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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Cinema)

February 20, 2012 By Stephen Sclater Leave a Comment

Starring: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Tom Wilkinson
Director: John Madden
Running Time: 123 mins
Certificate: 12A
Release Date: February 24th, 2012

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel doesn’t have the catchiest title I have ever heard. However, based on the novel by Deborah Moggach, the film stars the ‘crème de la crème’ of our favourite geriatric British film and TV actors, and is directed by John Madden (Shakespeare In love, Mrs Brown and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin).

After the phenomenal success of Slumdog Millionaire, it was inevitable that at some point mainstream British cinema would be return to India. The premise of the film is that seven elderly people decide to up-sticks from the UK and go to India, moving into a hotel for the ‘elderly and beautiful’. However it doesn’t quite live up to the image of the photoshopped promos! [Read more…]

J. Edgar

January 20, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer, Judi Dench
Director: Clint Eastwood
Running Time: 137 mins
Certificate: 15
Release Date: January 20th, 2012

There’s an old adage on the standup comedy circuit that the only thing worse than complete silence to greet your routine is a couple of stifled chuckles. This, they say, indicates that not only has your material failed, it has done so in such a way that the audience’s only response is to laugh at its failure.

Had Clint Eastwood, the director of J.Edgar attended the screening of his film that I did, he might have had a similar feeling. The last thing one would expect from a serious political biopic is moments of unintentional hilarity, but from the minute Leonardo DiCaprio appears on screen in an unconvincing elderly prosthetic, that’s exactly what you get. [Read more…]

Has Ralph Fiennes’ Skyfall Character Been Revealed?

January 3, 2012 By Movie Muser Leave a Comment

At the Skyfall press conference a couple of months ago, director Sam Mendes refused to say who some of the actors in the movie would be playing, suggesting that to do so would be a bit of a spoiler.

One of those mysterious roles is who Ralph Fiennes is playing, but now Movieweb suggests they’ve got a well placed source at the studio who’s let it slip. So if you don’t want to know, stop reading now.

Fiennes recently said in an interview he’d be playing a government agent, and now Movieweb’s source says, “Ralph Fiennes play’s a government agent, which we never get a name on, because he is set to play the new M. Skyfall centers around M (Judi Dench) where her past forces her to leave as head of MI6, and find a new M. The board of MI6 then turns to a government agent (Ralph Fiennes) to take over. M (Dame Judi) is now forced to train the new head of MI6.”

At the moment this should be treated as rumour, but Movieweb’s stick by its source.

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench DIRECTORS: Sam Mendes FILMS: Skyfall

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Trailer – Dench, Smith & co. go to India

December 6, 2011 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

With a cast including Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie and Ronald Pickup, you’d expect something ridiculously classy and highbrow, but The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel seems a whole lot more fun than that. Indeed it seems kind of like Carry On Abroad but with loads of Oscar winners. For a disparate group of English pensioners, retirement takes an unconventional turn when they are enticed by The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a seemingly luxurious sanctuary for ‘the elderly and beautiful’ in Jaipur, India. On arrival, they discover that the hotel falls somewhat short of the idyll promised in the brochure, but they are gradually won over by the ever-optimistic young manager Sonny (Dev Patel), and embark on a new adventure, finding that life can begin again when you let go of the past. The film hits cinemas next February.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup DIRECTORS: John Madden FILMS: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Hopkins & Dench Put On Italian Shoes

November 22, 2011 By Movie Muser Leave a Comment

After Thor, Kenneth Branagh could have had pretty much his pick of projects, but instead he opted for the small thriller Italian Shoes. He’s now busy putting together an illustrious cast for the project, with Variety reporting that Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench are in talks to star.

Richard Cottan is writing the script, which is adapted from a novel by Henning Mankell (who also wrote the Wallander books, whom Branagh playedin the English TV version). The plot follows a retired surgeon (Hopkins), who has become a recluse on a private island in Sweden. The doctor must confront the mistakes of his past when he is reunited with a former lover (Dench).

Production will start at the end of 2012 or early 2013, depending on when both actors are available.
Kenneth Branagh is also attached to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for Fox 2000 and The Boys in the Boat for The Weinstein Company. Those projects are still in early stages of development, so it’s quite possible that Italian Shoes will shoot first.

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench DIRECTORS: Kenneth Branagh FILMS: Italian Shoes

Skyfall Adds Helen McRory

November 8, 2011 By Movie Muser Leave a Comment

You’d have thought that with last week’s James Bond press conference also marking the start of shooting, they’d have announced all the main cast then, but it appears a couple of names slipped through the net, as the official 007 Twitter account has revealed, ‘There are two new additions to the cast of Skyfall: Helen McCrory and Ola Rapace.’

There’s no news on who either of them will play though.

McRory is probably best known for playing Marcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies (and would have been Bellatrix Lestrange if she hadn’t been heavily pregnant when the role was first shooting). Ola Rapace meanwhile is Dragon Tattoo star Noomi Rapace’s husband (although last we heard they were getting divorced), and is a well known face in Scandinavia.

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Helen McRory, Ola Rapace, Daniel Craig, Judi Dench DIRECTORS: Sam Mendes FILMS: Skyfall

Bond 23 Will Officially Be Called Skyfall

November 3, 2011 By Movie Muser Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago rumours emerged that the next James Bond movie would be called Skyfall, as Sony Picture has purchased a bunch of 007-related website addresses with that name featured in them. Today a huge press conference was held for the film, where it was announced the movie would indeed be called Skyfall.

However, if you were hoping for lots of plot details to be announced at the same time, you’ll be disappointed, as those are still pretty much being kept under wraps. A short syopsis was released though, which just tells us, “Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.” Sounds like Judi Dench will be getting a bigger role this time around then!

The cast has also been confirmed, with Daniel Craig and Judi Dench joined by Bérénice Marlohe, Naomie Harris, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Wishaw and Albert Finney. While it’s been speculated that Harris would play Miss Moneypenny (who’s been missing from Craig’s 007 adventures), she’ll actually be a field agent called Eve. Marlohe meanwhile will be a glamorous, enigmatic character called Severin.

No character names were revealed for Bardem, Fiennes, Whishaw and Finney, with director Sam Mendes suggesting that the reason for that with at least some of their characters is that we’d recognise the names and it would give things away. We know Bardem will be the main villain, and there’s speculation Fiennes will be a Blofeld-type character, although whether he’ll actually be the SPECTRE baddie isn’t known.

Mendes also says he wants the film to have a similar tone to Casino Royale, partly because he wasn’t a fan of Quantum Of Solace. Shooting begins today in Whitehall, with filming also taking place at Pinewood Studios as well as Shanghai, Istanbul and Scotland.

It’s less than a year now until it hits cinemas, with the UK release due on 26th October, 2012

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Berenice Marlohe, Naomie Harris, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw DIRECTORS: Sam Mendes FILMS: Skyfall

Albert Finney On For Bond 23?

October 31, 2011 By Movie Muser Leave a Comment

There have been reports Sam Mendes wants to emphasise dialgue-rich drama over action in the next Bond movie, and while it’s uncertain how much truth there is in that (probably not too much), he certainly seems to be getting a strong cast together, with the likes of Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem and Naomie Harris reportedly appearing alongside regulars Daniel Craig and Judi Dench.

Now the Daily Mail reports that Albert Finney will be joining them, playing a foreign office chief. There’s not much more info on his role than that, but then we don’t actually know much about the movie at all, other than that Bardem is going to be a villain and there’s a decent chance it could be called Skyfall.

The Bond producers are notoriously secretive, but with Mendes at the helm, you’ve got to imagine they’re planning something a little special. Either way they’ll have to start shooting fairly soon, as it’s due in UK cinemas of October 26th, 2012.

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Albert Finney, Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes DIRECTORS: Sam Mendes FILMS: Bond 23