest paid actors of all time, Leonardo DiCaprio, in his biggest ever movie.

If you are a child of the 90s you might have watched some of the great kung fu films. Today such movies are hard to find. The video libraries seem to get rid of the old movies and in the near future you may struggle to easily find a “Shaolin Temple” DVD. For those from the 90s generation, there are times when you need a good old kung fu film.

1. Drunken Master. This is probably one of the lowest budget movies that Jackie Chan ever acted in. As successful as it is, there are neither explosives nor guns involved. This is a movie you want to watch right to the end. Jackie Chan is sent to his uncle who teaches him kung fu as a punishment. He hates every moment of it, but when a renowned killer beats him up, he uses his new skills to get revenge.

2. Fist of fury. Also called the Big Boss. For those who have watched Bruce Lee movies, you must agree that none of his movies can be underestimated. This movie was released in 1971 and was a common household name. Bruce Lee promised his uncle that he would live a life free of violence, but all that changes when his cousins go missing.

3. Seven Samurai. This 1954 movie is one that you will not want to miss. The story, which will keep you hooked until the end, is about seven samurai fighters who are hired by a small village for their protection. A problem occurs when a group of bandits outnumber the samurai fighters and the only thing for them to do is to teach the villagers how to defend themselves.

Going out to the cinema to watch a film is becoming quite expensive due, in part, to the economic downturn. The prices for tickets and refreshments have all risen and, today, you would be lucky if you spent less than £10 on a night out at your local picture house.

Avoid weekend nights. Tickets from Friday to Sunday nights are expensive because those are times when high attendances are expected. Opt to go on weekdays when the ticket prices are lower.

Avoid online reservations. Making a reservation online can save you the time, but not always money. Online reservation websites sometimes charge you an extra fee for using their services. If you need to make a reservation online, have a look for coupon codes and vouchers. You can often find 10-20% off deals.

Avoid the cinema. Leave the movie theatres and search for other means of watching the latest films. Search your local directories for preview screenings, movie nights in bars and pubs, and special events at colleges and universities. There are also often websites that saw legal screenings of films for free, or a small donation, and television channels sometimes show low-budget films before they come to the cinema.

Register as a member. Becoming a registered member of your local cinema will help you save in the long run. Most cinemas, whether big chains or local art-house screens, offer you membership deals where you can get free tickets, receive a discount on refreshments and tickets, as well as other benefits.

The competition in Hollywood is always high. You never know who has made the most money in a particular year until it is over and all the films have been released. A movie is brought out and you may think that some is going to earn the most money. But, before you realise, another blockbuster has been released and somebody else is edging up the list.

1. At the top of the list is the creator of Avatar, James Cameron, of the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Unsurprisingly, he got to this position because of Avatar. He made $ 248 million out of the film. In addition to that he landed a $5 million deal for the toy licensing. As well as $4 million from previous film projects. That brings his earning total to a staggering $257 million.

2. In second place is Johnny Depp. His estimated earnings in 2011 were $100 million. He works exclusively with United Talent Agency. As you may notice the difference between Johnny's earnings and that of James Cameron is quite substantial. He was paid $40 million for starring in “Alice in Wonderland” movie and then $35 million as an up-front payment for “Pirates of the Caribbean”. He also received $20 million for acting in “The Tourist”, then $5 million from previous projects.

3. Third in the list is Steven Spielberg. A Director and producer with CAA. His 2011 earnings are estimated to be around $80 million dollars. $50 million of that was from consultation fees, $20 million from producing and directing “War Horse” and from previous projects he earned an estimated $10 million.

First dates are traditionally used as a way of getting to know somebody that you like a little bit better. Although, this is not 100% true today. Technology has done its part to quicken the process and made getting to know one another a lot easier. Due to the availability of mobile phones and the internet, most people nowadays only meet each other when they know literally know everything already. Because you already know so much about your date, meeting for a movie is a great idea.

If you have ever fallen in love, you know that the beginning of a relationship is the part that you will never forget. For this reason, when considering the right film, you want to keep things positive and happy. You don’t want to watch something that will make either of you sad, scared or embarrassed.

Before choosing the movie, have an idea of what you want to watch, and make sure you know all about it. It is a wise idea to watch a movie you have already seen before. This way, you will know what happens, and you won’t be taken by surprise and end up ruining a perfect evening.ou sad, scared or embarrassed.

Get to know each other’s likes and dislikes. Many romantic movies are mixed with other scenes. Take for example “The Pirates of the Caribbean”. It is a love story that also contains scenes of adventure and comedy that anyone can enjoy on the first date. But this will only work if you both like Hollywood blockbusters. When choosing a movie, keep the other person’s passions in mind. One way to see what they like is to check their Facebook page, where people often list their favourite movies.

It seems like every time a film does well at the box office, movie studio executives want to make a sequel, or even a prequel out of it to earn some extra cash. The problem is that it is sometimes tough to follow a really good film with another. Out of all the sequels that have ever been made, it is much easier to list the weakest than the good ones.

Titanic II - The first Titanic film was one of the highest grossing blockbusters of all time. Titanic II did not even make it to the cinemas; instead it went straight to DVD. While most people saw the first Titanic when it was released, very few have seen its sequel.

Saw III to VI - What started out as a horror movie with a refreshingly different plotline has become a redundant series of films. On the success of the first Saw movie, there have been 5 others made since, released annually. The plot has not been injected with new life since the first sequel and the originality of the movie has long disappeared.

Sex and the City II - Millions of women, and some blokes too, around the world spent years following the love and sex lives of Carrie Bradshaw and co. during the television series’ many years. Once the show finished, a movie was made based with the same characters and actors. But, the second instalment of the film did not live up to expectations, despite the big budget, exotic location and designer clothes.

Loaded Barrel Studios, the comic studio that brought you BRIELLE AND THE HORROR, is proud to announce the release of its first full-length, 120 page, full-colour, internationally distributed live-action graphic novel GREY! Written by the Barel Brothers with artwork by Jared Barel, GREY is the part sci-fi, part horror story of Bullard Valley, a quiet, little farming community that has been plagued by a series of mysterious disappearances and deaths. Now, it's up to local Chief of Police, John Mack, to discover the cause of these tragedies. Is the source of their troubles extraterrestrial?

GREY is illustrated in the Loaded Barrel Studios signature "live-action" style derived from the creative team's backgrounds in film and photography; shooting every panel of every book as if it were a movie shoot and converting those images into the unique artwork in every LBS project by combining photo manipulation, computer generated imaging, digital and traditional illustration. The cinematic styled artwork has left some critics calling Loaded Barrel Studios "the future of comics."

Without further ado, Loaded Barrel Studios would like to invite you to take a look at the live-action/animation hybrid trailer for GREY (it's only 1 minute... make sure to watch in HD!)

If you liked that, please enjoy the 2 minute live-action theatrical trailer for BRIELLE AND THE HORROR that Loaded Barrel Studios produced to promote the development of the feature film based on the comic book series.

Want your copy now? Then stop on over at www.loadedbarrelstudios.com where you can order your copy, exclusive autographed merchandise, t-shirts, skatedecks and more! Also check out our website to find out more about Loaded Barrel Studios and check out a preview of GREY and all the Loaded Barrel comics.

GREY is available internationally through Diamond's PREVIEWS (item #: SEP111172). GREY is available DIGITALLY through DriveThruComics.com, Graphic.ly, and Comics+ iVerse.

Help spread the love by giving us a THUMBS UP, LIKE the video, and SUBSCRIBE to updates!

See you at the next Con!