Richard Roxburgh
A handsome, sharp-featured actor who has played everything from action baddies to charming romantic comedy leads, Australian actor Richard Roxburgh became a familiar face to international audiences th...
read more...
|
BirthDate BirthPlace |
N/A
N/A |
-
The Sapphires dominates AACTA awards
January 30, 2013 4:00am ESTThe film scooped six trophies at the prizegiving, including awards for Best Film and Best Lead Actor for Bridesmaids star O'Dowd. Wayne Blair took the Best Director title, Deborah Mailman was named Best Lead Actress and Jessica Mauboy won Best Supporting Actress. The film also landed the prize for Best Adapted Screenplay. The haul adds to the five technical AACTA honours which were given to the film at a pre-awards luncheon on Monday (28Jan13), taking The Sapphires' total to 11. Joel Edgerton's thriller Wish You Were Here was also among the winners, securing the Best Original Screenplay honour and the Best Supporting Actor prize for Antony Starr. In the TV categories, the Best Television Drama Series prize went to Puberty Blues, while Best Lead Actor went to Richard Roxburgh (Rake) and Best Lead Actress went to Leah Purcell (Redfern Now). The ceremony at Sydney's Star Casino was hosted by Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe and featured appearances from Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush. The main Australian ceremony follows the handing out of the AACTA International Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday (26Jan13) - the majority of the foreign film prizes all went to acclaimed drama Silver Linings Playbook with wins for Jennifer Lawrence (Best Actress - International) and David O. Russell (Best Direction - International). Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver picked up the international supporting actor titles and the movie was also named best international film.
-
Battle: Los Angeles and Sanctum delayed in Japan
March 21, 2011 8:15am ESTThe alien war movie, starring Aaron Eckhart, topped the U.S. box office chart this month (Mar11) and was due to open in Japan on 1 April (11), but movie bosses have deemed the film unsuitable to be shown in the country following the massive earthquake and tidal wave which recently devastated the east coast. Sanctum, which tells the story of a group of cave-divers caught up in a violent cyclone, has also seen its Japanese release date axed because of concerns over some of the footage. The film, which boasts Cameron as a producer and stars Richard Roxburgh and Ioan Gruffudd, was due for release in the country on 22 April (11). A new release date has yet to be decided.
-
Roxburgh slams 3D 'nightmare' on Sanctum
February 03, 2011 6:15am ESTThe Moulin Rouge! star appears in the new action thriller as an explorer leading a group of divers through an underground caving system, fighting raging water as they search for an escape. The film's executive producer James Cameron made Sanctum with the same 3D technology he used in his blockbuster Avatar, but Roxburgh insists he wasn't impressed with the new way of working. He says, "The 3D element made our lives just a little more difficult. 3D was a nightmare. Its camera is famously slow, and because it is new technology, it's fraught with issues. For instance, the camera runs very hot, and when it breaks down, it has to be rebooted and that takes time. "Consequently the actors were paddling in water the whole time in wetsuits and we were freezing while waiting for the camera to be fixed."
-
Sanctum Review
February 02, 2011 4:26pm ESTWhat do you call a bunch of Australians tossed down a hole? A good start. I kid of course – “a mediocre movie” is more like it. And that’s precisely what you get with Alister Grierson’s Sanctum a 3D thriller in which a crew of cave divers struggle to survive after a monsoon-driven flood pins them thousands of feet underground. Sanctum is set in Papua New Guinea but was mostly shot in the sprawling caves of South Australia. The cast is dominated by local actors many of whom will prove unrecognizable to moviegoers residing above the equator – which frankly isn’t all that much of a hindrance since the lot of them will be killed off long before the closing credits roll. The cast’s lone non-Aussie – and the film’s most familiar face – is Welshman Ioan Gruffudd who plays Carl a gratingly cocky American industrialist whose wealth funds the whole caving (the word “spelunking” is never used much to my chagrin) expedition and whose extreme-tourist bent compels him to come along for the ride. He also brings his girlfriend Victoria (Alice Parkinson) whose strong-mindedness you just know is going to become a liability when the sh*t hits the fan. The sh*t in the case of Sanctum is an apocalyptic storm that arrives days before it’s supposed to triggering an avalanche of boulders that effectively seals off all possible exits. With the water level rising and a near-zero chance of rescue the group’s hardened no-nonsense leader Frank (Richard Roxburgh) decrees that their best hope of survival lies in finding an alternate means of escape via an unexplored stretch of tunnels thought to lead to the ocean. The situation grows gradually more desperate and characters succumb one by one to the hazards of the deep in fairly predictable disaster-flick order. (The aging female is first to go followed by the ethnic guy etc.) Sanctum cycles through a series of grisly fatalities – including one delightful bit in which a shock of hair caught in a climbing apparatus results in an impromptu scalping – until finally the last man standing is Frank’s son Josh (Rhys Wakefield) a moody 17-year-old who has heretofore spent most of the film acting out with childish spite toward his neglectful dad. Out of supplies exhausted but with his exquisite surfer-dude haircut thankfully still intact Josh must complete the remainder of the harrowing journey alone. Director Grierson packs Sanctum with some truly breathtaking visuals. The underwater cinematography shot with 3D cameras Grierson spent six-plus years developing is particularly stunning. But the film’s script clearly didn’t receive as much care and attention as its cameras. The action is occasionally gripping but the story lacks suspense and its tone largely fails to evoke the gnawing claustrophobia that presumably festers in such a dark musty subterranean labyrinth. Moreover it’s littered with truly execrable dialogue made worse by ADR that sounds as if it were recorded in a cozy basement studio. Executive producer James Cameron is featured prominently in Sanctum’s advertising campaign but the film itself bears scant evidence of his involvement save perhaps for the splendid underwater scenes. I half-suspect he viewed the project as a tool to develop and test his 3D technology in preparation for his amphibious Avatar sequel. He certainly didn’t use it to brush up on his storytelling skills.
-
Harris to play Sherlock Holmes' nemesis
September 29, 2010 5:00am ESTThe British actor will play Holmes' nemesis in the Guy Ritchie film, which will star Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Stephen Fry and Noomi Rapace, according to LatinoReview.com. Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle's Moriarty is considered by many the most treacherous of literary bad guys. The character was most recently played onscreen by Moulin Rouge! star Richard Roxburgh in A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
-
Eric Bana Wins Top Honor at Australia Film Awards
December 07, 2007 5:03am ESTEric Bana scooped the top honor at Australia's Film Institute annual awards event in Melbourne on Thursday. Romulus, My Father was named 2007's Best Film by the Antipodean version of the Academy Awards, with its star, native Australian Bana, beating his 11-year-old costar Kodi Smit-McPhee for the Best Actor award. Smit-McPhee, who plays the Troy star's son in director Richard Roxburgh's film adaptation of Raimond Gatia's childhood memoirs, later scooped the prize for Best Young Actor. Chinese-born actress Joan Chen won the prize for Best Actress for her portrayal of a Shanghai nightclub singer in The Home Song Stories, which swept the event with eight wins, including Best Director for Tony Ayres and Best Screenplay. COPYRIGHT 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.
-
THE COMING BOX OFFICE WEEKEND (MAY 26-29, 2000) AND MEMORIAL DAY HISTORY
June 10, 2004 5:29pm ESTMost moviegoers' mission Memorial Day weekend will be to see Paramount's "Mission: Impossible 2." The PG-13-rated action adventure sequel -- known for short as "M:I-2" -- got off to a flying start with its Wednesday opening to $12.5 million at a record-setting 3,653 theaters ($3,422 per theater). "It's a 37% first choice in the tracking," an insider points out, predicting blockbuster business for the long holiday weekend. Looking back, he adds, the original "Mission" was a 27% first choice when it opened, and last year's "Star Wars: Episode One -- The Phantom Menace" was a 43% first choice. "M:I-2's" Wednesday gross compares very favorably to the original "Mission: Impossible's" opening day total of $11.8 million for Wed., May 22, 1996, at 3,012 theaters ($3,918 per theater). That gross actually included pre-opening Tuesday night preview showings as well as the first full day's ticket sales. Because Paramount never broke out how much of that total represented the previews, it's consequently impossible to make precise comparisons between the two opening-day figures. It's reasonable, however, to figure that the sneaks did $1.5-2.0 million, which would have put the Wednesday-only gross in the $10.3-$9.8 million range. The original "Mission" took in $56.8 million for the four-day weekend (May 24-27, 1996). It grossed $74.9 million for six days (if you don't count Tuesday's previews as an additional day or a half-day) and $79.0 million for its first full week in theaters (again, not counting the previews as an extra day). "Mission" went on to gross $180.9 million domestically and $284 million internationally, for a worldwide cume of $464.9 million. Hollywood handicappers are anticipating $75-95 million for "M:I-2" for the six-day period from Wednesday through Monday and a seven-day gross of $80-100 million. Clearly, "M:I-2" will be Number One by a mile for the four-day weekend, grossing north of $56 million. Although there will be tons of media coverage of the opening day's gross, it won't be until Friday morning that the first meaningful comparisons can be made. Friday it will be possible to compare the drop from Wednesday to Thursday. The original "Mission's" drop was 46%, but its Wednesday gross included Tuesday night previews. "Here's the question," says one observer. "Did all of that business go into Wednesday? In other words, the people who were so gung-ho to come out (to see the original) that Tuesday night, did they simply come out (to see the sequel) Wednesday, or are some of them going to be spread out over the first couple of days? If you accept the theory that you can't do as much business in one day as you can in a day and a half - whether because of capacity or because people might have been able to go Tuesday who couldn't go Wednesday for some reason - then they should not take as big a drop Thursday. They'll be measuring one day against one day, where last time they were measuring one day against a day and a half. That plus the better playability of the sequel suggests they won't drop 46% Thursday from Wednesday." In 1996, "Mission's" daily grosses for its first week in theaters were: Wednesday -- $11.8 million; Thursday -- $6.3 million; Friday -- $13.1 million; Saturday -- $16.7 million; Sunday -- $15.6 million; Monday -- $11.4 million; and Tuesday -- $4.1 million. Its seven-day total was $79 million. "If they follow the same trajectory, they'll be ahead of $79 million," an insider explains. "Obviously, they're hoping they won't drop 46% on Thursday because the sequel plays better than the first one. You're dealing with such big numbers that the difference between a 35% drop Thursday and a 46% drop could ultimately be $15 million for the first week, in the sense that it follows a different trajectory." Directed by John Woo, "M:I-2" was produced by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner through their Cruise/Wagner production company, which also produced the 1996 blockbuster "Mission: Impossible." Besides Cruise, the sequel stars Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Richard Roxburgh, John Polson, Brendan Gleeson, Rade Sherbedzija and Ving Rhames. It was written by Robert Towne and executive produced by Terence Chang and Paul Hitchcock. "I think 'Dinosaur' has the potential to do for the four days what it did last weekend for three days," a distribution executive predicts. That would give the Buena Vista/Disney PG-rated computer animated feature $39-40 million and make it a solid Number Two in its second weekend. Directed by Ralph Zondag and Eric Leighton, it features such voices as D.B. Sweeney, Ossie Davis, Joan Plowright, Della Reese and Alfre Woodard. "For pictures that play well, they tend to do on Memorial Day weekend what they did the previous (three-day) weekend," an insiders says. "Obviously, a movie like 'Mission' coming into the marketplace takes a big chunk of business - maybe not so much out of 'Dinosaur,' but out of 'Gladiator.'" If "Gladiator" takes a hit, the DreamWorks' R-rated action adventure would finish third with $15-16 million in its fourth week. The film is half owned by Universal, which is releasing it internationally. Directed by Ridley Scott, it stars Russell Crowe. DreamWorks' R-rated youth appeal comedy "Road Trip" should come in fourth in its second weekend. "'Road Trip,' which opened to $15.5 million, ought to be able to do $12 million for the four days," an executive speculates. Directed by Todd Philips, it stars Breckin Meyer and Sean William Scott. The holiday weekend's only other new arrival, Buena Vista/Touchstone's PG-13-rated action comedy "Shanghai Noon," doesn't kick off until Friday. Given its first-choice tracking of 7%, it isn't likely to do better than fifth place with about $10 million at 2,711 theaters. "It's a 7% first choice for both males and females," an insider notes. "Its best score is 10% with 18-20 year olds." Directed by Tom Dey, "Shanghai" stars Jackie Chan, Owen C. Wilson and Lucy Liu. "That puts it in a category with (Buena Vista's comedy) 'Spy Hard,' which opened to $10.4 million in third place for the four-day weekend against the first 'Mission: Impossible,'" says one observer. That same weekend, Warner Bros.' "Twister" was second with $38 million, which is in the same area as "Dinosaur" this time around. "After 'Shanghai Noon,' you basically fall off the deep end," a studio source points out. "'Small Time Crooks' may grab another $3 million. The rest is just a couple million here and there - for 'U-571' and 'Frequency' and 'Battlefield Earth.'" Written and directed by Woody Allen, the PG-rated comedy "Crooks" stars Allen, Tony Darrow, Hugh Grant, George Grizzard, Jon Lovitz, Elaine May, Michael Rapaport, Elaine Stritch and Tracey Ullman. Warner Bros. and Franchise Pictures' PG-13-rated sci-fi action adventure "Battlefield Earth" is directed by Roger Christian and stars John Travolta, Barry Pepper and Forest Whitaker. Universal's PG-13-rated World War II submarine drama "U-571" is directed by Jonathan Mostow and stars Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel and Jon Bon Jovi. New Line's PG-13-rated time travel thriller "Frequency" is directed by Gregory Hoblit and stars Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel. On the limited release front: Paramount Classics opens its PG-13-rated drama "Passion of Mind." Directed by Alain Berliner, it stars Demi Moore. MEMORIAL DAY OVERVIEW Looking back at Memorial Day weekends over nearly two decades, it's clear that the holiday's importance to Hollywood has grown by leaps and bounds. Memorial Day began looking like a potentially big holiday as far back as 1982 when MGM/UA's "Rocky III" starring Sylvester Stallone delive ed a $16 million knockout punch for four days at 939 theaters ($17,055 per theater). Hollywood hadn't quite yet realized how a Wednesday opening could extend a holiday weekend's impact, so "Rocky III" entered the ring on a Friday (May 28). "Rocky III" ran rings around everything else playing that weekend: 20th Century Fox's suspense thriller "Visiting Hours" ($5.3 million), Universal's action drama "Conan the Barbarian" ($5.2 million), Universal's comedy "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" ($4.6 million) and Fox's youth appeal comedy "Porky's" ($4.5 million). Key films - those grossing at least $500,000 for the four days from May 28-31 - took in $49.9 million. Only one year later, in 1983, Memorial Day box office history was being rewritten with Fox's launch of George Lucas' third "Star Wars" film "Return of the Jedi." This time, the action got underway on Wednesday, as "Jedi" blasted off to $30.5 million for four days (May 27-30) and $41.1 million for six days at 1,002 theaters. Everything else playing was in a much lower orbit: Columbia's action drama "Blue Thunder" ($6.2 million), Paramount's romantic dance drama "Flashdance" ($4.7 million), Columbia's sci-fi epic "Spacehunter" ($4.6 million) and Orion's drama "Breathless" ($2.8 million). Key films grossed $61.4 million. "Jedi's" Memorial Day record only lasted until 1984, one year later, when Paramount's adventure "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, kicked off on a Wednesday to $33.9 million for four days (May 25-28) and $42.3 million for six days at 1,687 theaters. Nothing else came close: TriStar's drama "The Natural" ($6.9 million), Cannon and MGM/UA's dance film "Breakin'" ($4.1 million), Fox's adventure drama "Romancing the Stone" ($4.1 million) and Universal's youth appeal comedy "16 Candles" ($2.9 million). Key films took in $67.3 million. Memorial Day 1985 wasn't nearly as strong as it had been in '84. TriStar's adventure sequel "Rambo: First Blood 2" starring Sylvester Stallone finished first with $25.5 million. With 2,074 theaters, it was the widest release Memorial Day had ever seen to that point. By 1985 Hollywood was beginning to see the value of being in the Memorial Day marketplace. Unlike past years, when only one big new film had opened for the long weekend, 1985 brought a Friday opening for MGM/UA's James Bond adventure "A View To A Kill" ($13.3 million) and a Wednesday launch for Universal's comedy "Brewster's Millions" ($9.6 million for four days and $11.5 million for six days). Rounding out the top five were Paramount's long running "Beverly Hills Cop" ($2.9 million) and Warner Bros.' comedy "Police Academy 2" ($1.5 million). Key films grossed $63.6 million from May 24-27. Memorial Day 1986 saw a big downturn in holiday ticket sales. Cannon/Warner Bros.' opening of the action adventure "Cobra" starring Sylvester Stallone was first with an unexciting $15.7 million at 2,131 theaters for four days. MGM/UA's opening of its horror sequel "Poltergeist II" was a strong second with $12.4 million at 1,596 theaters. Others in the top five were: Paramount's "Top Gun" starring Tom Cruise, which had opened a week earlier ($9.4 million), TriStar's comedy "Short Circuit" ($5.5 million) and Universal's comedy "Sweet Liberty" ($3.1 million). Key films took in $51.9 million from May 23-26. Memorial Day ticket sales snapped back to life in 1987 with Paramount's opening of "Beverly Hills Cop II" starring Eddie Murphy ($33.0 million for four days and $40.6 million for six days) at 2,326 theaters. Second place went to Buena Vista's launch of "Ernest Goes to Camp" ($6.2 million). Others in the top five: Universal's comedy "The Secret of My Success" ($3.7 million), Columbia's failed comedy "Ishtar" ($3.4 million) and New Century's horror film "The Gate" ($2.9 million). Key films took in $62.2 million from May 22-25. Memorial Day 1988 took a step backwards with Paramount's opening of "Crocodile Dundee II" starring Paul Hogan ($24.5 million for four days and $29.2 million for six days) at 2,837 theaters. By 1988, studios were going much wider than ever before. TriStar's launch of "Rambo III" starring Sylvester Stallone was second with $16.7 million at 2,562 theaters ($21.2 million for six days). Also playing: MGM/UA's George Lucas drama "Willow" ($7.6 million), Orion's drama "Colors" ($2.4 million) and Warners' Tim Burton classic "Beetlejuice" ($2.0 million). Key films grossed $63.1 million from May 27-30. Memorial Day saw big-time success again in 1989 with Paramount's opening of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" from Lucas/Spielberg with $37.0 million for four days and $46.9 million for six days at 2,327 theaters. Nothing else stood a chance: TriStar's thriller "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" ($6.1 million), Universal's drama "Field of Dreams" ($5.7 million), UA's youth comedy "Road House" ($5.0 million) and Warners' opening of the drama "Pink Cadillac" starring Clint Eastwood ($4.4 million for four days). Key films mustered $69.5 million from May 26-29. Memorial Day 1990 brought a downturn with Universal's opening of "Back To the Future Part III" with $23.7 million for four days at 2,019 theaters. Universal also occupied second place with "Bird On A Wire" starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn ($12.8 million), which had opened one week earlier. Others in the top five: Buena Vista's blockbuster "Pretty Woman" ($8.2 million), Orion's comedy drama "Cadillac Man" starring Robin Williams ($6.5 million) and Buena Vista's opening of its action drama "Fire Birds" starring Nicolas Cage and Tommy Lee Jones ($6.4 million for four days). Key films took in $69.8 million from May 25-28. Memorial Day continued to drop in 1991 with Universal's opening of Ron Howard's drama "Backdraft" with $15.7 million for four days at 1,852 theaters. Second place went to Buena Vista's comedy "What About Bob" ($11.2 million) and TriStar's opening of the drama "Hudson Hawk" starring Bruce Willis was third ($7.1 million for four days at 2,071 theaters). Rounding out the top five: MGM's opening of the now classic drama "Thelma & Louise" starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis ($6.1 million for four days at 1,179 theaters) and Fox's opening of its drama "Only the Lonely" ($6.0 million at 1,179 theaters for four days). Key films totaled $69.6 million from May 24-27. Success was in the air again with Memorial Day 1992 as Warners took first place with "Lethal Weapon 3" starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover ($27.6 million at 2,510 theaters). Having opened a week earlier, its 11 day cume was $70.5 million. Fox's opening of "Alien 3" starring Sigourney Weaver was second with $23.1 million for four days at 2,227 theaters. Third place went to Universal's opening of Ron Howard's drama "Far and Away" starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman ($12.9 million for four days at 1,583 theaters). Rounding out the top five: Buena Vista's opening of the comedy "Encino Man" starring Brendan Fraser ($9.9 million for four days at 2,050 theaters); and TriStar's blockbuster thriller "Basic Instinct" starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone ($3.2 million). Key films accounted for $93.5 million from May 22-25, marking the first time the Memorial Day marketplace expanded within reach of $100 million. Memorial Day 1993 brought yet another TriStar action adventure opening starring Sylvester Stallone - "Cliffhanger" with $20.5 million for four days at 2,333 theaters. Second place went to Warners' opening of the comedy "Made In America" starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson ($11.8 million for four days at 2,048 theaters). Warners' comedy "Dave" was third ($8.9 million), followed by Buena Vista's opening of the youth appeal drama "Super Mario Bros." ($8.5 millio n for four days at 2,081 theaters) and Fox's comedy sequel "Hot Shots! Part Deux" ($8.2 million). Key films retreated to $88.1 million from May 28-31. Memorial Day ticket sales were on the rise again in 1994 with Universal's launch of its comedy "The Flintstones" with $37.2 million for four days at 2,498 theaters. Warners' second weekend of "Maverick" starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner was second ($18.6 million). Paramount's opening of "Beverly Hills Cop III" starring Eddie Murphy was third with $15.3 million for four days and $18.8 million for six days at 2,748 theaters. Also in the top five: Buena Vista's drama "When A Man Loves A Woman" ($7.0 million) and Miramax's suspense thriller "The Crow" ($6.6 million). Key films were once again pushing $100 million -- with $95.2 million from May 27-30. The marketplace expanded over Memorial Day 1995 although there wasn't as much action in first place. Universal's dramatic comedy "Casper" opened atop the chart with $22.1 million for four days at 2,714 theaters. Fox's second weekend of "Die Hard With A Vengeance" starring Bruce Willis was second with $19.0 million. Paramount's opening of "Braveheart" starring Mel Gibson took third place with $12.9 million for four days and $15.6 million for six days at 2,035 theaters. Rounding out the top five: Buena Vista's drama "Crimson Tide" ($12.8 million) and Sony's comedy drama "Forget Paris" starring Billy Crystal and Debra Winger ($7.7 million). Key films cracked $100 million for the first time with $112.0 million for May 26-29. Memorial Day 1996 really brought the holiday weekend into its own as Paramount launched "Mission: Impossible" to $56.8 million for four days and $74.9 million for six days (including Tuesday night previews) at 3,012 theaters. It was the widest release ever for a Memorial Day opening. Warners' disaster drama "Twister" was a solid second with $38.0 million in its third weekend. Buena Vista's comedy "Spy Hard" opened in third place with $10.4 million for four days. Universal's family film "Flipper" was fourth with $5.4 million. Fifth place went to Fox's drama "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" ($2.7 million). Key films collected $124.99 million from May 24-27. What was big in '96 looked smaller a year later as Memorial Day 1997 saw Universal's opening of Steven Spielberg's "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" to $92.7 million at 3,281 theaters for four days (including its Thursday night previews). Warners' opening of the drama "Addicted to Love" was a distant second with $11.4 million for four days at 2,007 theaters. Sony's sci-fi drama "The Fifth Element" was third ($8.0 million), followed by New Line's comedy "Austin Powers" ($5.6 million) and Paramount's drama "Breakdown" ($5.4 million). Key films did a hefty $142.9 million from May 23-26. Memorial Day 1998 saw the marketplace contract again as Sony's "Godzilla" opened in first place with $55.7 million for four days and $74.3 million for six days at 3,310 theaters. Paramount's sci-fi disaster drama "Deep Impact" was second with $19.4 million in its third weekend. Buena Vista's drama "The Horse Whisperer" starring Robert Redford and Kristin Scott-Thomas was third with $14.5 million in its second weekend. Also in the top five: Fox's satire "Bulworth" starring Warren Beatty ($10.5 million) and Warners' animated feature "Quest For Camelot" ($6.3 million). Key films grossed $128.97 million from May 22-25. Memorial Day 1999 was topped by Fox's "Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace" from George Lucas with $66.9 million for four days at 3,023 theaters, bringing its cume to $207.1 million for 13 days. Second place went to Universal's opening of its romantic comedy drama "Notting Hill" starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant ($27.7 million for four days at 2,747 theaters). Universal also took third place with "The Mummy" ($12.9 million). Rounding out the top five: Fox's romantic thriller "Entrapment" ($7.2 million) and Sony's opening of its sci-fi thriller "The Thirteenth Floor" ($4.3 million for four days at 1,815 theaters). Key films took in $136.1 million from May 28-31.
-
Van Helsing Review
May 11, 2004 12:47pm ESTIn the late 19th century Dr. Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) a misunderstood monster hunter is summoned to Transylvania to ferret out Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) and kill him once and for all. When Van Helsing gets to the small village where the vampire was last spotted he discovers he also must contend with Dracula's three seriously twisted vampire brides Dracula's angry henchman/werewolf--and a lovely gypsy princess named Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale) who is hell-bent on eradicating Dracula and his bloodsucking kind for slaughtering her entire family. Oh and let's not forget Frankenstein's Monster (Shuler Hensley) who holds the key to Dracula's evil master plan--something about releasing his minions of unborn bat-like children from their goo-filled cocoons so they can wreck havoc on the world. Yuck. Sounds like our resident monster stomper and his sword-swinging gal pal have their work cut out for them. If Van Helsing does manage to kill all his monster foes does that mean he's out of a job? Jackman has the whole antihero thing down pat. He adequately embodies the younger more virile Van Helsing dishing out as much pain and torture as he can on the undead--but the Aussie actor isn't given nearly as much meat to chew on as he did say delving into the complicated Wolverine in X-Men. Instead the monster hunter is relegated to carrying big weapons wearing a big hat and muttering something about having bad dreams to a past he can't remember. Same goes for Beckinsale. The British actress was oh-so-cool on the other side of the fence playing the chic vampire Selene in Underworld cutting her way through a myriad of werewolves. As Van Helsing's heavily accented female counterpart Anna however she just runs around with her sword blurting out such pathetic dialogue such as "Dracula took everything away from me and now I'm alone in the world" while Roxburgh's Dracula--who can't hold a candle to other far more charismatic Draculas before him--wails about being so very alone as his luscious brides hang upside down in front of him. Give me a break. At least Australian actor David Wenham (The Lord of the Rings) provides much-needed comic relief as Van Helsing's sidekick Carl a Catholic friar who doesn't much like playing hero. With the requisite dark mood and tone action sequences and snazzy CGI-creations including the winged vampire brides and formidable werewolves you can see exactly where writer/director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) spent Van Helsing's nearly $150 million budget. But even all the bells and whistles can't tie together the film's vacuous nonsensical mumbo jumbo as Sommers attempts to bring classic movie monsters together in the same movie. Maybe in a tongue-in-cheek Abbott and Costello movie it could work but as a serious action-packed thriller clearly Dracula Frankenstein and the Wolf Man do not need to meet. On top of that Sommers steals from other movies as well such as recent films Underworld (the whole vampire vs. werewolf conflict) and The League of Extraordinary Gentleman (Van Helsing defeats a rather familiar-looking Mr. Hyde at one point). Whatever originality there is in the film leaves you either scratching your head--Dracula has kids?--or rolling your eyes--Anna needs to kill Dracula so her nine-generations of family can reunite in Heaven? Please.
-
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Review
July 11, 2003 10:16am ESTOn paper The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen sounds entirely intriguing. Great literary figures with amazing abilities who come to life to fight evil at the turn of the century? Oh yeah. The film based on a cult comic book (which film isn't these days?) chronicles the lives of these seven extraordinary--and extremely solitary--characters who sometimes view their individual abilities as more a curse than a blessing. Leading the group is Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery) a skilled hunter and great adventurer whose exploits are renowned; joining him is Rodney Skinner (Tony Curran) aka The Invisible Man a rogue master thief whose invisibility makes him darned hard to catch in the act; Mina Harker (Peta Wilson) a half-human half-vampire beauty who carries on the supernatural powers of her vampire lord Count Dracula; Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend) a dashing aristocrat (and Mina's ex-lover) whose immortality and guiltless conscience make him a perfect assassin; Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah) a brilliant scientist and anarchist whose inventions are way ahead of their time; Agent Sawyer as in Tom (Shane West) a hotshot American secret agent who is deadly with a rifle; and last but not least Dr. Jekyll (Jason Flemyng) a meek enough fellow within whom lurks Mr. Hyde a ferocious beast who emerges at Jekyll's will. The league is called upon by the mysterious British secret agent M (Richard Roxburgh) to stop a malevolent force known as The Fantom from creating a war among the world's nations by using the most advanced technologies of the day. In return for their service each of them are promised either cures or redemption for their acts. Unfortunately the rest of the story isn't nearly as interesting as the seven extraordinary characters themselves. The large ensemble cast generally works together well tackling their iconic literary figures in unique ways. The king of the hill is definitely Connery who dominates the proceedings as the aging Quatermain. For a 73-year-old man the actor can still pull off the dashing hero--never once do you feel his is out of his element. Yet Connery works the age angle well showing how Quatermain's lifelong experiences as an explorer--along with a great personal tragedy--has worn the adventurer down. Other standouts include Townsend as Dorian who seems to have mastered the coldhearted yet deadly sexy killer persona since playing the vampire Lestat in Queen of the Damned; Flemyng (From Hell) as Jekyll who aptly displays the good doctor's never ending and sweaty battle to fight the urge to let the grotesquely huge Hyde loose and Wilson (TV's La Femme Nikita) who gives an interesting twist to the vampiress Mina--although it isn't made entirely clear how she can retain her human qualities like walking around in sunlight after being made into a creature of the night. Don't remember that story tic in Dracula…. The other members of the league--including Shah (Monsoon Wedding) as Nemo and Curran (Blade II) as the Invisible Man--are unfortunately left sorely underdeveloped which is a shame since they are just as intriguing as any of the others. And what about a grown-up version of Tom Sawyer? There's plenty of potential in that scenario but West (A Walk to Remember) as Sawyer is relegated to being just another hotheaded American. To get League made was a feat in itself. From the onslaught the production was plagued with some serious setbacks including last summer's terrible flooding in Prague the film's main location which damaged prop houses and a few of the elaborate sets including Nemo's ship the Nautilus. There were also rumored problems between star/executive producer Connery and director Stephen Norrington (Blade) wherein Connery believed Norrington was taking too long to make the film. This could be one of the reasons League is majorly flawed: nothing seems cohesive and it suffers in its execution. The action sequences are a mess--too dark and confusing you aren't quite sure who's doing what to whom. The special effects are run of the mill nothing spectacular save for the Nautilus which does loom large in the water like a steely shark. In fact League's sets are one the film's few assets especially the inside of the ship with its opulent Eastern decor and Dorian's dilapidated waterfront lodgings. The complex themes the film brings up are only glossed over such as the evils of an industrial age and of a scientific world gone mad as well as the idea of using formidable literary characters with strange superpowers to do good. Instead the film goes for the easy action-thriller way out--and doesn't even do a good job at it. League just doesn't live up to its potential.
-
Moulin Rouge Review
January 29, 2003 9:22am ESTEwan McGregor is Christian a romantic at heart who moves to the seedy Montmartre district of Paris to become a playwright. He and the raucous bunch of Bohemians he meets which includes artist Toulouse Lautrec (John Leguizamo) develop a stage musical to star the seductively beautiful Satine (Nicole Kidman) a famous courtesan and the Moulin Rouge's principal singer. The minute Christian lays eyes on Satine he's infatuated--and she winds up falling deeply in love with him despite herself. But the evil English duke (Richard Roxburgh) who is funding their show will only do so for a price-he's obsessed with Satine and wants her for himself. Since much of this story is told via song (modern pop tunes and a few originals) the pressure was on the two leads to carry it off. Rumor has it Heath Ledger and Catherine Zeta-Jones were once the frontrunners for these roles--this movie certainly doesn't suffer without them. Nicole Kidman reveals herself a lovely singer particularly when performing "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" while suspended over the Moulin Rouge audience. Hunky Ewan McGregor as the heartbreakingly honest Christian is truly outstanding with a radiant smile and surprisingly beautiful singing voice to boot (who knew?). John Leguizamo overdoes it a wee bit as does Richard Roxburgh as the Duke but it's all in the crazy-quilt spirit of the film. A shiny sparkling pinwheel of a production Moulin Rouge might be the most gorgeous movie you'll ever lay eyes upon. The costumes are fabulous (dolled up Nicole Kidman makes them positively breathtaking) as are the fairy tale sets and Goya-esque makeup. Mainstream audiences will likely reject director Baz Luhrmann's irreverence and whimsy; some scenes are overlong some are so swoopily herky-jerky your head spins. But Luhrmann may have done what hasn't been done since The Sound of Music in 1965--created a successful live-action musical one that could reinvent the genre. A gravelly voiced Boho warbles The Police's "Roxanne" as dancers tango; David Bowie does Nat "King" Cole's "Nature Boy"; and you've never seen Madonna's "Like a Virgin" performed quite this way before.
