Emma Thompson
|
BirthDate BirthPlace |
04/14/1959
London, England |
-
Jamie Foxx to Play Quvenzhane Wallis' Daddy Warbucks-Like Character in 'Annie'
April 29, 2013 4:21pm ESTQuvenzhane Wallis may have a new father... in Annie, that is. Jamie Foxx is reportedly in talks to star opposite Wallis in the Sony remake of Annie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Django Unchained star received an offer and is negotiating out a contract to reportedly play a character named Benjamin Stacks, who is supposed to be a variation of Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks from the original Annie. In the 1982 movie, Warbucks — a billionaire businessman and Annie's adoptive father — was played by Albert Finney. As of now, there is no description of how this role will be reinvented for the new film. There is still a lot more casting that needs to be done for the musical comedy, which is scheduled to be released on Dec. 25, 2014. As of now, Sony has secured Will Gluck to direct the film and recently had writers Emma Thompson and Aline Brosh McKenna revise the script. On top of that, Will Smith and Jay-Z are tied to the film as producers. While Sony has yet to confirm if they are in fact in talks with Foxx, it seems a likely match as Foxx appears to be a favorite of Sony's. He's currently filming The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for the studio and stars in White House Down, which is scheduled to be released on June 28. Follow Lindsey on Twitter @LDiMat. More:Jamie Foxx Blue Himself for 'Amazing Spider-Man 2' Jamie Foxx Sports a Jheri Curl Combover Jamie Foxx Remembers Tragic Kids on MTV Movie Awards Carpet From Our Partners:Beyonce Flaunts Bikini Bod for H&M (Celebuzz)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
-
'Doctor Who' Recap: Heart Full of TARDIS
April 27, 2013 9:59pm ESTOh, so that's who. Ever find yourself traveling through time and space with someone you totally dig but had literally zero idea about who or what they are? Who doesn't. And for the current iteration of our fair Doctor — someone who never really knows why, just who — we're still trying to find out exactly that. So, Doctor, who is Clara Oswald? We're well into Series 7 of Doctor Who now, no doubt building up to what is sure to be an epic finale and even more epic 50th anniversary special, and Saturday night's episode "Journey to the Center of the TARDIS" found Clara and Eleven in full-out, wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey mode. Starting today I (Alicia Lutes) will be your Hollywood.com companion for all things Who. I like bowties (they're cool), blue boxes (always seem so much bigger on the inside, don't they?), and hashing out Who theories. But enough about me: let's talk about Eleven, Clara and the fantastical adventure Steve Thompson wrote us, shall we? We found Clara and the Doctor bickering on (as they seem to always do so well) about what else: the TARDIS. Seems that our favorite blue box's issue with Clara is now a plot point — as evidenced by her curious behavior throughout the back end of this season. Something about Clara is off enough that we know ol' Sexy doesn't seem to totally appreciate (reminds me of the time when the TARDIS tried to shake Jack Harkness off) her. Regardless, the Doctor seems determined to make his two favorite ladies get along, come hell or high water. ...Or even a magno-grab! The episode begins in one of those too-obvious-to-have-been-an-accident sort of ways that has most Whovians playing inspector from minute one. Let's make Clara and the TARDIS get together, let's turn off all its defenses, let's park ourselves right next to a scrap metal ship, and — oh look! — looks like someone went and got themselves sucked right into the trash truck. Clara is lost within the depths of the TARDIS, and the Doctor needs to get her out and also save the TARDIS from her exploding heart. The Van Baalen brothers and their android companion Tricky (interesting name, eh?) are constantly on the look out for garbage that could glean them a fat stack or two. How very "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship!" Not a bad thing, of course, but the brothers Van Baalen felt a bit too much like plot tools for bigger parallels and discussion going on within the show rather than fully-idealized characters. But the episode wasn't all style without substance. Perhaps even creeper than last week's "Hide" was the revelation that Clara, the Doctor, and the brothers Van Baalen were being chased by monsters that weren't just creepy time zombies ("Good guys do not have zombie creatures, rule one basic storytelling!") living on the TARDIS, but actually future, dead versions of themselves attempting to reassert future events. Highly unnerving, if a bit easy to predict. Regardless, the idea was a great visual representation for not only their relationship, but also the confrontations that happened later. Namely two: 1.) between Gregor and Tricky, who we come to find out is actually just a human and 2.) between the Doctor and Clara when they're in the heart of the TARDIS. Tricky, upon closer inspection, is quite an interesting character device. Gregor and Bram "created" him for a few reasons: mostly, because they were bored, but also because he was the smart one (the boys' father originally wanted to leave the business to him), and it was a way for them to have "a bit of fun" with the accident that took away Tricky's memories, voice, and eyesight. Which is interesting because throughout the entire episode you're constantly reminded of how much more human he is than the humans, given his ability to empathize and feel for others. He's constantly the one parlaying how the TARDIS feels. "You're always on the side of the machines!" his brother yells, but he's just the most emotional one — so he is able to connect far beyond the reaches of skin and bone. One of the ultimate highlights of this episode for longtime Who fans was the did-not-disappoint sojourn into the TARDIS' inndards. The swimming pool, the TARDIS library (!!! We'll get back to that particular place and time in a bit), the swimming pool, the Eye of Harmony, and even the heart of the TARDIS herself: all there, all wonderfully realized. Other rooms we saw raised more questions, though: what was that massive telescope room (is that the one from "Tooth and Claw" with the werewolf that Ten and Rose dealt with)? And what was that weird workroom where we saw the Doctor's baby bassinet and Amy Pond's old toy TARDIS, eh? A memory room, perhaps? a laboratory? Storage? There were boxes, magnifying glasses and a whole manner of things we couldn't manage to see in time. Even another damn umbrella (is Clara actually Mary Poppins or a mom or Gallifreyan-era wife?)! I do love the TARDIS getting such a pivotal role this season, though. A sentient being, really. To prevent the looting Bram and Gregor are hellbent on doing, the TARDIS keeps shifting and manipulating its own architecture — changing rooms and creating new corridors (is that the excuse for all the lame hallway shots?) to trap the Van Baalens and any parts they attempted to loot. The TADRIS is infinite you guys. Just like those kids from Pittsburgh in that book about wallflowers. Speaking of books: let's go back to the library. (No, not THAT Library, although I am always a fan of talking about that Library, too). We saw a teeny, tiny, insignificant little work being casually leafed through by Clara: The History of the Time War. Oh, really? So, Clara knows the Doctor's real name. Not that it matters since the episode ends with some real deus ex machina bulls**t at the outset. Sure, it's implied that she'll probably remember in the future (after running around some more with her clever boy, no doubt) thanks to the brothers remembering to be nicer to Tricky (per the Doctor's suggestion), but still. The whole "telling a story that is later erased by time being rewritten" thing isn't new, but it sure is frustrating sometimes. And time does get rewritten in the end, when the Doctor throws the magno-grab activator back to himself through a tear in the fabric of time to the moment before the TARDIS exploded. The Big Friendly Button (or wait, is that Clara? Dun dun DUN!) has finally arrived, so that means the engine never exploded and nothing bad happened. As far as we saw, this loop of events happened twice: the first time he just threw the magno-grab control through the crack, but Clara caught it rather than the Doctor, so he had to go through the crack himself the second time to make sure there was no secret as to what it was for. "Secrets protect us. Secrets keep us safe," is a motto the Doctor has always believed. But there's one secret he really doesn't seem to like: Clara. In the engine room we finally see the heart of the TARDIS and also the big confrontation between the Doctor and Clara. "So just tell me ... Just tell me who you are. ... I look at you every single day and I don't understand a thing about you. Why do I keep running into you?" He tells her about the other Claras. "What are you, eh? A trick? A trap?" Clara didn't understand. "I think I'm scared of you right now more than anything on that TARDIS." And then suddenly, it seems as though the Doctor understands something we really, really don't yet. The duo hug and are seemingly taken aback as evidenced by the fact that they simultaneously looked up at each other. But then something in The Doctor's eyes changed — as if a lightbulb went off and that sudden realization looked way deeper than that of "you're just Clara." No time for explanations though, because the TARDIS is "snarling" at them, attempting to scare the Doctor away in order to protect them. Geronimo! With a leap, Clara and the Doctor enter the heart of the TARDIS and discover that the engine has exploded, but she's temporarily frozen the burst. He doesn't know what to do, but with a simple hand-grab, Clara has the answer: the burn mark has finally stopped changing and her fragile human skin (like parchment!) has exposed the plan to the Doctor. And how does he solve it? "I need to find ... music!" Every episode has had music going on at its crux: the singing in Ahkaten, "Hungry Like the Wolf" on the submarine — there's so much that is accomplished by song (a River Song, perhaps?! Sorry, too easy. Feel free to groan). The Doctor uses the song in order to lock his sonic screwdriver onto their previous location in space and time in order to send the Big Friendly Button back through the rift. But Clara doesn't want to forget: not everything (certainly not his name). Tough titties for Clara, though, as the Doctor seems hellbent on imposing some time/space amnesia parlour tricks. "Time mends us, it can mend everything." Current showrunner Steven Moffat has always told us about the Doctor through the stories of others. It's part of his Who tenure signature; and my theory is that it's all about the redemption of the Doctor. Because when it comes to his role in Time Lord history, I think the Doctor’s way more important than we know. What if the "sliver of ice" inside of him (as mentioned by Emma Grayling in last week's "Hide,") has something to do with it? Explains the need for a human companion, certainly. But personally, I imagine that something larger is at play here. Perhaps that sliver is a part of Omega (I mean, he Does seem to come back every 10 years, yeah?), since Time Lords were made via loom after the Pythia's Curse (Google is your friend, non-nerds). And Omega was from the House Lungbarrow — same as the Doctor! This would also make them cousins, I believe. Either way, in the past the Doctor has confirmedthat he was made via the loom. And when that happens, you're born as a full-grown adult that's very child-like. I'd like to note that Matt Smith's Doctor has always been called "child-like" and Clara is a nanny (and always has been throughout her many iterations). Ice also relates back to the Great Intelligence, though, so who knows. But I don't think the Doctor's future is necessarily in the right order. I think the Doctor is being played young because even though he's existed for somewhere between 900 - 1200 years (depending on the episode), his regenerations aren't necessarily getting older, but rather hopping around within his own history. Because "generate" means to cause or produce something, but to "regenerate" means to regrow, replace, or be re-born. To me, the story feels like it has something to do with the fact that the Doctor is (I bet) someone far more important to the history/world of the Time Lords and its origins than may have been previously detailed. And, I think it wasn't necessarily good, which is why he is now known as the Doctor, aka someone who fixes things that are bad. It also makes me think of Little Red Riding Hood. (Stay with me, I swear this makes sense.) My roommate brought it up last week as a half-joke when I remarked about how Clara is ALWAYS wearing the color red, or something with red on it/in it. Red actually seems to be quite the repesentational color for all of the companions: Rose (no explanation there), Donna Noble and Amy Pond's red hair, Martha Jones' red leather jacket, and now all of Clara's red stuff (her red purse; this episode's red dress). Is the Doctor (or some other entity like the Great Intelligence, the Silence, or the upcoming big baddies the Whisper Men?) the Big Bad Wolf (Ahhh Bad Wolf!)? Because ultimately, Doctor Who is about the companion as the person the story is happening to (just like Red), but it also really is meant to be a tale about how an innocent victim can be taken and controlled by a criminal mentality (Red is literally eaten by the Bad Wolf) when the victim is removed from its safe space (home). Isolation is key there. And we all know that the Doctor is a very, very lonely man. It's his loneliness that Moffat focuses on the most (from his very first episode, "The Empty Child," until now). And when you remove something or some one from that space where they're more visible, the criminal entity has an easier time trying to gain control. And in the Brothers Grimm version of the story, Little Red Riding Hood is also all about how dangerous it is to not obey one's mother. ("Are you my mummy?") You guys! I think whatever entity ends up being the ultimate string-puller is trying to isolate and manipulate the Doctor in order to change history. I think it's Omega (in the past), and the only reason he's even able to try and control the Doctor/humanity is because the Doctor has a tiny sliver of Omega inside of him, from the loom (which would tie into the resue from last week's "Hide"). But going back to Little Red Riding Hood, if it weren't for the lumberjack, Red would've been wolfmeat. So: who is that lumberjack? Is it River Song? The companions themselves? Someone else entirely? The Doctor himself? Run you clever boy, and remember! If it were me writing this show, Clara would somehow be CAL (from The Library: haven't figured out how yet but it must involve that damn red leaf), River Song would be the woman in the shop who gave her the number of the TARDIS, and it all goes back to The Library. The Library is how River Song was not only saved, but also — I think — able to help save the Doctor. There's a reason she was there, and I don't think leading that archeology trip was the full answer. If we all know the Doctor lies in order to protect, why can't River? Next week: The Crimson Horror. Ahh, there's that red again! Other Things We MUST Discuss: - The key to the TARDIS — it says Smiths! Tell me River Song had that key made.- That big scratch! What in the ever-loving hell was that?- Lancashire Saxon - the Doctor says it into the intelligent sensor which then identifies Clara's time zombie as her: what does that mean? (Also/sidenote: the official flower of Lancashire? The Red Rose of Lancashire. RED ROSE!!!)- The Bells of Saint John are ringing again, my friend. Why is that?- Why, if everyone else has a dead future time zombie, does The Doctor not? How is it that he always manages to live when so many others around him die?- THE VOICES! Man, great atmospheric stuff in this episode tonight, huh? Not even just the music, but the voices. First in the library, and then again when Bram is at the console. We hear Amy Pond, we hear Clara, we hear lots of old familiar companions and Doctors. Why is that?- And also: we heard all those old voices of Gallifrey (Loved the line "Dreadful hats but smart!"). The drippy (reminded me of the crystal ball room in Harry Potter) Encyclopedia Gallifrey. Does it drip onto Clara? Part of it escapes and turns into weird airy stuff. What was that about? - It seems to me that the future continually trying to reassert itself is a theme we'll see more of later on. Do you agree?- In the original image of the Van Baalen brothers, Tricky was torn out of the photo, but at the end of the episode, he was not. This leads me to believe that when we see the Doctor and Clara at the end, the TARDIS explosion involved is different than the one they fixed — and also might've been the one that destroyed Tricky's voice, eyes, and memory.- Why is the Doctor so obsessed with how Clara FEELS? It's always about her feelings rather than say, her thoughts. Feels worth noting.- I've been saying for ages (to the two or three friends that don't groan and run in terror any time Doctor Who is mentioned in my general vicinity), but I think Moffat's been playing the long game on this story for far longer than anyone realizes. The episodes for the second half of season seven have been frustrating for many viewers. They're standalones, but also all have tiny parts to play in a much larger story. They're also so totally and completely out of order (Moffat really does love to do that, eh?), which I think makes many viewers go quite bonkers. What did you think of tonight's Doctor Who? Sound off in the comments. Follow @AliciaLutes on Twitter More:'Doctor Who' Recap: Hide'Doctor Who' Recap: Cold War'Doctor Who' Recap: The Rings of Ahkaten From Our Partners15 Nude Photo Scandals (vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
-
Screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Dies: A Tribute to the Literate Heart of Merchant/Ivory
April 03, 2013 4:14pm ESTNext to the word “internationalist” should be a picture of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of A Room With a View and Howards End, who died Wednesday at her home in Manhattan of a pulmonary condition. She was 85. In her last novel, 2004’s My Nine Lives, Jhabvala imagined the different courses her life might have taken in London, Delhi, Cologne, and New York if she had made different decisions along the way. But as it stood, her life was a tapestry of experience. Born Ruth Prawer in Cologne, Germany in 1927, she fled the Nazis when she was 12 to settle in London, then moved to India in 1951 after marrying Indian architect Cyrus Jhabvala. “Once a refugee, always a refugee,” she told The Guardian in 2005. “I can’t ever remember not being alright wherever I was, but you don’t give your whole allegiance to a place or want to be entirely identified with the society you’re living in.” The confluence of diverse cultural backgrounds that made up her worldview perhaps explains the exquisite detail regarding cultural practices and habits that mark her best work on page and screen. Maggie Smith Has No Interest in Watching ‘Downton Abbey’ Jhabvala was a novelist, first and foremost. She published her first book, To Whom She Will in India and Britain in 1955. Retitled Amrita for release in the United States, it concerned the forbidden love of a young Indian woman for a guy who can only be called “Mr. Wrong.” It’s a theme she would gravitate toward in her E.M. Forster adaptations for producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory, like A Room With a View and Howards End, the films for which she won two Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars. When A Room With a View, starring a young Daniel Day-Lewis playing an unforgettable fop and an even younger Helena Bonham Carter as his wife to be, hit theaters in 1985, she had already been working for Merchant/Ivory productions for 20 years. Their early efforts, like 1965’s Shakespeare Wallah, concerned people chafing at societal constraints, or left behind by changing social mores, in an India rapidly evolving. Transitions and transformations were central to their work, as hinted at by the titles of films like Bombie Talkie and Jane Austin in Manhattan. Most of Jhabvala’s screenplays share the literary ambition of her novels — the slight undercurrent of satire, the finely-tuned depictions of even more finely-tuned characters. She’d win the Man Booker Prize, the highest literary honor in Britain, for her novel Heat and Dust in 1975. ‘Are You Being Served?’ Star Frank Thornton Dies: Why He’ll Always Be Capt. Peacock So it must have come as a surprise to her that her later, most successful films with Merchant/Ivory often came under attack as being “a brand.” A Room With a View, Howards End, and The Remains of the Day all featured lush settings, frilly costumes, coteries of theater-bred thesps like Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Anthony Hopkins, and Emma Thompson, and a deep concern for the perils and privileges of the upper class. To many, they were like glorified Masterpiece Theater productions. But in reality, they dealt with issues of class, sexuality, and ethnicity in subtle, thought-provoking ways. It’s possible that many critics at the time took their tasteful, Quality-with-a-capital-Q approach for granted, and thumbed their noses at them for being so resolutely anti-hip, and dialogue-focused. "It is a strange marriage we have at Merchant Ivory,” Ismail Merchant told The Times of London before his death in 2005. “I am an Indian Muslim, Ruth is a German Jew, and Jim is a Protestant American. Someone once described us as a three-headed god. Maybe they should have called us a three-headed monster!" That three-headed monster would have been nothing without Jhabvala, its fiercely beating heart. [Photo Credit: Bernard Gotfryd/Getty Images] From Our Partners:40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
-
Quvenzhane Wallis Will Find Her Daddy Warbucks in 'Annie' Remake
February 24, 2013 4:18pm ESTIt looks like Daddy Warbucks has found his Annie in Beasts Of The Southern Wild star Quvenzhané Wallis. The girl with enough poodle purposes to stitch together a life-sized Sandy of her very own, the Oscar-nominated Wallis has been confirmed to Hollywood.com as the new leading lady to tackle the little orphan in Will Smith's remake of the classic. Previously, Smith's daughter Willow was set to take on the golden-hearted inhabitant of Miss Hannigan's home for girls, but departed from the project earlier this year (presumably to whip her hair back and forth a bit longer). RELATED: 9 Questions About the 2013 Oscar Race But it wouldn't be a big-time remake without some other major names attached. Jada Pinkett-Smith is also on-hand to produce, alongside Sean (better known as Jay-Z) Carter. It seems only fitting Jay-Z would hop on board — given his own hard knock life and previously-confirmed affinity for the song with the same name. The film's director Will Gluck (Easy A) has taken another stab at screenplay re-writes after Emma Thompson and The Devil Wears Prada screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna took a first and second stab at it, respectively. According to the official statement from Sony's President of Production Hannah Minghella, we're in for a real treat (times three): "Quvenzhané Wallis is a true star and we believe her portrayal as Annie will make her a true worldwide star. She is an extraordinary young talent with an amazing range, not only as an actress but as a singer and dancer, and we can’t wait for audiences to further discover her." RELATED: 'Beasts' Star Quvenzhane Wallis to Star in 'Annie' Remake? That's right, Wallis is one of those child stars who can act, sing, and dance! You can really learn it all in the Bathtub. Hushpuppy is a veritable force to be reckoned with. And if that wasn't enough, Wallis' bio proves further proof that she's both a child and a crazy-serious and impressive actress with the greatest of ease. Her bio from the press release lets us know that her "favorite pastimes are reading, singing, dancing, acting, and playing her iPod and Nintendo DS. Her favorite TV stars/singers are China McClain, Selena Gomez, and Miley Cyrus. Her favorite sports are basketball, volleyball, dance and cheerleading. Her upcoming films include a role in Twelve Years a Slave with Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender and director Steve McQueen." Oh, that's all? Annie is set to be released during the 2014 holiday movie season because of course it will. What do you think of Wallis' casting as Annie? Let us know in the comments! Follow Alicia on Twitter @alicialutes [Photo Credit: WENN] From Our Partners:25 Most Scandalous Celeb Twitpics (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz) Oscars 2013 Special Coverage Oscars 2013 Red Carpet Arrivals: PICS! • We Predict the Winners: Do You Agree?• 15 Oscar-Winning Nude Scenes• The Worst Best Picture Winner Ever• Oscar's Problem With Pretty Boys• Why Stars Should Fear Seth MacFarlane• 10 TV Stars You Never Knew Won Oscars• The Winner, According to You
-
America Elects 'A Good Day to Die Hard' on President's Weekend
February 17, 2013 11:08am ESTBruce Willis reprised his role as the irascible, tenacious John McClane in the fifth installment of Twentieth Century Fox’s Die Hard franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard in IMAX this President’s weekend. Opening as perfect counter-programming on Valentine’s Day, the R-rated action broke the losing streak that films of the genre have experienced of late. And with $33,239,00 since it opened on Thursday, it has taken out the romantic competition. Audiences found excitement in the premise of the film, which teams McClane with his grown son Jack (Jai Courtney) and the use of Russia as a backdrop. Built-in brand recognition for both the franchise (with over $1.1 billion in WW revenue) and the McClane character ensured that this film “Yippee-ki-yay-ed” itself to the top of the box office chart this weekend. RELATED: 'Identity Theft' Steals Box Office Of course, no Valentine’s weekend would be complete without a little love from Nicholas Sparks, whose Safe Haven from Relativity Media made its debut appropriately on Valentine’s Day with just over $30 million for the four days. Starring the impossibly good-looking Julianne Hough & Josh Duhamel, the film is elevated above the standard for this genre by solid direction from Lasse Halstrom (The Cider House Rules, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape) and an intriguing premise. The PG-13 film couldn't, however, best the raunchy comedy Identity Thief this Valentine's Day weekend. After a much better than expected $34.5 million debut last weekend, Identity Thief was represented well in the box office mix with newly crowned comedy star Melissa McCarthy and her co-star Jason Bateman, who offered a major challenge to the newcomers this weekend. The R-rated comedy enjoyed a $23.4 million Friday through Sunday gross, placing it at number two with a cumulative gross of $70.7 million by the end of the weekend. RELATED: What Makes a 'Die Hard' Movie a 'Die Hard' Movie? In an effort not leave kids and families out of the President’s Day/Valentine's equation, The Weinstein Co. delivered Escape From Planet Earth in 3-D. The PG-rated animated film features the voices of Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba and William Shatner and drew a respectable $16 million over the long weekend. There is yet another Valentine’s Day release: Warner Bros. presented Beautiful Creatures, a PG-13 fantasy romance that melds an older and younger cast (à la The Hunger Games) into a mythological love story that will also draw a solid audience of romance-seeking couples this weekend. The film boasts a solid cast including Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum and Emma Thompson, yet it only broke $7.4 million for the long weekend. Filling out the rest of the chart, Summit Entertainment’s Warm Bodies remained a top draw pulling in $9 million along with Open Road’s Side Effects with $6.3 million and Oscar contenders Silver Lining Playbook from The Weinstein Co. with $6 million, Zero Dark Thirty from Sony with $3.1 million, and Paramount’s Hansel & Gretel at just under $3.5 million in what should prove to be one of the better performing President’s weekend holiday frames on record. [Photo Credit: Frank Masi/20th Century Fox] From Our Partners: Kate Upton Bares All in Nothing But Body Paint: Video (Celebuzz) Bradley Cooper Dancing Is Surprisingly Awkward (Vh1)
-
Oscar-Winner Jeremy Irons Pretends to Buffer in Our 'Beautiful Creatures' Interview
February 15, 2013 5:25pm ESTJeremy Irons is about to mess with you. When the actor sat down with Hollywood.com to discuss his role in the new supernatural romance Beautiful Creatures, he knew you'd be watching the video online. The pauses during his first answer? Totally intentional. Your internet connection is not screwed up, an Oscar winner is just screwing with your head. Internet connectivity issues out of the way, Irons discussed his comfy costumes in the movie, about a teenage girl from a long line of witches, or casters, who will be claimed for the light or the dark on her impending 16th birthday. That silk robe he's wearing when you first meet his imposing warlock character, Macon Ravenwood? "Very comfortable, and relatively cool," he says — but totally unlike his real-life sloppy loungewear, in case you were wondering what Jeremy Irons wears at home. The actor also touched on the unique relationship between Macon and his younger niece, Lena, who's juggling a budding romance as her fateful birthday approaches. RELATED: 'Beautiful Creatures' and More: Your YA Book to Movie Primer "It's almost a father-daughter relationship, really. The story is a family story of young love and the pressures you have from society, from your schoolmates, from your competitors ... your parents, and yet it's heightened," Irons says. The actor also enjoyed his scenes alongside Emma Thompson, who plays Sarafine, Lena's mother and the wickedest of all the dark witches. "[Those scenes] were a joy to play," he says. "They were well-written and I was playing opposite an actress who's a lot of fun to play with. We were able to discuss and practice and rehearse a little bit and decide what we wanted to do. ... It's like playing tennis opposite a great tennis player — it improves your game." Check out Irons' full interview below — you kind of have to see for yourself. RELATED: 'Beautiful Creatures': Alice Englert and Alden Ehrenreich on Their Fiery Kiss Elsewhere in the movie, Oscar nominee Viola Davis stars as Amma, a close family friend and sort-of mother figure for Lena's love interest, Ethan. Amma is a composite of two characters from the book — Amma, Ethan's family housekeeper, and Marian, the town librarian and Ethan's late mother's best friend. Although she worried about getting flack from book fans for the merged characters, Davis tells Hollywood.com that she quickly came around. "I'm glad [director Richard LaGravanasse] did what he did, because first of all, I didn't want to play a maid again, and I didn't want to play a maid that's 30-40 years older than I am. The first thing I said is I wanted to be integrated into the life of this world in 2013." Besides, she already played a domestic character in The Help. "So many stories now, if you see that lone black character — especially if it's an African-American woman — she's in servitude. I didn't want to be in servitude. We have to join the 21st Century in that sense, and I just wanted her to make sense in this family." Check out Davis' interview below — no buffering problems with this one. Beautiful Creatures is in theaters now. Follow Jean on Twitter @hijean [PHOTO CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures] From Our Partners: Kate Upton Bares All in Nothing But Body Paint: Video (Celebuzz) Bradley Cooper Dancing Is Surprisingly Awkward, Sweaty (Vh1)
-
'Beautiful Creatures' Bad Girl Emmy Rossum on the High of Playing a Seductress
February 15, 2013 9:06am ESTOn TV's Shameless, Emmy Rossum plays a no-frills Chicago twentysomething who scrambles from one crappy job to another to provide for her five younger siblings. In Beautiful Creatures, in theaters now, the actress plays a glamorous evil witch, or caster, who tries to get her younger cousin to join the dark side. Guess what? As you'd imagine, getting to play the bad girl is "really fun," Rossum tells Hollywood.com. "Too much fun, actually. I think I embraced it too much. She's this kind of larger than life, bravado-filled glamour puss who is totally self involved and has all of the power in the world, so she is deliciously fun to play." RELATED: 'Beautiful Creatures' Stars on Their Fiery Kiss Ridley is a Siren, which means she uses her sexuality to get mortals to do her bidding. Playing such an overtly sexual character is fascinating, Rossum says. "I just think it's fun that she never seems to actually give it up. She has all these guys doing her evil bidding for her and she's just standing there looking really good." Ridley's mentor is the evilest of evil witches, Sarafine, played by Emma Thompson. It's fun for any actor to perform alongside such a well-respected figure, but Rossum says the climactic scene, in which the two women are dressed up in Civil War-era gowns, was especially exciting. "We had a lot of fun," she says. "Our dresses were massive and heavy and sweaty in New Orleans but we were playing pretend and playing with magic. It was thrilling." Beautiful Creatures is in theaters now. Check out the full interview with Rossum below: Follow Jean on Twitter @hijean [PHOTO CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures] From Our Partners: Pregnant Kate Middleton Bikini Pics Spark Palace Anger (Celebuzz) 50 Steamiest Movie Kisses of All Time (Moviefone)
-
'Beautiful Creatures' Is Better Than 'Twilight': Be Like Lena, Not Bella Swan
February 14, 2013 6:06pm ESTThe following contains minor spoilers of Beautiful Creatures. I've never liked the Twilight movies. And I've tried. What turned me off wasn't the romantic lead sparkling in the sun, or the complicated and somewhat creepy concept of imprinting,it wasn't even Edward Cullen's excessive brooding: it was Bella. And upon watching the film billed as the "next Twilight," Warner Bros.'s Beautiful Creatures, I finally found what I was looking for: a fantastic young lead in Lena Ducchane. On paper, Lena (Alice Englert) and Bella (Kristen Stewart) aren't all that different. They both love to read, they both feel as if they don't belong, and they're both not concerned with wooing the boys at school until the right one arrests their attention. (And that's the reason I never got into Young Adult Fiction: cliches.) But in practice, at least as far as the movies are concerned, Lena is a far better character, especially for a YA audience. Sorry, Twihards. RELATED: 'Beautiful Creatures' Review Lena is a bit of a problem child. She's a caster (a more humane word for "witch") and she's got powers she can't quite control that get her in trouble from time to time. It's these growing pains that make her an actual outcast at school, fielding constant cruel jokes about devil worship from her Southern belle classmates. Bella constantly feels she's not like her classmates, and as such, is withdrawn, even when the girls at school befriend her. She mumbles, she broods, she goes after a man who behaves like 30 year-old from the 19th century like a lovestruck little girl. She’s convinced no one understands her, but it’s her own barriers that are keeping her from making connections. Lena would never behave like that. She's truly outcast and a brain, so her feeling otherness is expressed by pouring herself into reading Charles Bukowski novels and multitudes of poetry. It’s something Bella’s character is supposed to do as well, but Lena’s character actually seems to cull meaning and a sense of self from her literary learnings. She's highly educated, and independent, to the point where she's barely even willing to let her suitor Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich) give her a ride home... after her car breaks down... in the rain... on a country road. She’s no damsel in distress, like Bella, whose first encounter with Edward is being saved by his brute strength. This is a girl after my own heart. Yes, Lena eventually falls hard for Ethan, as even bookworms are wont to do, and of course, it's not long before they're in love (this is a YA story, after all). But it's the way they handle themselves that's truly exemplary. In the Twilight books, Edward is unable to be too affectionate with Bella for fear of hurting her. At the surface, it's because he's a vampire, but the underlying meaning is one of extreme chastity and resistance to temptation. It’s a little 1950s. Every time Bella hopes to go a little further with Edward, he makes her wait, promising to consummate their love when they are married, not when they’re older, or when they’re ready. When he puts a ring on it. Without Bella even attempting to go to college. Why would she? She's going to be 18 forever, so who cares, right? RELATED: Why Is Viola Davis in 'Beautiful Creatures'? Lena and Ethan, however, are a little more liberal, a little more modern day. The couple doesn't hop into bed together (although they do literally cuddle in a bed, clothed, at one point), but there are no obnoxious metaphors for chastity and restraint. If anything, their story of love in the face of adults who try to keep them apart is a case for young people being more capable of making their own decisions than their elders give them credit for. It's not a PSA for teens to have sex, but it promotes trust in young people to make the right, educated decisions for themselves while acknowledging the potential for teens to feel something as deeply as Lena and Ethan do. It’s a healthier, more modern picture of young love than the one we get in Twilight. And while both youngsters love each other so much, a makeout session could light a roadside sign on fire (and does), college is a constant element of their plans. The future is not just sex in Rio and eternal marital bliss. And it’s the element of an educated, rational choice that separates Lena’s story from Bella’s. When Miss Swan decides she wants to change her whole life and give up her relationship with her mother to be with Edward, she’s doing so with passion, and a love so consuming that she’ll give up anything for it (we’re assured of that when she pulls daredevil antics in the second movie to induce visions of Edward). Lena, however, is struggling to find herself and her true path, whether that be light or dark magic, and she’s desperate to figure out how Ethan fits into her plan. She's not trying to figure out how her life could change to make her fit into Ethan's. RELATED: 'Beautiful Creatures' Director Okay With 'Twilight' Comparisons Even though her love will do anything to help her find a way to ensure she stays on the side of light magic, Lena eventually sends him away so that she can figure out the plan on her own. This is her cross to bear, it’s not something that Ethan or her uncle can be a part of. She spends her days studying a spell book, seeking a way to deny her family’s dark magic curse and the rules of the caster world that dictate that women cannot choose their own fate. When she finds the answer, which requires Ethan to die, she makes the mature, selfless decision to sacrifice her own happiness to save him. She wipes his memory of her and journeys to her magical claiming solo, where she chooses not light or dark, but a combination of the two. She completely rewrites the norm and forges her own path. It can be argued that Bella breaks the rules too when she not only bears a human-vampire hybrid, but survives the process and becomes a vampire, however, that happening is something of a miracle. At best, she accomplishes the feat through a stubborn sense of hope. Lena, however, accomplishes the change she seeks in the world through hard work and education. It’s a dry message when it’s spelled out so simply, but that’s why we have things like magic and romance to coat it with. At the heart of Beautiful Creatures is an obstacle that can only be overcome by the willpower, knowledge, and dedication of our strong heroine. Bella becomes a strong mother by the end of her journey, she follows her heart, and she changes her fate, but it’s not the same. Lena is exactly who she is always going to be at the start of Beautiful Creatures, and she strives throughout the film to maintain that sense of self and to find a way in which the person she is fits into the larger world, whether that includes the girls at school and a boyfriend, or not. In the end, it's the fact that Lena is so well-read and so resolute in who she is that attacts Ethan. It's not some cosmic calling, much like the magnetic pull between Edward and Bella. With Ethan and Lena, it's a matter of mutual respect and admiration. Lena's story is what young girls should be yearning for: the ability to truly understand themselves, their goals, and their desires, the dedication to make those goals a reality, and if they're really lucky, they'll stumble upon a charismatic, funny, cheerful young man to keep them company along the way. Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler [Photo Credit: Warner Bros. (2); Summit Entertainment] From Our Partners: Kate Upton Bares All in Nothing But Body Paint: Video (Celebuzz) Bradley Cooper Dancing Is Surprisingly Awkward, Sweaty (Vh1)
-
'A Good Day to Die Hard': A Good Weekend for the John McClane sequel
February 14, 2013 2:12pm ESTBruce Willis reprises his role as the irascible, tenacious John McClane in the fifth installment of Twentieth Century Fox’s Die Hard franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard in IMAX this President’s weekend. Opening as perfect counter-programming on Valentine’s Day, the R-rated action film looks to break the losing streak that films of the genre have experienced of late. A likely gross of well over $40 million for the five-day Thursday through Monday frame is expected with audiences likely to find excitement in the premise of the film, which teams McClane with his grown son Jack (Jai Courtney) and the use of Russia as a backdrop. Built-in brand recognition for both the franchise (with over $1.1 billion in WW revenue) and the McClane character will ensure that this film will “Yippee-ki-yay” itself to the top of the box office chart this weekend. RELATED: 'Identity Theft' Steals Box Office Of course, no Valentine’s weekend would be complete without a little love from Nicholas Sparks, whose Safe Haven from Relativity Media makes its debut appropriately on Valentine’s Day with an expected $20 million plus for the five days. Starring the impossibly good-looking Julianne Hough & Josh Duhamel, the film is elevated above the standard for this genre by solid direction from Lasse Halstrom (The Cider House Rules, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape) and an intriguing premise. The PG-13 film should earn in the low to mid-$20 millions for the five-day period. There is yet another Valentine’s Day release to join the hit parade as Warner Bros. presents Beautiful Creatures, a PG-13 fantasy romance that melds an older and younger cast (à la The Hunger Games) into a mythological love story that will also draw a solid audience of romance-seeking couples this weekend. The film boasts a solid cast including Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum and Emma Thompson. Expected for the film is a gross in excess of $20 million for the long weekend. RELATED: What Makes a 'Die Hard' Movie a 'Die Hard' Movie? In an effort not leave kids and families out of the President’s Day/Valentine's equation, opening Friday from The Weinstein Co. is Escape From Planet Earth in 3-D. The PG-rated animated film features the voices of Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba and William Shatner and should draw respectable crowds over the long weekend. After a much better than expected $34.5 million debut last weekend, Identity Thief will be represented well in the box office mix with newly crowned comedy star Melissa McCarthy and her co-star Jason Bateman, offering a major challenge a couple of the newcomers this weekend. A 50 percent weekend over weekend drop would still give the R-rated comedy a $17 million Friday through Sunday gross, placing it in major contention for one of the top spots with a cumulative gross in the $60 million plus range by the end of the weekend. RELATED: 'Safe Haven' Author Nicholas Sparks Answers: Will He Write Gay Romance? Filling out the rest of the chart, Summit Entertainment’s Warm Bodies will remain a top draw along with Open Road’s Side Effects and Oscar contenders Silver Lining Playbook from The Weinstein Co., Zero Dark Thirty from Sony, and Paramount’s Hansel & Gretel in what should prove to be one of the better performing President’s weekend holiday frames on record. Photo Credit: Frank Masi/20th Century Fox From Our Partners: Kate Upton Bares All in Nothing But Body Paint: Video (Celebuzz) Bradley Cooper Dancing Is Surprisingly Awkward (Vh1)
-
We're Spellbound: 'Beautiful Creatures' Is Young Adult Romance Done Right — REVIEW
February 13, 2013 6:57pm ESTNot all Young Adult Fiction adaptations are created equal. Riding the Twilight wave has its advantages and disadvantages, the keystone of the Young Adult fiction genre working as a hook for enthusiastic readers, and a warning sign for those who caught the early exploits of Bella and Edward. Beautiful Creatures owes its cinematic existence to the uber-successful series, but the connective tissue ends there. Based on the novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the movie is ripe with energy, drawing from its preserved, Southern gothic setting of South Carolina, two vivacious young romantics, and an ensemble of seasoned vets who chew up their scenes with twang. Beautiful Creatures doesn't wallow in relationships, it sparks them with frank sexuality and a dash of biting commentary. So long, Twilight. RELATED: 'Beautiful Creatures,' The Mortal Instruments' and More YA Books You Should Know Alden Ehrenreich (Tetro) stars as Ethan, an ambitious resident of Gatlin, SC who dreams big and has a particular penchant for plowing through the town's banned book list (yes, even in modern times, there are people who don't see To Kill a Mockingbird as reading fit for teenagers). Waking him up from the doldrums of suburban life is new student Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert of Ginger & Rosa), niece of the towns' notorious Ravenwood family, who becomes the target of public shaming. Beautiful Creatures does not skirt around the strong Christian influence of Southern culture and, as someone the kids believe is a Devil worshipper, Lena is an instant outcast under violent, verbal attack. Quite literally, kids pray in the class room to protect themselves from Lena's bad vibes. If Ethan didn't find the girl attractive in her own right, her position at the bottom of the social ladder fuels his infatuation. Because today's young romances demand a supernatural element, Lena eventually reveals to her courter that she's a "caster," the nice word for witch in the world of Beautiful Creatures. When Lena turns 16, she'll be subject to "The Claiming," a decision (made by the moon?) that will force her to either the light, nice and peachy side, or the dark, wicked and bloodthirsty side of casting. It's a countdown for Ethan, who realizes he has little time to connect with and possibly save his newfound love. Believing she has the ability to choose her fate, patriarch Macon Ravenwood guides Lena in the ways of the light — while disapproving of her relationship with Ethan. RELATED: 'Beautiful Creatures' Director 'Not Annoyed' By 'Twilight' Comparisons The magic logic is as ridiculous and overly complex as it sounds, but Beautiful Creatures writer/director Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King, P.S I Love You) never loses track of his characters and their interesting quirks. Jeremy Irons is a master spinster of exposition — if his Macon is laying down a mythology-building speech or rattling off the "rules of the Ravenwood family curse," it all sounds like Shakespeare. Emma Thompson does double duty in this department, playing the disturbingly conservative Mrs. Lincoln with recognizable, motherly terror, and her alter ego, a version of Lincoln possessed by a banished witch looking for revenge on Lena. Thompson spars with Macon and cackles in all her thick Southern accent glory, jumping between personas without a misstep. It's glorious. LaGravenese makes two inspired discoveries with Ehrenreich and Englert, who set the bar for performances in the genre. Ehrenreich is charming and warm, acting like an actual human being in the midst of a fantasy. He makes adorably awful small talk to woo Lena, he worries about her when she destroys the windows of a classroom with her mind, he becomes vicious when the Ravenwoods attempts to interfere with their relationship — all natural. Englert is like a young Kathleen Turner, her husky voice and sharp wit turning Alice into an unusually strong female lead. The young caster is vulnerable as her relationship blossoms, but fully capable of turning a family dinner into a merry-go-round from hell. The two are electric on screen, even at their campiest moments. Yes, they're destined lovers, descendants of a couple murdered during the Civil War, but even without the back story, Alice and Alden have a sweet, scary, and fiery romance. At nearly two hours, Beautiful Creatures could stand to lose a few plot threads — Emmy Rossum arrives halfway through as Lena's Siren cousin, a painful attempt by the actress to steal the spotlight with exaggeration — but stands as proof that tween source material can be done right. As it does with the cast, the film is enhanced by its moody visuals and engaging soundtrack by alternative rock band Thenewno2, all setting the tone for Alden and Alice's fateful entanglement. The movie shows no fear depicting teens in love or the ramifications of America's belief system — touchy subjects that feel daring in a Hollywood production. That's the movie's real magic. Review: 3.5/5 [Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures] From Our Partners: 'Groundhog Day' Cast: Where Are They Now? Bradley Cooper Dancing Is Surprisingly Awkward
