For those who love Jane Austen and all Historical Romance books, movies, or series
Saturday, July 23, 2011
HENRY CAVILL - Superman
'Man Of Steel' Henry Cavill Reacts To Production Delay
At Comic-Con 2011, actor also tells MTV News about meeting Russell Crowe, his co-star in Zack Snyder's Superman reboot.
By Kara Warner (@karawarner) , with reporting by Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz)
SAN DIEGO — Plenty of fans were surprised when news broke that the release date for Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, "Man of Steel," was pushed back six months to June 14, 2013 — but none more so than the would-be superhero himself, Henry Cavill.
"They broke it to me gently," he told MTV News on Saturday (July 23) at San Diego Comic-Con. "I was just told the other day. It's OK, it's nothing to do with me. That's stuff which I have no control over. I just focus on the character and do my job."
Speaking of stepping into the shoes of the iconic superhero — or tights, rather — Cavill said he's "prepared enough" but anxious to start production. "I'm really raring to go," he said. "It's exciting, humbling, and about time to get started."
Of course, Cavill couldn't divulge many details about the upcoming shoot or what his fellow cast members may or may not be doing in the film, but he did provide a delightful anecdote about his first meeting with co-star Russell Crowe (who is playing his father, Jor-El).
Cavill recounted one of the very early days in his acting career when he worked as an extra in a film Crowe was shooting at his school. "I walked up to Russell, shook his hand, and said 'I'm thinking of becoming an actor. What advice do you have?' He said to me ... No, I won't say what he said," Cavil said with a smile, indicating that his response might have included a swear word or two.
"Two days later, I received an Aussie rugby jersey, a [CD] and a signed picture from 'Gladiator' [with a note that read] 'Dear Henry, A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, Russell.' Cut to 11 years later, at what is the high point of my career, and here we are.
Source: MTV.com
LUKE EVANS, HENRY CAVILL
Comic-Con 2011: IMMORTALS Panel Recap; Tarsem Talks 3D Visuals and Screens Fight Scene Footage
by Matt Goldberg Posted:July 23rd, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Tarsem Singh’s Immortals had a presentation at WonderCon in April and you can check out my recap of that panel here. For those who don’t know, the film has been compared to 300 due its highly-stylized re-telling of Greek myth (and yes, I know 300 was based on Greek history, not mythology). The story centers on Theseus (Henry Cavill) who is called upon by the gods (Luke Evans as Zeus; Isabel Lucas as Athena) to fight the conquering menace of King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) and his bunny rabbit helmet of doom. But Comic-Con’s Hall H is a much bigger stage, we’re closer to the release date (November 11th), and I was eager to see how much new stuff I was going to see. I also wanted to see how many Man of Steel questions Cavill could duck.
Hit the jump for my recap of the Immortals panel.
Singh, producers Mark Canton and Gianni Nunnari come on stage. Singh says the tone of the movie is darker than what the trailers have shown and the footage we’re about to see prove that. We then get to the new footage and this is the first time I’ve seen scenes from the film in 3D. It looks good and Tarsem, a director who likes to fill the frame, seems suited to the format. The footage we saw is also a lot bloodier (CGI blood, but lots of it). We see giant hammers smashing skulls, tridents decapitating monsters, and we see Theseus fighting a minotaur.
Cast members Freida Pinto, Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans, Kellan Lutz, and Henry Cavill come on stage. Cavill said he was interested in the project because he’s always been fascinated by ancient Greece but Tarsem really drew him to the project. Lutz says that as Poseidon, he’s the “God of Wetness” and that he loves his character. Evans says playing Zeus as a young man was a new slant on the role, but it makes sense because if you were a God you would want to look young. Dorff plays Stavaros, a slave who meets Theseus on a slave trade and decides to join up with him on his quest. He adds that having someone as hot as Pinto around helps the horny Stavaros to make that decision.
Tarsem said he was drawn to the project because he was fascinated with the idea of gods. He’s been an atheist since he was nine and his mother is deeply religious. His mother would tell him, “Why do you think you’re so successful? It’s because I’ve been praying for you!” Tarsem said he wanted to explore the question of what to do with all the suffering in the world and how free will factors in. He then jokes that when he dies and meets God, God will tell him, “You idiot. Your mother was praying for you all the time.”
We’re now going to see some 2D footage from a fight near the end of the movie. In the scene, Zeus and four of his Olympian soldiers go into a giant mountain and battle a bunch of scrappy, ashen-skinned soldier-monsters. The choreography of the battle is neat, but because the creatures are CG and spew CG blood, I was just thinking about God of War the whole time. I was waiting for a giant “X” button to appear on screen. At the end of the battle, Zeus, who is the only one left standing, climbs to the top of a cube, picks up some ropes, and pulls on them to bring down the mountain while a battle rages outside.
Tarsem says that with 3D, it’s a cart and you don’t put it in front of the donkey. He admits that his style lends itself to 3D and that he composed for with 3D in mind so don’t expect a post-converted mess like Clash of the Titans. Tarsem explains that his static shooting style works much better for 3D than the moving, shaky camera used by other 3D films. He also says they used a lot of practical sets because it helps blends with the heavily stylized costumes. He says that he doesn’t start with a good script but he with a good visual and hopes a good story falls in. He sits down with actors and tells them “This is what I have in mind.” However, the fighting is turned over to a CGI crew. He shot the fight we saw with real actors and then shot it with a computer model.
Cavill says the most difficult thing in filming is always staying in peak physical condition. He jokes that it wasn’t too difficult for Lutz because “he’s always in shape.” Pinto says she always had a good time filming although she adds “I know what Tarsem is thinking about.” She does say that it’s difficult to go away for ten days from set and then come back and get into the headspace of a zen priestess. Tarsem says the first scene that was shot was the sex scene, there was no dialogue, and Pinto and Cavill got in the bed and it was great.
Evans says that his powers in this film aren’t thunderbolts and lightning, but he’s more resourceful and uses chains, but he also has a whip of fire. In the fight scene we saw, he also uses a giant mallet. Lutz jokes that to prepare for Poseidon, he watched a lot of The Little Mermaid. However, he never honestly answers the question (which is admittedly kind of a lame question). He also refers to the character again as “The God of Wetness”, which sounds slightly creepy and slightly like an ad for moisturizer.
Tarsem says we won’t see all of the Greek gods because “I could only muster up so many good-looking guys.” There will only be about five in the film. We then see the fight scene again and the panel ends.
Immortals is still a toss-up in terms of whether or not it will be a good story, but the potential is certainly there. I was a little dismayed by the fight scene but it might look better in 3D (I can’t believe I wrote that). The visuals are clearly spectacular and the film may be worth seeing simply for that. I should note that I don’t think the panel really energized the audience. Not a lot of people lined up for questions (I think because the moderator told folks that they shouldn’t ask about non-Immortals projects) and I think they re-showed the fight scene simply to kill some time. The panel also ended ten minutes early. While the producers and the studio are trying to draw a 300 comparison to get folks interested, Immortals may be a tougher sell than I originally thought.
Source: collider.com
by Matt Goldberg Posted:July 23rd, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Tarsem Singh’s Immortals had a presentation at WonderCon in April and you can check out my recap of that panel here. For those who don’t know, the film has been compared to 300 due its highly-stylized re-telling of Greek myth (and yes, I know 300 was based on Greek history, not mythology). The story centers on Theseus (Henry Cavill) who is called upon by the gods (Luke Evans as Zeus; Isabel Lucas as Athena) to fight the conquering menace of King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) and his bunny rabbit helmet of doom. But Comic-Con’s Hall H is a much bigger stage, we’re closer to the release date (November 11th), and I was eager to see how much new stuff I was going to see. I also wanted to see how many Man of Steel questions Cavill could duck.
Hit the jump for my recap of the Immortals panel.
Singh, producers Mark Canton and Gianni Nunnari come on stage. Singh says the tone of the movie is darker than what the trailers have shown and the footage we’re about to see prove that. We then get to the new footage and this is the first time I’ve seen scenes from the film in 3D. It looks good and Tarsem, a director who likes to fill the frame, seems suited to the format. The footage we saw is also a lot bloodier (CGI blood, but lots of it). We see giant hammers smashing skulls, tridents decapitating monsters, and we see Theseus fighting a minotaur.
Cast members Freida Pinto, Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans, Kellan Lutz, and Henry Cavill come on stage. Cavill said he was interested in the project because he’s always been fascinated by ancient Greece but Tarsem really drew him to the project. Lutz says that as Poseidon, he’s the “God of Wetness” and that he loves his character. Evans says playing Zeus as a young man was a new slant on the role, but it makes sense because if you were a God you would want to look young. Dorff plays Stavaros, a slave who meets Theseus on a slave trade and decides to join up with him on his quest. He adds that having someone as hot as Pinto around helps the horny Stavaros to make that decision.
Tarsem said he was drawn to the project because he was fascinated with the idea of gods. He’s been an atheist since he was nine and his mother is deeply religious. His mother would tell him, “Why do you think you’re so successful? It’s because I’ve been praying for you!” Tarsem said he wanted to explore the question of what to do with all the suffering in the world and how free will factors in. He then jokes that when he dies and meets God, God will tell him, “You idiot. Your mother was praying for you all the time.”
We’re now going to see some 2D footage from a fight near the end of the movie. In the scene, Zeus and four of his Olympian soldiers go into a giant mountain and battle a bunch of scrappy, ashen-skinned soldier-monsters. The choreography of the battle is neat, but because the creatures are CG and spew CG blood, I was just thinking about God of War the whole time. I was waiting for a giant “X” button to appear on screen. At the end of the battle, Zeus, who is the only one left standing, climbs to the top of a cube, picks up some ropes, and pulls on them to bring down the mountain while a battle rages outside.
Tarsem says that with 3D, it’s a cart and you don’t put it in front of the donkey. He admits that his style lends itself to 3D and that he composed for with 3D in mind so don’t expect a post-converted mess like Clash of the Titans. Tarsem explains that his static shooting style works much better for 3D than the moving, shaky camera used by other 3D films. He also says they used a lot of practical sets because it helps blends with the heavily stylized costumes. He says that he doesn’t start with a good script but he with a good visual and hopes a good story falls in. He sits down with actors and tells them “This is what I have in mind.” However, the fighting is turned over to a CGI crew. He shot the fight we saw with real actors and then shot it with a computer model.
Cavill says the most difficult thing in filming is always staying in peak physical condition. He jokes that it wasn’t too difficult for Lutz because “he’s always in shape.” Pinto says she always had a good time filming although she adds “I know what Tarsem is thinking about.” She does say that it’s difficult to go away for ten days from set and then come back and get into the headspace of a zen priestess. Tarsem says the first scene that was shot was the sex scene, there was no dialogue, and Pinto and Cavill got in the bed and it was great.
Evans says that his powers in this film aren’t thunderbolts and lightning, but he’s more resourceful and uses chains, but he also has a whip of fire. In the fight scene we saw, he also uses a giant mallet. Lutz jokes that to prepare for Poseidon, he watched a lot of The Little Mermaid. However, he never honestly answers the question (which is admittedly kind of a lame question). He also refers to the character again as “The God of Wetness”, which sounds slightly creepy and slightly like an ad for moisturizer.
Tarsem says we won’t see all of the Greek gods because “I could only muster up so many good-looking guys.” There will only be about five in the film. We then see the fight scene again and the panel ends.
Immortals is still a toss-up in terms of whether or not it will be a good story, but the potential is certainly there. I was a little dismayed by the fight scene but it might look better in 3D (I can’t believe I wrote that). The visuals are clearly spectacular and the film may be worth seeing simply for that. I should note that I don’t think the panel really energized the audience. Not a lot of people lined up for questions (I think because the moderator told folks that they shouldn’t ask about non-Immortals projects) and I think they re-showed the fight scene simply to kill some time. The panel also ended ten minutes early. While the producers and the studio are trying to draw a 300 comparison to get folks interested, Immortals may be a tougher sell than I originally thought.
Source: collider.com
Friday, July 22, 2011
LUKE EVANS
Comic-Con 2011: HAYWIRE and THE RAVEN Panel Recap
by Matt Goldberg
Posted:July 22nd, 2011 at 1:37 pm
How do you follow a panel with Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson? You don’t do it with another blockbuster. Instead, you take some lesser known movies and attempt to boost their profile. And for film nerds, having Steven Sodebergh on hand certainly doesn’t hurt. Soderbergh has cast MMA fighter Gina Carano as the lead in his spy thriller Haywire and surrounded her with an outstanding cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, and Michael Douglas.
Relativity has also brought James McTeigue’s The Raven starring John Cusack, Alice Eve, and Luke Evans. It’s an intriguing premise where Edgar Allan Poe (Cusack) and a detective (Evans) attempts to discover who is using his writing as the inspiration for a series of murders. Hit the jump to read about Relativity’s presentation for Haywire and The Raven.
We start off with the premiere of the trailer for Haywire. The movie should really be called “Gina Carano Beats the Shit out of Everyone”. The movie looks a standard spy/revenge thriller so I’m still curious to see how Soderbergh is going to leave his stamp on the picture. Judging solely by the trailer it looks like a spy thriller anyone could have made and I know that’s just not what Soderbergh does. You can check it out below:
Soderbergh, Carano, and Channing Tatum then come on stage. Soderbergh says Carano first came to his attention when he turned on the TV and saw Carano fighting in an MMA match. He wondered why someone didn’t build a movie around here. “You’ve never seen anyone perform like this…in a cage,” he remarks. He then says he called up Lem Dobbs (The Limey) and asked if he had any interest in writing a female-centric revenge film. Soderbergh thought it would be fun to watch a female action star who did all of her own fighting and there were no stunt doubles for Carano. Tatum says she actually knocked someone out in rehearsal. Carano replies that Tatum asked her to kick him harder so he only has himself to blame.
Carano says that starring in an action movie was a “crazy, adrenaline rush” and she preferred the physical scenes, but she did learn acting 101 by working on a Soderbergh film and she now has a greater appreciation of the craft. She then describes her character Mallory Kane as a special ops agent “who just gets the job done.” She’s former military who now works as a freelance contractor. She’s partially an idealist because she comes from a military family, but she’s also a cold professional.
The film kicks off with Carano beating up Tatum (always good) and then hijacking a car and kidnapping its passenger (Michael Angarano). Soderbergh says he loves spy movies but he was aiming for realism and the world of companies like Blackwater and how they operate. He also wanted all the fights to be real and that means they’re shorter because at a certain point, someone is going to get the drop on the other and then it’s over. He mentions that the pads Fassbender had to wear in his fight scene “weren’t a lot of help.” Tatum jokes that Carano killed Fassbender for real.
Now we’re about to see a clip. The scene has Carano and Fassbender pretending to be a couple to spy on a millionaire, but Fassbender doesn’t know that Carano knows he’s about to betray her. They enter a hotel room (Soderbergh said the scene rips off the Rod Taylor film Darker Than Amber) and the fight ain’t short. It goes on for three to four minutes, you feel every hit, the fight is well choreographed, and it’s a little unnerving to see a guy beat a woman and yet it’s a serious fight when she returns every hit and you can tell she isn’t a victim. The opponent is her victim and the audience cheered at the end of the fight.
During the Q&A, Carano says that each fight is different depending on her opponent. For example, her fight with McGregor is on the beach and it’s hard to get footing on sand. She then says she loved getting banged into a wall by Fassbender and then she realized what that sounded like to the audience and everyone cracked up including Carano.
The moderator asks about Soderbergh’s retirement. Soderbergh says Matt Damon is discreet as a 14-year-old girl and he explains that it was a drunken offhand comment and that it got blown out of proportion and “that’s Matt’s fault.”
A great wrap-up story is that during the hotel fight scene, Soderbergh told Fassbender to not look at the vase that Carano smashes in his face and of course on the day of the shoot he looked directly in the vase, got a face full of porcelain, and that’s the shot they ended up using. “He laughed about it a little,” says Soderbergh.
Now we move on to The Raven. McTeigue comes out to introduce the premiere of the trailer. He says the film takes place during the last five days of Poe’s life. The film looks like it has a great color palette, fantastic costumes, and as I said before, the premise is pretty cool. The trailer does show a bit much and takes us at least halfway through the film where we see that Poe’s girlfriend Emily Hamilton (played by Alice Eve) is kidnapped by the killer who wants to challenge the horror/mystery author to a battle of wits. Also, seeing The Pit and the Pendulum put on the big screen is pretty cool.
Cusack, Evans, and Eve join McTeigue on stage and Cusack talks about Poe’s life and how he was the “godfather of goth.” While the film is obviously a fictionalized account, McTeigue says that in real life Poe did go missing at the end of his life so that’s used as an inspiration point. The moderator comments that the movie reminds him a little of Misery because it has a fan that takes it way too far. McTeigue also brings up Seven because of how the murders are inspired by literature.
Eve says that because her character gets buried and she got a lot of dirt thrown in her face by McTeigue. McTeigue says it was “clean dirt” and Eve says she tasted it and she didn’t buy that oxymoron. She wraps up her story of being actually trapped in a coffin for the shoot as “method”. Cusack adds that Poe said, “There’s nothing more beautiful than a woman dying.”
Evans talks about his character, a young inspector who starts working the case. At first he suspects Poe. He then learns that he isn’t the murderer but he is a crazy alcoholic and the two go on a journey together where they develop a mutual respect for each other as they try to find the killer.
Commenting on how much fidelity the movie owes to the life of the real Poe, McTeigue explains that because of Poe’s addictions it was always going to be a dour story. However, when you weave his flaws into this story it really begins to click. Poe was ahead of his time in of sci-fi, horror, and mystery but he was also in the Zeitgeist. He also had an unusual relationship with women, not as a playboy, but Cusack explains that Poe didn’t like any man and loved being in the company of women. Poe held up women as muse-like and idealized relationships with women. Cusack speculates that’s because Poe lost his mother and his first wife to tuberculosis. But he was also a bit of a rock star. Women would swarm over him at salons and he was invited to the White House, got drunk and was kicked out. All of this sounds like a straight Poe biopic would be fascinating on its own. Poe: A Life Cut Short was a biography that helped to inform Cusack and McTeigue on the character.
Cusack, Evans, Eve, and McTeigue talk about their upcoming projects. Cusack says he’s working on The Paperboy with Lee Daniels. Eve says she just wrapped filming on Men in Black 3 and she also worked on Entourage. He also mentioned The Hobbit and laughs at how he could almost forget to mention it. McTeigue says he plans to do Message from the King which takes place in LA. Evans says he’s doing a psychological thriller where he plays a killer. At one point, he cuts someone up and climbs inside their body.
Cusack comments on the look of Poe and how they didn’t keep the moustache because they wanted to get away from the iconography and get to the essence of the character. He says it’s more like if he had a dream about Poe. During the Q&A he gets quizzed on his favorite Poe stories and he rattles them off and leads off with “Hop Frog”.
McTeigue explains the gothic look of it. Obviously, you can’t shoot it in Baltimore because it doesn’t look like it does in the 1840s so they took the production to Eastern Europe. Then the augmented it with Americana and “the goth thing is good.”
Release date announced for The Raven: March 9th, 2012.
Click here for all our Comic-Con 2011 coverage.
Sources: collider.com, Luke Evans News on Twitter.
by Matt Goldberg
Posted:July 22nd, 2011 at 1:37 pm
How do you follow a panel with Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson? You don’t do it with another blockbuster. Instead, you take some lesser known movies and attempt to boost their profile. And for film nerds, having Steven Sodebergh on hand certainly doesn’t hurt. Soderbergh has cast MMA fighter Gina Carano as the lead in his spy thriller Haywire and surrounded her with an outstanding cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, and Michael Douglas.
Relativity has also brought James McTeigue’s The Raven starring John Cusack, Alice Eve, and Luke Evans. It’s an intriguing premise where Edgar Allan Poe (Cusack) and a detective (Evans) attempts to discover who is using his writing as the inspiration for a series of murders. Hit the jump to read about Relativity’s presentation for Haywire and The Raven.
We start off with the premiere of the trailer for Haywire. The movie should really be called “Gina Carano Beats the Shit out of Everyone”. The movie looks a standard spy/revenge thriller so I’m still curious to see how Soderbergh is going to leave his stamp on the picture. Judging solely by the trailer it looks like a spy thriller anyone could have made and I know that’s just not what Soderbergh does. You can check it out below:
Soderbergh, Carano, and Channing Tatum then come on stage. Soderbergh says Carano first came to his attention when he turned on the TV and saw Carano fighting in an MMA match. He wondered why someone didn’t build a movie around here. “You’ve never seen anyone perform like this…in a cage,” he remarks. He then says he called up Lem Dobbs (The Limey) and asked if he had any interest in writing a female-centric revenge film. Soderbergh thought it would be fun to watch a female action star who did all of her own fighting and there were no stunt doubles for Carano. Tatum says she actually knocked someone out in rehearsal. Carano replies that Tatum asked her to kick him harder so he only has himself to blame.
Carano says that starring in an action movie was a “crazy, adrenaline rush” and she preferred the physical scenes, but she did learn acting 101 by working on a Soderbergh film and she now has a greater appreciation of the craft. She then describes her character Mallory Kane as a special ops agent “who just gets the job done.” She’s former military who now works as a freelance contractor. She’s partially an idealist because she comes from a military family, but she’s also a cold professional.
The film kicks off with Carano beating up Tatum (always good) and then hijacking a car and kidnapping its passenger (Michael Angarano). Soderbergh says he loves spy movies but he was aiming for realism and the world of companies like Blackwater and how they operate. He also wanted all the fights to be real and that means they’re shorter because at a certain point, someone is going to get the drop on the other and then it’s over. He mentions that the pads Fassbender had to wear in his fight scene “weren’t a lot of help.” Tatum jokes that Carano killed Fassbender for real.
Now we’re about to see a clip. The scene has Carano and Fassbender pretending to be a couple to spy on a millionaire, but Fassbender doesn’t know that Carano knows he’s about to betray her. They enter a hotel room (Soderbergh said the scene rips off the Rod Taylor film Darker Than Amber) and the fight ain’t short. It goes on for three to four minutes, you feel every hit, the fight is well choreographed, and it’s a little unnerving to see a guy beat a woman and yet it’s a serious fight when she returns every hit and you can tell she isn’t a victim. The opponent is her victim and the audience cheered at the end of the fight.
During the Q&A, Carano says that each fight is different depending on her opponent. For example, her fight with McGregor is on the beach and it’s hard to get footing on sand. She then says she loved getting banged into a wall by Fassbender and then she realized what that sounded like to the audience and everyone cracked up including Carano.
The moderator asks about Soderbergh’s retirement. Soderbergh says Matt Damon is discreet as a 14-year-old girl and he explains that it was a drunken offhand comment and that it got blown out of proportion and “that’s Matt’s fault.”
A great wrap-up story is that during the hotel fight scene, Soderbergh told Fassbender to not look at the vase that Carano smashes in his face and of course on the day of the shoot he looked directly in the vase, got a face full of porcelain, and that’s the shot they ended up using. “He laughed about it a little,” says Soderbergh.
Now we move on to The Raven. McTeigue comes out to introduce the premiere of the trailer. He says the film takes place during the last five days of Poe’s life. The film looks like it has a great color palette, fantastic costumes, and as I said before, the premise is pretty cool. The trailer does show a bit much and takes us at least halfway through the film where we see that Poe’s girlfriend Emily Hamilton (played by Alice Eve) is kidnapped by the killer who wants to challenge the horror/mystery author to a battle of wits. Also, seeing The Pit and the Pendulum put on the big screen is pretty cool.
Cusack, Evans, and Eve join McTeigue on stage and Cusack talks about Poe’s life and how he was the “godfather of goth.” While the film is obviously a fictionalized account, McTeigue says that in real life Poe did go missing at the end of his life so that’s used as an inspiration point. The moderator comments that the movie reminds him a little of Misery because it has a fan that takes it way too far. McTeigue also brings up Seven because of how the murders are inspired by literature.
Eve says that because her character gets buried and she got a lot of dirt thrown in her face by McTeigue. McTeigue says it was “clean dirt” and Eve says she tasted it and she didn’t buy that oxymoron. She wraps up her story of being actually trapped in a coffin for the shoot as “method”. Cusack adds that Poe said, “There’s nothing more beautiful than a woman dying.”
Evans talks about his character, a young inspector who starts working the case. At first he suspects Poe. He then learns that he isn’t the murderer but he is a crazy alcoholic and the two go on a journey together where they develop a mutual respect for each other as they try to find the killer.
Commenting on how much fidelity the movie owes to the life of the real Poe, McTeigue explains that because of Poe’s addictions it was always going to be a dour story. However, when you weave his flaws into this story it really begins to click. Poe was ahead of his time in of sci-fi, horror, and mystery but he was also in the Zeitgeist. He also had an unusual relationship with women, not as a playboy, but Cusack explains that Poe didn’t like any man and loved being in the company of women. Poe held up women as muse-like and idealized relationships with women. Cusack speculates that’s because Poe lost his mother and his first wife to tuberculosis. But he was also a bit of a rock star. Women would swarm over him at salons and he was invited to the White House, got drunk and was kicked out. All of this sounds like a straight Poe biopic would be fascinating on its own. Poe: A Life Cut Short was a biography that helped to inform Cusack and McTeigue on the character.
Cusack, Evans, Eve, and McTeigue talk about their upcoming projects. Cusack says he’s working on The Paperboy with Lee Daniels. Eve says she just wrapped filming on Men in Black 3 and she also worked on Entourage. He also mentioned The Hobbit and laughs at how he could almost forget to mention it. McTeigue says he plans to do Message from the King which takes place in LA. Evans says he’s doing a psychological thriller where he plays a killer. At one point, he cuts someone up and climbs inside their body.
Cusack comments on the look of Poe and how they didn’t keep the moustache because they wanted to get away from the iconography and get to the essence of the character. He says it’s more like if he had a dream about Poe. During the Q&A he gets quizzed on his favorite Poe stories and he rattles them off and leads off with “Hop Frog”.
McTeigue explains the gothic look of it. Obviously, you can’t shoot it in Baltimore because it doesn’t look like it does in the 1840s so they took the production to Eastern Europe. Then the augmented it with Americana and “the goth thing is good.”
Release date announced for The Raven: March 9th, 2012.
Click here for all our Comic-Con 2011 coverage.
Sources: collider.com, Luke Evans News on Twitter.
COLIN FIRTH IN SECRET FILMING FOR GAMBIT (?)
Published on Friday 22 July 2011 09:59
OSCAR-winning actor Colin Firth was this week joined by Hollywood star Cameron Diaz, Harry Potter actor Alan Rickman and Golden Globe winner Stanley Tucci for five days of secret filming near Leamington.
Little did visitors to Compton Verney art gallery know that they were within stone-throwing distance from the world famous celebrities, who were working on a new Michael Hoffman film to be released next year.
Staff at the 18th century house, which is set in 120-acre grounds designed by Capability Brown, had been told it had been chosen for filming a few months ago, but as it was a top secret project, the details were few and far between until closer to the time.
Compton Verney’s director Dr Steven Parissien said “We are delighted to have been chosen as a location for this film. It has been a great experience and a pleasure to work with such a prestigious and professional team.
“We were told we had been chosen because our gallery space was perfect for what the filmmakers needed and we have the outdoor space to accommodate the facilities the film crew needed. We were also helped by our proximity to good hotels for the cast and crew to stay in.
“But we had to keep it under wraps.”
Joining the stars behind the scenes at the gallery were director of photography Florian Ballhaus, who worked on The Devil Wears Prada and the Time Traveller’s Wife, head of hair and make-up Christine Blundell, who won an Academy Award for her contribution to Topsy Turvey, and production designer Stuart Craig, who has worked on Gandhi and The English Patient.
And although the actors had a busy filming schedule, Dr Parissien was pleased to be able to take them on a tour around the house’s galleries.
The film, The Last Station, centres on British art curator Harry Deane (Firth), who devises a finely-crafted scheme to con England’s richest man and avid art collector, Lionel Shabandar (Rickman), into purchasing a fake Monet painting.
In order to bait his buyer, he recruits a Texas rodeo queen (Diaz) to cross the pond and pose as a woman whose grandfather liberated the painting at the end of World War II.
CAPTAIN AMERICA ENLISTS ARMY OF BRITISH ACTORS
By: Leah Rozen Posted: Friday, July 22nd, 2011
There has been much press of late about British stars being cast as American superheroes — Henry Cavill as Superman and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man — but it appears the real story is that it takes an English village to raise these comic book good guys to their full potential.
Take Captain America: The First Avenger, which opens today. That nobody stops for a cuppa in the middle of all the action during the new movie comes almost as a surprise considering all the Brits in the cast. American actor Chris Evans may play the patently patriotic title character, but those aiding or clashing with his superhero include Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones and Richard Armitage.
Based on the vintage Marvel Comics character, the movie is set during World War II. It’s an origin story, showing how plain old Steve Rogers, a 98-pound weakling from Brooklyn who desperately wants to join the Army, becomes brawny Captain America after he’s injected with an experimental formula that turns him into a perfect physical specimen.
The film is more enjoyable than those other recent ho-hum superhero efforts, Thor and Green Lantern, though it’s not quite as zippy as X-Men: First Class. Captain America’s appeal lies in its straightforwardness and emphasis on character. The movie makes sure that viewers fully get to know Steve Rogers before he becomes the Cap, as he’s affectionately known.
There’s earnestness to the movie that’s refreshing, as is the deft recreation of the ‘40s era. It’s only in the final third, when director Joe Johnston (The Wolfman) cranks up the familiar super-hero action, that Captain America becomes same old, same old, as our hero takes on the movie’s villain (Hugo Weaving), a rogue Nazi officer who heads up his own military.
Half the fun of Captain America, at least for Anglophenia readers, will be noting how crammed full of English talent the movie is.
Fighting alongside Captain America is Atwell, best known for her roles on British TV in the recent remake of The Prisoner, Any Human Heart and Pillars of the Earth. She plays Peggy Carter, a beautiful but crisply competent English military officer who recognizes something heroic in Steve even before his body matches his character.
The fast-rising Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia!) offers a dapper turn as inventor and future industrialist Howard Stark (the father of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man), who is part of the elite team working on developing the super serum.
On the foe side, Captain America faces off briefly against handsome Richard Armitage (MI-5 and Strike Back), whose undercover Nazi character attempts to steal the secret serum. This bad guy leads the newly buff Chris Evans in an extended chase scene.
And Toby Jones (who played Truman Capote in Infamous and voiced Dobby the House Elf in the Harry Potter movies) offers an appealing comic performance as an unctuous scientist-inventor who’s assisting the movie’s main bad guy.
It seems that Captain America, like WWII, can only be won through an allied effort.
————————————–
Will you be seeing Captain America for one of these British stars?
DAVID OAKES
The Borgias in the UK
According to a report from TVdotcom UK The Borgias will premiere on British TV on August 13 at 9pm on Sky Atlantic. The acclaimed series was hugely popular in the US when it showed on Showtime. Starring, David Oakes (Juan Borgia), Jeremy Irons (Pope Alexander VI, aka Rodrigo borgia), Francois Arnaud (Cesare Borgia), Holliday Grainger (Lucrezia Borgia).
David is currently filming season two of the series in Hungary.
Source: David Oakes, TVdotcom UK.
DAN STEVENS
Dan has just tweeted today that he has finished filming the second season of 'Downton Abbey' and he is now working on the Christmas Special.
We will keep you posted as to the premiere dates in the UK and US.
Well done!
Source: https://twitter.com/#!/thatdanstevens
Thursday, July 21, 2011
LUKE EVANS
San Diego Comic-Con 2011: One-Sheet Debut - The Raven
Guess what just landed in our inbox? The first official poster art for The Raven! Good thing we heard it tapping at our chamber door or you guys would be in the friggin' dark!
Look for Relativity Media's The Raven starring John Cusack in theatres on March 9th, 2012.
Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson and Oliver Jackson-Cohen also star, working from a script by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare.
The Raven begins with Poe (played by Cusack) arriving in Baltimore as a serial killer is terrorizing the city, using the writer’s stories as the inspiration for his crimes. Poe is a suspect at first, but he eventually joins forces with a police inspector to solve the crimes and save the woman he loves.
Look for more.
Synopsis
In this gritty thriller, Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack, Being John Malkovich) joins forces with a young Baltimore detective (Luke Evans, Immortals) to hunt down a mad serial killer who’s using Poe’s own works as the basis in a string of brutal murders. Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), the film also stars Alice Eve (Sex and the City 2), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Faster).
When a mother and daughter are found brutally murdered in 19th century Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a startling discovery: the crime resembles a fictional murder described in gory detail in the local newspaper—part of a collection of stories penned by struggling writer and social pariah Edgar Allan Poe. But even as Poe is questioned by police, another grisly murder occurs, also inspired by a popular Poe story.
Realizing a serial killer is on the loose using Poe’s writings as the backdrop for his bloody rampage, Fields enlists the author’s help in stopping the attacks. But when it appears someone close to Poe may become the murderer’s next victim, the stakes become even higher and the inventor of the detective story calls on his own powers of deduction to try to solve the case before it’s too late.
Be sure to stop by The Raven San Diego Comic-Con panel on Friday, July 22, from 12:15-1:15 pm in Hall H. The panel also includes Stephen Soderbergh's Haywire.
Source: dreadcentral.com
RAY STEVENSON - TITUS PULLO - ROME
The girl who makes these Titus Pullo videos
is about sixteen
HENRY CAVILL, LUKE EVANS
Henry Cavill and Luke Evans attend Comic Con in San Diego.
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego (as given on its website), and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf[2] and a group of San Diegans.[3] It is traditionally a four-day event (Thursday through Sunday — though a three-hour preview night on Wednesday is open to professionals, exhibitors, and some guests pre-registered for all four days) held during the summer in San Diego, California, United States, at the San Diego Convention Center. Comic-Con is both the name of the annual event and the common name of the organization.
Comic-Con International also produces two other conventions, WonderCon and the Alternative Press Expo (APE), both held in San Francisco, California. Since 1974, Comic-Con has bestowed its annual Inkpot Award to guests and persons of interest in the industries of popular arts as well as to members of Comic-Con's Board of Directors and convention committee. It is also the home of the Will Eisner Awards.
Originally showcasing comic books, science fiction/fantasy and film/television (as was evident by the three circled figures appearing in Comic-Con's original logo), and related popular arts, the convention has expanded over the years to include a larger range of pop culture elements, such as horror, animation, anime, manga, toys, collectible card games, video games, webcomics, and fantasy novels. The convention is the largest in the Americas, and fourth largest in the world after the Comiket in Japan, the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France,[4][5][6] and the Lucca Comics and Games in Italy, filling to capacity the San Diego Convention Center with over 130,000 attendees in 2010.
Henry and Luke will be participating in the panel for their upcoming movie 'Immortals' on Saturday July 23. Luke Tweeted that he is on his way to the convention and is very excited to be there and wouldn't miss it for the world. We look forward to hearing what they have to share!
Source: Wikipedia.
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego (as given on its website), and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf[2] and a group of San Diegans.[3] It is traditionally a four-day event (Thursday through Sunday — though a three-hour preview night on Wednesday is open to professionals, exhibitors, and some guests pre-registered for all four days) held during the summer in San Diego, California, United States, at the San Diego Convention Center. Comic-Con is both the name of the annual event and the common name of the organization.
Comic-Con International also produces two other conventions, WonderCon and the Alternative Press Expo (APE), both held in San Francisco, California. Since 1974, Comic-Con has bestowed its annual Inkpot Award to guests and persons of interest in the industries of popular arts as well as to members of Comic-Con's Board of Directors and convention committee. It is also the home of the Will Eisner Awards.
Originally showcasing comic books, science fiction/fantasy and film/television (as was evident by the three circled figures appearing in Comic-Con's original logo), and related popular arts, the convention has expanded over the years to include a larger range of pop culture elements, such as horror, animation, anime, manga, toys, collectible card games, video games, webcomics, and fantasy novels. The convention is the largest in the Americas, and fourth largest in the world after the Comiket in Japan, the Angoulême International Comics Festival in France,[4][5][6] and the Lucca Comics and Games in Italy, filling to capacity the San Diego Convention Center with over 130,000 attendees in 2010.
Henry and Luke will be participating in the panel for their upcoming movie 'Immortals' on Saturday July 23. Luke Tweeted that he is on his way to the convention and is very excited to be there and wouldn't miss it for the world. We look forward to hearing what they have to share!
Source: Wikipedia.
HENRY CAVILL
Man of Steel Moved to Summer 2013
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures July 21, 2011
Warner Bros. Pictures announced that Zack Snyder's Superman movie Man of Steel will be released in theaters on June 14, 2013 and not in December of 2012 as was previously believed.
No other films have been scheduled for that date yet.
Written by David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan, the anticipated film stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, Russell Crowe, Julia Ormond, Christopher Meloni and Harry Lennix.
Read more: Man of Steel Moved to Summer 2013 - ComingSoon.net http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=80088#ixzz1Slp8g9Uz
Courtesy of: Henry Cavill Facebook Fan Page.
LUKE EVANS
Four New Images From ‘The Raven’ – Starring John Cusack, Luke Evans & Alice Eve
These four new images have found their way online from James McTeigue’s (V For Vendetta, Ninja Assassin) upcoming mystery thriller ‘The Raven.’ The images feature John Cusack and Luke Evans looking particularly suave and gothically dapper as Edgar Allan Poe and Inspector Emmit Fields respectively. The film is a fictionalized account of the mysterious final five days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life. The film follows the famous writer as he teams up with a detective to search for a serial killer whose murders are inspired by his stories. The film co-stars Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson and Oliver Jackson-Cohen, it’s set for a March 9th, 2012 release.
In this gritty thriller, Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack, Being John Malkovich) joins forces with a young Baltimore detective (Luke Evans, Immortals) to hunt down a mad serial killer who’s using Poe’s own works as the basis in a string of brutal murders. Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta, Ninja Assassin), the film also stars Alice Eve (Sex and the City 2), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Faster).
When a mother and daughter are found brutally murdered in 19th century Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a startling discovery: the crime resembles a fictional murder described in gory detail in the local newspaper—part of a collection of stories penned by struggling writer and social pariah Edgar Allan Poe. But even as Poe is questioned by police, another grisly murder occurs, also inspired by a popular Poe story.
Realizing a serial killer is on the loose using Poe’s writings as the backdrop for his bloody rampage, Fields enlists the author’s help in stopping the attacks. But when it appears someone close to Poe may become the murderer’s next victim, the stakes become even higher and the inventor of the detective story calls on his own powers of deduction to try to solve the case before it’s too late.
COLIN FIRTH AND CAMERON DIAZ ON GAMBIT SET
There may have been reports that Alex Rodriguez was seen flirting with 57-year-old Christie Brinkley recently - but Cameron Diaz looked like she didn't have a care in the world whilst filming on location in London yesterday.
The actress showed off her slim figure in a double denim outfit and beamed a full smile between takes of the Cohen brothers new film project, Gambit.
Whilst A-Rod has stayed at his New York home nursing his knee injury, Cameron, who recently finished promoting Bad Teacher, was spotted giggling opposite the Savoy Hotel in London with co-star Colin Firth.
Lights, camera, action! Cameron Diaz can't stop smiling as she filmed on the London set of her new film Gambit and co-star with Colin Firth gave her a full dose of British humour yesterday
The King's speech: Colin Firth impresses Cameron Diaz with his ability to describe length, but what is he describing exactly?
Filming of the Michael Caine 60's remake got off to a flying start last week as Cameron and Colin shot scenes at London's Heathrow Airport.
Oscar winner Firth will take on the role originally played by Caine - a thief who plans to steal a piece of expensive art from the world's richest man, which will be played by Harry Potter favourite Alan Rickman.
Diaz meanwhile plays the role of a rodeo cowgirl who becomes involved in the scheme because she is the exact image of the wealthy man's wife, a role originally played by Shirley Maclaine.
Howdy partner: Cameron Diaz looks every bit the American girl in her denim jacket and sunglasses
Cameron's boyfriend A-Rod, 35, meanwhile was recently accused of flirting with 57-year-old Chicago hoofer and supermodel Christie Brinkley at a New York Yankees baseball game.
Taking five: Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth take a break whilst filming on location in London
The high-profile party was a pre-birthday celebration for Cameron, who turns 39 on 30 August.
California dreaming: Cameron wasn't showing any signs of missing her off screen boyfriend A-Rod as she laughed between takes
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2016659/Cameron-Diaz-laughs-jokes-Gambit-set-London-Colin-Firth.html#ixzz1Sk6GftFH
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
HENRY CAVILL
'Immortals' panel and Henry Cavill confirmed for Comic-Con on Saturday, July 23.
Monica Key, Phoenix Comic Books Examiner
Posted: 07/16/2011 12:30 AM
Home
Comic-Con 2011 released the schedule for Saturday, July 23, 2011. The true highlight is the confirmation of The Immortals panel with actor Henry Cavill. Cavill has been cast in the lead role in Warner Bros and DC Comics reimagining of “Superman.”
After months of speculation as to whether Cavill would be present at the panel because of hype and timing for Man of Steel , fans in attendance at Comic-Con 2011 will have the opportunity to attend this panel and see the world's new “Superman. “
Cavill's last Con attendance was in April at WonderCon for the Immortals panel, in an “all eyes on Henry” moment where questions dominated about the larger-than-life superhero role. Fans were able to take photos and ask questions to Mr. Cavill, and some were able to win an opportunity from Full Story.
Source: examiner.com
RICHARD ARMITAGE
MATTHEW MACFADYEN - A LIZ JONES FANTASY DIARY
In which I have a Mr Darcy moment
By Liz Jones DiaryLast updated at 8:01 PM on 2nd July 2011
For Liz's previous diary entries, click below
- In which he sends me a group email
- In which I realise it's not working
- In which the tables begin to turn
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2009961/In-I-Mr-Darcy-moment.html#ixzz1Sfk8dj91
After the talk, during which I couldn’t hear the questions from the audience, so I’m sure they thought I was either insane or rude, I sat in the tent by the books, by myself. Feeling like a prize chump among all the super-confident speakers who were braying loudly, I melted away. I had booked to see a property in the Brecon Beacons. If I sell my place, I can afford this one, and have no mortgage. After an hour of driving through lanes flanked by high hedges, I eventually found it: 90 acres of pasture, with woodland. There was no drive to it, merely a grassy track, which I negotiated in my heels.
Eventually, I found the dwelling: a group of derelict farm buildings. Inside one, a startled cow clattered away. The view was amazing, with the Black Mountains looming in the distance. I couldn’t see my BMW ever getting up here. There is no water, no electricity, no broadband, but I would be surrounded by land, so the animals would be safe. But I would have no home. I would have to build one, from scratch. I wonder if I’m up to this, if I’m strong enough. In the past three years I have found inner reserves of steel I never knew I had, but can I start all over again? It would be liberating to have no debts, but is this, to paraphrase Bridget Jones, leaping out of the frying pan and into the bottom of a dirty kettle?
I realised he’d been a light at the end of the tunnel. But I’d been too miserable to hold on to him, too busy wallowing
I drove home, dejected. I was in tears, not knowing what to do. I feel wasted, to be honest. No one appreciates me. I have always done my best, worked hard, been generous and nice to people, and here I am, almost homeless again. No friends. All the other speakers today had families with them. I, of course, had no one. I got home, and then had to feed the dogs and cats, nurse Susie, who is confined to a dog cage to keep her stitches intact, fetch Dream, Benji and Nellie, walk the dogs, feed the horses. Drag in their huge buckets of water to them. Soak Ben and Dream’s hay, which always manages to give me Wet Thigh Syndrome. This on top of six hours of driving. It is too much. I realised how having a potential love interest on the horizon had taken my mind off all the hardship, the loneliness, the isolation. He’d been a life raft, a light at the end of the tunnel. But I’d been too miserable to hold on to him, too busy wallowing. I’d been expecting him to let me down, so he did. If I have to live in a caravan in Wales I think I’ll go into even more of a decline.
The next morning, early, after little sleep, I got up and made myself a pot of coffee. I went and sat on the stone steps that overlook the top paddock. There are nettles encroaching on the step. The place has gone to seed. I’ve gone to seed. There were pockets of mist in the bottom of my valley. It was cold, but I could tell it was going to be warm later. I could see Lizzie at the bottom of the big field, with Nic’s two horses, on the other side of the stream. Suddenly, her head went up. I wonder if she heard me grinding coffee beans, or my teeth. She always hears things before I do. Above her loomed a helicopter. It’s that man who owns The Ivy again who lives nearby. It disappeared over the trees, towards the hill field and the lakes. ‘Noisy bastards!’ I said to myself, examining Michael for ticks. I’m sure I’m harbouring Lyme disease.
And then, about half an hour later, I saw him. Trudging through the fields, which must be soaked with dew. It was a Matthew-Macfadyen-as-Mr-Darcy moment. It was Him.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2009961/In-I-Mr-Darcy-moment.html#ixzz1SeI1Vqs2
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Dame Judi Dench wins Japan's Nobel Award
Dame Judi Dench honoured in Japan's Nobel awards
Actor wins £155,000 Praemium Imperiale, sponsored by Japan's imperial family, as Anish Kapoor takes sculpture prize
Winning Japan's equivalent of the Nobel prize, the £155,000 Praemium Imperiale, has come as a great relief to Dame Judi Dench: one of the world's best-known and loved actors is out of work again and panicking.
The fear never goes away, she said after receiving the award honouring actors, artists, musicians and architects by the Japan Art Association, sponsored by the Japanese imperial family. "Trevor Nunn always said I was in floods of tears on all my first nights because I didn't know where the next job was coming from," Dench said. "I've been bumming around. I haven't worked since February, so this is very nice."Since her professional debut, as Ophelia in 1957, Dench has seldom been out of work. Her career has been weighed down with awards including an Oscar, Tonys, Oliviers and Baftas for innumerable stage and screen roles, notably for the films Mrs Brown and Shakespeare In Love.
She is not likely to be bumming around for long this time. She returned to Britain in February from filming with Clint Eastwood, and in November starts again as M in the new James Bond movie. The film is shrouded in secrecy. "I can't say anything, I really can't," she said, before revealing the script was recently delivered to her London home by a man dressed all in black. "It was quite extraordinary. We were all standing around on the grass – there had been a family funeral – and this man all in black raced up the path, pushed something through the door, and ran away again, and it was the script."
She also revealed that the Oscar she won for her ferocious Elizabeth I, in the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love, has a slightly dodgy legal status. She was heading off, inevitably, to another job and gave it to her late husband Michael and daughter Finty to bring home to London. Later she was horrified to learn she should have returned the ceremonial Oscar to be replaced with one with her name. The following year the Oscars were stolen before the 72nd ceremony, and when they were eventually recovered dumped behind a launderette, just a week before the event, three were missing. One, she admits guiltily, was already missing. Never returned, or publicly admitted before today, it still has pride of place among the awards in her study.
The sculpture prize went to another UK-based artist, Anish Kapoor, and the prize for young artists was divided for the first time between two UK organisations – £18,000 each will go to the Royal Court's young writers' programme and the Southbank Sinfonia, which provides a bridge for young musicians between music school and a professional career.
Previous UK winners of the awards established in 1989 have included the architects Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers, Norman Foster and James Stirling, artists David Hockney and Bridget Riley, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and playwright Tom Stoppard.RAY STEVENSON TO BE IN G.I.JOE
Ray Stevenson Joins 'G.I. Joe 2: Cobra Strikes'
To date, the biggest problem I have with Paramount's G.I. Joe sequel is its title. Cobra Strikes? Didn't the evil organization already strike in the 2009 original, when it demolished the Eiffel Tower, the Joe's headquarters and a slew of other locations? Seems kind of redundant to me, but thankfully it is the only element of the follow-up that can be described that way.
Much is different this time around. Jon Chu (Step Up 3, Never Say Never) is taking over directing duties from Stephen Sommers. Most of the original cast (including Rachel Nichols and Marlon Wayans among many others) has been scrapped to make room for new recruits like Dwayne Johnson, RZA, Adrianne Palicki and Elodie Yung, although Channing Tatum, Ray Park and Byung-hun Lee will reprise their roles from the first flick. However, another thing that remains the same is that the franchise's producers wish to give the property the international flair it needs to be a global hit, and that's where Ray Stevenson comes in. The Rome actor, fresh off his turn as an Asgardian warrior in Thor, has just signed up to take a villainous turn in the film. He'll play Firefly, who's described as a saboteur, ninja and explosives expert. Sounds like he'll be keeping the Real American Heroes quite busy.
It won't be the first time Stevenson has walked on the dark side. He recently played bad guys in The Book of Eli and The Other Guys, though he's best known as a heroic type thanks to HBO's fantastic forementioned series, King Arthur and Punisher: WarZone (well, actually let's forget about that last one).
Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, G.I. Joe 2: Cobra Strikes will strike theaters sometime next summer.
Source: THR
Much is different this time around. Jon Chu (Step Up 3, Never Say Never) is taking over directing duties from Stephen Sommers. Most of the original cast (including Rachel Nichols and Marlon Wayans among many others) has been scrapped to make room for new recruits like Dwayne Johnson, RZA, Adrianne Palicki and Elodie Yung, although Channing Tatum, Ray Park and Byung-hun Lee will reprise their roles from the first flick. However, another thing that remains the same is that the franchise's producers wish to give the property the international flair it needs to be a global hit, and that's where Ray Stevenson comes in. The Rome actor, fresh off his turn as an Asgardian warrior in Thor, has just signed up to take a villainous turn in the film. He'll play Firefly, who's described as a saboteur, ninja and explosives expert. Sounds like he'll be keeping the Real American Heroes quite busy.
It won't be the first time Stevenson has walked on the dark side. He recently played bad guys in The Book of Eli and The Other Guys, though he's best known as a heroic type thanks to HBO's fantastic forementioned series, King Arthur and Punisher: WarZone (well, actually let's forget about that last one).
Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, G.I. Joe 2: Cobra Strikes will strike theaters sometime next summer.
Source: THR
HENRY CAVILL - Superman
More Man of Steel Set Photos Source: ComingSoon.net July 19, 2011
As first revealed earlier this month, set construction is currently underway for Zack Snyder's soon-to-shoot Superman reboot, Man of Steel. Now, thanks to reader 'Dr. P.', we've got a closer look some of the apparently "battle-damaged" scenery going up in Plano, Illinois.
Possibly doubling for Clark Kent's hometown of Smallville, the rural architecture has been constructed with what appears to be built-in damage, indicating that we could see a small-town show of force somewhere in the story.
Starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon, Antje Traue, Russell Crowe, Julia Ormond and Christopher Meloni , Man of Steel is currently targeted for release in December 2012.
Read more: More Man of Steel Set Photos - ComingSoon.net http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=79966#ixzz1SaTPTZUB
HENRY CAVILL AND LUKE EVANS
You all know that Patricia and I
are all about the fine craft of acting
but stil...
What swords and sandals epic would be complete without a few bare-chested hunks to lust after? Certainly Gladiator and 300 would have been a lot less entertaining without Russell Crowe and Gerard Butler’s hulking torsos to drool over.
So may we suggest you do the following; grab a cuppa, make sure there’s no one around to distract you, then sit back at enjoy the hotness of Henry Cavill (The Tudors, the new Superman movie), Luke Evans (Clash Of The Titans) and the rest of the cast of Immortals.
COLIN FIRTH NEW NEW MOVIE W/GEOFFREY RUSH TOO, AGAIN, WHATEVER
Not at all certain that is how you spell Geoffrey
Just released trailer of major motion picture
thrown together to benefit from phone hacking scandal
HACKGATE!!!!!
Labels:
Colin Firth,
Geoffrey Rush,
Hugh Grant
Monday, July 18, 2011
Luke Evans will starr in Vivaldi
Sunday, July 17, 2011
RICHARD ARMITAGE AS THORIN
Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield from 'The Hobbit' Revealed
And finally, the biggest reveal of them all, it's our first official look at Richard Armitage as our dwarf hero Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thráin, son of Thrór, King Under the Mountain. The last of the company of dwarves from Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, and the leader of the company, as we've been revealing first looks throughout this last week. This reveal comes from TheOneRing.net, where they've amassed a complete rundown of the 13 dwarfs in the company, including details and photos for all. So when do we see a teaser?! As a young Dwarf prince, Thorin witnessed the terror when a great fire-breathing Dragon attacked Erebor...Through long years of hardship, Thorin grew to be a strong and fearless fighter and revered leader. In his heart a fierce desire grew; a desire to reclaim his homeland and destroy the beast that had brought such misery upon his people. So when fate offers him an unusual ally, he seizes the chance for revenge. Thorin:
Yes, he's also carrying Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver, the sword with which he's going to kick some ass. For more info on Thorin and a full rundown of the company of dwarves in The Hobbit, jump to TheOneRing.net.
In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit... The Hobbit, being directed by Peter Jackson in two separate parts, is set in Middle-earth 60 years before Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in a trilogy ten years ago. The Hobbit films, with screenplays by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson, will be shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. The Hobbit follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. The first part of The Hobbit hits theaters December 2012.
COLIN FIRTH RECEIVES FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF LONDON
The King's Speech Star Colin Firth Gets Freedom Of The City
By Marion McMullen on Jul 15, 11 01:16 PM
THE King's Speech star Colin Firth will soon be picking up another honour after he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London.
The actor, who was recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours with a CBE last month, is expected to accept the honour sometime in the next six months.
The father-of-three is no stranger to awards and won the Best Actor Oscar for his role as stuttering monarch King George VI.
He has also been recognised for his work on behalf of his wife's native Italy.
The actor, who was recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours with a CBE last month, is expected to accept the honour sometime in the next six months.
The father-of-three is no stranger to awards and won the Best Actor Oscar for his role as stuttering monarch King George VI.
He has also been recognised for his work on behalf of his wife's native Italy.
Colin, who married producer Livia Giuggioli in 1997, was made a Commander of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity in 2005.
A spokesman for the City of London Corporation said: "Colin Firth has enjoyed a remarkable year, having been honoured with a CBE by Her Majesty the Queen, and winning an Oscar, Bafta and Golden Globe for his performance in The King's Speech.
"He is a very deserving candidate for the Freedom and we look forward to welcoming him and his guests to the Square Mile for his ceremony."
The Freedom of the City of London is believed to date back to 1237 and is granted by the City of London Corporation to celebrate outstanding contributions to London life.
Many of the traditional privileges associated with it, such as driving sheep over London Bridge or being hanged with a silken rope, no longer exist.
(Another great submission from ColinFirth24/7)
A spokesman for the City of London Corporation said: "Colin Firth has enjoyed a remarkable year, having been honoured with a CBE by Her Majesty the Queen, and winning an Oscar, Bafta and Golden Globe for his performance in The King's Speech.
"He is a very deserving candidate for the Freedom and we look forward to welcoming him and his guests to the Square Mile for his ceremony."
The Freedom of the City of London is believed to date back to 1237 and is granted by the City of London Corporation to celebrate outstanding contributions to London life.
Many of the traditional privileges associated with it, such as driving sheep over London Bridge or being hanged with a silken rope, no longer exist.
(Another great submission from ColinFirth24/7)
GAMBIT WRAPS IT'S SHOOT IN NEW MEXICO
El Mitote, July 17, 2011
| The New Mexican
Posted: Saturday, July 16, 2011
Posted: Saturday, July 16, 2011
Gambit, the art caper, is wrapped already, but some of the final shoots won't be forgotten by extras because of a surprise (and much needed) rain shower late last month. "It was such a funny scene, with all these people holding umbrellas around Colin (Firth) and Sir Tom (Courtenay)," writes an extra. The scene was one in which the ex-rodeo queen (Cameron Diaz) is roping a calf. In the film, Firth is plays a British art dealer trying to persuade England's richest man (Alan Rickman) to buy a fake Monet.
From ColinFirth24/7 http://www.colinfirth24-7.com/
LUKE EVANS JOINS THE HOBBIT
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DEREK JACOBI - KING LEAR
LONDON
Johan Persson
Related
On the London Stage: Derek Jacobi's Close-Up 'King Lear' (December 15, 2010)
Johan Persson
WHAT is the right age to play King Lear, as rich, anguished and demanding a role as any that Shakespeare wrote? Play it in your prime, before the specter of mortality has stared you in the face, and you risk seeming callow and implausible. Leave it too long, as some critics believed Laurence Olivier did when he played Lear in a 1984 television production, and you may have lost the physical stamina or emotional endurance the part demands.
The great British actor Derek Jacobi had been pondering this question for at least a decade, after the director Michael Grandage first suggested that they do a “Lear” together. Over the years, the two talked about the play and how they might approach it. Then Mr. Jacobi decided it was time.
“I just felt too young before,” said Mr. Jacobi, who is now 72. “As an actor, as an adult, as a maturing older man, I needed to be absolutely more centered in myself, because ‘Lear’ is a mountain to climb.”
The result is an acclaimed production of “Lear” that opened at the Donmar Warehouse in London in December, sold out to ecstatic reviews in an eight-week tour across Britain and is to begin performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Thursday. It had critics reaching for new kinds of superlatives. In The Daily Telegraph, the exacting Charles Spencer marveled at Mr. Jacobi’s “blaze of autumnal glory as an actor” and said that the production was “the finest and most searching Lear I have ever seen.”
For Mr. Grandage, it was the culmination of a long process. “You don’t come across Lears very often,” he said by telephone. “To have an opportunity to direct it with one of our greatest actors, who was at the right age, and to be able to talk about it and work through it over a number of years before you got to do it — that was very exciting to me.”
There are many ways to approach “Lear.” Some directors emphasize the politics and the pageantry, the forces of war spinning around the personal and dynastic tragedy. Mr. Grandage’s production, by contrast, is quiet, intimate, pared down to the essence of the play: a man’s impending obsolescence, the relationships within a family, how one terrible misstep begets worse ones.
The idea was to “get inside Lear’s head,” Mr. Jacobi said backstage at the Richmond Theater in southwest London, one of the final stops on the tour, as he drank a cup of tea and ate a cookie.
“We wanted less of the king and more of the man,” he said, “less of the politics of the play and more of the emotional highs and lows — the sense of family, fatherhood, relationships with the children, and the journey from madness to redemption.” In contrast to his magisterial presence onstage, Mr. Jacobi in person is surprisingly small and slight, with hair and a beard that have gone snowy white. His voice was familiar and thrilling, though he spoke softly to preserve it for the evening’s performance.
“He is someone who completely transforms onstage — his height, everything,” Mr. Grandage said. “He seems to be a bigger person, and that is partly because he lives for going out there.”
The production is quick, under three hours, with no sets, just a white backdrop. Each scene segues seamlessly into the one before. There are only a handful of props.
“The result is of a company of actors offering the words, the situations, the emotions, the relationships with nothing directorially superimposed on it,” Mr. Jacobi said. “One of the great joys about Michael is that he makes the most complex things appear simple. There’s no point where the director is screaming, ‘Look at me; haven’t I been clever with this scene?’ ”
In a way, Mr. Jacobi had always expected to perform “Lear.”
“It is a peak in the Himalayas, part of a mountain range that includes ‘Hamlet,’ ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ and the Scottish play,” he said (following actorly practice, he never says “Macbeth” in the theater if he can help it).
He continued: “When you’re young you’re kind of judged on your Hamlet. If you get through that hoop successfully, you’re admitted to the classical club. When you’re older, you have to go through the Lear hoop to see if they were right to admit you to the club in the first place.”
As it happens, it was “Hamlet” that began Mr. Jacobi’s acting career, in 1957 (unless you count the times that, dressed in his parents’ clothes, he played make-believe in the city streets as a tiny boy). Born in a suburb of London, the son of shopkeepers, he was, as a teenager, so good as Hamlet in a local production that the show went to the Edinburgh Festival. Mr. Jacobi won a scholarship to Cambridge (he played Hamlet there, too) and in 1963 was invited by Olivier to join the fledgling National Theater.
Mr. Jacobi remained there until 1971, going on to play an astonishing range of parts onstage, on television and in the movies through the decades. He became household-name famous in 1976, playing the poignant, painfully stuttering Emperor Claudius in the BBC series “I, Claudius.”
The role allowed his parents finally to explain to their neighbors what their son had been doing all that time.
“I’d been an actor for 16 years by then, but if my mother had mentioned the National Theater, she might as well have said the National Coal Board for all anyone knew what it was,” he said.
One of the challenges of performing “Lear,” as so often in Shakespeare, is how to make credible the main character’s rapid emotional transformation — how to make the audience believe, in this case, that a father who adores his youngest daughter could become so enraged so quickly that he viciously denounces and disinherits her.
Mr. Jacobi does this, he explained, by establishing Lear in that pivotal opening scene as petulant, temperamental, capricious, irrational. “What we have tried to do is show that this question of which of the three girls loves him the most is actually something that comes off the top of his head right then,” Mr. Jacobi said. “It’s a terrible accident; it wasn’t meant to be that at all, and it triggers something in the moment. The rest of the play is the result of the moment.”
Then, during the storm scene later on, everything suddenly goes quiet. Instead of roaring and cursing at high volume against the elements, as Lear does in most productions, Mr. Jacobi’s Lear whispers the famous words — “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!” — so that they appear to be his very thoughts, coming from inside his head.
“His madness is almost a childlike thing,” said Ron Cook, who plays the Fool in the production. He described Mr. Jacobi as “mild-mannered, lovely and not starry at all,” generous and complimentary, unfailingly vigorous and committed.
“During the storm scene, they were wondering whether to have real rain, but he doesn’t need it because he’s already soaking wet” with sweat, Mr. Cook said in a telephone interview. “He’s not only putting energy into it, but it’s always slightly different every time — changing an emphasis, taking something down or putting a slightly different emotion on it.”
Mr. Grandage said that he sometimes worries about how much of himself Mr. Jacobi gives to the play, particularly in the final scene. He appears almost unbearably frail then, his face red and his body diminished, sobbing pitiably night after night as he cradles Lear’s dead daughter, Cordelia, in his arms and wills her with all his heart to come back.
“He never does it on any kind of autopilot, and it does frighten me,” Mr. Grandage said. “He always takes himself to the full emotional place with no faking it. Sometimes actors find shortcuts that the audience doesn’t know about, but Derek has no interest in that. He does it 100 percent every night.”
“Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little,” Lear begs, and Mr. Jacobi said that when he delivers the line, he thinks of a loss in his own past. (He didn’t elaborate.)
“That’s what’s so wonderful about Shakespeare,” he said. “That’s what anyone who’s ever lost a loved one wants to say, and it’s unbearable.” Mr. Jacobi, who has shed about 15 pounds because of the rigors of the tour, said cheerfully that he was feeling fine. “I’m very lucky to have such a robust constitution,” he said (though he does wear a back brace under his costume in order not to pull anything in the scene when Lear carries Cordelia’s body onstage).
As the interview wound up, Mr. Jacobi said he was preparing his daily preshow ritual, in which he lies flat on his back and recites all his lines in his head, a process that takes about 45 minutes. Then he does his vocal exercises.
Knighted in 1994, Mr. Jacobi has been with his partner, the actor Richard Clifford, for more than 30 years; the two were joined in an official civil partnership ceremony in 2006. He believes that Shakespeare’s plays were written by someone else, not the “man from Stratford,” as he calls him — though that is another story.
He loves his job, he said, and called acting “a glorious profession where you don’t have to retire — you can go on until you drop.”
He added: “Lear and I have absolutely nothing in common. This is the glory of being an actor.”
The great British actor Derek Jacobi had been pondering this question for at least a decade, after the director Michael Grandage first suggested that they do a “Lear” together. Over the years, the two talked about the play and how they might approach it. Then Mr. Jacobi decided it was time.
“I just felt too young before,” said Mr. Jacobi, who is now 72. “As an actor, as an adult, as a maturing older man, I needed to be absolutely more centered in myself, because ‘Lear’ is a mountain to climb.”
The result is an acclaimed production of “Lear” that opened at the Donmar Warehouse in London in December, sold out to ecstatic reviews in an eight-week tour across Britain and is to begin performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Thursday. It had critics reaching for new kinds of superlatives. In The Daily Telegraph, the exacting Charles Spencer marveled at Mr. Jacobi’s “blaze of autumnal glory as an actor” and said that the production was “the finest and most searching Lear I have ever seen.”
For Mr. Grandage, it was the culmination of a long process. “You don’t come across Lears very often,” he said by telephone. “To have an opportunity to direct it with one of our greatest actors, who was at the right age, and to be able to talk about it and work through it over a number of years before you got to do it — that was very exciting to me.”
There are many ways to approach “Lear.” Some directors emphasize the politics and the pageantry, the forces of war spinning around the personal and dynastic tragedy. Mr. Grandage’s production, by contrast, is quiet, intimate, pared down to the essence of the play: a man’s impending obsolescence, the relationships within a family, how one terrible misstep begets worse ones.
The idea was to “get inside Lear’s head,” Mr. Jacobi said backstage at the Richmond Theater in southwest London, one of the final stops on the tour, as he drank a cup of tea and ate a cookie.
“We wanted less of the king and more of the man,” he said, “less of the politics of the play and more of the emotional highs and lows — the sense of family, fatherhood, relationships with the children, and the journey from madness to redemption.” In contrast to his magisterial presence onstage, Mr. Jacobi in person is surprisingly small and slight, with hair and a beard that have gone snowy white. His voice was familiar and thrilling, though he spoke softly to preserve it for the evening’s performance.
“He is someone who completely transforms onstage — his height, everything,” Mr. Grandage said. “He seems to be a bigger person, and that is partly because he lives for going out there.”
The production is quick, under three hours, with no sets, just a white backdrop. Each scene segues seamlessly into the one before. There are only a handful of props.
“The result is of a company of actors offering the words, the situations, the emotions, the relationships with nothing directorially superimposed on it,” Mr. Jacobi said. “One of the great joys about Michael is that he makes the most complex things appear simple. There’s no point where the director is screaming, ‘Look at me; haven’t I been clever with this scene?’ ”
In a way, Mr. Jacobi had always expected to perform “Lear.”
“It is a peak in the Himalayas, part of a mountain range that includes ‘Hamlet,’ ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ and the Scottish play,” he said (following actorly practice, he never says “Macbeth” in the theater if he can help it).
He continued: “When you’re young you’re kind of judged on your Hamlet. If you get through that hoop successfully, you’re admitted to the classical club. When you’re older, you have to go through the Lear hoop to see if they were right to admit you to the club in the first place.”
As it happens, it was “Hamlet” that began Mr. Jacobi’s acting career, in 1957 (unless you count the times that, dressed in his parents’ clothes, he played make-believe in the city streets as a tiny boy). Born in a suburb of London, the son of shopkeepers, he was, as a teenager, so good as Hamlet in a local production that the show went to the Edinburgh Festival. Mr. Jacobi won a scholarship to Cambridge (he played Hamlet there, too) and in 1963 was invited by Olivier to join the fledgling National Theater.
Mr. Jacobi remained there until 1971, going on to play an astonishing range of parts onstage, on television and in the movies through the decades. He became household-name famous in 1976, playing the poignant, painfully stuttering Emperor Claudius in the BBC series “I, Claudius.”
The role allowed his parents finally to explain to their neighbors what their son had been doing all that time.
“I’d been an actor for 16 years by then, but if my mother had mentioned the National Theater, she might as well have said the National Coal Board for all anyone knew what it was,” he said.
One of the challenges of performing “Lear,” as so often in Shakespeare, is how to make credible the main character’s rapid emotional transformation — how to make the audience believe, in this case, that a father who adores his youngest daughter could become so enraged so quickly that he viciously denounces and disinherits her.
Mr. Jacobi does this, he explained, by establishing Lear in that pivotal opening scene as petulant, temperamental, capricious, irrational. “What we have tried to do is show that this question of which of the three girls loves him the most is actually something that comes off the top of his head right then,” Mr. Jacobi said. “It’s a terrible accident; it wasn’t meant to be that at all, and it triggers something in the moment. The rest of the play is the result of the moment.”
Then, during the storm scene later on, everything suddenly goes quiet. Instead of roaring and cursing at high volume against the elements, as Lear does in most productions, Mr. Jacobi’s Lear whispers the famous words — “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!” — so that they appear to be his very thoughts, coming from inside his head.
“His madness is almost a childlike thing,” said Ron Cook, who plays the Fool in the production. He described Mr. Jacobi as “mild-mannered, lovely and not starry at all,” generous and complimentary, unfailingly vigorous and committed.
“During the storm scene, they were wondering whether to have real rain, but he doesn’t need it because he’s already soaking wet” with sweat, Mr. Cook said in a telephone interview. “He’s not only putting energy into it, but it’s always slightly different every time — changing an emphasis, taking something down or putting a slightly different emotion on it.”
Mr. Grandage said that he sometimes worries about how much of himself Mr. Jacobi gives to the play, particularly in the final scene. He appears almost unbearably frail then, his face red and his body diminished, sobbing pitiably night after night as he cradles Lear’s dead daughter, Cordelia, in his arms and wills her with all his heart to come back.
“He never does it on any kind of autopilot, and it does frighten me,” Mr. Grandage said. “He always takes himself to the full emotional place with no faking it. Sometimes actors find shortcuts that the audience doesn’t know about, but Derek has no interest in that. He does it 100 percent every night.”
“Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little,” Lear begs, and Mr. Jacobi said that when he delivers the line, he thinks of a loss in his own past. (He didn’t elaborate.)
“That’s what’s so wonderful about Shakespeare,” he said. “That’s what anyone who’s ever lost a loved one wants to say, and it’s unbearable.” Mr. Jacobi, who has shed about 15 pounds because of the rigors of the tour, said cheerfully that he was feeling fine. “I’m very lucky to have such a robust constitution,” he said (though he does wear a back brace under his costume in order not to pull anything in the scene when Lear carries Cordelia’s body onstage).
As the interview wound up, Mr. Jacobi said he was preparing his daily preshow ritual, in which he lies flat on his back and recites all his lines in his head, a process that takes about 45 minutes. Then he does his vocal exercises.
Knighted in 1994, Mr. Jacobi has been with his partner, the actor Richard Clifford, for more than 30 years; the two were joined in an official civil partnership ceremony in 2006. He believes that Shakespeare’s plays were written by someone else, not the “man from Stratford,” as he calls him — though that is another story.
He loves his job, he said, and called acting “a glorious profession where you don’t have to retire — you can go on until you drop.”
He added: “Lear and I have absolutely nothing in common. This is the glory of being an actor.”
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