Twilight stars riff on being Bella and Edward

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 31 October 2008 by Don

The hardest part about playing Bella in the movie Twilight, says Kristen Stewart, was finding chemistry on screen with Robert Pattinson as her vampire lover Edward. As for Rob, he says his biggest challenge was playing someone who's 17 on the outside but 108 on the inside. And contrary to reports that a sequel has already been commissioned, director Catherine Hardwicke says Summit will wait to see how the first movie performs before proceeding with New Moon. All... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Bond sets out to rule the world again

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 31 October 2008 by Don

Quantum of Solace begins its tour of duty in the UK today, and there's a degree of trepidation among the cast and filmmakers-- understandably, given the $US200 million budget. They're confident they've delivered another Bond blockbuster for the ages, which 007 fans around the world will savour, so the UK takings will be a bellwether for the film's global prospects. "It's a 200 million dollar movie, I don't know how you could do that without thinking there's a little bit ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Harry Potter tops the want-to-see list for 2009

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 31 October 2008 by Don

Which movie are you most stoked about seeing in 2009? If you picked Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, you're in synch with a lot of US cinemagoers. The sixth Hogwarts adventure topped a poll of the most anticipated movies by MovieTickets.com, which surveyed nearly 4,000 ticket buyers. That will be good news for Warner Bros., which shocked and dismayed many fans when it yanked the Half Blood Prince out of its November slot and pushed it back to next July. Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Zack and Miri Make a Porno: Dirty fun

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 31 October 2008 by Don

There's no porn in Zack and Miri Make a Porno-- but lots of raunchy humour plus goofy Seth Rogen, sexy Elizabeth Banks and Superman's Brandon Routh as a gay porn star. Seth and Elizabeth play platonic room-mates who are so broke they decide to shoot an X-rated flick to make a quick buck. They vow that doing the deed won't ruin their friendship, but how will it affect their relationship? It's the most mainstream comedy yet from director Kevin Smith, who made Clerks, Chasin... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

A quickie romance for Gerard Butler in RockNRolla

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 30 October 2008 by Don

Making out with Thandie Newton on screen would be just about every red-blooded actor's dream come true. Except it didn't quite pan out as Gerard Butler hoped in RockNRolla, Guy Ritchie's gangster comedy. The script called for a hot, heavy tryst between Gerard's small-time crim One Two and Thandie as a sexy accountant who's feeding him info so he can rob her Russian billionaire boss. Alas, on that very day Butler was ill and couldn't kiss the actress. So Ritchie s... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

A cool Kat in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 30 October 2008 by Don

Considering the roles she played in The House Bunny, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Big Momma's House 2 and the upcoming Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, it's a surprise to hear Kat Dennings say she doesn't know how normal teenagers act. That's because of her unconventional upbringing: she was home-schooled in Pennsylvania by her father, a biochemist, and her mother, a speech therapist turned poet. From the age of 10, when her folks first let her watch TV, she wanted to be an ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Death Race a hairy ride for Jason Statham

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 30 October 2008 by Don

Director Paul W. S. Anderson was determined to inject gritty realism into Death Race, which meant using real cars fitted with actual rocket-launchers, machine guns, flame-throwers and armour, and no CGI-trickery. "I want sweat, I want dirt, I want rust, and I want blood," he told the cast and crew of the movie, which isn't a remake but an homage to Roger Corman's Death Race 2000. That entailed some risk for Jason Statham as speedway champion Jensen Ames, who's framed for th... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Rookies make their mark in High School Musical 3

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 30 October 2008 by Don

Matt Prokop had never sung or danced before he auditioned for a Disney musical, along with several thousand other kids. Now he's one of the stars of High School Musical 3: Senior Year, playing geekie basketballer Jimmie “The Rocket” Zara, who idolizes Zac Efron's character, Troy Bolton, and gets to serve as Troy's understudy in the school musical. Matt, 18, whose limited acting experience included an episode of the Hannah Montana series, turned up on set and discovered he... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

A new 'brief' role for Twilight's Taylor Lautner

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 29 October 2008 by Don

At 16, Twilight's Taylor Lautner is learning to live with the adulation from appearing at events such as the Comic-Con convention and a party marking the release of the novel Breaking Dawn-- even if some fans are expressing their admiration in bizarre ways. Like the people who've been buying, via the Internet, items of women's underwear emblazoned with the name 'Team Taylor.' Lautner sounds like he would have been less surprised if the underwear had been branded Team Jacob... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Acting gets a good rap from Ludacris

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 29 October 2008 by Don

Rappers rap and actors act, and rarely do they cross-over. Mark Wahlberg made the transition, and now rapper Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges is successfully pursuing a parallel career as a movie star and aims to devote more time to acting. He started out in 2 Fast 2 Furious, followed by the Oscar-winning Crash, Hustle & Flow, Fred Claus, Max Payne and now Guy Ritchie's gangster comedy RockNRolla. "Once I started doing it, I kind of surprised myself because I didn't ev... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Finally, a Bond girl who says no to Bond!

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 29 October 2008 by Don

In 22 James Bond films, 007 almost always gets the girl, or girls, he lusts after-- until Quantum of Solace. In Haiti, Daniel Craig's Bond meets the beautiful but feisty Camille (Olga Kurylenko) who, like him, has vengeance on her mind. They become reluctant allies, but that doesn't extend to the bedroom. "I'm very happy and proud that she didn't sleep with Bond," says the Ukrainian-born model turned actress. "It's okay. He slept with all of them 21 movies. Here... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Joan Allen finds her Frankenstein in Death Race

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 29 October 2008 by Don

Joan Allen plays a tough cookie in the Bourne films but she's badder than bad in Death Race. She plays Hennessy, the sadistic, foul-mouthed warden of a privately-owned jail which makes money by organizing a brutal 3-day race for inmates: the winner gets his freedom, the losers die. Jason Statham stars as a speedway champion who's jailed for a murder he didn't commit and forced to compete in the race wearing the mask of mythical driver Frankenstein. Written and di... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Double duty for Iron Man as The Avengers beckons!

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 29 October 2008 by Don

Robert Downey Jr. will suit up as Iron Man again, not just for the sequel but also as the character joins forces with other superheroes in The Avengers. Jon Favreau will serve as executive producer of The Avengers as well as direct Iron Man 2, and Don Cheadle has been confirmed as the replacement for Terrence Howard as Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes in the Iron Man sequel and The Avengers. All that was announced today by Marvel Studios, which did not explain why Howard got t... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Twilight fans promised ''great romance, sexual tension''

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 28 October 2008 by Don

Twilight fans can expect the movie based on Stephenie Meyer's novel to deliver "great romance, sexual tension" and lots of cool action. We have that on the good authority of director Catherine Hardwicke, who's putting the final touches to the movie ahead of its release in the US next month. "I just got totally swept away in this great obsessive love story, so I wanted to feel that when I watched the movie," she told About.com: Hollywood Movies. "I wanted to take ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Mumbles and One Two: dopey partners in crime in RockNRolla

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 28 October 2008 by Don

Guy Ritchie was having a laugh when he named Idris Elba's character Mumbles in the gangster comedy RockNRolla. Mumbles isn't bright- none of the Wild Bunch gang of small-time crims who populate the movie is a rocket scientist- but he doesn't mumble. And he has a lot of snappy dialogue with his partner One Two (Gerard Butler), including a running joke which revolves around an extraordinary favour One Two does for their colleague Handsome Bob (Tom Hardy), when they mistakenly... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Choke: a funny riff on sex, scams, sons and mothers

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 28 October 2008 by Don

Victor is one weird guy. He's a sex addict whose day job is re-enacting Colonial history scenes at a theme park. At night, he's a con artist who pretends to choke at restaurants, preying on folks who rush to save him. That enables him to pay the bills to keep his deranged mum in a private hospital. That's the bizarre premise of Choke, actor turned writer-director Clark Gregg's dark comedy based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk. Screened at the Sundance festival ea... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Christopher Nolan talks about the chances of another Batpic

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 28 October 2008 by Don

After The Dark Knight blockbuster, will there be another Batpic? Writer-director Christopher Nolan has finally responded to that question, hinting that he's willing to concoct another adventure--if can find a compelling story. In a playful interview with the Los Angeles Times after holidaying with his family for a month on an island off the coast of Florida, the 38-year-old Brit said, "Is there a story that’s going to keep me emotionally invested for the couple of years tha... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Chris Pine leaves Bill Shatner behind in Star Trek XI

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 27 October 2008 by Don

When Chris Pine started preparing for his role as the young Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek XI, he immersed himself in the previous movies, series and Trek folklore. Then he stopped, realizing that no amount of research would equip him to take over the role made famous by William Shatner: he had to make it his own. "All I was doing was heaping upon myself an incredible amount of responsibility, weighing myself down with 'You must remember to act this way' and such,'... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Shocker: Saw V traps an audience in Oz

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 27 October 2008 by Don

Here's a shock to almost everyone who's not a fan of the demonic Jigsaw: Saw V drew a sizable audience in Australia last weekend, racking up $1.36 million. While that was about 25% below the debut of Saw IV, the movie starring Tobin Bell, Scott Patterson and Costas Mandylor (pictured) finished a creditable second behind Burn After Reading. Benefitting from word of mouth, the Coen brothers' dark comedy amassed nearly $1.5 million in its second weekend (off just 19%), bringin... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

High School Musical 3 rocks the US

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 27 October 2008 by Don

Go Wildcats! Those cheers reverberated around 3,600 US cinemas over the weekend as High School Musical 3: Senior Year smashed the opening record for a live-action musical. Disney's decision to take the franchise to the big screen paid off with $42 million in ticket sales, eclipsing the debuts of Mamma Mia! ($27.8 million) and Hairspray ($27.5 million). The Disney Channel has already commissioned a fourth edition, which presumably will be built around the three characters in... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

New Aussie films to focus on death, vampires and romance

0 Comments | Posted on Sunday, 26 October 2008 by Don

As the self-appointed and unofficial president of Ray Lawrence's fan club, I'm happy to see his next film, Being Dead, is securing funding. The director has made just three films, starting with Bliss in 1985, followed by Lantana and Jindabyne. Death is a recurring theme in his work, so Being Dead gives him another chance to explore dying and its affect on the living. It's based on a novel by English writer Jim Crace, published in 1999, about a woman whose zoologist parents ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Clint Eastwood fires on all cylinders in Gran Torino

0 Comments | Posted on Saturday, 25 October 2008 by Don

At 78, Clint Eastwood has rarely been so busy-- or so lauded. Changeling, his latest directorial effort, launched in the US over the weekend. Gran Torino, which he directs as well as stars in, opens in the US on December 17. The critical buzz for both movies is so strong (although no one has seen Gran Torino), he could well be competing against himself when the Oscar nominations are announced. And his next project will be a film on Nelson Mandela, starring Morga... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

McG brings a new vision to Terminator Salvation

0 Comments | Posted on Saturday, 25 October 2008 by Don

Can McG, who made the entertaining but light-weight Charlie's Angels movies, pull off something as ambitious and complex as the fourth edition of Terminator? I've had my doubts, but I'm starting to think the director may well have the smarts to take the Terminator legacy to a new level. He's certainly saying all the right things in the blog for Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, which opens next June. Relating that he's immersed in post production after the... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Thandie Newton hangs tough in RockNRolla

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 24 October 2008 by Don

Guy Ritchie seems to have a problem with women, apart from the obvious one: writing significant roles for them in his films, I mean. So it's great to see Thandie Newton playing a pivotal role in RockNRolla, a gangster caper in the vein of the writer-director's best movie, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Thandie plays Stella, an accountant who works for shady Russian billionaire Uri (Karel Roden). She tips off small-time crim One Two (Gerard Butler) so he can steal mill... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Traitor: an enigmatic look at terrorism

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 24 October 2008 by Don

A 12-year-old boy witnesses his father being killed by a car bomb. The kid grows up to be a devout Muslim, so how does he justify making bombs for terrorists? That question is at the heart of Traitor, a terrific, intelligent thriller starring Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce and Jeff Daniels. Based on an idea by Steve Martin, of all people, the movie features Cheadle as Samir, a Sudanese-born guy who is inveigled into working with a terrorist organization. His allegiances... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Hugh Jackman flies the flag for Australia

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 24 October 2008 by Don

You expect well-paid actors to plug their films, so it's no surprise to see Hugh Jackman beating the drum for Baz Luhrmann's historical epic Australia. Hugh compares the romantic drama to three movies which are widely regarded as among the all-time greats. "It's in the style of Out of Africa, The African Queen and Titanic," he told the US mag Cowboys & Indians. There's nothing wrong with such hyperbole from an actor who seems genuinely proud of the movie. But it does rai... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

US showdown: High School Musical 3 vs Saw V

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 24 October 2008 by Don

Singing, dancing, romancing pop stars...or another edition of a gorefest in which manic people find new, gruesome ways to kill or maim each other? It should be an easy victory for High School Musical 3: Senior Year as it faces off against Saw V in the US this weekend. There's no precedent for a sequel to hit theatres after its predecessors debuted on TV, so predicting the opening weekend is tricky. But there's a huge in-built fanbase for the franchise among kids aged 4-14, ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Saw V: torture porn or a real spine-tingler?

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 23 October 2008 by Don

The Saw franchise is losing blood, reflected in declining ticket sales for the last two editions. Can Saw V reverse the trend? I have no idea: the movie wasn't previewed here or anywhere else in the world. And I switched off after Saw II, as I don't share the filmmakers' taste in torture porn. Still, there must be an audience for these low-budgeters, especially in the US, or they wouldn't keep churning them out. For the record, Saw IV grossed $4.9 million here,... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Hayley Atwell's a knock-out in Brideshead Revisited

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 23 October 2008 by Don

If you enjoyed watching Hayley Atwell as conflicted Lady Bess Spencer in The Duchess, I bet you will get even more pleasure from seeing her in Brideshead Revisited. In the movie adapted from the classic British TV series, Hayley plays Julia Flyte, a repressed character who suffers mightily for her Catholic faith. Julia's brother, gay, tortured Sebastian (Ben Whishaw), befriends Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode), a relationship which is severely tested when Julia develops strong... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Simon Pegg plays the fool in How to Lose Friends...

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 23 October 2008 by Don

In How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, Simon Pegg does some terrible things as Sidney Young, a brash, bumbling British journalist transplanted to the glitzy world of New York City. He breaks two taboos by asking a star if he's Jewish and gay, and is later berated by his publisher (Jeff Bridges), who tells him he should assume everyone he interviews is Jewish and gay. Then there's the incident with a transvestite stripper, the accidental death of a starlet's chihuahua,... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Frost/Nixon: a very human drama

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 23 October 2008 by Don

Political junkies may be intrigued by Frost/Nixon, the saga of the confrontation between the disgraced US President and the celebrity interviewer, but what about the rest of us? Well, judging by the trailer and some reviews, the movie may well transcend dry political history to stand as a powerful drama. Consider the talent involved: Ron Howard directs, with a screenplay by Peter Morgan, based on his acclaimed play; Morgan showed his narrative flair in The Queen and The La... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Take a peek behind the scenes of Watchmen

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 23 October 2008 by Don

"Let me promise you one thing," Watchmen star Jeffrey Dean Morgan told the audience at last weekend's Scream 2008 awards. "This movie will blow your mind." Typical Hollywood hype? Maybe, but fans of the graphic novel by Alan Moore are sure jazzed about the movie masterminded by Zack Snyder. Set in 1985, the plot deals with a group of super-antiheroes who are struggling with their own issues while investigating the death of one of their own as the world hurtles toward nucle... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Why do most video game movies suck?

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 22 October 2008 by Don

Hollywood continually pilfers the world of video games as the source of movies-- sometimes with disastrous results. Consider some of the stinkers: Hitman, Doom, Mortal Kombat, Super Mario Bros, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (the sequel; at least the original was watchable), Pokemon: The Movie... I'd put Max Payne (pictured) in that category, although I'm sure the film has its fans, if only those who enjoyed the game. Why do most video game movies ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

The Women: a giant leap from Joan Crawford to Eva Mendes!

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 22 October 2008 by Don

Joan Crawford and Eva Mendes....I never thought I'd put those two together in the same sentence, but the screen legend and the Cuban-American hottie are forever linked in The Women. Eva plays Crystal Allen, the Saks Fifth Avenue shopgirl whose affair with the unseen husband of Meg Ryan's character is at the crux of The Women, Diane English's loose remake of George Cukor's 1939 movie...which featured Crawford in that role. Sensibly, Eva says she never attempted to fill ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Kirsten Dunst lashes out at 'mean' journos

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 22 October 2008 by Don

Kirsten Dunst had plenty of reasons to reflect on the cult of celebrity when she played a New York magazine journo in the comedy How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. The actress has experienced the downside of fame, most recently when she spent time in a rehab facility for depression. Not surprisingly, she has strong feelings about the journos and paps who chronicled that difficult period. "Basically what they are doing is swallowing mean pills," she says. "... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Oh no, the Hulk may explode again!

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 22 October 2008 by Don

After suffering through Hulk and The Incredible Hulk, I was hoping that would be the end of the big green galoot. But no, Marvel Studios claim they're so delighted with the "success" of Edward Norton's Hulk, the character will probably pop up in future Marvel movies and then get his own sequel. "What we are doing is suggesting and cross-pollinating the characters between films, and like reading a comic, I'd like to set that expectation that anything can happen — and anyo... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Twilight's Laurent: a vampire with a good heart?

1 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 21 October 2008 by Don

Like many actors, Edi Gathegi wasn't a fan of vampire movies or stories. Until he was offered the role of Laurent, one of the evil blood-suckers in Twilight. Actually, not so evil. True, Laurent does want to tear apart- literally- the romance between Bella and Edward. But as Edi tells it, "My character's also got a sensitive side. He warns the Cullens that this is what my cohorts are up to. So while his natural instinct is to kill human beings because that's how he has to ... Find out more...   |   1 Comments

Brideshead Revisited a leap of faith for Ben Whishaw

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 21 October 2008 by Don

Taking on the role of gay, tortured Sebastian made famous by Anthony Andrews in the TV series Brideshead Revisited could have been a daunting prospect. But not for Ben Whishaw, who avoided watching the series so he could bring a fresh interpretation to the character in the Brideshead Revisited movie. Sebastian is caught up in an odd romantic triangle with his Oxford University chum Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode, pictured right with Ben) and Sebastian's sister Julia (Hayley A... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

The Women tackles an age-old issue: infidelity

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 21 October 2008 by Don

In her private life, Meg Ryan has survived a number of messy romantic entanglements. So it wasn't a stretch for her to play a woman whose husband is cheating on her in The Women, a loose remake of George Cukor's 1939 classic, which starred Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, and Joan Crawford. Written and directed by Murphy Brown creator Diane English, the film focusses exclusively on the female characters: men are heard but never seen. Friendships and loyalty are s... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

High School Musical 3 ends on a teary note

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 20 October 2008 by Don

Guess what happened on the final day of filming High School Musical 3: Senior Year? The entire cast and some crew members cried. Boys don't cry, as the saying goes, so Zac Efron and Corbin Bleu waited till they got back to the make-up trailer before letting loose. The emotion was sparked not just because this marked the end of a three year journey for everyone: director Kenny Ortega made a passionate speech. According to Monique Coleman, Ortega's message to the c... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Burn After Reading spies No 1 Down Under

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 20 October 2008 by Don

Brad Pitt, George Clooney and the Coen brothers were an irresistible combination for Australian cinemagoers as Burn After Reading grabbed the top spot at the Oz box-office last weekend. The dark spy comedy, which co-stars John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton, clocked nearly $1.9 million. That ended the one-week reign of Body of Lies, which tumbled by 45% to $1.16 million in its second weekend, raising its total to $4 million. Max Payne checked in ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Max Payne is the top gun in the US

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 20 October 2008 by Don

Max Payne reigned at the US box-office last weekend, ending a long, dry spell for its studio, 20th Century Fox. Fox, however, didn't have a lot to celebrate as the thriller starring Mark Wahlberg as a maverick cop raked in $17.6 million--just the ninth-biggest opening for a movie based on a video game, better than the first Resident Evil but below the likes of Pokemon: The Movie 2000 and Mortal Kombat. Disney's Beverly Hills Chihuahua was second, fetching $11.4 million in i... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Meet the new crew of the USS Enterprise

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 20 October 2008 by Don

Here's one of the first pics of the new, young crew of the USS Enterprise in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek XI. Abrams cast relatively fresh faces as the $150 million movie chronicles how the crew came together before they go into battle with the Romulans. From left: Anton Yelchin as Chekov, Chris Pine as James T. Kirk, Simon Pegg as Lt. Montgomery Scott, Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, John Cho as Sulu and Zoe Saldana as Uhura. Abrams told Entertainment Week he aims to reinven... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Terrence Howard speaks out on Iron Man 2 axing

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 20 October 2008 by Don

When news broke last week that Terrence Howard was out of Iron Man 2, replaced by Don Cheadle, no one was more surprised than Howard himself. Only last month, director Jon Favreau had spoken warmly about Howard, flagging that he'd have a bigger role in the sequel as his character James Rhodes morphs into the War Machine. And Howard had told MTV in May, "I'm anxious to get into the next one. I don't want to be a sidekick. I want to have my own thing." So why this ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Quantum of Solace a ''badder, better'' Bond

0 Comments | Posted on Saturday, 18 October 2008 by Don

The first reviews of Quantum of Solace have appeared online after the world premiere in London-- and they're nearly unqualified raves. The BBC hailed the new 007 adventure as "badder, better," and declared it difers from its predecessors by focussing on an "emotionally battered Bond, his mission and his motivation." The Times enthused, "Daniel Craig’s craggy agent picks up exactly where he left off in another bruising thriller that leaves you feeling both drained and exhil... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Watchmen's Ozymandias: a killer who wants to save the world

0 Comments | Posted on Saturday, 18 October 2008 by Don

In the movie Watchmen, Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, is billed as the "smartest man in the world." His mission is to save the world from nuclear disaster- but to do so, in his warped view, he must first cause the deaths of millions of people. English actor Matthew Goode relished the chance to play this morally-complex villain in the movie adapted from Alan Moore's graphic novel. "He is in it absolutely to save the world because it is about to go off," says Go... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Brad Pitt set to go Greek again in The Odyssey

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 17 October 2008 by Don

After fighting the Trojans as Achilles in the historical blockbuster Troy, Brad Pitt is set to delve back into Greek mythology again in The Odyssey. Pitt's company Plan B will produce the film based on Homer's epic for Warner Bros. and director George Miller, Variety reports. The studio hopes Pitt will agree to play Odysseus, who hatched the idea to build the Trojan Horse. The film will follow his long journey home after he declines to become a god but the mag says it will ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Role Models: Judd Apatow-lite?

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 17 October 2008 by Don

Role Models is one of the few raunchy comedies coming out of the US which doesn't have Judd Apatow's fingerprints all over it. But several Apatow troupe regulars have prominent roles, and judging by the trailer, some of the gags and set-ups wouldn't look out of place in Superbad or Knocked Up. Paul Rudd, who co-wrote the script, plays Danny, the motivational speaker for an energy drink company. Danny and his colleague Wheeler (Seann William Scott, forever known a... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Oliver Stone takes on George W. Bush

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 17 October 2008 by Don

George W. Bush is the most unpopular US president in decades at home and abroad and, in some circles, regarded as the worst since Nixon. So how many American cinemagoers will embrace a bio on the prez, directed by Oliver Stone and scripted by Stanley Weiser, who wrote the now-topical Stone movie Wall Street? We'll know on Monday as W. opens this weekend. The film traces the rise of Bush (James Brolin) from his college days to meeting his wife Laura (Elizabeth Banks) and fin... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Emma Thompson: smother love in Brideshead Revisited

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 17 October 2008 by Don

Emma Thompson never saw the acclaimed TV series Brideshead Revisited: when it first screened, she was in her 20s, a self-confessed "punk rocker," and working in a Cambridge Footlights revue in Australia. So when she was offered the role of Lady Marchmain in the big-screen version of Brideshead Revisited, she had an entirely freah perspective on the family's fierce matriach. Lady Marchmain's blind devotion to Catholicism sees her try to impose her rigid views and beliefs on ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Nero revealed in Star Trek XI

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 16 October 2008 by Don

Recognise this scary-looking dude? It's Eric Bana as Nero, a Romulan and thus one of the villains in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek XI. Those tattoos are unique to him and to every member of his crew, according to producer Damon Lindelof. As for other details about the character and plot, Lindelof is following Abrams' lead in keeping a mystique over the project. He won't even name Nero's vessel, telling the JoBlo website, "It's a functioning, working ship as ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Wahlberg draws on a dark past for Max Payne

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 16 October 2008 by Don

Mark Wahlberg has a colourful history, marked by drug busts and other brushes with the law. The actor admits he drew on his dark past, and his feelings as a father, to play the title character in Max Payne, the movie based on a popular video game. A maverick cop, Payne embarks on a killing spree to avenge the deaths of his wife, child and ex-partner. "I have my past, which has got a lot of stuff to draw from, and I have children so I think about something horri... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Four Holidays: When all your Christmases come at once

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 16 October 2008 by Don

Here's a neat concept for a romantic comedy: Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon play a couple whose plans for an exotic overseas Christmas vacation are thwarted by an airline strike. So the couple decides to celebrate by visiting all four sets of divorced parents and extended familes on Christmas Day. Big mistake, as embarrassing childhood fears are revealed, adolescent wounds are re-opened and the couple starts to question their relationship. There's an ace supp... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Clooney has sex on the brain, and little else, in Burn After Reading

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 16 October 2008 by Don

George Clooney didn't hesitate when Joel and Ethan Coen asked him to star in Burn After Reading, which he describes as a comedy about dumb people doing dumb things- mostly revolving around sex. But he drew the line when the Coens offered to take him to the Museum of Sex in New York, to show him a contraption which inspired one that George's character, Harry, is building in his basement as a surprise gift for his wife. George declined, telling the brothers, "That's all I nee... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Musicals are fine, but Zac Efron wants more, much more

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 15 October 2008 by Don

Zac Efron is a smart guy. Zac, who turns 21 next Saturday, is cleverly building a career which balances being a Disney heart-throb with more challenging roles in indie movies. After High School Musical 2 and Hairspray, he starred in Me and Orson Welles as a Broadway stage-struck 17-year-old who meets the legendary Welles and scores a role in Julius Caesar. Next, he made High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which opens in Australian cinemas in December. He followe... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Young@Heart: music's in their soul

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 15 October 2008 by Don

Eileen Hall gets up on stage and belts out a stirring interpretation of The Clash’s song Should I Stay Or Should I Go? The lyrics gain an added poignancy when you realise Eileen is a sprightly 93, the oldest member of the Young@Heart Chorus, a remarkable choir of senior citizens. The choir was founded in 1982 by folks living in an elderly housing project in Northampton, Massachusetts. Their repertoire includes punk, R&B and rock 'n' roll classics, and they've performed all ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Cheadle in, Howard out of Iron Man 2

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 15 October 2008 by Don

I don't get it: why would Terrence Howard turn his back on the chance to return as Jim Rhodes in Iron Man 2-- particularly because the sequel will follow the character as he morphs into War Machine? Don Cheadle will take over the role in Iron Man 2, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which says negotiations with Howard broke down, mostly due to money. Marvel wouldn't comment but the mag cited un-named sources as blaming "financial differences" for the switcheroo. <... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Brad Pitt goes goofy in Burn After Reading

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 15 October 2008 by Don

Brad Pitt looks such a dork in Burn After Reading. There's an ugly blond streak in his straight-up hair. As a lowly fitness centre worker, he wears shorts, crew socks and outsized sneakers. When he wears a suit, it's ill-fitting, matched with a woolly tie. And he's a knucklehead. That Pitt readily agreed to look so goofy is a testament to his willingness to play against type in the Coen brothers' comedy Burn After Reading. And he was flattered, rat... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Mila Kunis loves the action, hates the wardrobe in Max Payne

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 15 October 2008 by Don

Until she co-starred in Max Payne, Mila Kunis had never been in an action movie, fired a gun or worked with Mark Wahlberg. She loved all that; what she hated was her skimpy costume: a leather bustier, black pants and 12cm heels. "The clothes sucked," said the Ukrainian-born actress who starred in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and TV's That 70s Show. Mila plays Mona Sax, an assassin who teams up with Wahlberg's character, Max Payne. After Mona's sister is murdered, sh... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Twilight: Two hours to savour- and a sequel?

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 14 October 2008 by Don

Twilighters rejoice: the running time of Twilight is 120 minutes, MTV has confirmed. And mini-studio Summit Entertainment is already planning a sequel, according to Deadline Hollywood Daily, which, alas, gives no further details. The running time is around 30 minutes longer than director Catherine Hardwicke had foreshadowed. Long enough, as MTV notes, to properly flesh out the romance between Edward and Bella, plus all the set pieces including the confrontations ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Mel Gibson shoots down Lethal Weapon V?

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 14 October 2008 by Don

Looks like Mel Gibson is resisting the temptation to bring back LAPD cop Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon V-- thank God! Richard Donner, who directed the first four Lethal Weapon capers, has told the LA Times that Gibson turned down the role. Donner is miffed because producer Joel Silver has bypassed him as he reportedly plans a fifth edition, so we may need to take his comments with a grain of salt. But the Times implies that Gibson's camp in LA, while not co... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Tilda and Clooney fool around again in Burn After Reading

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 14 October 2008 by Don

One day, muses Tilda Swinton, she'd love to make a movie with George Clooney where their characters get to say just one nice thing to each other. Not that she's complaining. She won the best supporting Oscar for her turn as a lawyer opposed to Clooney in Michael Clayton. And she had a ball playing George's lover in the Coen brothers' dark comedy Burn After Reading. Tilda is Katie, unhappy, ice-queen wife of CIA analyst John Malkovich, who gets fired. She's having... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Rusty and Leo save the day, almost, in Body of Lies in Oz

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 13 October 2008 by Don

Audiences in Australia and the US usually display similar tastes, so why has Body of Lies opened remarkably well in Oz, pro-rata much better than across the pond? The spy thriller starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio claimed the top spot here last weekend, raking in a cool $2.1 million, while it was a distant No. 3 in the US (see our earlier item). Here's three reasons which may explain why Lies' launch was much stronger Down Under: 1. Rusty: we enjoy alm... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Watchmen subverts the superhero ethos

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 13 October 2008 by Don

"I never said that Superman is real and he's American. I said God is real and he's American." That line uttered by Wally Weaver, a research assistant to Dr Manhattan, in Watchmen tell you this will be a very different kind of superhero movie. Director Zack Snyer outlined his innovative vision for the movie, based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore, to the New York media last week. Set in an alternate world in 1985, the plot follows retired and current superheroe... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

More Quantum of Solace highlights

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 13 October 2008 by Don

"My friends call me Dominic," says the villainous Dominic Green (Mathieu Amalric) when he first meets James Bond in Quantum of Solace. "I'm sure they do," deadpans Daniel Craig's Bond. Later, 007 is told his flight back to London will be the following day. "Well then we have all night," he says to sexy fellow agent Jill (Gemma Arterton). And in another scene with femme fatale Camille (Olga Kurylenko), in very unBond-like language, Bond urges her to listen to her ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Body of Lies: bring in the body bags!

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 13 October 2008 by Don

If I were Russell Crowe or Leonardo DiCaprio, I'm not sure what I would find most humiliating this morning. Would it be that their lavish, elaborate thriller Body of Lies was beaten for first place in the US last weekend by the second outing of Beverly Hills Chihuahua? Or the fact that their film was also outgunned by Sony's low budget horror movie Quarantine? Maybe I'd just console myself with the big pay cheque, insist that I gave it my best shot and it's not m... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Twilight's Rob Pattinson: budding pop singer

0 Comments | Posted on Saturday, 11 October 2008 by Don

Who knew that Robert Pattinson, soon to become possibly the world's most famous vampire as Edward in the movie Twilight, was a pop singer? Almost no-one, including Rob himself, until he discovered director Catherine Hardwicke had decided to use two of his songs in the movie, including Never Think, which will also feature in the soundtrack album. The English actor had never had a song released and he'd only ever performed in pubs, and claims he doesn't know who sent Catherin... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Daniel Craig shaken and stirred in Quantum of Solace

0 Comments | Posted on Saturday, 11 October 2008 by

Daniel Craig usually insists on doing his own stunts-- which caused him some grief during the filming of Quantum of Solace. The Bond star has revealed he underwent plastic surgery after severing his fingertip and had eight stitches inserted in his face. That was the result of being kicked accidentally by one of his co-stars; diplomatically, he did not say who. The mishap was "a stupid inconvenience", he told Elle magazine, adding that "they gave me an excellent ... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Leo and Rusty vs the chihuahuas: who'll win?

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 10 October 2008 by Don

In the shoot-out at US cinemas this weekend, who'll be the victor: a new Ridley Scott spy thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, or the second weekend of Beverly Hills Chihuahua? That's easy--Body of Lies, the DiCaprio/Crowe vehicle, by a wide margin, you might think. Maybe not: Some pundits are predicting the narrowest of wins for Lies, while at least one wouldn't be surprised if the talking pooches prevail. How could that be? Well, it's not obvious in... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Changeling tugs at mum Angelina's heart

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 10 October 2008 by Don

When director Clint Eastwood first asked Angelina Jolie to play the lead in Changeling, his true-life drama based on a horrifying 1928 case, she said no. One of the world's most famous and scrutinized mothers, the actress was wary of playing a Los Angeles woman whose son was kidnapped; subsequently the police claim they've find him bit it turns out to be an impostor. "Reading the script made me want to stay away from it as far as possible, because I didn't want to t... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Watch Brad Pitt in the Benjamin Button trailer

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 10 October 2008 by Don

So far only 20 minutes footage of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has been screened publicly in the US, but the film figures highly in most pundits' lists of Oscar-worthy candidates. That's not surprising given the potentially awesome combination of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett; director David Fincher; and the bizarre story of a guy who's born with the body of an 80-year-old and ages backwards. Based on a 1922 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it starts in New Orleans... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Body of Lies: a weighty role for Russell Crowe

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 9 October 2008 by Don

There's such a great understanding between director and actor that when Ridley Scott asks Russell Crowe to make a movie with him, Rusty says yes, and delves into the plot and character later. So Crowe didn't hesitate when Scott approched him to star in the spy thriller Body of Lies- even though the actor would have to gain 22kg to play the portly, slow-moving CIA veteran Ed Hoffman. Or that the character is far removed from the kind of heroic, forceful type that Crowe usual... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Don't gross me out!

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 9 October 2008 by

At the risk of sounding like an old-fashioned prude, a couple of scenes in the otherwise quite funny and clever Step Brothers made me queasy. One was where Will Ferrell's character is forced to lick dog poo by a bunch of young bullies. The other is where Will drags his nether region across the drum kit that belongs to his detested step brother John C. Reilly. With Judd Apatow-produced comedies like Step Brothers, Knocked Up and Superbad, we expect a certain level... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

John Malkovich comes out punching in Burn After Reading

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 9 October 2008 by Don

John Malkovich rarely plays sympathetic characters, but you have to feel sorry for his Osborne "Ossie" Cox in the Coen brothers' comedy Burn After Reading. Poor old Ossie gets fired from his job as a CIA analyst. He's bullied mercilessly by his wife, Tilda Swinton, who's having an affair with George Clooney. He writes his memoirs- badly-- only to have his wife copy them onto a disc, which she then loses. A couple of dim-witted gym employees, Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Mark Wahlberg a straight shooter in Max Payne

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 9 October 2008 by Don

Director M. Night Shyamalan offered some gratuitous advice to Mark Wahlberg after they collaborated on The Happening: don't play more roles where you have to hold a gun. Advice that Wahlberg cheerfully ignored as he signed on to play a homicide cop who's determined to avenge the deaths of his wife, child and partner in Max Payne. Based on a popular video game, the movie uses a new slo-mo process that records 1,000 frames per second, recreating the “bullet time” effect tha... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Body of Lies: You can't kill Leo, but you can make him suffer

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 8 October 2008 by Don

When Leonardo DiCaprio is playing the hero in movies, audiences don't expect or believe he will die..well, not since Titanic anyway. So the actor and director Ridley Scott faced a daunting challenge in the thriller Body of Lies: how far can you push the envelope in a scene where Leo's character is being tortured by the enemy in the Middle East? DiCaprio plays Roger Ferris, a CIA agent who's sent to the region by his boss Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) to trap a terrorist leader... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Jim Carrey wants us to love him again as a Yes Man

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 8 October 2008 by Don

After an uncharacteristically lean patch in his career- did anyone see or remember The Number 23 or Fun With Dick and Jane?--Jim Carrey will be hoping audiences say yes to his latest film, Yes Man. A so-called high concept comedy in the vein of Liar Liar and Bruce Almighty, it features Carrey as Carl Allen, who says no to everything to avoid relationships and getting involved in life. Carl's life changes when he goes to a self-help seminar where he's told the road to happin... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Spoiler alert: Love and death for Bond girl Gemma Arterton

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 8 October 2008 by Don

Gemma Arterton beat 1,500 other girls to win the plum role of Agent Fields in the new 007 adventure Quantum of Solace. That was some feat, considering the 22-year-old English actress only made her big-screen screen debut in the comedy St Trinian's; we'll also see her later this month in Guy Ritchie's gangster caper RockNRolla. Agent Fields is assigned to keep an eye on Daniel Craig's Bond, who is out of control and hell bent on avening the death of Vesper Lynd in Casino Roy... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Maxwell Smart to get that close again

0 Comments | Posted on Wednesday, 8 October 2008 by Don

I loved the Get Smart TV series but the movie wasn't all that funny, and it was a modest success at cinemas around the world. So I wonder if it's a smart move to commission another outing for Steve Carell's bumbling Agent Maxwell Smart. Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow are proceeding with a sequel, Variety reports, which will be separate from a three year, first look deal that Carell has just signed with Warner. The comedy grossed $130 million in the US and $94... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Lethal Weapon V? Say it ain't so, Mel!

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 by Don

When an internet rumour that Shane Black was writing a script for Lethal Weapon V surfaced in August, I hoped it was just that- a rumour. Maybe not, as actor Columbus Short has just revealed he's in talks to play the son of Danny Glover's Murtaugh in the film. Short, who'll be seen in December in the horror/thriller Quarantine, told IGB Movies that Lethal Weapon producer Joel Silver has discussed the role with him. Apparently the plot will follow Mel Gibson's Rig... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Will Twilight be a mega-hit...or just big?

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 by Don

I've no doubt Twilight will be one of the biggest hits of 2008, assuming the film lives up to the frenzied expectations of fans. The question is: How big? That will depend largely on whether the movie succeeds in hooking older folks who aren't fans of Stephenie Meyer's novels, and boys. The US mini-studio Summit has already optioned the second book, New Moon, so it clearly sees the potential for a franchise. Summit shrewdly aims to expand the film's reach with an... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Body of Lies: matching wits with Rusty

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 by Don

One of the pivotal scenes in Ridley Scott's thriller Body of Lies sees a highly-charged confrontation between Russell Crowe's CIA veteran Ed Hoffman and Hani Salaam, the head of Jordan's intelligence service. For Hani, Scott needed an actor who could plausibly play a canny Middle Eastern operative--and someone who could match wits with the forceful Crowe. The director boldly cast Mark Strong, a Brit who's hardly a household name but who has an impressive list of credits inc... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

My Best Friend's Girl: when love hurts

0 Comments | Posted on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 by Don

Most of us have been on a date-from-hell. So the premise of My Best Friend's Girl provides a clever twist on that theme. Dustin (Jason Biggs) is devastated when his girlfriend Alexis (Kate Hudson) calls off their relationship, fearing things were moving too fast. He hires his best man Tank (Dane Cook) to take Alexis on the worst date of her life so that she'll see how good she had it with him. Problem is, despite his loyalty to Dustin, Tank starts to f... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Robots, explorers and chihuahuas lead the B.O. parade

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 6 October 2008 by Don

If you went to the movies over the weekend, it's a fair bet that you saw robots, Brendan Fraser leading an expedition to the centre of the earth, chihuahuas, Shia LaBeouf on the run again, quarrelling step brothers or a be-wigged Keira Knightley. Six movies each grossed more than $1 million, indicating the school holiday line-up appealed to a broad section of cinemagoers. WALL.E retained the lead, collecting $2.7 million in its third weekend, driving its earnings to a terr... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Watchmen: darker than The Dark Knight

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 6 October 2008 by Don

Doctor Manhattan (Billy Crudup) shakes hands with President John Kennedy, then the prez is gunned down by the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) standing on the grassy knoll. Silk Spectre (Carla Gugino) and Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) bust Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) out of jail, in the process obliterating cops, prisoners and a midget. And Manhattan stands on the moon, filming the first astronauts' landing. Those scenes were among 30 minutes footage of Zack Snyder'... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Beverly Hills Chihuahua the top dog in the US

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 6 October 2008 by Don

Cute dogs and Disney have been a winning combination for years, from Lady and the Tramp through to 101 and 102 Dalmatians. And so it proved last weekend as Beverly Hills Chihuahua was the top dog in the US, devouring an impressive $29.3 million. Eagle Eye, the high-tech thriller starring Shia LaBeouf, was No. 2, scaring up $17.7 million in its second weekend (down 39%), upping its total to $54.6 million. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, a romantic comedy featur... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Men of Sparta to fight again in 300 prequel

0 Comments | Posted on Monday, 6 October 2008 by Don

When Warner Bros. first floated plans for a sequel to 300, I was bemused: didn't virtually all the brave men of Sparta die at the end of the first movie? Besides, wasn't that heroic tale retold in Meet the Spartans (pictured)? It turns out the follow-up will be more of a prequel, set during the year between the Battle of Thermopylae and the Battle of Plataea. 300's creator Frank Miller is writing another graphic novel dealing with that period, and when that's com... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Cam Gigandet reveals the secrets of Twilight's flesh-eating vampires

0 Comments | Posted on Saturday, 4 October 2008 by Don

When Cam Gigandet and Robert Pattinson filmed their big fight scene in Twilight, in which they literally tear strips off each other, they wanted to make it look as realistic as possible. Cam plays evil vampire James, who attacks Robert's Edward as part of his scheme to kill Edward's girlfriend Bella (Kristen Stewart). As vampires James and Edward don't bleed, but they can and do bite each other. So how to simulate the scenes of them eating each other's flesh? Cam has reveal... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Burn After Reading: a sexy tale of knuckleheads

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 3 October 2008 by Don

After the bleak but brilliant No Country for Old Men, I doubt that even the Coen brothers' most ardent admirers wanted them to follow that with a movie that was anywhere near as harrowing. So, thankfully, the brothers smartly came up with a screwball comedy, Burn After Reading, which is light years away from their Oscar-winning drama. They started out dreaming up a bizarre set of characters who would be played by a combination of their frequent collaborators George Clooney,... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

The Duchess is a tight fit for Keira Knightley

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 3 October 2008 by Don

Keira Knightley looks so regal and serene in wigs and long, flowing costumes, it's no wonder she's the go-to girl for period romances. So it's a surprise to discover that playing the lead role in The Duchess was physically tough for her. For one thing, her dresses and corsets were so tight, she found it hard to breathe. "It's quite obvious why we were called the weaker sex, because you can't breathe, so a lack of oxygen to the brain was obviously quite a difficult thing," s... Find out more...   |   0 Comments   |   buy tickets

Saw V set to cut loose

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 3 October 2008 by Don

Can it really be only five years ago since the first Saw movie terrorized audiences around the world? Yep, and since then the franchise has spawned one movie a year, so get set for Saw V. I gave up after the first movie-- too gruesome for my tastes--but I gather villain Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is still wreaking havoc, overlooking the fact the character was decapitated in Saw III. It appears the allegiance between Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) and Jigsaw is abou... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Who let the dogs out?

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 3 October 2008 by Don

There's going to be roadkill at US cinemas over the weekend as eight new films vie for attention. It's the most crowded weekend in recent years, and at least two or three of those films will suffer in the bottleneck. Beverly Hills Chihuahua (pictured), the Disney family film featuring the voices of Drew Barrymore and Andy Garcia, and, in human roles, Piper Perabo and Jamie Lee Curtis, is tipped to be No. 1, earning about $25 million. Nick and Nora's Infinite Play... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Iron Man sequel secrets revealed

0 Comments | Posted on Friday, 3 October 2008 by Don

The starting point for Iron Man 2 is Tony Stark's revelation at the end of the first movie that he is the superhero. And the sequel will feature a lot more of S.H.I.E.L.D. boss Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as well as James Rhodes (Terrence Howard) morphing into the War Machine, and Mandarin. We have all that on the good authority of director Jon Favreau. "The sequel is shaping up to incorporate Tony’s vision for the future,” Favreau said in a live, online chat with fans. “... Find out more...   |   0 Comments

Pandamonium: another helping of Kung Fu Panda

0 Comments | Posted on Thursday, 2 October 2008 by Don

Pandamonium: that's the clever title of the sequel to DreamWorks Animation's hit comedy Kung Fu Panda. The studio has confirmed Jack Black and Angelina Jolie have signed on to reprise their voice roles in the movie, which will be directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who was head of story on Kung Fu Panda. It's planned for release in June 2011 and will be shot in digital 3D, as will all DreamWorks Animation movies from next year onwards. The sequel will follow Po, the... Find out more...   |   0 Comments