Articles by Linda Ge - Page 110 of 181

Watch: Carey Mulligan sings, Michael Fassbender unravels in new “Shame” trailer

November 17, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos Leave a comment

I saw “Shame” recently and, to put it lightly, it’s the best movie I’ve seen in 2011 so far. Visionary director Steve McQueen’s stark visual style, Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan’s top-of-their-game acting, the frank way of addressing its controversial subject matter, all of it is sublime. A new trailer has arrived, touting its newly garnered NC-17 rating from the MPAA, and Mulligan’s lovely and sad (and long) rendition of “New York, New York”, lifted from a scene in the film, sets the tone for montages of Fassbender’s rapidly unraveling life. It’s an appropriately slow-paced and languid, almost dream-like glimpse of the film that employs much of the same style to brilliant effect.

Do yourself a favor and see “Shame” when it finally hits theaters on December 2, 2011.

New images: Jeremy Irvine and Celine Buckens in Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse”

November 17, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images 2 Comments

We are just about a month away from the release of Steven Spielberg’s highly anticipated “War Horse”, and while we’ve seen plenty of images of newcomer Jeremy Irvine as Albert, the young boy whose horse/best friend is sold to the British cavalry during WWI, we’ve still yet to see much of his acting in the trailers that have been released, which are mostly montages set to music. Well, unfortunately, today is more of the same, with a plethora of new still images from the film for your viewing pleasure.

The new photos also feature young actress Celine Buckens. Much has been made of the fact that Irvine makes his big screen debut here, but the same is true for Buckens, who plays young French girl Emilie, whose family farm Albert’s horse Joey resides for part of his time during the war. Needless to say, she falls for the lovable animal too. The rest of the cast is rounded out by up and comers like Tom Hiddleston, Robert Emms and Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as veterans Emily Watson and Peter Mullen.

“War Horse” comes out on Christmas Day, December 25, 2011.

Read more

Watch: Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams reenact every Nicholas Sparks movie ever in new “The Vow” trailer

November 17, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos Leave a comment

These Nicholas Sparks jokes, they write themselves. The second trailer for weepy romantic drama “The Vow” doesn’t even try to hide the fact that Sparks is where it’s at, decreeing stars Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum as “From ‘The Notebook’” and “From ‘Dear John’”, respectively. The storyline, too, feels ripped from the pages of a Sparks novel, though it feebly claims to be inspired by true events. Tatum and McAdams play a happily married couple whose world crumbles after a car accident leaves her without any memory of their relationship. He must then make her fall in love with him all over again while keeping her from falling for her ex-fiance (Scott Speedman), who she thinks is still her current fiance thanks to the amnesia.

Sounds like a weepy, sappy, overwrought and melodramatic two hours right? Oh who am I kidding. See you at the movies, Valentine’s Day 2012.

First Look: Olivia Wilde and Ashley Greene in quirky indie comedy “Butter”

November 16, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images Leave a comment

Olivia Wilde goes bad and Ashley Greene goes good in our first look at the two up and comers in quirky indie comedy “Butter.” In the Jim Field Smith directed film, Jennifer Garner stars as Laura, a thinly veiled parody of famous female Republican politicians, the wife of a former butter-carving champion (“Modern Family”‘s Ty Burell) who decides to keep the winning streak in the family and signs up to carve some butter herself.

Wilde is Brooke, a vengeful and outrageous stripper who challenges Laura’s fight for supremacy, while an outside contender, a young orphan (Yara Shahidi) who seems to have a natural knack for butter carving (hey, we all have to be good at something) threatens to win the whole thing. Meanwhile, Greene looks meeker and younger than we’ve ever seen her as Laura’s daughter. See the new images of Wilde and Greene below, and head to The Playlist for more new images of other actors from the film, including Hugh Jackman, Alicia Silverstone and more.

After the film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and failed to create much Oscar buzz, it will now be shelved until March 16, 2012. Going by what else comes out that day, “Butter” seems like a safe bet.

Read more

Watch: Lily Collins and Armie Hammer can’t save the awful first trailer for “Mirror Mirror”

November 15, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Videos 13 Comments

The first trailer for “Mirror Mirror” has arrived, and… oy. The combined puppy dog charms of Lily Collins and Armie Hammer aren’t enough to overcome an especially grating Julia Roberts, disappointingly limp costumes and sets and dialogue full of puns so terrible I can’t even make a pun here to clever this sentence up. We were rooting for your Snow White movie, Tarsem Singh (even, at times, over that other one), but why are you making it so hard?

Looks like Tarsem and Co. were aiming for family-friendly comedy adventure and overshot it by about a mile. A beautiful and charming Collins seems well cast, as does the dashing Hammer, except for when he’s made to act ridiculous (which is, unfortunately, more often than not) and the two do provide some moments of genuine likeability, but they are way too easily overrun by Roberts’ Evil Queen, who’s looking like the least funny funny character that’s come along in a great while. Upside? While a certain other Snow White is looking to be greatly overshadowed by her Evil Queen, Collins should have no problem coming off as the bright spot and highlight here.

“Mirror Mirror” opens on March 16, 2012, three months before “Snow White and the Huntsman.” So, you know, it has that going for it.

Kristen Stewart offered “Akira” female lead opposite Garrett Hedlund

November 15, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

Warner Bros continues to dream big and reach out to strictly A-list talent to round out the ensemble cast of its risky, bid budget remake of Japanese manga “Akira”, with offers out to the likes of Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter still pending. Thus far the only actor to officially sign on is Garrett Hedlund, who will star as Kaneda in the futuristic actioner, and while previous reports indicated Keira Knightley had been offered an unspecified female role, Twitch now reports it’s “Twilight” series star Kristen Stewart who has the offer for the female lead. Presumably this means Knightley has passed on the role. Let’s hope this doesn’t turn into the next “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.”

Stewart, who just recently worked with Hedlund on the equally controversial, long-gestating adaptation of “On the Road”, has been offered the role of Kei, a young medium and love interest to Hedlund’s Kaneda. Kaneda’s story mainly revolves around an attempt to save his little brother Tetsuo from becoming a government science experiment and weapon after the younger man begins developing telekinetic abilities. Ezra Miller and Alden Ehrenreich are among the actors being eyed for the role of Tetsuo. Jaume Collet-Serra will direct.

The “Twilight” films, the second to last installment of which – “Breaking Dawn” – opens this Friday, made an international superstar out of former indie actress Stewart, who now seems to be more keen on big budget blockbusters, currently filming next summer’s fantasy epic “Snow White and the Huntsman.” Could “Akira” be next?

Up and Comers Podcast #4: “The Hunger Games”, dueling Snow Whites and TV actors turned movie stars

November 15, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge and Rebecca Lewis in Podcast 6 Comments

Thank you for joining us again if you listened to our earlier podcasts or if you are new to the program, welcome! Once a week, Linda and Rebecca will take to the internet airwaves to discuss a variety of subjects, including all the latest news, movies we’ve seen recently, the Oscar season and more topics that interest us (or you! Please send us your suggestions for topics to talk about).

• 00:00 – 28:40 – We discuss some of the big news that broke over the past week or so, including that awesome “The Hunger Games” trailer; Jeremy Irvine as Pip in “Great Expectations”; “The Host” casting its two male leads and more.

• 28:45 – 33:20 – A couple of Oscar tidbits/updates; could two of our favorite “longshots” – Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids”) and Mia Wasikowska (“Jane Eyre”) – be back in the race?

• 33:20 – 43:40 – We discuss Sundance hit “Another Earth” in depth, INCLUDING (from 35:05 – 38:40) SPECIFIC SPOILERS REGARDING THE ENDING. Please skip this section if you have not seen the film and do not wish to know, in great detail, how it ends.

• 43:40 – 48:15 – Linda discusses, briefly and without spoilers, “Haywire”, “Shame”, “The Adventures of Tin Tin” and “The Kid with a Bike”

• 48:15 – END – In depth discussion about actors who star on currently running TV shows and mapping out a pretty solid movie career at the same time. We discuss Blake Lively and her “Gossip Girl” co-stars, the young risings stars of HBO over on “True Blood” and “Game of Thrones” like Alexander Skarsgard, Dane DeHaan, Kit Harington and more.

Play

Felicity Jones lands female lead in Beatty’s Howard Hughes film; Timberlake, Ehrenreich up for male lead

November 14, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting 2 Comments

Is the search finally over? After months of rumor and speculation, Deadline reports it’s British rising star Felicity Jones, not Rooney Mara or Evan Rachel Wood, who is Warren Beatty’s final choice for the female lead in his long gestating Howard Hughes biopic. Beatty will direct and star in the film as Hughes, but not so fast. Deadline stresses the film is still in the midst of finalizing financing so is still nowhere near production-ready yet.

When the cameras do start rolling, Jones will play a young woman who develops a relationship with the young man who serves as Hughes’ chauffeur, before falling for Hughes himself instead. The young male lead also appears to be coming down to people not previously mentioned, like Andrew Garfield and Shia LaBeouf. Deadline brings up two possible, unexpected contenders: Justin Timberlake and Alden Ehrenreich. Previously mentioned acting veterans are still circling other roles as well, including Annette Bening, Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin and Owen Wilson.

Garnering serious Oscar buzz for her breakout role as one half of a lovelorn long-distance couple in Drake Doremus’ transatlantic love story “Like Crazy”, Jones is currently re-teaming with Doremus on his next feature opposite Guy Pearce and Amy Ryan. She had been attached to fellow Sundance breakout star Brit Marling’s “The East”, but dropped out due to publicity commitments to “Like Crazy”, thus marking Beatty’s Hughes biopic one of the first she will film without Doremus.

Clémence Poésy is “Mr. Morgan’s Last Love” opposite Michael Caine

November 14, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

We haven’t heard much from “Harry Potter” series star Clémence Poésy lately, but that’s about to change. The Playlist reports the young French actress has signed on to star in indie love story “Mr. Morgan’s Last Love”, in which she’ll play opposite Michael Caine, Gillian Anderson and Justin Kirk.

The story revolves around “a retired, lonely American widower (Caine) whose chance encounter with a free-spirited and vibrantly naive, beautiful young French woman touches his heart and brightens and changes his life.” Presumably Poesy plays the young French woman. Sandra Nettlebeck will direct and also adapted the screenplay from the novel “La Douceur Assassine” by Françoise Dorner.

After wrapping up her role as Fleur Delacour in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″, Poesy filmed two British miniseries for TV, “Richard II” opposite Patrick Stewart and Ben Whishaw, and “Birdsong” opposite Eddie Redmayne, Mathew Goode and “Game of Throne”‘s Richard Madden.

Filming on “Mr. Morgan’s Last Love” is already underway in Paris.

First Look: Jeremy Irvine as Pip in first still from Mike Newell’s “Great Expectations”

November 11, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Images 6 Comments

Most of you have probably already seen the gothic and over the top look Helena Bonham Carter embodies in the first ever images from “Great Expectations”, but today The Daily Mail brings us what we here at Up and Comers have been waiting for: the first image of “War Horse” star Jeremy Irvine as Pip, the orphan on whom expectations are great. The Mike Newell-directed adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic is currently shooting in England.

Irvine’s Pip is a kind orphan who grows up to be a distinguished gentleman of society through the generosity of an anonymous benefactor, who longs for unattainable and cold beauty Estella throughout the book and must face the dark places that his mysterious fortune originated from. Estella will be played by “The Borgias” star Holliday Grainger, with Bonham Carter as her eccentric guardian Miss Havisham and Ralph Fiennes is Magwitch, the ex-convict who sponsors Pip’s transformation into a man of means.

This big screen adaptation of “Great Expectations” is one of two coming our way in 2012 to celebrate Dickens’ bicentenary; a BBC miniseries with Douglas Booth as Pip and Vanessa Kirby as Estella is in production for the small screen.

Irvine and Bonham Carter look every bit the Victorian gothic characters the are portraying; now, if we could just get a shot of Grainger as Estella…

Read more

Page 110 of 181« First...102030...108109110111112...120130140...Last »