THE GATHERING STORM, PART 1 AND 2 (ALBERT FINNEY, VANESSA REDGRAVE, TOM HIDDLESTON, DEREK JACOBI, HUGH BONNEVILLE...)

A love story offering an intimate look inside the marriage of Winston and Clementine Churchill during a particularly troubled, though little-known, moment in their lives.

Ralph Fiennes returns to 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' just in time for awards season

HIT FIX
By Gregory Ellwood  @HitFixGregory | Tuesday, Nov 11, 2014 4:16 PM



Eight months after it hit theaters, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is back in business, and here's hoping Hollywood is paying attention.

Ralph Fiennes joined co-stars Tony Revolori and Jeff Goldblum for a final SAG nominating committee Q&A Monday night in Los Angeles that this pundit was lucky enough to moderate. Most in the packed theater had already seen "Budapest" but wanted a chance to hear the film's stars discuss their journey into Wes Anderson's latest creation in person.

Fiennes, who plays the indomitable M. Gustav, discussed how little he cared to look at Anderson's detailed animatic of the picture and how a friend of the director's gave him slight inspiration for the role (will the real M. Gustav please stand up?). Revolori, who plays Zero the faithful Lobby Boy, recalled how nervous he was meeting Fiennes for the first time during a fitting and how the Oscar nominee reassured him with a hug. And Goldblum, who plays the unfortunate lawyer Kovacs, could not stop praising Anderson's vision and the "humanity" he brought to such a precise creative endeavor. We also learned that Fiennes tried to convince Anderson to pick a few current colognes as the infamous L'Air de Panache, but the Francophile would have none of it (what it really smells like is still a mystery). Fiennes also revealed Mendel's pastry concoctions were actually too sweet for him to eat and the audience was somewhat shocked to discover that Revolori is severely allergic to chocolate and never took a bite of any of the film's numerous deserts.

Q&As live and die on the talent and this trio made sure the audience realized just how specific their performances were (i.e., it wasn't Anderson dictating), while still providing some wonderfully entertaining anecdotes. They also heaped praise on their co-stars, who helped fill out one of the most memorable acting ensembles in recent memory with Tilda Swinton, Willem Dafoe, Edward Norton, Tom Wilkinson and F. Murray Abraham earning individual praise. It was a fun and fast conversation with a lot of love from the SAG members on hand.

The quick trip to Los Angeles for Fiennes featured a whirlwind of "Budapest" awards-themed photo shoots and interviews (look for a special one-on-one with Christoph Waltz soon), an hour-long career retrospective for BAFTA members and a solo American Cinematheque Q&A hosted at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. The legendary actor may have an outside shot at earning a Best Actor nomination (he's in good company this year if he doesn't), but he is still keeping the doors open for "Budapest's" awards prospects overall. Will it be enough? Let's review, shall we?

At this date, the film is still one of the best reviewed films of the year with an 88 on Metacritic (for comparison: "Boyhood" has a rare 100, "Birdman" an 89 and "Foxcatcher" currently has an 87), as well as a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes (for comparison: "Boyhood" has 99%, "Whiplash" is at 97%, "Birdman" is at 94%, and "Nightcrawler" is at 94%). The film is also, considering its audience, a global smash, earning almost $60 million domestic and $172.2 million globally. Those are career-best numbers for Anderson and you can debate whether or not it's his best reviewed film to date (it might be splitting hairs at this point). Needless to say, "Budapest" is a huge success that is trying to break the recent Oscar curse that finds the Academy ignoring early releases in the qualifying calendar.

In theory, with so many potential contenders falling by the wayside (and you know who you are), "Budapest's" slot should already be solidified. That being said, benchmarks like a SAG ensemble nomination, a Golden Globes nomination for Best Comedy or Musical (a given), landing on AFI's top 10 list, earning a spot in the National Board of Review's top 10 and, most importantly, a slew of top 10 critics list mentions are key. Searchlight will campaign "Budapest" as best they can, but they also need the awards media to stop somehow pretending it's not in the game because it came out before Cannes (Sundance titles seem to get a pass because they are usually released in June).


Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/ralph-fiennes-returns-to-the-grand-budapest-hotel-just-in-time-for-awards-season#1THDYKSvxDURDHZq.99

EXCLUSIVE: Colin Firth Will Join “Exotic Marigold” Sequel 12/02/12 2:10pm Roger Friedman (SHOWBIZ 411)

Exclusive: The most popular home run of a film this year before Oscar season got into full swing? John Madden’s “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” The film is certainly a contender for Best Picture in Oscar world, one that could easily be in the top ten. It made a fortune here and abroad with stars Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel, and Bill Nighy leading an enchanting cast.

Now I’m told that a sequel is in the works. My sources say that both Helen Mirren and Colin Firth are likely additions to the cast. Also, they say that director John Madden and writer Ol Parker are looking for an American actress possibly to round out the cast. My vote is  for Jane Fonda, but no one asked me. The search is on!


READ MORE: http://www.showbiz411.com/2012/12/02/helen-mirren-colin-firth-will-join-exotic-marigold-sequel

Dench and Streep in battle for gong (INDEPENDENT IE)

Dame Judi Dench and Meryl Streep are to do battle to be named best actress at the Moet British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs).

James Bond star Judi is nominated for her role in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, while Meryl is up for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.

Ensemble comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, about a group of British pensioners moving to a retirement hotel in India, is nominated for five awards, including best film, John Madden for best director, Tom Wilkinson for best supporting actor, and Dame Maggie Smith for best supporting actress.

Rapper Plan B's acclaimed directorial debut Ill Manors has three nominations, including the Douglas Hickox award for best debut director.

Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave are both nominated for their performance in moving drama Song For Marion, about a man who finds comfort in his local choir after losing his wife to cancer.

READ MORE: http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/film-cinema/dench-and-streep-in-battle-for-gong-3284855.html

How Judi Dench and an 8-Year-Old Won the Summer By TIM NEWCOMB | @tdnewcomb | August 27, 2012 | (TIME)

Amid the onslaught of franchises, superheroes and fantasy adventures that dominated the 2012 summer box office (see Richard Corliss’ complete summer box office coverage), independent films carved out their own lucrative corner of the global box office, turning relatively modest investments into massive payouts.

In terms of raw receipts, the most profitable indie of the season turned out to be the British comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, starring Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson, which converted a $10 million budget into at least $131 million worldwide (and more than $45 million in the U.S. alone).


Marigold Hotel director John Madden used the star-power of Dame Dench and her supporting cast of seniors to tell the story of an aging group of Europeans looking to retire at a luxurious India hotel. By opening the film—an obvious draw for the older set—just as younger moviegoers clamored to get into The Avengers, Marigold Hotel offered a timely alternative to a key demographic.

“Timing is always a big thing with independent films,” Jeff Bock, a box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations, tells TIME. “Reviews are huge for films like this. It helps sustain a film and grow in the marketplace. If the per-theater average holds strong, you’ll get a wider release from the weeks to come.”



Read more: http://entertainment.time.com/2012/08/27/box-office-winners-films-exotic-marigold-hotel/

THE BRIT LIST: TOP TEN BRITISH CHARACTER ACTORS IN MOVIES TODAY By Leah Rozen | Posted on Friday, July 20th, 2012 (BBC AMERICA)

It’s well known among actors that while leading roles may afford the most screen time and biggest pay checks, supporting roles offer the greater acting challenges and often juiciest lines and scenes.

As Britain’s Eddie Marsan, one of the most talented character actors working today, once said, “I have friends who are leading men, and they’re only ever allowed to play leading men of a certain type. But as a character actor, there’s a wider variety of projects available.”

While a few lucky character actors eventually become leading men – think Bob Hoskins, Alan Rickman, Rhys Ifans and Bill Nighy – most, thanks to physiognomy, build or age, are left to shine in secondary roles.

British thespians have always excelled as character actors. Back in the Golden Age of Hollywood, Donald Crisp, C. Aubrey Smith, Roland Young and plenty more regularly brightened studio releases.

The tradition continues today. Just run through the cast list for any of the eight Harry Potter films and you’ll find a veritable Who’s Who of British talent trotted out as characters who either instruct Harry and his adolescent pals or threaten them.

In salute of these supporting stalwarts, here’s a list (in alphabetical order) of the ten busiest British male character actors working in movies today:


READ MORE: http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/07/the-brit-list-top-ten-british-character-actors-in-movies-today/

Colin Firth To Play Noel Coward In 'Mad Dogs And Englishmen,' & Co-Star In Rupert Everett's Oscar Wilde Biopic NEWS BY CAIN RODRIGUEZ | MAY 22, 2012 3:50 PM (INDIEWIRE)

Colin Firth is set to play famed English playwright Noel Coward, in the Willy Holtzman-penned project, “Mad Dogs And Englishmen,” about Coward’s eventful two week stay at The Desert Inn in Las Vegas in 1955. Although there’s still no director attached, this seems like a great role for the actor to sink his teeth into, as Coward was famous for what Time called “a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise.” So we’ll be definitely be looking forward to this project in the future. [Screen Daily]

And finally, Rupert Everett will make his directorial and screenwriting debut with “The Happy Prince,” an Oscar Wilde biopic. Everett, pulling triple duty, stars as Wilde, and has drafted a talented cast to help him realize Wilde’s life, including Colin Firth (him again?) legendary character actor Edward Fox, Emily Watson, and Tom Wilkinson.The film will take place during Wilde’s final days as he looks back on his life with characteristic dry wit and black humor, and seeing as it shares a name with Wilde's classic fairy tale, it may well end up including some elements of that story. There’s been a whole slew of actors getting behind the camera over the past few years, hopefully Everett ends up on the Ben Affleck side of the spectrum. Shooting starts summer 2013. [Hollywood Reporter]

READ MORE:  http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/colin-firth-to-play-noel-coward-in-mad-dogs-and-englishmen-co-star-in-rupert-everetts-oscar-wilde-biopic-20120522

Colin Firth Will Star As Oscar Wilde For Director Rupert Everett BY JEREMY KINSER MAY 21 2012 12:03 PM ET (ADVOCATE)

Colin Firth will portray legendary writer and wit Oscar Wilde in a film biography that will mark the feature directorial debut of out actor Rupert Everett, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Happy Prince is described as a comedy biography that will look at "Wilde’s final, tragic days as he looks back on the disasters of his life with characteristic dry wit and black humor." Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, and Edward Fox are also attached to star in the film. Shooting for the film is expected to begin Summer 2013. Everett previously starred in two film versions of Wilde's plays, 1999's An Ideal Husband and 2002's The Importance of Being Earnest.

READ MORE: http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/film/2012/05/21/colin-firth-will-star-oscar-wilde-director-rupert-everett

Review: Superb acting makes a trip to the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel worthwhile Interwoven tales of British seniors in India has a happy moral By Katherine Monk, Postmedia News (VANCOUVER SUN)

Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Starring: Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel and Maggie Smith

Directed by John Madden

Parental advisory: coarse language

Running time: 124 minutes

Rating: Three stars out of five

VANCOUVER — Romance sits at the very heart of Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and not just the kissy-kissy kind.

A multi-threaded tapestry of narratives unwinding in India, this new feature from Oscar winner John Madden features an all-star cast of proven veterans preparing for the final exit.

The most sympathetic of them all is our de facto narrator, Evelyn Greenslade (Judi Dench) — a recent widow struggling to deal with the loss of her spouse, but also the looming loss of her home. It seems her hubby didn't tell her about the finances. He overspent, and now she has nothing.

When we meet Evelyn, she's trying to explain to the death of her husband to a call centre operator in India. Frustrated, she hangs up, but the dimensions of her loss are becoming all too clear.

Having been frozen in time, and a marriage, Evelyn feels like she's walking out of a time capsule as she attempts to reinsert herself into the stream — but it's all going so fast, and she's become fearful of change.

Surrounding Evelyn are a host of other retirees looking to enjoy themselves, including a noted judge (Tom Wilkinson), a henpecked husband (Bill Nighy), and a retired housekeeper (Maggie Smith).

Madden gives each scenario a few establishing scenes to provide a sense of character, but by the time everyone ends up on a plane to India, we know we're looking at a Big Chill for the golden-ager set.

Seeking to escape the grey, everydayness of England — as well as the high cost of adult home care – the motley crew of cranky Brits end up at the dilapidated Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

A sprawling and rather seductive palace that's clearly seen better days, the Marigold is home to star-crossed lover, Sonny (Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire), a kid who's fallen in love with a woman who, apparently, doesn't pass the caste test.

Like half the characters in this film, Sonny is a true romantic who puts love above all else, including the hotel and the standard conveniences his uptight and emotionally corseted guests expect.



Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Review+Superb+acting+makes+trip+Best+Exotic+Marigold+Hotel+worthwhile/6599968/story.html#ixzz1ufTmJeoJ

Downton Abbey:'Hotel' star Penelope Wilton resides at 'Downton Abbey' By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY

Penelope Wilton plays the killjoy Jean in 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.' "She is a disappointed woman," Wilton says. "I find Jean finds herself difficult, not just other people. She is a mass of insecurities." Ishika Mohan, Fox Searchlight Pictures


NEW YORK – These days, meeting one of the principal players of the British TV sensation Downton Abbey almost feels like encountering one of the Beatles back in their '60s heyday. Instead of outbreaks of twisting and shouting by fans, however, the actors are more prone to be prodded for precious details of future episodes.


Alas, all are sworn to secrecy. That includes Penelope Wilton, 65, whose chic haircut and figure-flattering garb show only a slight hint of Isobel Crawley, her dowdy do-gooder on the glorified soap opera that follows the travails of an upper-crusty English family and its serving staff amid early 20th-century societal upheavals.

But Wilton's feathery vocal inflections immediately give her away as the mother of Matthew, the estate's presumptive heir. Her middle-class matron is a regular source of consternation for Maggie Smith, whose priceless putdowns as the Dowager Countess account for much of the series' popularity.


"We're so pleased we are doing well here," says Wilton. Not that she hasn't had a career full of triumphs already, from conquering Shakespeare, Shaw and Beckett onstage to memorable roles as a middle-age pinup in Calendar Girls, a zombie victim in Shaun of the Dead and a disapproving mum in Woody Allen's Match Point. But global fame is a different game altogether.

Today, she's in town to promote Friday's opening of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a picturesque feel-good ensemble piece about seven British seniors — including seasoned stalwarts Smith (she and Wilton are quite chummy in real life), Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson and Bill Nighy—who pull up stakes to spend their retirement years in India. In a savvy move, promos for the film were shown on PBS when Downton's second season aired earlier this year, taking advantage of Wilton and Smith's participation in both.



READ MORE:  http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/story/2012-05-03/penelope-wilton-marigold-hotel-downton-abbey/54828352/1

Actor Bill Nighy On Career, 'Marigold Hotel' (NPR RADIO)

May 4, 2012

Robert Siegel talks to actor Bill Nighy about his role in the new film, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The movie follows a group of British retirees who move to the less-expensive and more-exotic India. Expecting a luxury development, they arrive to discover a hotel filled with dusty sheets and birds nesting in the rafters. Their experiences transform the way they see the world and themselves.

To hear the entire interview, go to NPR radio

Here is an extract:


AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

It's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Audie Cornish.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel. Fans of British drama will find pleasure in a film arriving on these shores today. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" follows a group of British retirees who move to India looking for a more affordable life.

The ensemble cast includes plenty of familiar faces. From "Downton Abby," there's Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton. Dame Judi Dench plays a widow trying to make her own way and there's also our next guest, Bill Nighy.

There's little that Bill Nighy hasn't done over his long career. In addition to his work on British television and on the stage, American audiences will know him as the cuckolded husband in "Notes on a Scandal," again alongside Judi Dench, and as a hopeless rock star in the romantic comedy, "Love, Actually." Then again, to your kids or grandkids, he will likely always be the tentacled Davy Jones in "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.


READ MORE, OR LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW:  http://www.npr.org/2012/05/04/152041660/actor-bill-nighy-on-career-marigold-hotel

Judi Dench, Maggie Smith: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, directed by John Madden (THE NATIONAL BUSINESS REVIEW)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FSa-f6jdac&feature=player_embedded

John Daly-Peoples |
Thursday March 22, 2012

In 1963, Cliff Richard and his twenty something mates headed off on an idyllic summer holiday to Greece. Now fifty years later his generation of 70 year olds have discovered a new holiday or rather retirement haven in India.

These are the new lost children of England who run from their grandparental duties, the lack of available new partners and the preponderance of Indians flooding into the country. These pensioners decide that they can eke out their pensions in India and have some sort of physical and possibly spiritual rebirth by following the guidance of the Karma Sutra.

They all wash up at The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a slightly down at heel hotel in Jaipur run by an enthusiastic young Indian who is only halfway through the renovations. It is a light hearted look at the internationalism and globalization of culture where Indians invade England and the English start to take over India, again.


READ MORE:  http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/merry-goings-marigold-hotel-113890

Movie review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (NZ Herald)

By Peter Calder

It's easy to forgive the formulaic predictability of a film that is discharged with as much flair as this India-set rom-com loosely based on Deborah Moggach's 2004 novel These Foolish Things.

Completely contrived but utterly delightful, it's the story of seven British pensioners who independently retire to Rajasthan ("It's like the Costa del Sol ... with elephants," explains one) when they find their late-life finances a bit short. Director Madden (Shakespeare in Love) delivers an opening series of crisp vignettes that give the characters' back-stories while offering a pointed commentary on life in modern Britain. But once the sexagenarian band lands in Udaipur, the hotel becomes the stage set for a mild farce rich in poignant moments.


Stars: 4/5
Cast: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel
Director: John Madden
Running time: 124 mins
Rating: PG (coarse language, sexual references)
Verdict: Utterly contrived, completely delightful




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCOHe8z1l2o&feature=player_embedded


Read further:  http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10792547

Judi Dench, Maggie Smith: 'Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' beats 'Woman in Black' at UK box office (DIGITAL SPY)

Published Monday, Mar 5 2012, 2:30pm EST |
By Simon Reynolds

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has topped the UK box office, ending The Woman in Black's three-week reign in the number one spot. Judi Dench and Maggie Smith are among the all-star Brit cast for the comedy, which leaps above Daniel Radcliffe's supernatural thriller and into first place on its second weekend on release.

Marigold Hotel earns £2.3 million to chart ahead of Woman in Black's £1.88 million, while new release This Means War debuts at number three with £1.82 million. Safe House falls a place to number four, with The Muppets completing the top five.




Read more:  http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a369474/best-exotic-marigold-hotel-beats-woman-in-black-at-uk-box-office.html#yourviews

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Film Review (THE UNIVERSITY OBSERVER)

In a Nutshell: A delightfully charming film that is both satisfyingly feel-good and heartbreakingly poignant, although undermined by unnecessary stereotyping.Contributed by Sara Holbrook on Thursday, 1 March 2012

Director: John Madden
Starring: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel Release Date: Out now

Set in India and directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opens with a bleak outlook on retired life in England for a star-studded cast including Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson and Maggie Smith.

The characters decide to abandon their otherwise comfortable lives for India, where Sonny, played by Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), runs ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ – an apparently first class and lavish hotel suitable for elderly people.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is, at times, hilarious as well as heartbreakingly sad as the stories of the eclectic group of OAPs unfold. The multitude of characters would seem to make the film confusing, but a few characters soon begin to become prominent.

While Judi Dench (Quantum of Solace) is the narrator (and her story is central to the film), it is Tom Wilkinson’s (Michael Clayton) role that really stands out. His character, Graham, grew up in India and has now returned to track down the man with whom he had a love affair almost forty years ago.

Wilkinson’s brilliantly convincing portrayal as both an eminent judge and a man in love leaves you constantly willing his story to return to the screen.

Read more:  http://www.universityobserver.ie/2012/03/01/film-review-the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel/

Judi Dench, Maggie Smith: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Review (FEMALE FIRST)

Starring: Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, Dev Patel Director: John Madden Rating: 3.5/5

When you see Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Maggie Smith & Penelope Wilton all on the same cast list you know you are in for a movie treat. For a disparate group of English pensioners (Dench, Nighy, Smith, Wilkinson, Wilton, Imrie and Pickup), retirement takes an unconventional turn when they abandon their homeland, enticed by advertisements for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a seemingly luxurious sanctuary for 'the elderly and beautiful' in Jaipur, India.

On arrival, they discover that the hotel falls somewhat short of the romantic idyll promised in the brochure. But they are gradually won over by the ever-optimistic young manager Sonny (Patel), and tentatively embark on a new adventure, finding that life can begin again when you let go of the past This is such a super charming movie that is not just about old age but it’s about accepting the past, having faith as well as self-forgiveness.

This is a whimsical look at getting older and Dench, Nighy and co are on fine comic as well as emotional form - there is a real life affirming feel to this movie that you cannot help but get swept away with. This is an intelligent, funny and poignant script that doesn’t tackle lightly the fears of growing old, being marginalised and being lonely.


Read more:  http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/reviews/The+Best+Exotic+Marigold+Hotel-229676.html

The Woman in Black tops UK Box Office 3rd week (DIGITAL SPY)

The Woman in Black has topped the UK box office for the third consecutive weekend.

Daniel Radcliffe's Hammer horror film holds off strong competition from new releases The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Safe House to secure the number one spot with £2.4 million in ticket sales.

Marigold Hotel, which features an all-star British cast that includes Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson, and action-thriller Safe House both notched up impressive debuts of more than £2 million but still trail behind the supernatural horror among UK cinemagoers.


Read further:  http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a368136/woman-in-black-holds-off-marigold-hotel-safe-house-at-uk-box-office.html

Judi Dench felt a powerful connection for India (FILM NEWS)

(Cover) - EN Movies - Dame Judi Dench felt a “very powerful connection” to India when shooting her new movie, claims the director. The actress portrays Evelyn in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, about a group of ageing brits who travel to India. Evelyn has just been widowed and decides the trip will help shake up her life. 

The journey was just as important for Judi, says the movie’s director John Madden. “Judi was very, very affected by the place. She felt a very, very powerful connection to it I think and I think will maintain that connection. I think everybody was very affected by it, you can’t not be,” he told Cover Media. The movie also includes performances by Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith, Celia Imrie and Penelope Wilton.


Read more:  http://www.film-news.co.uk/show-news.asp?H=Judi-Dench-%C3%ABconnected%C3%AD-to-India&nItemID=9933

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel wins over the crowd at Glasgow Film Festival (STV)

Review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a feel-good British comedy that offers plenty to entertain both the golden oldies and younger film fans.

 By Greig Gallagher 19 February 2012 08:24 GMT

 Although the terms ‘British’ and ‘feel-good’ might seem kind of contradictory, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel manages to be both of these things at once. 

From Shakespeare In Love director John Madden comes a heart-warming tale of a group of pension-age Brits who leave the grey landscape of broken Britain behind for the sun-drenched utopia (or so they hope) that is India.

 Madden brings together an impressive cast of British talent to represent a motley crew of grey-haired eccentrics. The larger than life characters soon find themselves entwined in one another’s lives.

 The likes of Ronald Pickup’s sex-obsessed geriatric Norman offer a constant supply of belly-laughs while characters like Judi Dench’s recently bereaved Evelyn give the film a poignant dramatic feel. Considering the age of the main characters, the film does deal with issues which are probably most relevant to the older demographic. 

Big questions about death, loss, health and marriage are addressed as well as tipping a light-hearted nod to the more intrinsically comic side-effects of old age: technophobia, dealing with ageism, sexuality and hip-replacements.


Read the entire review:  http://entertainment.stv.tv/film/298053-the-best-exotic-marigold-hotel-wins-over-the-crowd-at-glasgow-film-festival/

Judi Dench, Maggie Smith: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel review (Den of Geek)

Ryan Lambie

Judi Dench leads a starry British cast in John Madden’s comedy drama, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Here’s Ryan’s review of a pleasant, undemanding film…  Published on Feb 16, 2012

 The filmmakers of the British Isles excel at making very specific types of film: horror flicks, realistic dramas and feel-good romantic comedies. With a name like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and featuring a glittering ensemble of the UK’s finest actors of a certain age, you can probably guess which category the subject of this review falls into.

 Displaying a similar lightness of tone as dependable British hits such as Love Actually and Four Weddings And A Funeral, Marigold Hotel is a pleasant, easy-going evening’s entertainment that delivers everything you could rightly expect of it. There are laughs. Arguments. Romance. A little bit of tragedy, a smattering of pathos, a sprinkling of poignancy. It’s undemanding and a tad predictable, but there’s nothing wrong with that – especially when the dialogue is as sparky as it often is here.

Overall, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a perfectly watchable example of the kind of comedy drama fluff we British seem to make so well. It deals with potentially heavy topics – the onset of old age, past regrets, death – with a light touch (though it makes no mention of what fate awaits the elderly of Jaipur, who aren't blessed with the engorged bank balances of the film's WASP characters), and its predictable plot is elevated by a decent script, an engaging location and, most of all, a great cast.

 The film also deserves extra points for working in what appears to be an oblique reference to Rocky IV (“If she dies, she dies,” someone says) – now there’s something you don’t see in a British comedy drama very often.


Read the entire review:  http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/1247538/the_best_exotic_marigold_hotel_review.html