NEWS

All the news from film and the world of the gays

Emma Thompson Up For Robert Carlyle’s Long Midnight of Barney Thomson

February 3, 2014 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Emma-Thompson Trainspotting, Full Monty and Once Upon A Time’s Robert Carlyle is putting together his directorial debut, and he’s snagged a great actress to take one of the roles, as Variety reports Emma Thompson has joined The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson.

Carlyle will play the title role, a troubled Scottish barber who finds himself involved up in a serial murder case. Emma Thompson will play Robert Carlyle’s mother (despite the fact in real life she’s only two year older than him), who loves to emasculate him at every turn. Ray Winstone and Ewen Bremner are also attached to co-star in supporting roles.

Richard Cowan and Colin McLaren wrote the script, based on a series of novels by author Douglas Lindsay.

The film is currently being sold at the European Film Market in Berlin, with filming set to start later this year.

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ACTORS: Emma Thompson, Ray Winstone DIRECTORS: Robert Carlyle

Ride Along Tops The US Box Office Once More, With Awkward Moment In Third

February 3, 2014 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Going into the weekend many had expected That Awkward Moment to top the US box office, but in the end Ride Along hit number 1 for the third week in a row. It took $12.3 million over the weekend, with $92 million in the bank so far. Frozen took second place with $9.3 million, thanks to the release of a sing-along version which pushed its gross up a little from last weekend.

Awkward Moment ended up in third spot with $9 million, less than the $10-$12 million that was expected. However as it only cost $7 million to make, it should still turn a profit.

The only other new entry was Labor Day, which took $5.3 million. It’s being seen as a bit of a disappointment, although the fact it got pushed from a prime Oscar-bait release to January shows the studio didn’t have a huge amount of faith in it.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of January 31st-February 2nd.

Rank	Title	Weekend Gross (millions)	Total Gross to date (millions)
1	Ride Along	$12.3	$92.9
2	Frozen	$9.3	$360.0
3	That Awkward Moment	$9.0	$9.0
4	The Nut Job	$7.6	$50.2
5	Lone Survivor	$7.1	$104.8
6	Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit	$5.4	$38.9
7	Labor Day	$5.3	$5.3
8	American Hustle	$4.3	$133.6
9	The Wolf Of Wall Street	$3.5	$104.0
10	I, Frankenstein	$3.5	$14.4

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FILMS: Ride Along, Frozen, That Awkward Moment, The Nut Job, Lone Survivor, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Labor Day, American Hustle, The Wolf Of Wall Street, I Frankenstein

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Actor Behind Some Of Cinema’s Most Interesting LGBT Roles, Found Dead

February 2, 2014 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

There’s been shock today with the news, via the Wall Street Journal, that acclaimed actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has been discovered dead in the bathroom of his New York Apartment. Although cause of death has not been officially determined yet, it’s believed the 46-year-old overdosed on drugs.

Hoffman had battled substance abuse for many years. This included a stint in rehab last year, which surprised many as most in Hollywood had believed the actors’ drug issues were behind him.

Hoffman first started getting noticed in film in the 1990s thanks to a series of ‘that guy’ scene stealing supporting performances in the likes of Twister, Boogie Nights and The Big Lebowski. He soon started becoming a star name in his own right in the likes of The Talented Mr. Ripley, Magnolia, Almost Famous and Red Dragon.

He topped that by winning an Oscar playing the title role in Capote, and continued to mix indie and mainstream projects ranging from Mission: Impossible III to Synedoche, New York.

While Hoffman was straight himself, he held an important role in bringing LGBT characters to the big screen and helping integrate them into popular cinema without their sexuality being the main/only thing about them. Whether as the slightly Dirk Diggler obsessed Scotty in Boogie Nights, the flamboyant drag queen Rusty in Flawless, or in his Oscar-winning performance as Truman Capote, Hoffman never shied away from exploring LGBT lives.

Some of his performances which weren’t overtly gay have been interpreted that way by some observers due to the qualities he chose to bring to them. These include his turns in Magnolia and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Most recently in The Master, his Lancaster Dodd deliberately played with the character’s sexuality and whether Dodd was a closeted gay man unable to admit he was in love with Joaquin Phoenix’s Freddie Quell.

While Hoffman directed for the stage for many years, he didn’t helm his first movie until 2010 with the promising Jack Goes Boating. He was currently deep in pre-production on his second directorial outing, the supernatural thriller Ezekiel Moss, which only yesterday announced that Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams were set to star.

Hoffman was undoubted one of the best respected actors of his generation, and one who most had expected to have a illustrious career over the next few decades. Sadly that has now been cut short.

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ACTORS: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Disney Will Be A ‘Main Partner’ For Orlando’s LGBT Family Outfest

February 1, 2014 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Disney has often found itself being accused on both sides of the diversity divide, with some LGBT activists saying that it’s family-friendly product ignore anything that isn’t traditionally heterosexual. On the other side some right-wing Christians treat it as an evil empire dedicated to promoting underage sex, teenage pregnancy and turning kids gay.

The company has mostly tried to stay fairly neutral. They do have a pretty strong diversity policy for their staff and adult product such as ABC show Grey’s Anatomy have been pretty inclusive, but few things with the Disney name on have been anything but either heterosexual or asexual.

However in the same week that the Disney Channel introduced its first ever LGBT family on the show Good Luck Charlie, Variety reports the Walt Disney Company has agreed to be a main partner on Orlando’s Family Outfest, which takes place at the beginning of July. It’s a week-long event for gay, lesbian and transgender families which is expected to attract up to 1,000 families, ‘to celebrate the shared cultural heritage of what all families look like, regardless of who you are, how you identify or whom you love.’

In case you were wondering, while ‘Gay Days’ at Disney Resorts famously takes place each year, they are completely unnofficial and aren’t actually endorsed by the company (although the company certainly tacitly approves of them). However even this hasn’t been enough for some bigots, who’ve accused the company of not doing enough to stop it. Disney often can’t win, but it seems now they are finally stepping out to celebrate families of all types.

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First Pic From Russell Crowe’s Directorial Debut, The Water Diviner, Arrives

February 1, 2014 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

the-water-diviner-pic1
Russell Crowe is moving from the world of acting to directing with the epic Aussie tale The Water Diviner. Now the first image from the movie has arrived, which you can see above.

The movie is set in 1919 and follows an Australian father, Conor (Crowe), who travels to Turkey to locate his two sons. The brothers went missing during the battle of Gallipoli, which was an unsuccessful attempt by the Allied Powers to control the sea route from Europe to Russia during World War I.

Along the way Conor starts a relationship with the beautiful Turkish woman (Olga Kurylenko) who owns the hotel in which he stays. With the help of a Turkish officer, he attempts to discover his sons’ fate, praying that they are still alive.

Yilmaz Erdogan, Cem Yilmaz, Jai Courtney and Isabel Lucas also star. It’s likely to be released later this year.

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ACTORS: Russell Crowe DIRECTORS: Russell Crowe FILMS: The Water Diviner

Enemy Trailer – Jake Gyllenhaal gets into doppelganger thriller mode

February 1, 2014 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Jake Gyllenhaal had a decent success with Denis Villeneuve when they made Prisoners together, and they’ve now reteamed for Enemy, which certainly looks like it’s going to be moody and rather intense.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘ENEMY tells the story of a university lecturer named Adam (Gyllenhaal) who is nearing the end of a relationship with his girlfriend Mary (Melanie Laurent). One night, while watching a film, Adam spots a minor actor who looks just like him. Consumed by the desire to meet his double, Adam tracks down Anthony, an actor living with his pregnant wife Helen (Sarah Gadon) and engages him in a complex and dangerous struggle. The film is a haunting and provocative psychosexual thriller about duality and identity, where in the end only one man will survive.’

In the US the film will have a DirecTV premiere on February 6th, before hitting cinemas on March 14th. It’s not clear yet when it will arrive in the US. [Read more…]

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ACTORS: Jake Gyllenhaal DIRECTORS: Denis Villeneuve FILMS: Enemy

A New York Winter’s Tale Trailer – Colin Farrell & Russell Crowe blend fantasy & reality

February 1, 2014 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

While in the US this film will reach cinemas simply a Winter’s Tale on February 14th, for some reason in the UK it’s be A New York Winter’s Tale when it arrives here on February 21st.

Now a lengthy new trailer has arrived for the movie, which stars Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and Downton Abbey‘s Jessica Brown Findlay.

Here’s the rather cryptic synopsis: ‘Set in a mythic New York City and spanning more than a century, “Winter’s Tale” is a story of miracles, crossed destinies, and the age-old battle between good and evil. The film stars Colin Farrell (“Total Recall”), Jessica Brown Findlay (TV’s “Downton Abbey”), and Oscar® winners Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”), William Hurt (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Eva Marie Saint (“On the Waterfront”) and Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”). “Winter’s Tale” also introduces young newcomers Ripley Sobo and Mckayla Twiggs (both from Broadway’s “Once”). The film marks the directorial debut of Academy Award-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”), who also wrote the screenplay, based on the acclaimed novel by Mark Helprin.’ [Read more…]

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ACTORS: Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly DIRECTORS: Akiva Goldsman FILMS: Winter's Tale

Jake Gyllenhaal & Amy Adams Team For Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Ezekiel Moss

February 1, 2014 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Ahead of the film being sold at the Berlin Film Festival, it’s been revealed that Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams are set to team up for Ezekiel Moss, according to TheWrap. The movie will be Philip Seymour Hoffman’s second directorial debut, following 2010’s Jack Goes Boating.

The movie is a supernatural thriller, which is described as a ‘Depression-era ghost story’. It’s based on a script by Keith Bunin, which landed on the Black List back in 2011. The film is about ‘a young, imaginative boy living in a small town who befriends a mysterious drifter who may have the ability to communicate with the dead’.

Gyllenhaal is set to be the mysterious drifter, with Adams as the boys’ mother.

It’s not clear when it might shoot.

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ACTORS: Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams DIRECTORS: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Disney Plans Live-Action Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers Movie

February 1, 2014 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

rescue-rangers1 While Disney has been busy planning live-action takes on their classic animated movies, such as Maleficent and Cinderella, they now seem to have realised they’ve got a bunch of other characters they could put in the real world.

THR reports the House Of Mouse is hoping bring back their classic cartoon chipmunk duo Chip ‘n’ Dale for a live-action/CGI hybrid movie based on the TV series Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers.

Chip ‘n’ Dale first appeared in a 1943 animated short which starred Disney character Pluto. They then went on to appear in various other shorts Disney cartoons before they got their own animated series, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, in 1989. It ran for three seasons and ran for many years after that on TV.

The show saw brainy Chip and the more dippy Dale running their own detective agency while helping various animal clients. The new film will apparently be origin story of sorts, although no specific plot details were revealed.

Commercials director Robert Rugan came up with the pitch for the movie. He is now charged with writing the screenplay.

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Daniel Radcliffe & Dane DeHaan May Be Up For College Republicans

February 1, 2014 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan and director John Krokidas must have had a great time working together on Kill Your Darlings, as TheWrap reports they’re likely to be getting back together for College Republicans, which will follow US political heavyweights Karl Rove and Lee Atwater when they were at university.

Radcliffe’s people have apparently denied his involvement, although TheWrap is saying they’ve heard it from several sources. If it’s true Radcliffe would play Atwater, with DeHaan as Rove.

The project has been around for a few years, with the likes of Paul Dano and Shia LaBeouf eyeing the Karl Rove role, and Richard Linklater attached to direct. To some Karl Rove is a much revered figure while to many others he is the evil man behind the throne, who helped get George W. Bush elected and then steered his presidency, using plenty of dirty tricks against his enemies along the way. Many called him ‘Bush’s Brain’, while the President preferred to nickname him ‘Turd Blossom’.

Before Rove worked for Bush Jr., he was on the staff of both Nixon and Bush’s father’s administration, and before that he dropped out of university in order to work for the College Republican National Committee. That’s where the film comes, looking at how Rove hooked up with fellow political thinker Lee Atwater (who later worked for Reagan and Bush), and how their campaign to get Rove elected as chairman of the committee taught them a lot about dirty tricks.

The Black Listed script comes from Wes Jones

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ACTORS: Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan DIRECTORS: John Krokidas