John Hurt Tagged Articles at Cinematical

A man with no name sits down at an outdoor cafe and orders two espressos in separate cups. A flock of birds gently take flight. A helicopter briefly whirls overhead. The man sips espresso. Silence. Calm.

A man with no name sits down at an outdoor cafe and orders two espressos in separate cups. A flock of birds gently take flight. A helicopter briefly whirls overhead. The man sips espresso. Silence. Calm. He is approached by another person, who sits down. The other person says "You don't speak Spanish, right?" The other person says something more, in Spanish or in another language. The man removes a matchbox from his pocket. The other person places a matchbox with the same design, but a different color, on the table. The matchboxes are exchanged. The other person says something more, and leaves. The man opens the newly-exchanged matchbox, takes out a tiny piece of paper, unfolds it, reads the coded, hand-written message on it, puts it in his mouth, and swallows it along with another sip of espresso.

A man with no name sits down at an outdoor cafe ...

So goes Jim Jarmusch's The Limits of Control, the perfect summer movie for people who prefer museums to amusement parks. Wearing a multitude of enigmas on its well-coifed sleeve, the film is cool, dark, mysterious, and altogether refreshing. Isaach De Bankolé plays The Man With No Name (actually identified as "Lone Man" in the credits), and if that moniker calls forth memories of Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns, so much the better, though Lone Man's espressos, matchboxes, and chastity place him firmly within the realm of post-modern masculinity.

Click image below to view full poster

Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for The Limits of Control, which premiered a bizarre-yet-intriguing trailer the other day and comes from acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch (Stranger Than Paradise, Broken Flowers, Ghost Dog). Starring Isaach De Bankolé, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Gael Garcia Bernal and John Hurt (not a bad cast if you ask me), The Limits of Control follows a mysterious loner (and criminal) who's in the process of completing a job. Not a whole lot to go on there, but the best kept secrets are the ones that are, well, best kept secret.

Also, the music in the film is getting a lot of buzz; the Japanese trip Boris wrote and performed most of the songs, while Jarmusch wrote and performed -- along with Carter Logan (drums, percussion) and Shane Stoneback (carillon, organ) -- the music in the trailer. (Read more about that here.) The film marks the fourth time Jarmusch has collaborated with De Bankolé, not to mention the other cast members who've found themselves drifting through a Jarmusch flick at some point. Really looking forward to this one; the film hits theaters on May 22. Check out the full poster by clicking the image below.

I regret to say that I don't feel that I've seen enough of Jim Jarmusch's work to determine whether or not I'm a capital-f Fan, but I do know that I do like what I have seen -- namely, Broken Flowers, much of Coffee and Cigarettes, and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.

That last title seems to be the one to which his new film, The Limits of Control, merits the most comparison, if this new trailer (watch at Apple or below) is any indication. This time, though, our stoic assassin (Isaach De Bankole) has a bit more of an ensemble to work with on the streets of Spain, including Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, Gael Garcia Bernal and melonfarmin' Bill Murray.

Normally, I'd be put off by the hipper-than-thou fortune-cookie banter we're treated to here, but I've got a feeling that there might be more than meets the eye (namely, the other 98 minutes of the movie), and speaking of 'meets the eye,' it certainly never hurts when cinematographer Christopher Doyle (Hero) is lensing your latest.

The Limits of Control goes into limited release on May 1st.

Vikings vs. aliens -- you're either with it or not. It's a curious concept, likely greeted by one of two reactions -- either palpable intrigue or a total and utter lack of interest -- and even those intrigued know that a killer pitch can't stop a SciFi Channel level stinker from being just that (Sharks in Venice, anyone?). Well, rest assured that this version of that story, which opens in select markets today, isn't all hollow kitsch -- in fact, Outlander is probably the best possible version of whatever movie you've already made in your head from reading those first three words.

During the reign of the Vikings, a spaceship suddenly thunders down from the heavens and crash-lands smack in the middle of Norway. Out tumbles Kainan (James Caviezel), who has to bury his co-pilot and learn the language of the land in short and painful order, respectively -- and who also has to find out what has become of an alien stowaway that claimed much of his own race and is now free to plague a new planet. The local villagers, led by Rothgar (John Hurt), are skeptical of this stranger and his alleged quest to conquer what he only calls a dragon, but soon enough, even the elder, the heir apparent (Jack Huston), and his headstrong wife-to-be (Sophia Myles) will realize that what menaces them is a bigger beast indeed...

I've been obsessed with Outlander's amazing conceit for ever since I first head about the movie, oh, two years ago. Back in early June, I posted this update, indicating that the movie still existed, albeit in the iron grip of the Weinstein Company.

Now we finally have a trailer, which confirms that the movie is, indeed, about a man from another planet who allies with the Vikings in 6th Century A.D. to kill an alien predator that he accidentally unleashed on earth. All of that remains as awesome as it was in 2006. Some of the footage in the trailer looks a bit murky and generic, which is disappointing, but at least it's clear that they don't back away from that killer plot hook. Jim Caviezel does indeed arrive in Viking-ruled Norway on a spaceship, and that's basically all I need to hear. Let the geek-out commence.

The movie, which co-stars Sophia Myles (ooooh), John Hurt (aaaah) and Ron Perlman (holy crap!), has no American release date, but I'd be stunned if it doesn't at least appear on DVD in the next year. Keep your eyes peeled. Meanwhile, I welcome estimates of the probability that Outlander will live up to the expectations I've set. Myself, I can't imagine it's over 25%. But we'll see.

Very cool of rowthree to catch the trailer appearing on the film's official website.

I stumbled out of Hellboy II: The Golden Army feeling as if my imagination had eaten too much. In terms of sheer spectacle and visual invention, Hellboy II is an absolute knockout, frames stuffed with bizarre creatures and mystic runes and arcane weaponry and wondrous design. And yet, Hellboy II has more than a little heart to it; it's scrappy and self-aware, and never out of touch with what it is. Adapting Mike Mignola's post-superhero retro-styled comic series Hellboy for the second time, writer-director Guillermo del Toro corrects some of the mistakes of the first Hellboy, makes a few mistakes of its own, picks itself up, keeps going. And, on the way, knocks the back of your eyeballs for a loop. As our British friends say, Hellboy II: The Golden Army does what it says on the tin: It is a sequel about a character named Hellboy (Ron Perlman), and yes, an army of golden warrior-robots is involved, the mystical weapon of mass destruction that the elf-prince Nuada (Luke Goss) hopes to seize control of so as to wage war against humanity ... I know I'm getting ahead of myself. Then again, so does Hellboy II, right from the jump, and it doesn't slow down.

Hey, remember Outlander, the movie about Vikings fighting space monsters in 6th Century A.D.? I had forgotten all about it, until the sci-fi blog io9 brought it back to my attention yesterday. The film -- about a man from another planet (Jim Caviezel) who lands on earth in the year 509 and accidentally unleashes an alien predator on Earth, forcing him to ally with the Vikings to kill it -- played the Cannes market to mixed reactions. But the folks behind UK's FrightFest called it "an absolute joy to watch," praising the performances from Caviezel and John Hurt, the action, and the CGI. There are also some new stills, a couple of which you can find after the jump (a larger gallery is available here).

Alas, there is no American release date for Outlander. The Weinstein Company has the rights, and given their track record we may never see it. That would be a shame, because any movie with a concept that monumentally goofy should -- emphasis on should -- at least be interesting. Vikings vs. aliens has to be a genre film devotee's wet dream. Of course it could also somehow become a completely generic battle flick, which is what some of the photos seem to suggest. On the other hand, that image of what I think is Caviezel's spaceship underwater is awfully tantalizing...

The cast and crew of New York, I Love You keeps growing and growing. There's not even enough room on the headline to list all the names that were just added. New York is a collection of short stories, part of a "Cities of Love" anthology that was begun by Paris, je ta'ime. New York will reportedly be followed by Shanghai, and then cities in South America and Africa.

The stories are showcasing an incredible variety of actors and directors. Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are both making their directing debut, there's a good representation of international talent, and Brett Ratner hasn't been driven away by pitchforks and torches. Variety reported that Orlando Bloom, Olivia Thirlby, Hayden Christensen, and Ethan Hawke had climbed aboard the film. No word on who's segments they will appear in yet -- but a far better choice for Bloom's career than Prince of Persia, wouldn't you say?

The great futurist now belongs to history; AP reports that Arthur C. Clarke was found dead in his home in Sri Lanka. Others can write about Clarke's contributions to technology ... for example his 1945 scientific paper "Extra-Terrestrial Relays" describing the possibilities of the communication satellite, which was as essential to modern living as electricity was to earlier generations. Let's talk about movies. 2001: A Space Odyssey is in some ways a collaboration between Clarke and Kubrick ... or as the author said, "the film should be credited to Kubrick and Clarke and the novel should be credited to Clarke and Kubrick."

This account from wikipedia notes the genesis of one of the ultimate science fiction films was a 1950 short story by Clarke, titled "The Sentinel." The classic spawned a 1984 sequel, 2010. Various short stories were adapted for television (unfortunately not enough of them from Tales From the White Hart, still waiting for its time on screen.) It's been announced that David Fincher will film Rendezvous With Rama, with Morgan Freeman in the lead; here's Jessica Barnes' item on it from 2007. The film concerns a close encounter of the third kind with an alien spacecraft. And John Hurt is definitely playing a Clarke figure in this Jodie Foster outer-space movie.

Clarke was born in England, and was a radar expert with the RAF during World War 2. Years of astronomical research gave way to a later-life interest in the ocean; hence his life in Sri Lanka, where he could scuba dive. He is remembered, among numerous accomplishments, for the fostering of Clarke's Three Laws: 1."When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong." 2."The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible." 3."Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

So, in theory, the trailer for The Oxford Murders hit the web a few months ago; but unless you were fluent in Spanish, there was not a lot you were going to get out of it. Stale Popcorn has finally gotten their hands on the international trailer, and now we actually get a sense of what the hell is going on. The Oxford Murders is based on the novel of the same name by Argentinian author Guillermo Martínez. The book was published in 2003, and was a best-seller that went on to be published into over fifteen languages.

The Oxford Murders stars John Hurt and Elijah Wood as a professor and a graduate student who become involved in solving a series of gruesome murders at the legendary university. Through the course of their investigations, they discover that the murderer is committing his crimes on principles of mathematical theories. So of course, the only way to stop the murders is to figure out the 'equations' before the killer strikes again. I guess you could consider it kind of like The Da Vinci Code, but with way more trigonometry.

Álex de la Iglesia wrote and directed the adaptation. The film has already been slated for release in Spain (where it opened on January 18th), Argentina, France, and Italy. Unfortunately, The Oxford Murders has yet to find a U.S distributor or release date in North America. Until then, Elijah Wood fans will just have to get their fix elsewhere. So keep your fingers crossed that the Iggy Pop movie gets made, or hold out for the possibility of just a little more Frodo after all.