imelda staunton Tagged Articles at Cinematical

It's no accident that at the very beginning of the movie, the title shows up broken into three words, one on its own separate line: Taking. Wood. Stock. The immensely likeable comedian Demetri Martin plays Elliot Teichberg, a menschy young guy who is spending his summer at his parents' ramshackle motel in the Catskills in yet another attempt to stave off their foreclosure. He has a life back in NYC, sure, but his work as an interior designer and painter isn't going so well, and his friends are all leaving for San Francisco. Elliot, or Ellie as his parents call him, is the consummate Good Jewish Boy – he runs the local Chamber of Commerce, helps around the hotel, and withstands his Russian mother's browbeating (played by Vera Drake's Imelda Staunton).

It's only sheer luck and desperation that leads him to call the Woodstock folks after a nearby town decides they don't want a hippie invasion after all. The rest, as they say, is history, much to Elliot's bemusement. Obviously, though, the free love and plentiful drugs help grease the wheels of his own individuation, as the Summer of Love draws to a close and the darker era of Altamont and Manson creep closer.

When Demetri Martin joined the cast of Taking Woodstock, it was set to begin production in late August. In a nice change of pace, the movie is still on schedule, and will begin shooting at the end of the month, SAG strike be damned. But that isn't the only reason to anticipate Ang Lee's project. Variety reports the ensemble cast has been set, and it's insanely good. Get ready for a film that includes the likes of Emile Hirsch, Imelda Staunton, Liev Schreiber, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Eugene Levy, Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Dan Fogler, Mamie Gummer, Henry Goodman, and Jonathan Groff.

Martin stars in the memoir adaptation as Elliot Tiber, a closeted gay man and aspiring interior designer who gives up his Big Apple dreams to run the family business in a Catskills motel. In 1969, he offered the hotel as home base for Woodstock organizers while his neighbor Max Yasgur (Levy) offered his farm. Staunton and Goodman play Tiber's parents, Groff will be festival organizer Michael Lang, Hirsch will play a Vietnam vet just back on American soil, Schreiber is in talks to play a transvestite named Vilma, Morgan will be a closeted married man having an affair with Tiber, Dano and Kazan play a hippy couple going to the concert, Fogler will be the head of a local theater troupe, and Gummer will take on the role of Lang's assistant.

I have a feeling this will be so very, very good.

What kind of amateurs could Burt Reynolds be joining? He's had a lot of roles in his almost 50 years in the business. Considering his past career, perhaps it would be an amateur group of cops, football players, bandits, porn professionals, judges, or even thieves. Nope! The reality is so very much better. Believe it or not, he's going to be joining some amateur Shakespearian actors. Variety reports that he's heading to Blighty this February to star in A Bunch of Amateurs. To be helmed by Andy Cadiff, from a script by Jonathan Gerschfield, John Ross, Ian Hislop, and Nick Newman, this is the first movie to come from the new production shingle, CinemaNX.

The film is being described as a fish-out-of-water comedy about "an aging Hollywood action star who accepts an invitation to play King Lear at Stratford, in the hope of reviving his career. When he arrives, he discovers that the play is not being staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-upon-Avon, as he thought, but by an amateur dramatic society in the rural village of Stratford St. John." I am a man. More sinned against than sinning! He wants to back out, but it's a charity performance with lots of marketing, so he has to stick with it. Yes, that's right, he's going to be King Lear. I have to say, that's something I never thought I'd see. Reynolds' amateur co-stars will include the likes of Samantha Bond (Goldeneye), Derek Jacobi (The Golden Compass), and Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). Are you ready for the Bandit to take on Lear?

It seems only fair to give a little background on my opinions about the Harry Potter series, books and movies, so you'll know where I'm coming from when I tell you why I liked the fifth movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I've read all the books by J.K. Rowling (except the seventh, of course, due later this month) and have enjoyed them overall -- but my least favorite was the fifth book, the one on which this movie is based. I thought it was at least 100 pages longer than it needed to be, and I grew irritated with the overload of Sullen Teen Syndrome from Harry. You have no idea how relieved I am that the movie successfully eliminated many of these difficulties, to the point where I found it an improvement on the book.

I've also seen all the movies, most of which I liked well enough but found unmemorable, with the exception of the third movie (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), which had better character development. Yes, I am firmly in the "Alfonso Cuaron rocks" camp, as opposed to the "Chris Columbus needs to return" camp. The previous movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, seemed so rushed and crammed in an effort to condense a thick book into a single movie that I didn't have high hopes for this film. Fortunately, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was able to pare down the storyline to its essentials without making me feel like we were missing anything critical.

Last week's License to Wed contest reinforced a couple of things for those of us over here at Moviefone. One, if it's bald and looks semi-crazy, it must be Britney Spears. Two, Michael Jackson jokes never get old. Congrats to our License to Wed loot winners below. They'll take home a beach towel tote, a Frisbee and a magnetic word set among other goodies. Alas, they will not be receiving the mechanical pooping baby pictured.

1. "I never even knew the Neverland Ranch had a gift shop." -- Todd G.

2. "Look, he's got your plastic." -- Ross M.

3. "You expect me to hold this thing?" ... "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!"
-- JD3

See full image and all captions

This week, we have a photo from the eagerly anticipated Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth chapter in the beloved boy-wizard saga. This time around, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) brace for the return of the vile Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and battle to free Hogwarts from the iron-fisted authoritarian rule of Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton). And, in the midst of all this, Harry apparently finds some time to chill in a telephone booth with Ron's dad (Mark Williams).

Writers of our three favorite captions for the photo below will win a veritable Goblet of Fire full of Harry Potter swag, including a Death Eaters T-shirt (handy for those times when you just have to eat the deceased), a wooden notebook with quill and ink (so you can chronicle your hopes and dreams, Ginny Weasley-style) and some Potter temporary tattoos (because you know Harry loves to show off his ink). Good luck!

UPDATE: WINNERS ANNOUNCED! Click Here

That's right folks, an international full-length trailer for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has now arrived online over at AOL UK, so get on over there and check it out. Aside from the trailer, we also have for you a brand new image from the film (as seen above), which shows Harry walking away from friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger as if he's on a mission and, from the looks on Ron and Hermione's faces, they ain't so down with it. Is he going after Lord Voldemort? Did he forget to change his underwear? Or is he off to reveal the Wizard of Oz as the fraud that he really is? You'll have to wait till July 13 to find out, as that's when Order of the Phoenix officially arrives in theaters.

The new trailer is pretty spectacular, and pretty straight-forward; even though I haven't read the books, I could still follow what was going on. Imelda Staunton fans will be happy to know that the trailer is Dolores Umbridge-heavy; she floats around screen in a delightful pink outfit throughout most of the trailer. And then we get right down to business: Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has returned, though Harry seems to be the only one who truly believes this. Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) tells Harry not to go after Voldemort because he'll lose, but somehow I can't see little (actually, he's not so little anymore) Potter listening to that advice. Toward the end of the trailer (where all the action takes place), it appears the stage is set for one helluva wicked battle. Check it out now, and definitely let us know what you think.

With so many of Britain's acting legends appearing in the Harry Potter films, it isn't easy for just one to stand out, but I think this summer's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will feature one performance that shines above the rest. Imelda Staunton, who plays the cruel new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Dolores Umbridge, seen in this new publicity photo hovering above Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, will be a definite center of attention -- and not just because her pink wardrobe sticks out amongst the mostly black costumes worn by her fellow cast members. There is a lot of hype regarding her appearance in the film, and I for one am hoping that she lives up to it. I've even thought about how wonderful it would be for the actress to be so good that she gets another Oscar nomination (what a nice surprise it would be for the Academy to recognize the consistently good acting of this popular franchise!).

Of course, it is probably better for the film as a whole if no actor or actress stands out. Also, according to what we heard from the first test screenings, it is Gary Oldman and newcomer Evanna Lynch who rise above the rest. Regardless, I am happy enough that Staunton is garnering a lot of attention for this role, especially after seeing how good she can be even in a simple supporting part in the fantastic family film Nanny McPhee. According to her statements to the new issue of Newsweek, she put a lot of "proper acting" into her Potter performance. While I doubt any awards will come from this movie, she will hopefully be praised enough that she finds it worth returning for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

There have been so many of these Harry Potter movies that I could have sworn we already saw some stills from the new installment, but I must be thinking of the previous one. I guess the last thing we saw for Order of the Phoenix was just some set photos. Now this addition, brought to us by The Scotsman, isn't much, but one of two pictures present us with a glimpse of Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge and Emma Thompson as Sybil Trelawney. That photo also features Maggie Smith (McGonagall) and David Bradley (Fitch). As for the other still, it's not spectacular, but we do get Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) backed onto the floor, looking old and clean-cut, aiming his wand at the unseen Dementors. I'm not sure, but he appears to have been caught off guard while tagging the wall with some graffiti.

As for non-official photos, Mugglenet.com has some more set pics, this time of the Hogsmeade train station. And in case all these photos aren't enough to satisfy your Potter craving, you should also check out the two-part Newsweek interview with Emma Watson (Hermione) here and here.

[Thanks to Comingsoon.net for all the updates]

Oh, I know you want your Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix casting updates...and you want me to be the one who gives them to you. Perhaps I should be tortured and chained to a wall for never diving head first into the world of Harry Potter, but I'm going to use the excuse that I'd rather wait until the entire story is complete before dedicating every waking second to the boy. I'm crazy like that.

Regardless, it is my duty to report the movie news folks and, just 48 hours after we last left Potter casting land, there's a bunch more information to hand out. First off, for all of those fans lingering about in our comments and offering up their immense acting talent for the part of Luna, you're crap out of luck. After 15,000 girls showed up to an open casting call for the role of Luna Lovegood, an unknown 14-year-old by the name of Evanna Lynch (check out her publicity photo here) has snagged the part. In the book, this odd character (who's called the name Loony behind her back) befriends Harry and his friends.

Imelda Staunton (Nanny McPhee, Vera Drake) has been confirmed to play Professor Umbridge, a major villain in the fifth book. Probably the second most hated character in the series, many have been speculating as to who will play her. Helen McCrory (Interview with a Vampire, Casanova) will take on Bellatrix Lestrange (coolest name ever!), as one of Lord Voldemort's evil fans. Rounding out the new additions are Natalia Tena as Tonks (a shape shifting Auror) and Kathryn Hunter as Mrs. Figg (a Squib who plays a key role in a scene early on). So, are we done? Is this everyone? Are you satisfied with the choices made? Gear up people because shooting begins...tomorrow!