Exclusive: Niamh Algar (The Virtues), Mia Goth (Suspiria) Billy Howle (Outlaw King), Paapa Essiedu (Gangs Of London), Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) and Aisling Bea (Living With Yourself) lead the impressive ensemble cast of crime-thriller Sweet Dreams, which is launching ahead of the Cannes virtual market.
The “Fargo in England” story, from writer-director Carl Tibbets (Black Mirror) and producer Matthew James Wilkinson (Yesterday) of Stigma Films, charts a series of unfortunate coincidences that bring the overreaching ambitions of a bunch of petty criminals to a nasty end. Algar will play the police chief trying to put an end to the destruction.
The team is aiming to shoot in Q4, 2020. Amp International is handling world sales.
Tibbetts is known for directing 2011 feature Retreat with Thandie Newton, Cillian Murphy and Jamie Bell, and multiple episodes of hit TV dramas including Black Mirror, The Tunnel, Humans, Woman In White and BBC Studios-produced We Hunt Together,...
The “Fargo in England” story, from writer-director Carl Tibbets (Black Mirror) and producer Matthew James Wilkinson (Yesterday) of Stigma Films, charts a series of unfortunate coincidences that bring the overreaching ambitions of a bunch of petty criminals to a nasty end. Algar will play the police chief trying to put an end to the destruction.
The team is aiming to shoot in Q4, 2020. Amp International is handling world sales.
Tibbetts is known for directing 2011 feature Retreat with Thandie Newton, Cillian Murphy and Jamie Bell, and multiple episodes of hit TV dramas including Black Mirror, The Tunnel, Humans, Woman In White and BBC Studios-produced We Hunt Together,...
- 6/10/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Greenlit means a project is officially a go, so all you have to do is follow these leads to stay up to date. You never know where you’ll find an opportunity to land an audition! Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis ProjectThe as yet untitled Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis project, potentially using the music of The Beatles, potentially starring Himesh Patel, and definitely starring Lily James is gearing up to shoot in April. The project now has casting director Gail Stevens on board. “The Secret Garden”The new adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s “The Secret Garden” is shooting in May on location. Written by Jack Thorne, it will be directed by Marc Munden. The casting director is Karen Lindsay-Stewart. “Bad Move”“Bad Move,” the comedy series starring Jack Dee and Kerry Godliman, is shooting a second season in Yorkshire this summer with casting director Catherine Willis attached. “Men in Black...
- 4/2/2018
- backstage.com
Greenlit means a project is officially a go, so all you have to do is follow these leads to stay up to date. You never know where you’ll find an opportunity to land an audition! “Dear Evan Hansen”Broadway transfer “Dear Evan Hansen” is to cast British actors for their West End run, according to an article in the Daily Mail. The show has taken New York City by storm and, since opening in 2016, has picked up six Tony awards. Despite assumptions that one of the American actors who has played the role on Broadway would bring it to the U.K., the British production will go with fresh casting. The London production has yet to be confirmed but is expected to open in 2019. Untitled Danny Boyle/Richard Curtis FilmLast week saw the confirmation of rumours about an upcoming feature from director Danny Boyle and writer Richard Curtis. Actor...
- 3/19/2018
- backstage.com
Turkish casting director one of 16 nominated for prize.
Turkish casting director Harika Uygur [pictured] has won the Locarno Film Festival’s European Casting award for her work on Cannes 2015 hit Mustang.
The Oscar-nominated drama charts the coming-of-age of five carefree girls whose conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged.
Uygur was one of 16 European casting directors nominated for the award, which was decided on by the 83 members of the International Casting Directors Network (Icdn), which represents casting directors in 24 countries.
“This casting director created an organic family that was totally believable; the match of characters and actresses was perfect,” the Icdn told Screen in a statement.
The inexperienced young actresses in lauded drama Mustang - Elit Iscan, Gunes Nezihe Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Ilayda Akdogan, and Tugba Sunguroglu - were widely praised for their performances.
Uygur’s recent credits include The Ottoman Lieutenant and Lady Winsley. She is also a member of the Academy of Motion...
Turkish casting director Harika Uygur [pictured] has won the Locarno Film Festival’s European Casting award for her work on Cannes 2015 hit Mustang.
The Oscar-nominated drama charts the coming-of-age of five carefree girls whose conservative guardians confine them while forced marriages are arranged.
Uygur was one of 16 European casting directors nominated for the award, which was decided on by the 83 members of the International Casting Directors Network (Icdn), which represents casting directors in 24 countries.
“This casting director created an organic family that was totally believable; the match of characters and actresses was perfect,” the Icdn told Screen in a statement.
The inexperienced young actresses in lauded drama Mustang - Elit Iscan, Gunes Nezihe Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Ilayda Akdogan, and Tugba Sunguroglu - were widely praised for their performances.
Uygur’s recent credits include The Ottoman Lieutenant and Lady Winsley. She is also a member of the Academy of Motion...
- 8/4/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
facebook
twitter
google+
What made Trainspotting so special? We take a look back at Danny Boyle's classic, as it heads towards its 20th birthday...
Trainspotting, by Irvine Welsh, was first published in 1993. The novel grew from a series of short stories into a collection of non-linear connected vignettes based around a group of heroin addicts from Leith and their acquaintances. Parts of the novel – which grew from Welsh's diaries after being inspired by the early Nineties rave scene – were published in a variety of journals and pamphlets across Scotland, including New Writing Scotland and Rebel Inc. One of these publishers passed on the work to Secker & Warburg, who published it despite not feeling it had much commercial value (though they had previously put out works by Orwell, Kafka, and Simone de Beauvoir).
Written from multiple characters' perspectives in a variety of accents, it was longlisted for the Booker Prize...
google+
What made Trainspotting so special? We take a look back at Danny Boyle's classic, as it heads towards its 20th birthday...
Trainspotting, by Irvine Welsh, was first published in 1993. The novel grew from a series of short stories into a collection of non-linear connected vignettes based around a group of heroin addicts from Leith and their acquaintances. Parts of the novel – which grew from Welsh's diaries after being inspired by the early Nineties rave scene – were published in a variety of journals and pamphlets across Scotland, including New Writing Scotland and Rebel Inc. One of these publishers passed on the work to Secker & Warburg, who published it despite not feeling it had much commercial value (though they had previously put out works by Orwell, Kafka, and Simone de Beauvoir).
Written from multiple characters' perspectives in a variety of accents, it was longlisted for the Booker Prize...
- 3/12/2016
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
The Academy has announced the new class of invited members for 2014 and, as is typical, many of which are among last year's nominees, which includes Barkhad Abdi, Michael Fassbender, Sally Hawkins, Mads Mikkelsen, Lupita Nyong'o and June Squibb in the Actors branch not to mention curious additions such as Josh Hutcherson, Rob Riggle and Jason Statham, but, okay. The Directors branch adds Jay and Mark Duplass along with Jean-Marc Vallee, Denis Villeneuve and Thomas Vinterberg. I didn't do an immediate tally of male to female additions or other demographics, but at first glance it seems to be a wide spread batch of new additions on all fronts. The Academy is also clearly attempting to aggressively bump up the demographics as this is the second year in a row where they have added a large number of new members, well over the average of 133 new members from 2004 to 2012. As far as...
- 6/26/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 271 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.
“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”
The 2014 invitees are:
Actors
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”
Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”
Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”
Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.
“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”
The 2014 invitees are:
Actors
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”
Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”
Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”
Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...
- 6/26/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o of 12 Years a Slave were two of the 271 artists and industry leaders invited to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which determines nominations and winners at the annual Oscars. The entire list of Academy membership—which numbers about 6,000—isn’t public information so the annual invitation list is often the best indication of the artists involved in the prestigious awards process. It’s worth noting that invitations need to be accepted in order for artists to become members; some artists, like two-time Best Actor winner Sean Penn, have declined membership over the years.
- 6/26/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Pop quiz: What do Chris Rock, Claire Denis, Eddie Vedder and Josh Hutcherson all have in common? Answer: They could all be Oscar voters very soon. The annual Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences invitation list always makes for interesting reading, shedding light on just how large and far-reaching the group's membership is -- or could be, depending on who accepts their invitations. This year, 271 individuals have been asked to join AMPAS, meaning every one of them could contribute to next year's Academy Awards balloting -- and it's as diverse a list as they've ever assembled. Think the Academy consists entirely of fusty retired white dudes? Not if recent Best Original Song nominee Pharrell Williams takes them up on their offer. Think it's all just a Hollywood insiders' game? Not if French arthouse titans Chantal Akerman and Olivier Assayas join the party. It's a list that subverts expectation at every turn.
- 6/26/2014
- by Guy Lodge
- Hitfix
Emmy nominated actor Vincent D’Onofrio (Men In Black, ‘Law and Order: Criminal Intent’) and Rodrigo Santoro (300, Love Actually) are in final negotiations to star alongside Diego Boneta (Rock Of Ages), Golden Globe nominated actor Colm Meaney (Get Him To The Greek, The Damned United) and Seu Jorge (The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, City Of God) who have joined the cast of PELÉ, the inspirational drama about the legendary Brazilian soccer player, written and to be directed by Michael Zimbalist and Jeff Zimbalist, and produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, Seine Pictures’ Ivan Orlic, and Kim Roth, and Colin Wilson.
Principal photography started on September 30 on location in Brazil. PELÉ will be executive produced by Pelé, Paul Kemsley and Exclusive Media.
Seine Pictures is fully financing the film and licensed Pele’s life rights from Sports Licensing International B.V.
The film’s creative team includes Academy...
Principal photography started on September 30 on location in Brazil. PELÉ will be executive produced by Pelé, Paul Kemsley and Exclusive Media.
Seine Pictures is fully financing the film and licensed Pele’s life rights from Sports Licensing International B.V.
The film’s creative team includes Academy...
- 10/2/2013
- by Kellvin Chavez
- LRMonline.com
Emmy nominated actor Vincent D’Onofrio (Men In Black, ‘Law and Order: Criminal Intent’) and Rodrigo Santoro (300, Love Actually) are in final negotiations to star alongside Diego Boneta (Rock Of Ages), Golden Globe nominated actor Colm Meaney (Get Him To The Greek, The Damned United) and Seu Jorge (The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, City Of God) who have joined the cast of PELÉ, the inspirational drama about the legendary Brazilian soccer player, written and to be directed by Michael Zimbalist and Jeff Zimbalist, and produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, Seine Pictures’ Ivan Orlic, and Kim Roth, and Colin Wilson.
Brian Grazer said, “I’ve always been excited about the exploration of genius. PELÉ is that story. He is an inspiration to his country.”
Principal photography started on September 30 on location in Brazil. PELÉ will be executive produced by Pelé, Paul Kemsley and Exclusive Media.
PELÉ tells...
Brian Grazer said, “I’ve always been excited about the exploration of genius. PELÉ is that story. He is an inspiration to his country.”
Principal photography started on September 30 on location in Brazil. PELÉ will be executive produced by Pelé, Paul Kemsley and Exclusive Media.
PELÉ tells...
- 10/2/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Filmmakers are a surprising lot. While their films may be brash and bold, they’re personas are often far more quiet and demure than one would expect. With the release of one of the brashest, most over the top and genuinely hilarious comedy horrors in recent memory Cockneys vs Zombies, director Matthias Hoene is no exception. Think the best parts of early Guy Ritchie mixed with the sweetness of Shaun of the Dead and you’ve got Cockneys vs Zombies directed by the German born Hoene, who is quiet yet passionate about his film and he has every reason to be.
Cockneys vs Zombies packs an over the top sense of humor (including the all important Cockney Rhyming Slang) that has come out of the East end of London, several storylines, action, and a one of a kind cast. It’s a film that has travelled across genre film festivals...
Cockneys vs Zombies packs an over the top sense of humor (including the all important Cockney Rhyming Slang) that has come out of the East end of London, several storylines, action, and a one of a kind cast. It’s a film that has travelled across genre film festivals...
- 8/19/2013
- by Alex West
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
The hunt for Osama bin Laden preoccupied the world and two American presidential administrations for more than a decade. But in the end, it took a small, dedicated team of CIA operatives to track him down. Every aspect of their mission was shrouded in secrecy. Though some of the details have since been made public, many of the most significant parts of the intelligence operation..including the central role played by that team..are brought to the screen for the first time in a nuanced and gripping new film by the Oscar®-winning creative duo of Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal.
Their account of bin Laden.s pursuit and capture, vivid yet faithful to the facts, takes the viewer inside the hubs of power and to the front lines of this historic mission, culminating in the special operations assault on a mysterious, suburban Pakistani compound.
But it is the lead-up...
Their account of bin Laden.s pursuit and capture, vivid yet faithful to the facts, takes the viewer inside the hubs of power and to the front lines of this historic mission, culminating in the special operations assault on a mysterious, suburban Pakistani compound.
But it is the lead-up...
- 12/26/2012
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Academy Award nominees Bill Murray and Laura Linney star in a historical tale that uniquely explores the all-too-human side of one of history’s iconic leaders. Blending literate wit and drama, Hyde Park On Hudson is directed by Roger Michell from a screenplay by Richard Nelson.
In June 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (played by Mr. Murray) readies to host the King and Queen of England (Samuel West and Olivia Colman) for a weekend at the Roosevelt home at Hyde Park on Hudson, in upstate New York . marking the first-ever visit of a reigning British monarch to America. As Britain faces imminent war with Germany, the royals are desperately looking to Fdr for U.S. support.
But international affairs must be juggled with the complexities of Fdr’s domestic establishment, as his wife Eleanor (Olivia Williams), mother Sara (Elizabeth Wilson), and secretary Missy (Elizabeth Marvel) will all play a part in...
In June 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (played by Mr. Murray) readies to host the King and Queen of England (Samuel West and Olivia Colman) for a weekend at the Roosevelt home at Hyde Park on Hudson, in upstate New York . marking the first-ever visit of a reigning British monarch to America. As Britain faces imminent war with Germany, the royals are desperately looking to Fdr for U.S. support.
But international affairs must be juggled with the complexities of Fdr’s domestic establishment, as his wife Eleanor (Olivia Williams), mother Sara (Elizabeth Wilson), and secretary Missy (Elizabeth Marvel) will all play a part in...
- 12/5/2012
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Yesterday the New York Film Critics Circle (Nyfcc) named Zero Dark Thirty Best Picture. Wins also went to Kathryn Bigelow, Best Director and Greig Fraser, Best Cinematography. Here’s the latest clip from Columbia Pictures’ film.
The hunt for Osama bin Laden preoccupied the world and two American presidential administrations for more than a decade. But in the end, it took a small, dedicated team of CIA operatives to track him down. Every aspect of their mission was shrouded in secrecy. Though some of the details have since been made public, many of the most significant parts of the intelligence operation – including the central role played by that team – are brought to the screen for the first time in a nuanced and gripping new film by the Oscar®-winning creative duo of Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal.
Their account of bin Laden.s pursuit and capture, vivid yet faithful to the facts,...
The hunt for Osama bin Laden preoccupied the world and two American presidential administrations for more than a decade. But in the end, it took a small, dedicated team of CIA operatives to track him down. Every aspect of their mission was shrouded in secrecy. Though some of the details have since been made public, many of the most significant parts of the intelligence operation – including the central role played by that team – are brought to the screen for the first time in a nuanced and gripping new film by the Oscar®-winning creative duo of Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal.
Their account of bin Laden.s pursuit and capture, vivid yet faithful to the facts,...
- 12/5/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
When casting director Gail Stevens auditioned actors for “Zero Dark Thirty,” she says she couldn’t let them read from the movie’s script. She couldn’t even tell them what they were auditioning for. “The script was very, very, very sensitive, and hardly anyone read it,” Stevens says. “We would get people in to read, [and] we would read from other scripts—films that had scenes that could have been used in that kind of area.” Sensitive, indeed: Directed by Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow, “Zero Dark Thirty” chronicles the U.S. Navy SEALs’ top-secret mission to find Osama bin Laden. Because of the confidentiality of the subject matter, Stevens can’t reveal the final cast list until the film opens Dec. 19. Though it’s unclear which actors will be playing which characters, we know that Jessica Chastain, Kyle Chandler, Chris Pratt, Mark Strong, Joel Edgerton, and Nash Edgerton will be members of the cast.
- 11/28/2012
- backstage.com
James Howson, who was plucked from obscurity to star in 2011 film, had admitted threatening his partner and baby daughter
A young film actor chosen from a jobcentre to play the role of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights has been given a conditional discharge for the racially aggravated harassment of his partner and mother of their young daughter.
James Howson, 24, appeared before Leeds magistrates court from St James's hospital in the city, where he is detained under the Mental Health Act by an order which currently extends to 26 September.
He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and national insurance number before the hearing was told of his increasingly hostile attitude to his partner, Shakira Ramdihal as he developed a psychotic illness. Prosecutor Manda Harris said that he had made violent threats against both mother and baby after he was refused admission to the maternity wing last September following the child's birth.
A young film actor chosen from a jobcentre to play the role of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights has been given a conditional discharge for the racially aggravated harassment of his partner and mother of their young daughter.
James Howson, 24, appeared before Leeds magistrates court from St James's hospital in the city, where he is detained under the Mental Health Act by an order which currently extends to 26 September.
He spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and national insurance number before the hearing was told of his increasingly hostile attitude to his partner, Shakira Ramdihal as he developed a psychotic illness. Prosecutor Manda Harris said that he had made violent threats against both mother and baby after he was refused admission to the maternity wing last September following the child's birth.
- 5/28/2012
- by Martin Wainwright
- The Guardian - Film News
James Howson, who admitted racially abusing the mother of his daughter, is sought by police after not attending court
Magistrates have issued an arrest warrant for the Wuthering Heights film star James Howson after he failed to appear for sentencing over the racial abuse of his former partner.
The unemployed 24-year-old, who won the role of Heathcliff in last year's remake through a Jobcentre advertisement in Leeds, has gone missing after a period of treatment under the Mental Health Act.
Howson's solicitor, Anthony Sugare, told Leeds magistrates court that his client had been discharged from a hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Thursday and was aware of the duty to attend the hearing.
Howson pleaded guilty in January to shouting violent abuse at Shakira Ramdihal and banging on the window of her home in Leeds when the relationship turned sour after she became pregnant.
He won critical praise for his performance in...
Magistrates have issued an arrest warrant for the Wuthering Heights film star James Howson after he failed to appear for sentencing over the racial abuse of his former partner.
The unemployed 24-year-old, who won the role of Heathcliff in last year's remake through a Jobcentre advertisement in Leeds, has gone missing after a period of treatment under the Mental Health Act.
Howson's solicitor, Anthony Sugare, told Leeds magistrates court that his client had been discharged from a hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Thursday and was aware of the duty to attend the hearing.
Howson pleaded guilty in January to shouting violent abuse at Shakira Ramdihal and banging on the window of her home in Leeds when the relationship turned sour after she became pregnant.
He won critical praise for his performance in...
- 3/26/2012
- by Martin Wainwright
- The Guardian - Film News
James Howson, first mixed-race actor to play Heathcliff, awaits sentencing for abusing mother of his child after they split up
The young star of the latest film version of Wuthering Heights, who is awaiting sentence for racially abusing a former girlfriend, has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
Proceedings were adjourned at Leeds magistrates court after James Howson's solicitor explained that the 24-year-old was being treated at a hospital in Newcastle.
Sectioning is used in cases where doctors are convinced that psychiatric treatment is essential, compelling the patient to accept medical help for 28 days, renewable for further periods, with the right of appeal by the patient or friends and relatives.
Howson's solicitor Anthony Sugare said outside the court: "The position is that on arriving at court this morning, I was told that the court itself had heard from the hospital that he had been taken in there under the...
The young star of the latest film version of Wuthering Heights, who is awaiting sentence for racially abusing a former girlfriend, has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
Proceedings were adjourned at Leeds magistrates court after James Howson's solicitor explained that the 24-year-old was being treated at a hospital in Newcastle.
Sectioning is used in cases where doctors are convinced that psychiatric treatment is essential, compelling the patient to accept medical help for 28 days, renewable for further periods, with the right of appeal by the patient or friends and relatives.
Howson's solicitor Anthony Sugare said outside the court: "The position is that on arriving at court this morning, I was told that the court itself had heard from the hospital that he had been taken in there under the...
- 2/28/2012
- by Martin Wainwright
- The Guardian - Film News
How do you follow a film that sweeps the Oscars and wins universal acclaim? If you're Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle, you switch genre, downsize, work harder... As well as directing 127 Hours, a film that tells the true story of stricken climber Aron Ralston, Boyle is taking a production of Frankenstein to the National and overseeing the Olympics opening ceremony. And what drives such relentless energy and enthusiasm? A fear of mediocrity...
There is a celebrated scene in Danny Boyle's film Trainspotting in which Sick Boy and Renton are discussing greatness, how it comes and goes in a minute:
Sick Boy: "It's certainly a phenomenon in all walks of life."
Renton: "What do you mean?"
Sick Boy: Well, at one time, you've got it, and then you lose it, and it's gone forever. All walks of life: George Best, for example. Had it, lost it. Or David Bowie, or Lou Reed.
There is a celebrated scene in Danny Boyle's film Trainspotting in which Sick Boy and Renton are discussing greatness, how it comes and goes in a minute:
Sick Boy: "It's certainly a phenomenon in all walks of life."
Renton: "What do you mean?"
Sick Boy: Well, at one time, you've got it, and then you lose it, and it's gone forever. All walks of life: George Best, for example. Had it, lost it. Or David Bowie, or Lou Reed.
- 12/6/2010
- by Tim Adams
- The Guardian - Film News
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- Obviously, the stars of David Fincher's cinematic telling of the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" are Brad Pitt as the title character and Cate Blanchett as his soul mate, Daisy. But this spellbinding fairy tale -- beautifully adapted by Oscar winner Eric Roth (Forrest Gump) -- requires much more than just A-list power to paint its haunting picture.In a New Orleans hospital, a dying woman asks her grown daughter, Caroline (Julia Ormond), to read from a journal. The woman is Daisy, and the diary is the extraordinary story of a man she knew named Benjamin Button, who was born old and grew younger. They shared a lifetime bond, though they only truly connected in the middle for a while. Caroline and Daisy (an astonishing deathbed performance by Blanchett) lead us into Ben's narrative of a life lived backward,...
- 1/15/2009
- backstage.com
Once a sure bet with the art house crowd and book-reading adult audiences, movies based on the works of Jane Austen are a recent tradition that Canadian filmmaker Patricia Rozema messes around with in "Mansfield Park". The Miramax film premiered at the Montreal Film Festival and now faces a chilly boxoffice climate crowded with "prestigious" productions of all persuasions.
In some ways successful in her ambitious combination of the 1814 novel -- which is in its feature-film debut, though faithfully done a few years back as a BBC miniseries -- and biographical elements from Austen, Rozema ultimately lets her revisionary agenda overwhelm the natural rhythms and refined wisdom that radiates from the author's works.
Incorporating material from Austen's "letters and early journals," Rozema creates Fanny (Frances O'Connor), a poor relation who moves in with her rich uncle (Harold Pinter), aunts (Lindsay Duncan, Sheila Gish) and numerous cousins, including the somewhat rebellious Edmund Jonny Lee Miller). Although she's made to feel inferior and not encouraged to seek a mate, Fanny turns into a writer and woman of wit, ambitious but impressionable.
The action takes place in and around a titular mansion in a privileged environment maintained by the owner's overseas business that uses slaves. Fanny herself is a slave to convention and good decorum but kindles a flame in the heart of easily defeated Edmund. The moral atmosphere gets even stormier and sensual currents flow around the pair when brother and sister Henry (Alessandro Nivola) and Mary (Embeth Davidtz) come for a visit.
While Edmund falls for Mary, she plays a number of angles, including a mild flirtation with Fanny. Eventually disaster strikes when tricky Henry proposes to Fanny and she's forced to run away.
With her energy and generally sensible persona, O'Connor is the film's biggest asset as the plucky but complicated heroine, who is ultimately unfazed by certain shocking complications on the way to a happy ending.
MANSFIELD PARK
Miramax Films
A Miramax Films/BBC Films presentation
in association with the Arts Council of England
A Miramax HAL Films production
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Patricia Rozema; Producer: Sarah Curtis; Executive producers: Trea Hoving, David Aukin, Colin Leventhal, David M. Thompson, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein; Director of photography: Michael Coulter; Production designer: Christopher Hobbs; Editor: Martin Walsh; Costume designer: Andrea Galer; Music: Lesley Barber; Casting: Gail Stevens. Cast: Fanny Price: Frances O'Connor; Mary Crawford: Embeth Davidtz; Edmund Bertram: Jonny Lee Miller; Henry Crawford: Alessandro Nivola; Sir Thomas Bertram: Harold Pinter; Lady Bertram: Lindsay Duncan; Mrs. Norris: Sheila Gish. MPAA rating: PG-13. Color/stereo. Running time -- 116 minutes.
In some ways successful in her ambitious combination of the 1814 novel -- which is in its feature-film debut, though faithfully done a few years back as a BBC miniseries -- and biographical elements from Austen, Rozema ultimately lets her revisionary agenda overwhelm the natural rhythms and refined wisdom that radiates from the author's works.
Incorporating material from Austen's "letters and early journals," Rozema creates Fanny (Frances O'Connor), a poor relation who moves in with her rich uncle (Harold Pinter), aunts (Lindsay Duncan, Sheila Gish) and numerous cousins, including the somewhat rebellious Edmund Jonny Lee Miller). Although she's made to feel inferior and not encouraged to seek a mate, Fanny turns into a writer and woman of wit, ambitious but impressionable.
The action takes place in and around a titular mansion in a privileged environment maintained by the owner's overseas business that uses slaves. Fanny herself is a slave to convention and good decorum but kindles a flame in the heart of easily defeated Edmund. The moral atmosphere gets even stormier and sensual currents flow around the pair when brother and sister Henry (Alessandro Nivola) and Mary (Embeth Davidtz) come for a visit.
While Edmund falls for Mary, she plays a number of angles, including a mild flirtation with Fanny. Eventually disaster strikes when tricky Henry proposes to Fanny and she's forced to run away.
With her energy and generally sensible persona, O'Connor is the film's biggest asset as the plucky but complicated heroine, who is ultimately unfazed by certain shocking complications on the way to a happy ending.
MANSFIELD PARK
Miramax Films
A Miramax Films/BBC Films presentation
in association with the Arts Council of England
A Miramax HAL Films production
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Patricia Rozema; Producer: Sarah Curtis; Executive producers: Trea Hoving, David Aukin, Colin Leventhal, David M. Thompson, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein; Director of photography: Michael Coulter; Production designer: Christopher Hobbs; Editor: Martin Walsh; Costume designer: Andrea Galer; Music: Lesley Barber; Casting: Gail Stevens. Cast: Fanny Price: Frances O'Connor; Mary Crawford: Embeth Davidtz; Edmund Bertram: Jonny Lee Miller; Henry Crawford: Alessandro Nivola; Sir Thomas Bertram: Harold Pinter; Lady Bertram: Lindsay Duncan; Mrs. Norris: Sheila Gish. MPAA rating: PG-13. Color/stereo. Running time -- 116 minutes.
- 11/9/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.