Ben Affleck Curls Up With Lifeless Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl

E ON LINE!
by JORDANA OSSAD
January 8, 2014



Gone Girl fans, get your first look at Nick and Amy Dunne.

Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, who portray the troubled married couple in the highly anticipated film adaptation of Gillian Flynn's thriller novel, are featured on the latest cover of Entertainment Weekly.

The eerie snapshot features the duo in a morgue, with Affleck curled up next to a lifeless but beautiful Pike. The 34-year-old British actress gazes wide-eyed at the ceiling and has an ID tag on her foot, while the 41-year-old Oscar winner holds her face and positions one of his legs on her sheet-wrapped body. A tray of tools to conduct an autopsy is featured next to the attractive duo.

Director David Fincher took the photograph for the magazine and came up with the mysterious idea.

Even if you read the book, don't expect the same twists and turns on the big screen.

Fincher, who adapted and directed Stieg Larsson's novel The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in 2011, admitted that "we may have been too beholden to the source material."

"There was something thrilling about taking this piece of work that I'd spent about two years painstakingly putting together with all its eight million LEGO pieces and take a hammer to it and bash it apart and reassemble it into a movie," Flynn, a former EW writer, says.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.eonline.com/news/496819/ben-affleck-curls-up-with-lifeless-rosamund-pike-in-gone-girl

FIRST LOOK: 'CHILD 44' STARRING TOM HARDY, GARY OLDMAN, AND NOOMI RAPACE

I AM ROGUE
Friday, 13 December 2013 11:26
Written by  Jordan DeSaulnier

In Child 44, Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman have left behind Gotham City in favor of Stalinist Russia.

Summit Entertainment has released the first two stills from the film, showing off Hardy, Oldman, and Noomi Rapace in the dramatic thriller.

The film has an intriguing story and a solid pedigree.  It's based on the novel, the first in a trilogy, by Tom Rob Smith, with Clockers novelist and The Wire writer Richard Price handling the screenplay adaptation.

Child 44 follows Hardy as Leo Stepanovich Demidov, a war hero, rising star in State Security Force, and true believer in the state despite its hypocrisy and brutality in the final days of Stalin's rule.  In 1953, though, Leo begins tracking a serial killer who targets children, and his investigation puts him at odds with his superiors, whose official position is to simply deny that the killer exists.  Leo edges ever-closer to becoming an enemy of the state himself, his increasing determination to find the killer leading him to reclaim his humanity from an oppressive machine.

Noomi Rapace of Prometheus and the Swedish The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo plays Raisa, Leo's wife and ally in his search for the killer.  These two stills, courtesy of Rope of Silicon, provide our first official looks at Rapace, Hardy, and Oldman in some sharp Soviet duds.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.iamrogue.com/news/movie-news/item/10294-first-look-child-44-starring-tom-hardy-gary-oldman-and-noomi-rapace.html

Director Ridley Scott excites preview audience in London with scenes of sci-fi flick ‘Prometheus’ Film starring Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace flirts with 'Alien' territory Comments BY DOMINIC MAXWELL-LEWIS / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Director Ridley Scott unveiled the first 3-D footage of “Prometheus,” his highly anticipated “Alien” prequel, in London Tuesday and movie writers were in awe.

Or at least they were in awe of the trailer and the 13 minutes of footage he showed. “We were treated to that tantalizing trailer montage of everything going gloopy and haywire – unfamiliar egg chambers, things entering people’s eyes,” writes the Telegraph’s Tim Robey.

They also were treated to the appearance of the flick’s star-studded leads — Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace, the stunning actress who played Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish/Danish version of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.”

They’re all part of what British blog Pocket Lint says “could be the best science fiction film made in years” when its released in the U.S. on June 8.

 Read more:http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/director-ridley-scott-excites-preview-audience-london-scenes-sci-fi-flick-prometheus-article-1.1059427?localLinksEnabled=false

Christopher Plummer: Ready for his Oscar! (IONSTRATFORD)

All Stratford eyes should be on the Academy Awards Sunday night.

82-year-old Christopher Plummer is up for his second Oscar for Beginners, in which he plays an elderly widower who comes out of the closet and embraces his homosexuality. Despite illness, he lives life to the fullest and sets an example for his son, portrayed by Ewan McGregor.

Iconic Canadian actor Christopher Plummer has been the toast of the film awards season, winning trophy after trophy for his impish, yet touching performance in the melancholy comedy-drama Beginners, directed by Mike Mills. T

The Toronto-born performer, who has in recent years kept busy with roles both on stage (Barrymore, Stratford’s Caesar and Cleopatra and The Tempest) and screen (Beginners, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,The Last Station), hasn’t let being an octogenarian hamper his career.

Read further:  http://ionstratford.ca/2012/02/26/christopher-plummer-up-for-an-oscar-sunday-night/

Bizarre video for the upcoming Acadeny Awards show (COPE AND DALTON)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oFswU8GiQpQ#!
Cope and Dalton

Kate Winslet, Christopher Plummer Win at Golden Globes (Big Pond News)

Christopher Plummer has won the supporting actor Golden Globe for his role as an elderly widower who comes out as gay in the father-son drama Beginners.

Among early television winners were Kate Winslet as best actress in a miniseries or movie in Mildred Pierce, Laura Dern for comedy or musical actress in Enlightened, Kelsey Grammer for dramatic actor in Boss, Homeland for drama series and Downton Abbey for miniseries or movie.

Ricky Gervais, who has ruffled feathers at past shows with sharp wisecracks aimed at Hollywood's elite and the Globes show itself, returned as host for the third straight year. He started with some slams at the Globes as Hollywood's second-biggest film ceremony, after the Oscars.

Gervais joked that the Globes 'are just like the Oscars, but without all that esteem. The Globes are to the Oscars what Kim Kardashian is to Kate Middleton. A bit louder, a bit trashier, a bit drunker and more easily bought. Allegedly. Nothing's been proved.'

He also needled early winners, saying the show was running long and stars needed to keep their speeches short.

'You don't need to thank everyone you've ever met or members of your family, who have done nothing,' Gervais said. 'Just the main two. Your agent and God.'

Claiming the first prize of the night at Sunday's Globes may give 82-year-old Plummer the inside track for the same prize at next month's Academy Awards.

'I must praise my distinguished competitors, who whom I have the greatest admiration and to whom I apologise most profusely,' said Plummer, who added warm regards to Beginners star Scottish actor Ewan McGregor.

'I want to salute my partner, Ewan, that wily Scot, Ewan 'My Heart's in the Highlands' McGregor, that scene-stealing swine from the outer Hebrides.'

Oscar consideration has been elusive for Plummer, who has been nominated for Hollywood's top honour only once in his 60-year career - two years ago, for the Leo Tolstoy drama The Last Station.

Plummer is regarded as one of the finest Shakespearean stage actors of the last half century.

His film roles range from Austrian widower Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music and Tolstoy in The Last Station to newsman Mike Wallace in The Insider and a treacherous Klingon general in Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country.

He also co-starred in the current thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

A drama with comic touches, Beginners was a fitting recipient to start the Globe ceremony, which has a strong line-up of lighter fare to match the more sober-minded films that generally dominate Hollywood awards.



http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Entertainment/2012/01/16/Plummer_takes_supporting_actor_Globe_707908.html

Black is back: Keira and Helen show off their dark side in Gothic ensembles (Hello Magazine)

11 JANUARY 2012

Fashion insiders are predicting a surge of colour for the coming season. But if the A-list's ensembles on Tuesday night were anything to go by, black is back.

British actress Keira Knightley stepped out in New York in a black ruched velvet Nina Ricci dress with pretty lace detailing that embellished the front.

She teamed the Gothic ensemble with opaque tights and heavy black heels at the National Board of Review Awards ceremony.

Also stepping over to the dark side were Helen Mirren, Rooney Mara and Stacy Keibler.

Helen, 66, flaunted her impressive physique in a long black velvet gown boasting a sheer panel adorned with velvet flowers.

And Rooney, who picked up the award for breakthrough performance for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, wore a simple LBD that she spiced up with glittering silver slingbacks.

George Clooney’s girl Stacy, meanwhile, chose an embellished Marchesa gown in the midnight colour as she accompanied her man.

Other famous faces at the event were Tilda Swinton, who won Best Actress for her performance in We Need To Talk About Kevin, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and Chloe Moretz.


http://www.hellomagazine.com/fashion/gallery/201201116948/national-board-fashion/1/#12

Were Bridesmaids' Oscar Chances Just Boosted—and Harry Potter's Sunk—by Producers Guild? (E OnLine)

Today 10:52 AM PST by Joal Ryan

Suzanne Hanover/Universal Studios

The Producers Guild nominations were announced today—and the Best Picture field for the Oscars just might have been set.

So, get ready to count in Bridesmaids.

Maybe.


The indisputable good news for Kristen Wiig's Bridesmaids is that it's one of 10 PGA nominees for film of the year.

Its competition is made up of George Clooney films and the other now-usual suspects: The Artist, The Descendants, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Help, Hugo, The Ides of March, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball and War Horse.

All but Dragon Tattoo, the closest thing to a mild surprise here, are up for the top awards at the Golden Globes.

Notably absent from the PGA Awards' field are some heavyweights that have made it a habit of being notably absent from the season's top races: Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio's J. Edgar; Terrence Malick and Brad Pitt's The Tree of Life; Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock's Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close; and, Gary Oldman's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

And, no, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 didn't get nominated, either, so that's pretty much the end of that film's dream.

Last year, a PGA nomination just about guaranteed a berth at the Oscars, with nine of the 10 PGA films going on to compete for the top prize at the Kodak Theatre.

But here's the problem for Bridesmaids, which would now seem poised to finally bring honor to puke-accented, R-rated comedies: The Oscars may not nominate 10 films this year.

There's always something, isn't there?

Elsewhere, the critically trashed Cars 2 will compete for top toon honors against The Adventures of Tintin, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots and Rango.

Mildred Pierce and The Kennedys are up for the TV-movie/miniseries prize opposite Cinema Verite, Downton Abbey and Too Big to Fail.

The PGA earlier announced its slate of TV series nominees.

The 23rd Annual Producers Guild of America Awards are set to be presented Jan. 21.

PHOTOS: 2012 Oscars Cheat Sheet!

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• Read more: http://www.eonline.com/news/were_bridesmaids_oscar_chances_just/283628#ixzz1iRzrso9A

Awards Box Office: 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,' 'The Artist' Make Gains (The Hollywood Reporter)

6:47 PM PST 12/27/2011 by Pamela McClintock        

 

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"

"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" off to promising start and Wim Wenders' 3D German dance film "Pina" scores impressive opening for a documentary.

British specialty pic Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy continued to do strong business over Christmas weekend, besting much of its competition in key theaters -- all the more notable considering it was shut out of Golden Globe and SAG nominations.

our editor recommends

 

'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo': Why Critics Think It Struggled At the Box Office

 

Box Office Report: Spielberg's 'War Horse' Gallops Out of Gate, 'Mission: Impossible 4' a Blockbuster

 

Box Office Report: 'Mission: Impossible 4' Christmas Victor, Tom Cruise is Back

 

Foreign Box Office: 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' Finishes in Top Spot for Second Straight Weekend

 

The Focus Features' film, headlining Gary Oldman and also starring Colin Firth and Tom Hardy, made a major push late last week when upping its theater count from 16 to 55 as it moved into additional top markets, such as Dallas, St. Louis and Portland. Working Title produced the film, based on John Le Carre's novel.

Tinker Tailor grossed $1.1 million over the four-day holiday weekend for a stellar location average -- the currency by which limited releases are judged -- of $19,201, the best of any film save for Wim Wenders' German dance documentary Pina, which posted a pleasing theater average of $30,608 as it opened in three theaters, grossing $91,823 for IFC Films.

PHOTOS: 15 Biggest Box Office Flops of 2011: THR Year In Review

Tinker Tailor, which has now earned $2.2 million in the U.S., is holding its own against both indie and commerical films in upscale and arthouse theaters.

For example, it came in No. 2 at the Landmark theater in West L.A. on Monday, beating Steven Spielberg's new Christmas film War Horse, Warner Bros.' new awards entry Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and The Artist. The only movie to do slightly more was David Fincher's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which grossed $8,396, compared to $8,274 for Tinker Tailor.

At an upscale art theater in Minneapolis, Tinker Tailor posted an opening four day gross of $32,804, compared to $16,804 for The Artist in its debut. And at the Lincoln Square theater in Manhattan, Tinker Tailor bested Extremely Loud on Monday. It also did stellar business in Dallas, grossing $32,811 for the four days, compared to $23,680 for Dragon Tattoo and $11,735 for The Artist.

PHOTOS: 23 Awards Contenders Featuring Animals

"The film is sustaining its momentum with pretty big numbers, even though the competition is enormous," Focus president of distribution Jack Foley said. "There is national recognition now of the film, which now moves into its fourth week."

And Tinker Tailor isn't just drawing older audiences, evidenced by a strong debut in Portland, where arthouse fans are younger.

Regardless of whether Tinker Tailor is beating it in certain locations, The Artist -- an awards frontrunner -- is doing impressive business for a silent, black-and-white film.

On Dec. 23, the Weinstein Co. upped The Artist's count from 17 to 167 locations in a key test for the French pic. The Artist did well, grossing $1.3 million over the four-day holiday weekend for a location average of $7,876 and domestic cume of $2.8 million as it heads into its fifth week of play.

Among new specialty films, Extremely Loud opened on Dec. 23 in six theaters, grossing $114,000 for a strong average of $19,000.

Pina's opening performance is noteworthy for a documentary. The film is Germany's official selection for the Oscar for best foreign language film.

Angelina Jolie's Bosnian war film In the Land of Blood and Honey likewise debuted on Dec. 23 in three theaters, grossing $25,459 for a location average of $8,486. FilmDistrict is distributing the film.

Sony PIctures Classics' Carnage, directed by Roman Polanski, posted a per theater average of $11,626 in its second weekend, grossing $81,838 for a cume of $199,048.

With many off of work this week, the specialty box office should see brisk midweek business.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-the-artist-awards-box-office-276451

New Thrillers and James Bond to Watch This Holiday Season (Huffington Post)

Brad Balfour

Veteran Interviewer; Pop Culture Chronicler         

Posted: 12/25/11 07:52 PM ET

 

Exotic locations, fast cars, beautiful women, and crazy gadgets are the excitements in today's cinematic thrillers -- whether they be spy-oriented, crime adventure, or a suspense mystery.

And with such films as Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows, Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol, The Adventures of Tin Tin, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and Tinker Tailor, Soldier Spy (all which opened this weekend or very recently), there's a good chance of catching one variation or another of the genre.

Of this bunch, all pretty much satisfy the basic strictures of these spy/cop/crime dramas -- good guys, skillful associates (at least one of them has to be an attractive, sexy woman -- or, in Tin Tin's case, a cute dog) nasty villains, wealthy magnates, fancy moves and incredible weaponry. Only Tinker Tailor is more of an arthouse production with more talk and little action.

Among these four, the Brad Bird-directed Mission Impossible best hits the genre's high points with the most balanced results. Between its smart use of humor (with the comic Simon Pegg as one of the IMF's skilled team), Tom Cruise's gymnastic moves and Paula Patton's sultry turns, the film's story pulses forward.

Though the digitally animated Tin Tin reigns as the latest advance in performance-capture, it also serves as a successor to director Steven Spielberg's love affair with adventure films seen through such series as the Indiana Jones tales -- and terrier Snowy makes for a much smarter, cuter sidekick than Shia LeBouf. In Tin Tin's case, this series has lots more gas in its narrative engine than the now-tired Indie Jones saga.

Both Sherlock Holmes and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo deal with bloodthirsty villains -- one who kills for perverse greed, the other for sadistic passions -- and present convoluted stories that come to uncertain conclusions. While they each offer slick, visually stimulating sequences of death and destruction, one seems a sleekly-made yet unnecessary remake (Dragon) and the other an almost too-peculiar re-imagining (Holmes).

Drawing on author John Le Carre's cerebral novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy investigates the secret agent landscape as an intellectual exercise. In director Tomas Alfredson's version, this story of spymaster George Smiley ferreting out a mole in the British espionage bureaucracy tries to recreate the novel's complex machinations, but it spurs more confusion than insight.

And all of these films have roots in a raft of source material, but the granddaddy of it all is the James Bond series, longest running franchise in film history.

Some of the series' cinematic excursions ranged far afield from Ian Fleming's original novels where the world's most suave, savvy spy was actually a lot grittier and more of a cold, ruthless operator.
While the filmic Bond increasingly relied on fancy gadgets to enhance the drama -- especially after the character became far more of coy caricature during the Roger Moore years -- it still influenced a crop of sometimes superior imitators. And now the character has returned to a harder edge through actor Daniel Craig's recent re-invention.

Normally the Bond films can only be viewed on various DVD and Blu-ray sets but they have been viewable all this month on Epix -- the premium entertainment service available on television, video-on-demand, online and on consumer electronic devices.

And they dovetail into today's marathon of Bond movies. So if you still hunger for the original thrills set in play through James, the following are viewable: Goldfinger (3:45 pm ET), Thunderball (5:45 pm ET), Live and Let Die (8 pm ET), and You Only Live Twice (10 pm).

For more info go to: www.EpixHD.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-balfour/new-thrillers-and-james-b_b_1169584.html

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - This chilly, compelling 'Dragon' spits fire (Charlotte Observer)

Lawrence Toppman
ltoppman@charlotteobserver.com

Lawrence Toppman The Charlotte Observer

Posted: Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011

Modified: Monday, Dec. 19, 2011

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• Rooney Mara plays a computer genius who works with a journalist (Daniel Craig) to investigate a girl's disappearance. Baldur Bragason
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• Daniel Craig, left, and Rooney Mara star in the English version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." Merrick Morton
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  NEW SIG MUG FOR REDESIGN. MUG OF LARRY TOPPMAN. PHOTO BY WENDY YANG.

More Information

• REVIEW
  1/2

  Did we need another film of Stieg Larsson's novel after the successful Swedish one? The answer turns out to be yes.

  STARS: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Stellan Skarsgård, Christopher Plummer, Robin Wright.
  DIRECTOR: David Fincher.
  WRITER: Steven Zaillian.
  RUNNING TIME: 165 minutes.
  RATING: R (brutal violent content including rape and torture, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, and language).

The English-language remake of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," lean as a runway model and taut as an Olympic bowstring, repeats a piece of information just once.

Industrialist Henrik Vangar (Christopher Plummer) hires disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) to look into the disappearance of a girl 40 years ago from a Swedish island. Vangar gives Blomkvist names and details about family members, ending with great-nephew Martin (Stellan Skarsgård). "He runs our business," says Vangar, adding wryly, "as I think I told you."

The implication is clear: A good investigator shouldn't need to hear things twice. Nor should an alert audience, and director David Fincher and writer Steven Zaillian require - and earn - our strict attention.

Except for one nifty twist, they have followed the outline of Stieg Larsson's novel. (And that twist makes sense, given the story's parameters.) Yet they find small ways to freshen the story: For instance, the clue linking the predations of a serial killer gets uncovered accidentally by Blomkvist's daughter, not the eerie title character.

That young computer wizard, played here by Rooney Mara, differs slightly from her Swedish predecessor. Noomi Rapace (who's currently on view in the "Sherlock Holmes" sequel) seemed more feral and psychologically troubled. Mara's Lisbeth Salander has a shade more humor and humanity, which makes her relationship with Blomkvist more credible and the ending of the 2011 movie more poignant.

This film has two of Fincher's happiest trademarks: It's full of information and stretches over a remarkably long time (165 minutes), yet it's neither confusing nor overextended. He and Zaillian introduce more details than the Swedish film had, including a significant role for Blomkvist's editor/paramour (Robin Wright).

They and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth aim for verisimilitude, from the blistering snows on the island to the depressing tenements of Stockholm to the signs and newspapers in Swedish. (Those are actually distracting, as everyone speaks English.) Just as importantly, they've hired celebrated British actors who bring credibility to small parts: Geraldine James, Joely Richardson, Martin Jarvis and Steven Berkoff round out the list of suspects.

The exceptional craft of the storytelling may grip you even if you're familiar with both the book and the 2009 Swedish movie, which was itself quite good. Editors Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall cut quickly during the hunt sequences and slowly during conversations, letting us catch up. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have written a percussive, pulsing score that makes us feel as uncomfortable as the images Blomkvist has to see and the brutality Salander experiences. (The rape is grimmer than the one from 2009.)

As we watch these two investigators snap back and forth between disturbing computer images or zip back and forth between Stockholm and the icy island, we can forget the destination most of us probably know and simply enjoy the journey. On rare occasions, as it does here, this approach can yield a first-rate thriller

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/12/20/2861944/this-chilly-compelling-dragon.html

2012 Oscar Predictions: Best Actress Nominees! (E! OnLine)

Fri., Dec. 16, 2011 6:53 AM PST by Team Truth

'Tis the season...for Oscar predictions!

And since our fave race of the Academy Awards is (duh!) the Best Actress slot, we decided to narrow down which par-tick babes we think will make the tough cut. Now that we've analyzed the SAG and Golden Globe noms for further clues, we realize our first hunches were right on target: We've settled on a list that's inspired by such iconic chicks as Marilyn Monroe and Margaret Thatcher.
Talk about beauty and the beast, eh?

READ: Golden Globe Nominations 2012: Five Shockers and Snubs!

Let's start with the obvious.

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady:
While the legendary actress has 16 Academy Award nominations and two wins to her credit, Meryl hasn't taken home the Oscar since 1982. That is simply a crime, people, a crime! Gal's most definitely due in for some more modern recognition, but, we're not entirely sure Streep's precise portrayal of bullish British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is more Oscar-worthy than her previous noms.

Streep's simply perfect star-deliveries in Devil Wears Prada and Julia & Julia, et. al, just keep on getting ignored by the Academy, albeit she always manages a nom. Will Meryl be Susan Lucci-ed out yet again in 2012? Come on, even Hilary Swank and Dianne Weist have two Oscars. Shouldn't our most talented living actor today have at least one more little statuette? Don't worry, she will—soon.

RELATED: Five SAG nomination stunners

Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn:
Williams has at least two strong factors going for her: one, while Marilyn isn't exactly getting rave reviews, Michelle's eerily sexy-lonely turn as Marilyn Monroe (while she made the film The Prince and the Showgirl in England with Laurence Olivier) certainly is—across the board. Plus, more on the sentimental side, Michelle has been Oscar-nominated twice before (Brokeback Mountain and Blue Valentine), and for a pretty young, former Dawson's Creek gal, Michelle's damn respected by the Academy. Lastly, do not forget Williams represents the possible continuation of Heath Ledger's tragically halted career talents, as she is the mother of their daughter, Matilda. Those are two pedigrees Oscar never sniffs at, in fact, just the opposite.

RELATED: Michelle Williams Channels Her Inner Marilyn Monroe—Even Between Takes!

Viola Davis, The Help:
Let's be very clear and on the record, we lived for many of the performances in The Help, particularly those of Davis and Jessica Chastain (who could easily get nominated in the Supporting Actress category for one of her many stand-out acting jobs this year). And even though Davis's gut-wrenching, bravura performance as a put-upon 1950s maid in the racist deep south is utterly beyond compare, it just sort of sucks that it took a white woman (Emma Stone) to inspire Viola's character to do something about it. Come again?

Yeah, it would be akin to writing Rosa Parks's story, but, making her trailblazing inspiration some do-gooder, white housewife in pearls. Laughably insulting, but, Davis's uniformed trajectory is so stunningly moving, you kind of forget about all that nonsense, which is often what winning an Oscar is all about.

READ: The Help Star Viola Davis Adopts Baby Girl!

Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo:
OK, quit gasping and just realize you've gotten to the total wild-card portion of the tabulation. Glenn Close playing a sad woman playing an even sadder man in Albert Nobbs is just as likely as Rooney to nab an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, we say.

Both women deliver knock-out emotionally brittle performances that make you shudder and shake—in very different ways. One's all about tatts and blood and revenge, the other's all about bleeding to death from a heartless existence on the inside. A-plus to both superiorly talented actors, we're just saying Rooney has a slight edge, despite Close's myriad prior Oscar nominations.

Only because the Academy (sometimes) seems obsessed with going for a younger demographic. So, since Billy Crystal got the hosting gig, poor Glenn stands a tiny less chance—though, remember, Close, not Mara, got the SAG nomination, always a good indicator.

But, on the third hand, go and watch Tilda Swinton (also a SAG nominee) go and swoop it from both women for We Need to Talk About Kevin, which we really should but, we'd rather say Tilda totally got robbed not even getting nominated for last year's absurdly heart-breaking I Am Love. Never under estimate the power of make-up Oscar noms and wins!

RELATED: Rooney Mara Dishes on Her "Necessary" R-Rated Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Piercings

Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
OK, so Elizabeth (yes, younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) is the real long shot—especially since she hasn't earned any recognition from the SAG or Golden Globe voters—but we're still saying that the newbie actress could manage an ascendancy from nowhere and steal a nomination for her first big screen role.

She wasn't completely overlooked this award season (she managed to score a Spirit Award nomination against William's Marilyn) and there was tons of award season buzz about her performance as an emotionally wounded young woman escaping a violent cult when the film first hit (select) theaters. To be frank, she's damn good in the role and deserves the credit.

The only question is whether the lack of campaigning will cause her to be seriously overlooked. Or, ya know, if the Academy isn't willing to honor two younger gals (along with Rooney) in their first leading roles. Sure, they always love to gush over a fresh face (think Gabourey Sidibe in Precious), but two of those rosy pusses may be a tad too much young blood for the Academy's elite tastes.
Let's hope we're wrong.

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/news/the_awful_truth/2012_oscar_predictions_best_actress/281109#ixzz1goFbu98P

New Yorker's Embargo-Breaking 'Girl With a Dragon Tattoo' Review Sparks an Ethical Crisis — And Everybody Wins

© 2011 Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Inc.

Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

 

 

by Graham Fuller

Published: December 5, 2011

When British soccer players of opposing teams flare up and shove each other around on the field, the press call it “handbags” — as in, grown men shouldn’t behave like genteel middle-class ladies swatting each other with their receptacles in a famous "Monty Python" sketch. “Handbags” is now what’s going on between the mutually dependent worlds of American movie criticism and production/publicity. The specific antagonists are David Denby, one of the New Yorker’s two distinguished critics, and Scott Rudin, the eminent producer of David Fincher’s remake of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

Denby’s mostly positive review of the thriller appears in today’s New Yorker. You’d think that would be music to Rudin’s ears. However, the producer and Sony Pictures, which is releasing the film on December 21, are furious because Denby broke the embargo he and other members of the New York Film Critics Circle agreed to in writing when the film was screened for them.

Against Denby’s wishes, the NYFFC brought their awards ballot forward this year so that it would benefit publicly from being the first critics’ group to announce its winners, as it did on November 29. Rudin and Sony, hoping that “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” would take home a trophy, showed the film to the NYFCC critics and members of the National Board of Review on November 28, but embargoed reviews until December 13. Denby’s jumping the gun by eight days is likely to trigger the premature publishing of other reviews.

Indiewire.com has published the email correspondence between Denby and Rudin that took place on Saturday.

In response to Rudin’s aghast response to Denby telling him of his decision to publish the review, the critic wrote: “Grown-ups are ignored for much of the year, cast out like downsized workers, and then given eight good movies all at once in the last five weeks of the year. A magazine like the New Yorker has to cope as best as it can with a nutty release schedule. It was not my intention to break the embargo, and I never would have done it with a negative review. But since I liked the movie, we came reluctantly to the decision to go with early publication.”

Denby added that “the early vote [by the NYFCC] forced the early screening of ‘Dragon Tattoo.’ So we had a dilemma: What to put in the magazine on December 5? Certainly not [Cameron Crowe’s] ‘We Bought the Zoo,’ or whatever it's called. If we held everything serious, we would be coming out on Christmas-season movies until mid-January. We had to get something serious in the magazine. So reluctantly, we went early with ‘Dragon,’ which I called ‘mesmerizing.’ I apologize for the breach of the embargo. It won't happen again. But this was a special case brought on by year-end madness.”
Rudin wasn’t appeased. “Your seeing the movie was conditional on your honoring the embargo, which you agreed to do,” he wrote to Denby. “The needs of the magazine cannot trump your word. The fact that the review is good is immaterial, as I suspect you know. You've very badly damaged the movie by doing this, and I could not in good conscience invite you to see another movie of mine again.... you must at least own that, purely and simply, you broke your word to us and that is a deeply lousy and immoral thing to have done.”

“Immoral” may be putting it a bit strongly in the scheme of things, though the ethical issues were skewed from the start. Denby shouldn’t have agreed to the embargo in the first place — critics should never kowtow to the industry (even if they do so with the intention of ultimately reclaiming their independence in print). Despite Sony's claim that “embargo dates level the playing field and enable reviews to run within the films’ primary release window,” the studio shouldn’t have gone after the critics’ awards while denying them the right to write about their film. (Warner Bros., for example, refused to show the Rudin-produced “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” to the New York critics.) The NYFFC shouldn’t have voted on the best films of the year without seeing “Extremely Loud” — a Stephen Daldry picture starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock that presumably has awards potential.

In the event, the NYFCC did not give “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” any awards. But whatever objections Rudin and Sony have, their spat with Denby and the New Yorker will amount to considerable pre-release publicity. Denby’s review is likely to be one of the most widely read of the year and, since he applauds the film, that should have a helpful effect on ticket sales. The New Yorker benefits because it cast the first critical vote on the movie in print and emerges as the voice of authority. Everyone wins, except Crowe and 20^th Century-Fox, whose zoo comedy-drama Denby offhandedly dismisses, albeit in a private email made public. Were he to choose to do so, which is unlikely, Crowe would have a right to let fly with a handbag.

Art Info

We’ve seen the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” already. Subtitles didn’t keep us away.

Submitted by Anissa Ford on 2011-12-03

Mara Rooney, from what we see in the trailer, works it as Lisbeth Sander, British accent and all. The original Lisbeth, Noomi Rapace, many believed would be difficult to replace, but Rooney steps into Rapace’s boots quite nicely. Based on what's shared in the trailer's eight minutes of edited video.
Daniel Craig also steps up in his role as Mikael Blomkvist. But are Rooney and Craig enough to bring audiences to the English version of a movie that has, in book and film, swept an entire globe once over?

The eight minute “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” trailer takes us back to the feeling in the original film. Dark, dreary, cold countryside. A little mean. A lot of sad. Intrigue. Mystery. A loner girl with an attitude that doesn’t quit. All she really wants, it seems, is to be left alone inside of indifference.
A female hero punker and super star employee recruited and embraced by corporate culture, Lisbeth preys on the dreams of almost everyone working inside a capitalist culture. The dream to be embraced by a corporate culture that typically sidelines hard core members of its society out of fear and disapproval because their looks aren't inline with corporate culture. 

Few resisted the original “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Lisbeth’s situation was reminiscent France’s La Femme Nikita.La Femme Nikita visited quickly an underworld culture and reinvented its protagonist into a professional, sympathetic and complex anti-heroine. 

Like Nikita, Lisbeth is pushed forward with the help of a male in charge. In Lisbeth’s case, her benefactor is Daniel Craig or Blomvist. Nikita’s mentor taught her to kill, Lisbeth’s mentor praises and utilizes her professional hacking services. Nikita and Lisbeth are both unlikable characters, but their situation endears and pulls audiences in. 

La Femme Nikita’s American remake n(Point of No Return) wasn’t the hugely popular hit the French original was. And likely, 'Girl with Dragoon Tattoo" actors and artists aren't feeling incredibly optimistic about how well the remake will fare. Apparently a couple of actresses weren't interested in Lisbeth's role citing low salary and long hours.

If the acting and the actors don’t draw audiences into the movie, the film's soundtrack is available on pre-order. On December 9, the full soundtrack to the film can be downloaded at iTunes for $12. The CD doesn’t release until December 27. 

Download the soundtrack sampler here.

The "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" opens in theaters Dec. 21.

Huliq

Most anticipated holiday films

By: Kevin Romani | November 30, 2011 | ShareThis

Courtesy of MCT

For the first time in recent years, this year’s holiday movie season may end up offering more high quality films than those released during the summer.

This winter, both major franchise and independent films will be competing against each other in the last month of 2011. December is the month that typically sees the most Oscar contenders released, as studios want their films to be fresh on the minds of the Academy Award voters for the final stretch of the year. 

Several major filmmakers have pictures coming out this winter, most notably Martin Scorsese, David Fincher and Steven Spielberg. Scorsese’s family film “Hugo” is already in theaters, and has received favorable reception from critics. Spielberg has not one, but two films coming out around Christmas.
Here are five films that should be well worth a trip to the theater for this winter.

The Adventures of Tintin

Spielberg’s first directed film to be released this winter is “The Adventures of Tintin,” which will be released on Dec. 21. After Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” hit theaters in 1981, a critic compared the film to the European “Tintin” comic strips. Spielberg’s work has come full circle, as early reviews for “Tintin” are calling it Spielberg’s most exciting film since “Raiders.”

“The Adventures of Tintin” is a major collaboration between Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy). The film follows the young titular reporter Tintin and his globe-trotting adventure in search of a lost treasure. “Tintin” is Spielberg’s first directed animated film, as it was filmed using motion capture and has an animated style akin to “The Polar Express” and “Beowulf.” Spielberg and Jackson foresee this as the first film in a trilogy, where Jackson would direct the second and the third as a possible co-direction between the two masterful filmmakers. “Tintin” should offer relentless action that will be sheer entertainment for all ages.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

A Swedish adaptation of the “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was made in 2009, and was considered a success from loyal fans of the best-selling novel. Producer Scott Rudin was smart enough to know there could still be a major market for an American remake, and brought on the brilliant David Fincher (“Fight Club,” “The Social Network”) to direct.

The trailers for “Dragon Tattoo” have been loud, fast paced and visually arresting. Fincher is one of the best active directors in creating an uncomfortable mood for a film, and it certainly appears he has done it again with “Dragon Tattoo.” The tagline “The feel bad movie of Christmas” says everything potential audience members need to know – the film will be violent and disturbing, but will be one heck of a ride. “Dragon Tattoo” will be released on the same day as “Tintin,” Dec. 21.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

The first two installments of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise were perfect examples of style over substance. Both films were sporadic and filled with over-the-top action without a sense of story.

“Mission: Impossible III,” however, took a different approach than the first two films. Director J.J. Abrams (“Lost,” “Star Trek”) firmly believes that a film or television series is nothing without strong characters. He made the third film more about these interesting characters than about the gadgetry and explosions. While Abrams is not directing the fourth installment, “Ghost Protocol,” he supervised over the script writing process and remained on as an executive producer.

Brad Bird (“The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille”) is making his live-action directorial debut with “Ghost Protocol.” Like Abrams, Bird likes to focus his stories on the characters. His animated features were outstanding technical feats, but are most memorable due to their emotional impact and intelligent narratives. The look and cast of this new film are both impressive, and “Ghost Protocol” has a good chance of being the action hit of the winter. “Ghost Protocol” gets a theatrical release on Dec. 21 as well, but can be seen on IMAX screens on Dec. 16. Those who see the film in IMAX will be privileged with the special treat of seeing the opening sequence to next summer’s highly anticipated “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

The British production “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” may be a key player at the Oscars this year, like “The King’s Speech” in 2010. Adapted from the novel by the same name, the film version looks to be an intense political thriller akin to Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation.” With an outstanding cast led by Gary Oldman, Oscar-winner Colin Firth, John Hurt and Tom Hardy, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” will be sure to feature memorable performances. Based on the novel, the film will likely be a thought-provoking story that will reflect contemporary political issues. “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” will arrive to theaters on Dec. 9.

War Horse

Steven Spielberg has used the phrase “one for them and one for me” in years where he has directed two films. He first accomplished this feat in 1993 with the release of “Jurassic Park” and “Schindler’s List.” “Jurassic Park” wowed audiences and was a blockbuster smash, while “Schindler’s List” represented the maturity in Spielberg as a filmmaker as he offered one of the most impressive cinematic feats in history with the harrowing tale set during the Holocaust. The “one for them” is a crowd pleaser and the “one for me” is a film Spielberg has a deep personal connection with that he wishes to present on screen.

“The Adventures of Tintin” is the 2011 version of the “one for them” and “War Horse” is the one for Spielberg. Set in the backdrop of World War I, “War Horse” follows a young boy and his horse as they survive in the war torn European theater. The cinematography of this film seen in the trailers looks beautiful, with wide shots of the European landscape and the countless soldiers spread throughout. “War Horse” can be seen on the big screen beginning on Christmas day.

Massachusetts daily collegian
Kevin Romani can be reached at kromani@student.umass.edu.

Brits Seen – Daniel Craig, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham Carter, Sherlock Holmes, Gordon Ramsay, Kate Beckinsale & Nicholas Hoult.

BritScene

Written on November 5, 2011 by Paul

As with our poster update, this weeks Brits Seen is a bit of a long article with loads of great images, clips and trailers appearing over the last fortnight, featuring some of your favorite British stars. The highlight for me is the first look at Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham in Mike Newell’s Great Expectations, but it’s a close call as we also have promo materials featuring Daniel Craig, Henry Cavill, Jude Law, Gordon Ramsay, Kate Beckinsale, Nicholas Hoult and more! Pick and choose whatever you fancy looking at below.
Take a look at the first images of Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham, the eccentric central character in Great Expectations. The Mike Newell (Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire) adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel features Bonham Carter co-staring opposite Ralph Fiennes as the escaped convict Magwitch in a film that also stars Robbie Coltrane, Sally Hawkins, David Walliams and Jeremy Irvine as Pip. The film will be out in the UK in 2012 and although no US deal has been reached we are sure an announcement is just around the corner. (Source: Deadline)




The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo , starring Daniel Craig has the coolest promotional stuff (check out its awesome trailer here), so I am just praying that it lives up to the hype. The latest images, viral clip showing the murder scene central to the plot and TV spot are all below. The film follows Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years. Looks awesome and is out on December 21. (Source: Up & Comers)









Immortals hits theaters on November 11 and looks like a must see for fans of the movie 300. Starring Brits Henry Cavill, Luke Evans & John Hurt it follows Theseus (Cavill), a mortal man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity. Lots of stuff out for this one including images, a character profile of Cavill’s Theseus and a clip showing Cavill in action! (Source: FilmoFilia)








Immortals Featurette

Immortals Clip


Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows arriving on December 16 sees Robert Downey Jr. once again reprising his role as the Baker Street detective. With Jude Law as his sidekick Dr. Watson, they team up to attempt to bring down their fiercest adversary, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) . This time around we get the added bonus of Stephen Fry playing Holmes’ brother, Mycroft although still no sign of him in any of the new images, TV spots & trailers to date. (Source: The Daily Blam)







Gordon Ramsay has been given the South Park treatment before and now he is heading to the Simpsons! In the upcoming episode on November 13 titled “The Food Wife” Marge starts blogging about her bigger half’s favorite subject with Bart and Lisa. Take a look at Ramsay front and center amongst a host of celebrity chefs. (Source: TV Line)


Kate Beckinsale, starred in the first two films of the Underworld series and after skipping number three she now returns in her lead role as the vampire warrioress Selene. After escaping imprisonment she finds herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. A brand new action packed trailer came out today featuring the British star which can be seen below.

The star of About a Boy and X-Men First Class, Nicholas Hoult will be appearing in the ‘Zombie Love Story’ warm bodies next summer. Hoult plays R, a zombie who falls in love with Julie (Teresa Palmer) after he eats her boyfriend’s brains and absorbs his memories. The first promo image has been released featuring Hoult, and this unique take of the Zombie genre will arrive August 10 2012. (Source: Collider)