colin firth Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Bah, Humbug. It's Too Early For 'A Christmas Carol'!
Filed under: Animation », New Releases », Disney », Fan Rant »
We've all lamented the way that Christmas decorations, candies, and wrapping paper start appearing on store shelves between fake pumpkins and cheesecloth ghosts. In some stores, the Christmas stuff appears as early as July or August. But when it comes to our local multiplex, we're generally safe from holly and plum pudding until it's actually cold outside. Not this year.Being entertainment fiends, I'm sure that the last week found most of you were tuning into AMC, IFC, and other assorted channels to check out their horror selections. You were also undoubtedly watching your favorite television shows, football teams, and following the World Series. I'll bet that you saw the tv spots for A Christmas Carol around ten times a day. Possibly more than that given all the games. Did you feel a cold chill run down your spine?
I did, and it wasn't caused by a pocky Jim Carrey or the possibility of Robert Zemeckis' mo-cap dead eyes. It was the fact that my jack o'lantern was flickering on my kitchen counter, bell jars of bones were decorating the top of my television, and Shadow of the Vampire was beckoning from my DVR. It was Halloween weekend. Even after October ticked down to its last gasp and we fell back, it was still autumn. It's harvest time. It's heartwrenching drama time, the real start of the Oscar race. It's time for The Road, The Men Who Stare At Goats and the Coens. It is not Christmastime. I don't care what the Three Spirits try to tell me, or whether Tiny Tim wants God to bless us, every one. I'm not going to listen until December 1. Perhaps I'll miss a great 3D thrill ride and the velvet voice of Colin Firth, but I'm not ready for snow and Dickensian morality just yet. Are you?
Indie Roundup: 'Single Man' Sells, 'Crude' Sizzles
Filed under: Comedy », Documentary », Drama », Independent », Box Office », Cinematical Indie »
Indie Roundup reviews the past week of news from the independent film community and provides a peek at what's coming soon.
Deals. Both Eugene Hernandez at indieWIRE and Anne Thompson at Thompson on Hollywood described the sale of Tom Ford's A Single Man as an electrifying event at the Toronto International Film Festival. Riding a wave of good buzz from the Venice festival, the debut feature from the famed fashion designer stars Colin Firth "at a turning moment in his life after the death of his longtime lover," Eugene wrote. "Despite a distinctly gay storyline, there was little doubt that this universal story of middle-aged lonliness and isolation in the 1960s would quickly find a home." Anne notes that it's "gorgeously designed ... it's an idealized L.A. shot like an Italian movie of the period, plus a stunning digitally-enhanced color palette." The Weinstein Company won the bidding war, as Monika Bartyzel noted this morning.
Festivals. Speaking of Toronto, be sure to check out all the great coverage from our team of writers on the scene to find out what's been hot -- and not so hot -- during the first half of the fest.
News. Not much news has been happening outside Toronto during the past week. In fact, in my usual rounds of news sites and search engines, I have found ... nothing much of interest! (Sorry if you made some news that you thought was notable and either I don't agree or don't know about it.) Come back next week, and I'm sure something interesting will have happened by then. In the meantime, did I mention our great coverage from Toronto?
How do you make crude oil sizzle? Find out in Indie Weekend Box Office -- after the jump!
The Weinstein Company Buys 'The King's Speech'
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Casting », The Weinstein Co. », DIY/Filmmaking », War »
The Weinstein Company's financial struggles have been pretty well publicized lately, and if you were Bob and Harvey, you'd probably look to those Shakespeare in Love Oscars, and then hunt down some sold historical stories from Great Britain. So they have gone and aquired themselves The King's Speech, a biopic about King George VI that will be directed by Tom Hooper. It will star that god of British cinema known as Colin Firth as King George VI and always wonderful Geoffrey Rush his speech therapist Lionel Logue.Actually, the story of George VI is a pretty remarkable one. Known affectionately as Bertie thanks to being born Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George, he was the second son of George V, and not expected to assume the throne. He was plagued by ill-health, a rough Victorian upbringing, and developed a horrible stammer that made him reluctant to speak in public. He seemed destined for a life out of the spotlight, but then his golden brother Edward decided to abdicate, marry Wallis Simpson, and sympathize with Nazis. Poor Bertie was thrust onto the throne, and by his own admission, the news made him break down and sob like a child. Add in that Britain was on the verge of war with Germany, and you have to utterly sympathize with Bertie, and admire him for not just jumping out of a window.
The King's Speech will focus on George's famous speech problems (a big part of why he was sobbing at the news), and how the king sought help from Logue. He overcame his stammer, gained confidence, and became the leader England desperately needed during WWII. It's easy to sneer at as an Oscar-bait picture, but it is a good story, and has a solid cast and crew behind it. Maybe it'll prove inspirational to the Weinsteins too, and pull them out of their rut.
Watch This: 'St Trinian's' Girls Run Amok
Filed under: Comedy », Trailers and Clips »
Ack! Where has this movie been all my life? St. Trinian's is the tall tale of a bevy of badass school girls who plot to steal the famous Vermeer painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring" so they can save their bankrupt school. Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, played by Colin Firth, is determined to make St. Trinian's over into a real school for young ladies. His former paramour is the headmistress Miss Fritton, played by Rupert Everett in drag. (Everett also exec produces.) And Russell Brand is, of course, a mad fellow in a bowler hat named Flash who enables the girls' shenanigans, like boozing and gambling. I'm digging the mischievous twins and the overall take no prisoners 'tude, but not so much the sexy high schoolers in stockings bit with model Lily Cole. Bond Girl Gemma Arterton stars as the lead gal Kelly, and Talulah Riley from The Boat That Rocked plays newcomer Annabelle Fritton.St. Trinian's, which is based on the comics by Ronald Searle, has been out in the UK since 2007. There were also five previous iterations of St. Trinian's movies: The Belles of St. Trinian's, Blue Murder at St. Trinian's, The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery, The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's, and The Wildcats of St. Trinian's.
A sequel, St Trinian's: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, is already in pre-production. St. Trinian's is slated to hit North American shores August 28th.
Check out the official website for the high-res trailer, a music video from Girls Aloud, and other goodies. A trailer from YouTube.com is after the jump.
(Thanks to Anne Thompson for the lead!)
Colin Firth and Kevin Spacey Head to 'Catalonia'
Filed under: Drama », Casting », Deals », Scripts », War »
Usually when I write about my surprise over a piece of news, it's in exasperation. You know -- writing about the umpteenth adaptation, remake, or reimagining. But could the movie industry finally be getting the hint? We've got Papa Hemingway on the way a few times (not to mention that yet-to-be-released Garden of Eden), Coriolanus, and now ...
Variety reports that Hugh Hudson is directing Bob Ellis' adaptation of George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia (simply titled Catalonia), with Colin Firth and Kevin Spacey starring. Yes folks -- Orwell did write more than 1984 and Animal Farm. In fact, the books inspired by his own life are some of his best work. This account focuses on his move to Catalonia (Barcelona) with his wife in the late 1930s to fight Stalinism*, where he joined the Anarchist brigade and fought in the Spanish Civil War -- which almost killed him. But rather than focus squarely on Orwell, the film will spotlight his friendship with Georges Kopp, the commander of the brigade.
I imagine that Firth will play Orwell (due to the Englishness), while Spacey takes on the Belgian Kopp. But it will take a while to learn much more -- production isn't scheduled to begin until the first half of 2010.
Now we just need more Henry Miller. A Devil in Paradise, anyone?
*Correction made thanks to Mattl
Scenes We Love: Pride and Prejudice
Filed under: Romance », Trailers and Clips », Scenes We Love »
Pressed into weekend service by the Tony Stark to my Pepper Potts (aka Scott Weinberg), I'm getting my revenge by posting the girl movie of all girl movies ... Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice.
I know for a lot of people, there is only one version of this story, and that's the legendary BBC production starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. For me, it's Wright's, although it's taken awhile for me to get past a few touches that are terribly inaccurate to the book and Regency period ... such as everyone's badly dressed hair (I'm looking especially hard at you, Jena Malone), the peeling paint in the Bennet's house, Lady Catherine visiting Elizabeth in the dead of night, everyone running around half dressed in front of each other, etc. I've loosened up on it after every viewing, and after reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies I've shrugged all those minor annoyances off. After all, if you're going to add to the story, it might as well be for purely aesthetic and sexy reasons, like the scene below ... and it better be done well enough to sweep you off your feet.
Incidentally, if you visit Jane Austen's Chawton cottage, the gift shop is full of P&P gifts. The official Mr. Darcy is still Colin Firth, but the Elizabeth Bennet is Keira Knightley. Despite doing a wonderful job, Matthew MacFadyen just can't dethrone Firth from the tea towels.
I know for a lot of people, there is only one version of this story, and that's the legendary BBC production starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. For me, it's Wright's, although it's taken awhile for me to get past a few touches that are terribly inaccurate to the book and Regency period ... such as everyone's badly dressed hair (I'm looking especially hard at you, Jena Malone), the peeling paint in the Bennet's house, Lady Catherine visiting Elizabeth in the dead of night, everyone running around half dressed in front of each other, etc. I've loosened up on it after every viewing, and after reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies I've shrugged all those minor annoyances off. After all, if you're going to add to the story, it might as well be for purely aesthetic and sexy reasons, like the scene below ... and it better be done well enough to sweep you off your feet.
Incidentally, if you visit Jane Austen's Chawton cottage, the gift shop is full of P&P gifts. The official Mr. Darcy is still Colin Firth, but the Elizabeth Bennet is Keira Knightley. Despite doing a wonderful job, Matthew MacFadyen just can't dethrone Firth from the tea towels.
Discuss: O Movie, Where Art Thou?
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Horror », Independent », Romance », Thrillers », Noir », Mystery & Suspense », Paramount », Sony », Sony Classics », Warner Brothers », RumorMonger », Fandom », Distribution », Exhibition », The Weinstein Co. », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
Coming up on the new year, it's interesting to see which films we had thought would've been released by this point. In the summer of 2007, I recall myself and several colleagues showing up for a press screening of Jonathan Levine's lauded slasher, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, only to discover it was canceled just that morning and the film had been sold from the Weinstein Company to Senator that afternoon. (The film has since landed at Sony, whose indie arm, Sony Classics, already saw Levine's follow-up, The Wackness, to a proper theatrical reception.)
At least the Weinsteins gave something up for a change. The oft-shuffled Killshot and Fanboys are tentative January and February releases at the moment, respectively, and I just want to see for myself if The Poughkeepsie Tapes has been worthy of its modest reputation following a BNAT '07 screening -- the same BNAT that featured the reportedly sweet Trick 'r Treat that WB continues to hoard.
A perhaps more morbid curiosity has me keeping an eye on Paramount's Case 39, just to see if it's really that bad, and who knows what similar straits Assassination of a High School President, The Accidental Husband (originally last March), and Possession (originally last February) are in following Yari Film Group's bankruptcy -- not that I have much invested in the last two, but Assassination is a perfectly release-worthy noir take-off that deserves a home.
So what do you guys and girls think? Which of these are you most dying to see? What was the longest you ever waited to catch something, and were you ultimately disappointed or satisfied by the time it came your way?
Matthew Goode to Play 'A Single Man' with Colin Firth and Julianne Moore
Filed under: Drama », Gay & Lesbian », Casting »
Being the replaced man in Imagine Me & You, Matthew Goode (soon-to-be Watchmen) managed to balance the anger and loneliness of being second place while his wife found true love with their wedding florist. Now The Hollywood Reporter posts that he gets to be the dead remembrance of A Single Man along with Colin Firth and Julianne Moore.This is Tom Ford's adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's 1964 novel about a gay Englishman and professor named George (Firth). Over the course of one day, the story follows George as he tries to continue his normal life and routine after the death of his partner Jim (Goode). Moore will play one of his fellow professors.
It'll be nice to see Firth take on an entirely different romantic role, in the wake of his many typical romances. As for the story, being "one of the first and best novels of the modern gay liberation movement," it should come as no surprise that the book was dedicated to friend and fellow writer Gore Vidal. So perhaps Vidal can play an educated cameo once again? We'll know soon enough -- the project is about to head into production.
TIFF Review: Easy Virtue
Filed under: Comedy », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », Festival Reports », Toronto International Film Festival »
A highbrow festival like Toronto doesn't offer many opportunities to laugh, and I was grateful for this one. Easy Virtue, an adaptation of an early Noël Coward play, is a droll and witty delight, a superb showcase for its cast, and a return to fine form for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert director Stephan Elliott, who last turned in the unsettling but incomprehensible Eye of the Beholder nearly 10 years ago. Where most TIFF films seemed to glower at me from the screen, this one winked and smiled.
Noël Coward may seem a strange choice for Elliott, whose films have favored the bizarre and the obscure. I don't know what attracted the filmmaker to this project, but I'm glad that something did. The material may seem almost purely verbal, all clever turns of phrase and sardonic interjections (what Americans think of as "Britishness"), but Elliott is constantly concerned with how the movie looks and sounds. Fittingly, he manages to give it a curious, otherworldly feel. This is most pronounced in the opening sequence, which marries choppy black-and-white footage, odd angles, and a jazzy soundtrack to introduce us to the characters and transport us to a universe that is ever so slightly off-kilter. It's a welcome recognition that these hyper-literate, impeccably constructed old comedies – Coward, Wilde, etc. – don't take place in a world quite like ours.
TIFF Review: Genova
Filed under: New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », Festival Reports », Toronto International Film Festival », Cinematical Indie »
Here's a movie that deals with death and grief without hysterics, dramatic speeches or showy, Oscar-grubbing performances. Michael Winterbottom's Genova has a logline that sounds maudlin and turgid – after she inadvertently causes a car accident that kills her mother, a young girl starts seeing mom's ghost – but the movie turns out to be understated, down-to-earth, quietly sad. This is Winterbottom's most intimate film since 9 Songs, and one of the highlights of his career.
Genova has the wherewithal to show its characters dealing with loss in ways that aren't inherently cinematic. It would have been very striking, for example, to have the newly motherless children – the teenage Kelly (Willa Holland) and the preteen Mary (Perla Haney-Jardine) – scream, rage at the world, and slam doors in the face of their well-intentioned father Joe (Colin Firth) before concluding that Family Sticks Together. And in a film like this, I would have guessed that Joe would spiral into an alcoholic depression, or perhaps start a tumultuous, guilt-ridden affair with the old college friend (Catherine Keener) who comes back into his life.
Those are the arcs I would have expected to see. But though a couple doors do get slammed, Winterbottom's characters aren't here to amuse us or push our buttons. Their reactions to the tragedy and their ways of adjusting to a new life in the titular city all paint a much more nuanced picture – and the effect is more heartbreaking than any number of manipulative stunts could have achieved.
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